Hello everyone, I am back from a long break from this website. I decided to come back.
My Parents and I are planning a trip to Egypt, Israel, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. We were wondering if these countries are safe to visit for Americans and what are some dieas and things to see in these countries. We will be traveling for a month. Thanks!
Is the Middle East safe to travel for Americans?
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I have been to Egypt, Israel and Turkey and IMO you are absolutely safe in all of those countries. I haven't been to Iran but a few posters on this board have and they said a lot of good things about it. I am told that when visiting Iran you will have to go with a licensed guide as you cannot just go there and roam freely. If that has changed I'm sure someone will set the record straight.
I am a pretty fearless traveler and there are very few countries in this world which I would not consider visiting, but Pakistan is one of them. Additionally you can easily fill up a month in the other countries you named, in fact you might be a bit rushed if you try to add another country.
I was about to hit the submit button when I thought of something else. If you have an Israeli visa in your passport you will not be allowed entrance to Iran or Pakistan. If you click this link and scroll about halfway down you'll see the list of countries that do not allow entry if you've been to Israel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_passport
If you are from the US or UK, I would seriously take a look at the State department's various travel warnings.Personally I am not getting travel to Pakistan at this time.
Be aware that if you get an Israel passport stamp in your passport you may have problems getting into other countries.
Of your list of countries, I've only been to Israel, but you're totally safe there. It's an amazing place.
(There's no anti-American prejudice, if that's what you were asking)
As P_M and dutyfree have noted, there are countries which won't permit entrance if you have an Israeli stamp on your passport, but it's not a reciprocal problem (Israel will let you in with stamps from anywhere, though they'll definitely ask questions about an Iran visit, say) and they will, on request, stamp a piece of paper instead of your passport.
You could spend a month in Israel alone. I would think about what you really want to see in those countries, and see if you can't narrow the list a little.....