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Bargaining/Shopping 

Concerning haggling, most hotel shops and park gift stands will not tolerate it. If a price is marked and there is a cash register, the price is generally not negotiable. In some shops, however, haggling over the price is expected. This is true with street stands also, and street peddlers. It is an art form.

Some hints: Do not expect to get a great deal. These people are at it all day every day and they are very good. Bring small bills in US money. Never show cash until you are ready to make the deal. Never show more cash than you are prepared to spend. Whatever price is first offered is about 40% to 50% more than the seller actually will settle for, most times. If he doesn't want to drop the price, he won't. Offer a lower, but reasonable, price. If you don't like the price, walk away. The price will probably come down a little further just as you get to the door. Try to save your purchase of ministerial garb for Frieda's shop in Jerusalem at the end of the trip. There is a good shop for antiquities as well two doors up from there. 

Begging

Arab (Palestinian) children can sometimes be found begging in tourist areas. Generally you will not be going places where this is common. If you do encounter it, please consider not giving money, even to the kids. If someone offers something for sale, and you feel the price is good, feel free to buy. But responding to begging children unfortunately brings more children to hassle the group, and I do mean hassle. It can be dangerous too. Pickpockets may use begging children to separate you slightly from our group and distract you.

Also, sometimes Hasidic Jews near the Western Wall will beg, or may try to "assist you" in some way or "pray for you",  only then to hit you up for a "donation for the synagogue". This if fraudulent, and I ask that you not support it. All you do is politely decline, proceed to the Wall, and pray for them while you are there. 

Books

Climate

Clothing

Weight is important. Bring a minimum of clothing. You will not need formal stuff at all. Bring maybe 4 pairs of jeans or lightweight pants and matching shirts (I'm happier with long sleeves---I roll them up if it gets warm). Wearing long pants (or longish skirts are good) most of the time will eliminate problems at some holy sites. Shorts can be particularly nice for the south, however. Bring athletic type socks to go with your sturdy, waterproof, walking shoes. Six pairs of socks are about right. Underwear for about six days is fine. Plan to wash in your hotel/kibbutz  bathroom (sink or tub) and hang stuff on coat hangers and/or a line in your room. Bring detergent. (Some hotels, however, have a laundering service; prices vary.) To the bus every day wear a sweater (I just used the same one every day), wear/ bring an all-weather coat (keep gloves and knit hat in coat pocket). If your coat is not waterproof, keep a poncho folded compactly in your fanny pack or back pack. Be prepared for any weather at all times. As it warms up, you can leave some of these layers safely on your seat in the bus. Wear a cap or hat every day for protection against wind and sun. (See packing list) 

Credit Cards

Credit card crooks are out there for sure! They can run your card through twice without your seeing it and charge things on your card. They can make a copy of your card fast. How can you avoid this? JCBS and COS in Israel use 2 or 3 shops that do NOT do this. If they exploit one of our people, they know we won't bring groups back. So, if you shop in the Old City or elsewhere on your own, and maybe you find a price a little better than the shops we take you to, and you use a credit card, then you are taking a risk I wouldn't take. I personally have seen credit card fraud too many times this year. EO/JCBS is taking legal action. But in every case these were students shopping on their own, giving their credit card to shopkeepers that we don't know. NOT a good idea, especially as slow as tourism was in 2000.

Culture

Electricity

E-mailing from Israel
Some hotels we use offer internet access. You can check on this at the desk. There are also internet cafes in Jerusalem and Tiberias. If you bring your own laptop, you will need an international provider like CompuServe or AOL, or you can get a cheap local provider while there. Either way, expect local or long distance charges on your hotel bill.
 

Entering Israel

Flight

Food

Geography

Israel's area within boundaries and cease-fire lines, including the areas under Palestinian self-government, is 10,840 square miles (27,800 sq.km.). For comparison of size, the State of Mississippi is over 48,000 square miles---that's 4.4 times larger than all of Israel/Palestine.Yet packed into this little country is a variety of geography like no other. (The wildlife is wonderful too. You'll see everything from Ibex to Eagles.) Here's a link to a map comparing the size of Israel to the Washington D.C. area: CLICK.

Long and narrow in shape, it is  some 290 miles (470 km.) in length and about 85 miles (135 km.) across at the widest point. The country is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east,  Egypt to the southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Mountains and plains, fertile fields and desert are often minutes apart. The width of the country, from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east, can be crossed by car (not bus!) in about 90 minutes; and the trip from Metulla, in the far north, to Eilat at the country's southern tip takes about six hours. Travel takes a little longer generally in a motor coach.

Jerusalem Center Information

Kibbutz

We often stay in a kibbutz village rather than a hotel. The rooms can be as nice as a fine hotel, or they can be merely adequate, depending. When possible we stay in the best rooms they have. The reasons we sometimes prefer a kibbutz to a hotel are two: Sometimes we require the cultural/educational experience and accommodations, and sometimes we prefer the beauty of a more rural setting. (see Food)

Luggage

Medications

Note: It is normal for your system to adjust to the change in diet. For most, this is no more than brief, mild discomfort. Pepto-Bismol tablets in the morning as a preventative work very well. Some swear by garlic tablets for the same purpose. Traveler's Diarrhea (TD) is a little more serious, and can last 3-7 days. I'm not aware of anyone getting TD when traveling with us, but it can happen any time you travel outside the US. The best way to prevent TD is by paying meticulous attention to choice of food and beverage. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not recommend use of antibiotics to prevent TD because they can cause additional problems themselves. For treatment, oral fluids should be administered to sufferers of diarrhea. Fruit juices, soft drinks, preferably without caffeine, and salted crackers are advised. Avoid dairy products, and all beverages that contain water of questionable quality. Antimicrobial drugs such as doxycycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim™   , Septra™  ) may shorten the length of illness. Consult your physician for prescription and dose schedules. Antidiarrheals, such as Lomotil* or Immodium*, can decrease the number of diarrheal stools, but can cause complication for persons with serious infections. I got this info from the CDC in Atlanta. Their web site is: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/travel.html

Medical System

Money/Exchange

Money/Spend

Traveler's Checks are accepted, but they are clumsy to manage. Cash in this small amount is simple and preferred. VISA and MasterCard are universally accepted. (see CREDIT CARDS above) Hotel front desks can make the change from dollars to shekels, which you will want to do the first thing. Use shekels for small purchases (Coke, candy bars, T-shirts); the price will be better. Dollars for larger purchases are preferable.

National Parks

Packing and Customs

Questioners in customs will ask: Who packed your bag? Sometimes they ask: What is the purpose of your trip? Who are you traveling with? Do you know anyone in the Middle East? You will want to have your itinerary handy along with the list of our group; keep these with your passport and tickets. Be respectful and don't make jokes during this process. These questioners are just doing their job to keep everyone safe. They are trained to look for tale tell signs of untrue statements. They are very good, and very serious. All luggage is x-rayed. Yours may be searched too. You should patiently and politely comply, as these procedures are normal, and are for your safety. Never leave any of your belongings unattended. A small fanny pack or camera case accidentally left in the rest room can clear an airport in 60 seconds! Keep up with your stuff. (Check out the sample packing list) 

Packing odds and ends

Passports, Pickpockets, and Such

Phobias

I write here about acrophobia and claustrophobia because I think it's only fair that those of you with even a mild case of one of these phobias should know up front what it will be like. 
 

Acrophobia: All of the roads we take in Israel are safe, but a couple of them drop off steeply to the left or right in places, such as the switch backs in one of the mountainous regions. It doesn't bother most of our group, but if you have a real phobia, it can be very uncomfortable. Also, some of the trails we hike are occasionally on a ledge. And the cable car at Masada does go up after all! Again, most of the group will feel completely safe. We'll be having fun, and won't even think much of these roads and trails. But a person with a phobia can experience a very real feeling of panic. They tell me it is an irrational fear, and it is very embarrassing because they know that the danger is not real. But it feels very real when it's happening. If you are afraid of heights, you can opt out of the cable car and the hikes, if that is what you need to do. The highways, on the other hand, will be something you'll have to find a way through, since we can't get you from point A to point B any other way. 

Claustrophobia: If you are afraid of enclosed places, you might want to opt out of the following activities: The tunnel into the Herodium, the tomb complex at the so-called Tomb of the Kings, and maybe the water channels at Megiddo and Hazor. The option with all of these is to walk around and meet us on the other side, or just wait for a few minutes in the shade until we come out. Let me stress again, these do not bother most folk at all. A story: The tunnel through the Herodium, one of Herod's southern citadels, was open to our group for the first time last year. It's well lit, and in most places not very cramped. Half way through, the electricity failed, and it was quite dark. Since employees are always on hand, and since some of us had flashlights, we were easily on our way in moments, laughing and joking as we went. But for one member of our group, one who had a mild case of claustrophobia, this was a very frightening experience. This is the kind of thing you want to be aware of up front, if you have a phobia.

Phone Calls

• AT&T USA DIRECT 177-100-2727
• MCI CALL USA 177-150-2727
• US SPRINT 177-102-2727

Photography

A personal note: I know that this may be a trip of a lifetime, and photos are important as you prepare to share your trip with those back home. But try not to let the camera take over your trip and keep you from experiencing it fully for yourself. Slide sets will be available everywhere to supplement your own. 

Postage

Security

For security reasons, our plans may sometimes have to flex. If there are skirmishes in the north, for example and God forbid, we may have to alter the day we go to Dan. The military is very strict about keeping tourists away from tense areas. It's for our safety. The occasional bombings we hear about on CNN are in places we will not visit. Unfortunately for the victims of these attacks, they are aimed only at Jews in Jewish areas. Tourists are not  the target of terrorism in Israel. There are at least two reasons why. First, it doesn't work politically. Second, since tourism drives the economy for both Jews and Palestinians, tour groups/busses are not targeted. As you will see for yourself, both sides in Israel's internal conflict know who it is that butters their bread, and we are treated with respect and hospitality by both. 

Remember, it is CNN's job to show hot spots, and there are always hot spots in Israel, just like in the U.S. Because they seem to only cover the violence, it gives the false impression that it is like that everywhere.  The Jerusalem Institute's staff and bus drivers monitor everything, and they know all the areas well. They keep one ear to the ground for us. They are in constant contact with our motor coaches by radio and cell phone. We use a private Arab bus company.

Shabbat (Sabbath)
Things pretty much shut down, especially in Jerusalem, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, for the Jewish Shabbat. Shops closing is the most obvious result. Yet there are other things: Your hotel elevators may not work, since it is forbidden to operate machinery on Shabbat. Same goes for escalators, coffee makers, automatic doors, etc. "Shab-BAT Sha-LOM" is the proper greeting with Jews on this day.

Statistics on safety

One out of every 4,300 Americans dies in auto accidents. One out of every 20,000 American swimmers drown. One out of every 68,000 Americans choke to death on food. One out of every 75,000 American bicycle riders die in accidents. BUT . . . one out of every 4.5 million Americans die in terrorist attacks in the USA and overseas combined.

So, while your chances of being killed in a car accident are 1 in 4,000, your chances of being killed by terrorism, according to the US State Department, are 1 in 4,775,210.

In 20 years of teaching in Israel our dean and his faculty have never had a major incident. To our knowledge, no Christian pilgrim from the USA has been killed in Israel for more than 40 years. Statistically, you will be safer on your trip to Israel than you would be on a trip of similar length to New York City or Washington D.C. These are all official statistics from the State Department and the FBI. (See Security) 

Taxis

Time

Tipping

However, it is necessary to pass the hat for your bus driver at the end of your trip. Our drivers are great, and we ask for $30 per person ($2 a day) of everybody. They don't work on a salary, but on tips and commissions.

VAT (Value Added Tax)

Water

Revised October 29, 2005