Travel Logistics
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Pack casual and modest clothing (Jeans are fine). Women do not have to bring a dress or skirt but may of course. In Israel/ Palestine, women dress conservatively when visiting a church, synagogue, or mosque (no sleeveless tops, spaghetti straps, low cut blouses, or skirts that go above the knee).
Summers are hot and dry, so take this into account.
In addition, the region enjoys mild winters, with drier, cooler weather in hilly regions, such as Jerusalem, and more rainfall in the north and center of the country. Temperatures range from the forties to the upper sixties. You’ll need layered clothing, a warm coat (preferably serving as a raincoat too), comfortable shoes, and anything you want to stay warm (umbrella, gloves, scarf, or hat).
In addition to clothing, consider the following:
Electrical appliances. The power supply is single phase 220 volts at 50 Hertz. Most power sockets have three pin holes, but many will work with double-pin European plugs. Shavers, traveling irons and other small appliances may need both transformers and adaptor plugs. Check your appliances; Laptops, mobile phones and other equipment come equipped to handle dual voltages, and you will only need an adaptor plug.
A notebook, pen, highlighter, camera, etc.
Your passport along with a photocopy of the front page which you’ll keep in your suitcase (leave another copy at home for a friend to FAX, if needed).
Prescription medications (enough for the entire trip along with a copy of your prescriptions in case you lose your medicine). Local pharmacies are well-equipped.
A backpack or small bag for day trips.
A deep curiosity, an open mind and heart, a willingness to be flexible!
Before you pack, check your airline’s baggage weight requirements, especially notes about carry-on luggage. Should you forget something, you can purchase almost anything you need during your stay, including clothing, cosmetics, hygiene products, and even prescription medicine. (again, bring a copy of your prescription).
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The time zone of Israel & Palestine is GMT +2. Here is a Time Convertor which can help you see what the time difference is between your country and Palestine.
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Most places where we are planning to stay have Wi-Fi. In addition, you will have the option to purchase a temporary SIM card which will offer you 4G Wi-Fi.
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The State of Israel’s currency, used also in Palestine, is the New Israel Shekel (NIS) or shekel for short. There are 100 agorot (agora in singular) in each shekel. Bank notes are in denominations of NIS 20, 50, 100, and 200; coins are in denominations of NIS10, NIS5, NIS2, NIS1 and 50 and 10 agorot. You will not need to bring shekels from the US. It is best to wait until the group is in Palestine where, very early on, we can visit a money changer for the best exchange rate. If you want to change your dollars into shekels, bring some singles to use until we visit a money changer.
The shekel is most used for shopping. 1 USD is trading now for 3.5 shekels. In hotels and souvenir shops, it’s often acceptable to pay in US dollars. Bring enough money to cover snacks, bottled water, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, shopping for gifts, and other incidentals. Cash withdrawals of local currency can be made with international credit cards or through ATMs outside many banks in Israel. Traveler’s Checks are discouraged; in some circumstances they are difficult to cash, and in most circumstances, there is a 3% charge to cash them. Keep cash and other valuables with you or in your carry-on luggage. Just before you leave the US, notify your credit card company that you’ll be traveling in Palestine/Israel. Here is a online currency exchanger.
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During Business Hours at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem: Please call 02-630-4000 (or 011-972-2-630-4000 from the United States) or send an email to JerusalemACS@state.gov. For non-emergency cases, please use this online inquiry system.
During Business Hours at the Branch Office in Tel Aviv: Please call 03-519-7475 (or 011-972-3-519-7475 from the United States) or send an email to TelAvivACS@state.gov. For non-emergency cases, please use this online inquiry system.
After Business Hours at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem or the Branch Office in Tel Aviv: If you need to report a new emergency situation to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and are calling when the Embassy and Branch Office are closed on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday) or on holidays or after 5:00pm local time during the workweek (Monday-Friday), call 972-2-622-7230 (Jerusalem) or 972-3-519-7575 (Tel Aviv) and ask to be connected to the Duty Officer.
US Embassy Website: https://il.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/emergency-contact-all/
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For Your Information:
Health Insurance: We have spoken with Eithar Insurance Agency and they have informed us that the only type of insurance they cover for tourists is basic health insurance. They informed us that they need all requests for health insurance to be sent 7 working days prior to entering the country. The basic health insurance covers basic services (which mostly refers to clinics) and if needed the clinics will refer patients to hospitals. Eithar does not cover anyone over 75 years of age. Importantly, the insurance covers Jerusalem and Israel. For the West Bank Eithar requires additional funds.
We must submit requests to Eithar 7 working days prior to entering the country.
Travel Insurance: Travel and luggage insurance does not cover from Eithar, however, we will follow up with the travel agencies in Jerusalem.
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Delegates will be voluntarily assuming any dangers and risks involved with traveling to the Holy Land. FOS or Sabeel assumes no responsibility or liability, in whole or in part, for any sickness, disease, injuries (including death), losses, damages, weather, strikes, acts of God, quarantine, civil unrest, criminal activity, terrorism, accident, failure or negligence of any nature howsoever caused, which may be experienced during travel to, from, in, at, or around the Holy Land. Please carefully read notices issued from the countries you are traveling from: U.S. Department of State: www.travel.state.gov, Government of Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling, and Government of the United Kingdom: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice).