YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE® Israel: The Holy Land & Timeless Cultures 2021 Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13) Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler, At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. Israel: The Holy Land & Timeless Traditions itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these: Wherever I go, it’s the locals I meet along the way that leave a lasting impression on me. You’ll see what I mean when you have the rare opportunity to spend two nights on the grounds of a kibbutz—a communal- living collective in Golan Heights. You’ll meet many of its members and gain an in-depth look into how they support themselves with a combination of agriculture and other business. What I truly loved about the kibbutz was the feeling of community. You’ll witness this when you sit down for a meal in their communal dining room—a center of community life on the kibbutz. You’ll also learn about daily life just outside the ancient seaport of Haifa when you spend A Day in the Life on an olive grove. To me, immersing myself in their pastoral traditions and everyday life is the most rewarding part of exploring communities like these. Later, in East Jerusalem, you’ll delve a little deeper into current controversies when a Palestinian resident offers a glimpse into the daily lives of his people. The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can. To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests. So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your Israel: The Holy Land & Timeless Traditions adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925. Love and peace, Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel P.S. For more inspiration, you can watch videos and slideshows from travelers like you at www.oattravel. com/traveler-moments. You can also share some of your own favorite moments by uploading your travel videos and slideshows directly onto the trip-specific pages of our website. USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler 2 CONTENTS A Letter from Harriet Lewis ................................................................2 The O.A.T. Difference......................................................................4 The Grand Circle Foundation...............................................................6 The Leader in Solo Travel ..................................................................7 ISRAEL: THE HOLY LAND & Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . 58 TIMELESS CULTURES Your Luggage............................ 59 Your Adventure at a Glance: Clothing Suggestions .................... 59 Where You’re Going, What it Costs, Suggested Packing Lists .................. and What’s Included .......................8 60 Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ..........9 Electricity Abroad ....................... 62 64 Optional Tours .......................... 30 Climate & Average Temperatures .......... Pre-Trip Extension ....................... 31 ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: Post-Trip Extension ...................... 37 CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE Dates & Prices ........................... 43 Culture & Points to Know ................ 67 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Shipping & More ........................ 72 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. 44 Visas Required .......................... 44 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Advance Information for Jordan .......... 45 Israel................................... 74 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ......... 47 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 74 Vaccines Required ..................... .. 48 Historical Overview of Israel .............. 74 Money Matters: Local Currency & Jordan ................................. 76 Tipping Guidelines....................... 51 Top Three Tips .......................... 51 RESOURCES How to Exchange Money ................. 51 Suggested Reading ...................... 79 Tipping Guidelines....................... 53 Suggested Film & Video .................. 81 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 55 Optional Tours .......................... 55 Communications ........................ 56 O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures.......................................................... 83 Notes.................................................................................. 84 Map ................................................................................... 87 3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in Israel This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled. SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are hospitality. visiting, so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES stories, food, customs, hidden treasures With 36 regional offices around the world, and more. we are perfectly poised to leverage our local relationships to deliver an excellent experience AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported Engage with local people through visits to by our team in Tel Aviv. farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more. Interact with members of a kibbutz in Golan Heights Explore the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem 4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY Enriching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Israel adventure. GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT $200 million in annual revenue across Africa; GCF was established in 1992 to help change and we’ll meet a local Tangier woman to people’s lives in the world where we live, work, discuss women’s roles and the challenges they and travel. To date, we have pledged or donated face in contemporary Moroccan society. $200 million worldwide. A DAY IN THE LIFE By investing in the places we explore— Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like including local schools, cooperatives, or arts to live here?” when you visit new lands? Let’s centers—we hope to give locals the skills and find out during your O.A.T. A Day in the Life, an confidence they need to become leaders of exclusive, immersive experience that places their generation and preserve their heritage for you in the heart of a community where you’ll many years to come. We’re proud to play a part meet various people where they live, work, in preserving precious locales like the Bryggen and play; visit the neighborhood school; lend a waterfront district of Bergen, a living example hand with daily chores; and break bread with of the glory days of the Hanseatic League, and our hosts. supporting villages like Harmi in Estonia, Spend A Day in the Life of Haifa when you whose once-struggling school is now a center journey outside the city to an olive farm, where of community life. we’ll meet with local farmers and learn about CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS traditional agriculture in modern-day Israel. Every culture has its joys and achievements, HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES and we celebrate them all. But every place Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds also has its challenges, and to gloss over them engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing the would not do justice to those whose stories things that can happen across a kitchen table, need to be told—nor