Israel/Egypt Group or Solo travel?
 

My husband and I are contemplating a trip to Israel and Egypt in early September 2008 with apx. 3 weeks of travel time. We prefer to travel on our own and arrange for tours from our hotel. We would like to visit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem,
Maseda, Eliat. Also thinking of visiting Jordan, Cairo.
Any advice, safetly concerns or help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Giuseppa:

I am traveling to Egypt, Jordan and Israel in November of this year. I am going with a friend (we are both women) and so I have done extensive research on tours, etc...

I'm not a "tour" person normally, since I don't like traveling with a group of people. We have decided on our own itinerary, but we will have a guide and a driver throughout our trip.

There are many good travel companies, but I would recommend using one based in Egypt. I have found that this decreases the price substantially. I would be happy to give you the names and websites of the companies I'm using, if you want to PM me.

Just a suggestion: since you're going to have 3 weeks, you really should try to see a couple of the sights in Jordan, especially Petra.

Look around on these boards, and also over on the Egypt board at frommers.com. There are numerous very helpful people and they are good sources of information. Good luck!

Hi Tropicfan,
Thank you so much for replying to my post. We also are not fans of group travel. We are thinking of booking day or two-day excursions when we arrive at major cities, i.e. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem. We also are interested in traveling to Eliat. Any websites or info you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
We wish you and your travelling companion a wonderful trip in November.

There are several wonderful and reliable travel agencies. Check out these to start:

eoltours.com for Egypt and Jordan tours (I have found Jimmy to be very responsive to the many questions I've emailed him)

yallatours.com has a great Israel itinerary and can also put together your whole trip if you want.

bestway.com (based in Canada) is one of the very few companies I found that has a pre-made itinerary for Egypt and Jordan that hits all the high spots and includes a Nile cruise. (Be sure you don't accidentally go to the Best Way Travel website, as they are a different company and not well spoken of)

Also, if you to over to tripadvisor.com, the travel boards there have recommended tour agencies for the countries you're visiting. That helped me a great deal when I first started my planning.

My advice is to check out as many companies as you can until you find one that you're comfortable with. I've narrowed down my choices with the help of people on these boards.

I've found the best way to get a good price quote is to write down exactly what you want to see in each country, and have each company price your itinerary. That way you can compare apples to apples.

Good luck and please let us know how your trip planning is progressing.

Buon Giorno, Tropicfan,
Thank you very much for the info you have so generously provided. My husband and I are presently interested in a tour to Israel/Egypt/Jordon with Isramworld Tours. Wednesday, we have an appointment w/a travel agent, as they only book through agents. I am both apprehensive and excited about our journey to the Middle East. I will keep you posted.
Ciao, Giovanna

Wonderful! I am also torn between anxiety and excitement, but I have always wanted to see the sights in these countries.

Please let me know how your planning is coming along. If you have any advice for me after meeting with your travel agent, I would love to hear it.

Good luck!

Alison

Hi Giuseppa

just a small tip
in Jerusalem
<font color="red"> Free walking Tours </font>
a 3 hourwalk every Saturday, guided (English too) by qualified guides of &quot;Rachel Yanait Ben Zvi Center&quot;
leaving at Saturday 10:00 from &quot;Kikar Saffra&quot; (Saffra square) - near the palms -
check at tel: (972) 02-6297685

about
Rachel Yanait Ben Zvi Center
http://www.professionaltravelguide.c...-center-475974

other free activities
look also at:
http://janglo.net/index.php?Itemid=2...ask=view_month

Feast of Tabernacles
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/inde...event_id=30918

WikiTravel
http://wikitravel.org/en/Jerusalem

have fun

aby

Good Morning, Tropicfan,
After reading your post, my husband is curious as to what arrangements you have made to travel beyond Israel to Egypt and Jordon? . Also, what airline are you flying to Israel. Delta seems to have the best fares.
Thanks again.

Hello Giuseppa:

My friend and I just booked the trip through Egypt and Jordan with EOL Tours, based in Cairo. We are starting in Egypt, moving on to Jordan and then finishing our trip in Israel with a tour offered by Yalla Tours. We're going in November.

We have not yet booked our airfare since we were hoping the cost might come down a bit. We're flying from California, so it's a long and expensive flight for us. Delta is definitely the cheapest, but the flight would take two whole days because their layovers in Europe are about 18 hours.

I don't know if you live in the United States, if so, you already know about the problems the airlines are having here. If you're thinking about booking on Delta, I should let you know that the airline has been experiencing some financial troubles lately. I'm taking a short trip on Delta next week and they have repeatedly cancelled my flight and booked me at a new time. I was thinking of using either Air France or British Airways.

I hope the meeting with your travel agent went well. You'll have to let me know what your final itinerary is. Good luck with the plans!

Alison

Giuseppa: My husband and I have just decided on a tour late Oct./ early Nov. through Isramworld. It's a custom tour put together by our TA -- Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat and Galilee, plus a day trip to Petra, Jordan. since you said you were meeting with Isram, I'm curious as to your impression of them.

Good Morning Tropicfan,
We met w/our travel agent yesterday and now we are considering going with ITC Tours. Our tentative plans are in this order:
Cairo,Egypt - (including 3 night Nile River Cruise)
Tel Aviv &amp; Jerusalem
Aman, Jordan
Petra
Ending the trip w/ 3 or 4 relaxing days in Eliat and flying home to Miami from Israel.
The ITC tour includes a guide at each destination, but we will be w/different people on each guided tour and we will have more time to explore on our own the different areas, restaurants, etc.compared to the Isram Tours. Nothing has been finalized and I will keep you posted.

Hi Giuseppa:

Great! I'm so glad things are coming along well for you. Please keep me posted.

You'll probably be back from your trip by the time I leave for mine, so please let me know how you enjoyed everything.

Alison

We were very pleased with Isram Tours. The guides assigned to us were very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. I would definitely recommend Isram Tours.

Giuseppa
I have found Israel to be very easy to do on your own.No visa reuired. From the airport at Lod, take the bus to jerusalem and base yourself there. There are many tours offered from Jerusalem and I have used public transport with no problem. No security problems at all. Just expect tight security when you leave Israel.