FAQ

Things are opening and becoming less restrictive in Israel. Israel’s Ministry of Tourism website has the most up to date info: israelsafe.com. Please let us know if you have any specific questions.

Gates to Israel (the company we work with in Israel) gets updates from the Ministry of Tourism and reports back to us regularly. If the Ministry of Tourism thinks it’s unsafe to go, we won’t be allowed to go. Otherwise, our trip will continue as planned.

NOTE: There’s often a “flare up” in Israel / the Middle East before we take a group, which our news sources cover intensely, making everyone attending (or their families) nervous, based on what we see on the news here. But when we arrive in Israel, everything is calm and peaceful, just life as usual. It’s an interesting case study on how things are presented to us in the news — it’s kind of puzzling/disheartening. But on the bright side, it’s encouraging that things are actually much more peaceful there than we’re led to believe!

In most scenarios, Gates to Israel would be able to fully refund the payments. However, if your flight has already been purchased, flight cost adjustments will likely be handled on a case-by-case basis with the airlines. You can also opt to put the money toward a future trip with us and Gates to Israel. Trip insurance is also key in this scenario.

We can aim to pair you with a roommate, though we can’t guarantee it.

Hotel accommodations are provided on the basis of two persons sharing a twin bedded room with private bath in the hotels selected. (Gates to Israel and its subagents reserve the right to substitute hotels of the same category when necessary for the proper handling of the tour.)

If a roommate is requested and one cannot be confirmed prior to the tour, the tour participant must pay the single supplement in order to receive final documents. If we succeed in finding a roommate, but one of the parties intending to share the room should cancel, the remaining party must pay the single room supplement.

Neither Gates to Israel nor its subagents assumes responsibility for roommate assignments that don’t work out. Please see the next question for more info on single supplements.

Due to the nature of our trips, we respectfully request that unmarried couples plan NOT to attend as roommates, but to room separately instead. We’re happy to provide you both with roommates whenever possible, to help avoid the single room supplement fee and save funds on lodging.

Note: If it comes to our attention at any point that unmarried couples are signed up as roommates, we will aim to adjust the rooming situation as described above, in which case a single room supplement fee may be required from both individuals.

A limited number of single rooms are available at an additional cost. A tour participant must pay this supplement when he/she is the sole occupant of assigned accommodation. The additional "single room supplement" cost is usually in the range of $1,500-1,900 total, depending on the dates of the trip.

Note: The term “single” refers to a person traveling alone and is not a reference to marital status.

At this point, our trips are only for people 18+, for a variety of reasons.

⁠Only you know your health limitations, but please be mindful that our trips tend to be fast paced with a higher level of activity than most tours of Israel. We usually walk 8,000-12,000 steps per day, at least some of which will include stairs, hills, inclines, and uneven surfaces.

Yes. This option is called “land only” and there’s more info on our site. If you choose to do so, Gates to Israel will deduct the base cost of the group’s flights from your total cost (usually in the range of $1200-$1800).

However, there are a few things to consider when choosing this option:

• Your flights either need to arrive and depart from TLV (Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport) at the same time as the group’s flights or you’ll need to arrange for transportation to / from the group or hotel.

• Provided you arrive on the same day as the group, we could be up to an hour away from the airport.

• If you don’t arrive on the same day as the group, it could take several hours to reach us at our current location.

• Of course, we will happily accommodate your flight purchases as best we can, but want you to be prepared for what could happen in a worst case scenario.

Most people traveling with our group are on group tickets, unless you are the only person traveling from your area. With group tickets, you typically can’t alter them OR check in ahead of time because your whole group is on the ticket. Please do not try to check in ahead of time if you’re on a group ticket. However, you can still check in individually at the airport; you don’t have to arrive as a group there.

Not at this time. Please pack accordingly.

iPhone users: most use the native Voice Memos app. Android users: look in the App Store for something that has good reviews and is free.

No.

We suggest comfortable layers. Some flights are comfortable, but others are hot or cold. For an easy pass through TSA, wear slip-on shoes and no metal/jewelry. And for the long flight, we always recommend compression socks to prevent swelling.

ON FLIGHTS: Jeans are uncomfortable (for most, at least) on long overseas flights, because your body swells so much. We suggest wearing joggers, and pack leggings in your carry-on to put under the joggers in case you get cold on the flight.

IN ISRAEL: Jeans aren’t the most comfortable for long days of walking, and they’re terrible if it rains, because they’re so slow to dry. For winter, we suggest lined joggers over a pair of leggings. However, it’s not a bad idea to pack one pair of jeans in case you decide to wear them on a day when it doesn’t rain or on a night when we go out to dinner.

Yes, just be mindful of modesty regulations on the days when we visit churches/religious sites (nothing low cut, no visible shoulders or knees). Bring a scarf to cover your shoulders.

Leggings as leggings should be fine. The problem is most people wear leggings as pants, with only a shirt that barely reaches their butt, and especially not if they bend over at all. If you wear a long tunic over your leggings - something that comes to mid-thigh area⁠ - that should work. But please remember that their idea of modesty is far different from our own. Aim to be respectful of their culture and err on the side of caution.

They’re primarily important on trips that occur during October-March. However, it’s still possible that it might rain on a trip during April-September. If it’s raining all day, and we’ll be walking in the rain all day, you’ll want to wear them. You can check the forecast beforehand for the cities on our itinerary if you want to gauge the possibility of rain. Each day on the trip, we’ll tell you how to prepare to dress the following day, based on the forecast.

If you want to be baptized in the Jordan River, you’ll need these at that time, because the bottom can be slippery or problematic. You’ll also need them when we float in the Dead Sea (the salt will cut your feet), and if we swim in the Sea of Galilee (the rocks are painful). Teva or Chaco type sandals also work.

We’ll go out for dinner at least one night. Some people like to “dress up” for it, but that usually amounts to nice jeans and a nice top. Nothing fancy is necessary.

It depends on what sites we’re visiting that day. When visiting churches or Jewish sites (about half of the days), you can’t show your knees. This applies to both males and females.

It likely won’t work there unless you purchase one with an Israel specific plug. Most converters struggle to convert these particular items, because they pull so much energy. Most hotels have hair dryers in the rooms, but they’re similar to the ones in the US as far as power / ability to dry (not great). Sometimes you can check out a more powerful hair dryer from the front desk. If you need a good one daily, invest in one with an Israeli/Euro plug (220v).

When it rains at home, most of us don’t spend our days walking outside. We usually just run to our car. If it rains all day in Israel, we’ll be walking in the rain, and sometimes it can come at you from all sides. You’ll want the raincoat to cover your head and upper body, and you may need the umbrella to shield yourself from sideways rain. It’s best to have both options available, in case you need them both or in case the umbrella breaks. Please note: Israel’s rainy months are October-March. If you’re going on a trip from April-September, you may not use these items, but we recommend bringing them anyway.

Not unless you want to. Our hotels will have towels we can use for this purpose, but they’ll likely be regular towels, not beach towels.

Most people haven’t experienced any problems there, but if you’re particularly sensitive or prone to bites, err on the side of caution. Some people like to use it if we happen to be by the Sea of Galilee at sunset (one of the rare places you’ll see mosquitoes).

⁠There are several things that come into play here. We’re not trying to rain on your plans, and we certainly want you to make the most of the trip, but here are a few things to consider:

• On previous trips, photographers have reported that their work cameras were a waste of space, weight, and struggle.

• Because of the pace of our trip and how we move quickly, they find that the camera on an iPhone 10 or higher is more than sufficient for all their needs and usually regret bringing their cameras.

• Typically, the person who takes the most pictures on the tour is the one who slows the group down quite a bit and who misses our site explanations. Occasionally their delays have been the reason we’ve had to cut sites from our itinerary, because they’re taking longer at sites than the others in the group. By encouraging everyone to use their phone as their camera, we help everyone maintain the same group pace and help make certain that we’re able to visit all the sites on our itinerary.

You're allowed one CHECKED bag (which will go under the plane), and two CARRY-ON pieces (which will be with you on the plane). The carry-on pieces are: one traditional carry-on (21” roller, backpack, etc.) + one personal item (purse, shoulder bag, tote bag, backpack, etc.). We suggest a 21" roller bag for the traditional carry-on, and a zippered shoulder bag or backpack for your personal item. A purse counts as its own bag, so you have to make sure it fits inside your "personal item" (tote bag, backpack, etc.).

Note: Please double-check this with your specific airline as regulations do change from time to time.

We recommend taking at least one small carry-on or personal item on the plane to hold things like: passport, change of clothes, toothbrush, medication, sweater, book, headphones, tablet, snacks, and/or other things for the flight. Also, in case your bag doesn’t make it to Israel on time and is delayed for a day or so (rarely happens), we suggest packing 1-2 days worth of clothes in your carry-on as a backup to get you through.

It’s usually 30 lbs when flying out of the US, but it’s typically only 18 lbs when returning from Israel. They don’t always weigh it, but they sometimes do, so we suggest you aim for 18 lbs, just in case. (We also suggest double checking those weights on the airline's website, especially because they're known to change things without notice.) We recommend bringing a small luggage scale so you can manage your baggage weight as you buy souvenirs on the trip and repack at each hotel. You’ll want to weigh your bags as we leave for the airport on our last day of the trip. There’s a scale at the TLV airport, but sometimes there’s a long line.

We’re only allowed one checked bag now for international flights. If you’re going to pay for a second bag, we suggest one of the following:

• Aim to check only one bag on the way there and packing an empty duffel bag inside it

OR

• Check two bags on the way there, but keep them both underweight (30 lbs each, for example).

WHY? On every trip, nearly every person struggles to keep their luggage under the 50 pound (per bag) weight limit for the return trip, because the particular souvenirs we tend to buy in Israel are so heavy, and we always buy more than we expect to. With this packing strategy, you’ll save yourself the extra cost of buying a bag and/or paying for overweight luggage (around $100) on your return trip. This is also why it's wise to bring your own luggage scale, so you can continue to weigh your luggage as you add more souvenirs throughout the trip.

Yes. Much like in the US, it’s not the greatest. If you aren’t picky, it’ll work well. If you are, we suggest bringing travel bottles from home.

No.

There’s often an iron in the room or at the front desk.

Most of the hotels we stay at do, but not all. Please check the list of our hotels on our itinerary and visit their websites for info. Also please be mindful that some gyms and pools in Israel have separate hours for men and women.

The primary cuisine in Israel is Mediterranean ⁠— fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh bread, fish and other grilled meats (chicken, beef, lamb), nuts, yogurts, and cheeses.

There's a lot of variety at the hotel buffets for breakfast and dinner.

For lunch we’ll usually stop for a quick “fast food” lunch, but even the fast food options are typically healthy options: salads, pita, hummus, falafel (fried chickpeas), shawarma (grilled meats), and schnitzel (breaded chicken breast).

If you have food allergies, are gluten/dairy free, and/or don’t eat fish, please notify our tour guide (Moshe Malka) upon arrival so he can make sure to point you in the direction of the food options that will work for you.

We’ve rarely encountered anyone who can’t find something that doesn’t work for them, but if you’re particularly picky, bring snacks! Bring your sense of adventure and prepare to adjust your palate to fresh foods (as opposed to the processed foods many of us are used to).