Middle East Travel Forum

It seems like this year is a good time to go to the Middle East. We are tentatively planning a Holy Land trip to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel at the end of this year.

I've been reading much about travel to the Middle East and have been
reading the VT travel guides also. My question is: Will it be preferrable to
travel with other tourist groups in a bus set-up or is it better to keep the
group small & travel in a car? I've read about several "terrorist"
strikes against tourists/tourist spots in Egypt, Jordan, & Israel in the last few years, and my sense is that we should:

1.) Stay away from 5* star/4* American chain hotels as it could be a potential target.
2.) Stay away from other visible tourist groups as this could be a vulnerable target.
3.) Take a low-key transportation option, perhaps in a car or
mini-van, so as to make ourselves less visible?

Our option at this point may be: to stay in a low-key local hotel in all of
these countries, travel together in our small intimate group in a car or van.
This may be the practical way to go.

In war-torn countries like Iraq or Afghanistan, kidnappings are common (not the
kidnapping of foreigners, but it appears that the locals themselves are mostly
the victims). What are the chances of this happening in any of the countries I
mentioned and do you think travel in a car/mini-van would be an invitation to be followed around and subsequently kidnapped?

You know, I'm really not this paranoid, but I've been reading too much already about this topic that these readings are making me paranoid.

If I am afraid of the world, then I wouldn't even dare leave my house at all.
I'm genuinely interested in seeing the rest of the world, knowing others
different from myself, and learning more about all our similarities and
differences.

As to the passport stamp, I am worried that an Israeli stamp on our passports would prevent us from traveling to the Middle East again. I've read that the Allenby/King Hussein border crossing caters to the "no Israeli passport stamp" request from tourists. I'll need to make sure that this is 100% true though. Any comment on this passport stamp question from previous/and more recent visitors in the area would be greatly appreciated.

As to the weather, I am concerned that it would be too cold to travel in December. I've read that this is the rainy season over there. Also, around this time of the year, it can be windy and in some parts, like the desert area, it can be freezing COLD at times with snow? How cold does it get in these countries and are the northern parts typically colder than southern areas?

Sorry for this long post. Thank you in advance for any feedback and advice you can share with me!

You are a little paranoid. Stop reading State Department warnings. It is much more dangerous in the big cities of the USA and you don't see any warnings for those places. The State Department just writes that stuff to cover themselves in case something unlikely happens. The chances of being involved in some terrorist activity is about the same as your chance of winning a few million in a lottery. :)

1. Tourists are not targeted in Israel. Tourists are very welcome by all in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority territories.
2. The King Hussein/Allenby Bridge 'Israel stamp avoidance scheme' is definitely not 100%, only about 95%. If you are only going to Egypt, Israel and Jordan this trip, then if something goes wrong, the worst thing that can happen is that you would have to take out a new passport before your *next* trip to the Middle East. Egypt and Jordan have no problem with the Israel stamp.

You shouldn't worry too much on the security front. Obviously there are places in the Middle East that are unsafe (e.g. Iraq, northern Yemen), but if you steer well clear of these, there won't be any problems.
Security is very good in Isarel/Jordan and northern Egypt, in Upper Egypt there have been some problems, but tourist now have to travel in convoys just about everywhere so you'll be well guarded.
As for the passprto stamp problem : You won#t have any problems with an Israeli stamp in either Jordan or Egypt, so if these are the only countries you're planning on visiting you won't have to worry about getting an Israeli stamp.

Weather : December is chilly in Israel/Jordan, but still ok (mid 20s) in Egypt.

You shouldn't worry too much on the security front. Obviously there are places in the Middle East that are unsafe (e.g. Iraq, northern Yemen), but if you steer well clear of these, there won't be any problems.
Security is very good in Isarel/Jordan and northern Egypt, in Upper Egypt there have been some problems, but tourist now have to travel in convoys just about everywhere so you'll be well guarded.
As for the passprto stamp problem : You won't have any problems with an Israeli stamp in either Jordan or Egypt, so if these are the only countries you're planning on visiting you won't have to worry about getting an Israeli stamp.

Weather : December is chilly in Israel/Jordan, but still ok (20s) in Egypt, especially in the south.

Thank you "ramot418" & "george5b" for your immediate responses to this post. I appreciate your validation & insight. Too much knowledge makes you a bit wary-that's the reason I don't watch TV at all, but I do follow the news in independent news outlets. I agree that what is covered in the news--(and no "ramot418", I don't read State Dept. warnings at all from US/UK/CA, etc.), even those news sources coming from the grassroots/grounds--are isolated cases. I also agree that the chances are slim, but you also put at the back of your mind that "what if" question, you know?

As to the stamp issue, I will trust that the majority (95%) of requests are approved. I have plans of going to other Mid-East countries (Syria, Dubai), Eastern Med. countries like Cyprus, Southwest Asia/Europe like Turkey, Muslim countries in Asia like Indonesia & Malaysia in the future. I'll just hope that we'll be part of the 95% cases without Israeli stamps upon passing the Allenby/KH border crossing.

I think my main concern now is really the weather in December. Some of my companions in this trip are not used to cold weather, so I'm not sure if December will be a good time now...perhaps we can re-schedule this travel plan sometime in the Spring. We shall see!

Thanks again for your time!

I would recommend hiring a car in Jordan. They country is very driveable and fun as well. Please see my Amman page for the compnay I used, they were cheap.

Do be careful around some of the Palastinian neighborhoods in Amman. I got a few unfriendly stares when I walked past one. I realsie this sort of thing can happen anywhere, but it was the only time in Jordan I didn't get smiles.

Have a great time.

Thanks "DAO" for your insight and help!

It is only some Arab countries in the Mideast which cause problems with the Israel stamp: Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan and probably Kuwait, Iraq and Algeria. All the rest really don't care, and of course there is no problem with the Israel stamp in Muslim countries outside the Mideast (e.g., Indonesia, Malaysia).

Thanks "ramot418"! I thought that Malaysia does not even recognize Israel's statehood?

All that has been said above re safety issues I agree with, so I shan't repeat it. Just note that in Israel tourists are not targets, Israelis are.

Re Malaysia. They don't recognize and won't give a visa on an Israeli passport, but have no problem with an Israeli stamp in the passport of another country.

Weather should basically be fine. You will need a warm jacket, sweater and rain gear but the temps are not yet really cold. January and February are the cold months. Rains usually from about November to March, but no hard and fast rules. These are NOT monsoon rains, just a regular rainy, windy day when they occur. And they are not all the time by any means. You can have a week of rain, a week of no rain or anything else.

If you are flexible in your dates and can be in Israel at the end of September, by all means do join us in the WM08 World Meet! http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/e7315/

Have fun!

Thanks "unaS" for clarifying some outstanding concerns. I've actually read about the World Meet 2008 here on VT, but regrettably, I will not be able to make it around that time. It would have been the perfect opportunity to visit these wonderful Mid East countries + get to finally meet real-life VT members. Thank you for the invitation though!

Trying to predict the weather can be difficult because of local on the day variations.
This information should be used as a guide only.
Here is the average weather for Cairo,Amman, for this time of year.
Enjoy your holiday.

Cairo, Egypt in December.
High 66f / 19c
Low 50f / 10c
Rain 0.20in / 5.0mm
Cloud (out of 8) 1.3

Amman, Jordan in December.
High 56f / 13c
Low 41f / 5c
Rain 2.01in / 51.0mm
Wind (from the) SW
Cloud (from 8) 3.6
Sun % 25

Jerusalem, Israel in December
High 65f / 18c
Low 50f / 10c
Rain 4.34in / 110.3mm
Wind speed 13mph / 20kmh
Wind (from the) West
Sun % 27

Overall it will be coolish. You will probably need to wear a jacket in the evenings; daytime weather will vary but won’t be too bad.
Rain and wind don’t appear to be a problem either.

Most important, RELAX, and enjoy this trip.

Ricky is correct, but don't judge Israeli weather by Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is high up and usually much colder than the rest of the country - except when it's hotter :-)

The hills also effect the amount of rainfall, with Jerusalem often being on the losing side :(

Thank you so much "ricky52" for these practical weather-related info. It comes in handy & will definitely keep it in mind!

"UnaS,"--your immeasurable help in this post is greatly appreciated!

At this point, I think it's a "go" unless of course there are last-minute changes to my schedule or that of my travel companions around December.

Thanks everyone for all your feedback!

Remember to let me know when you will be here!

"UnaS"--Thank you! I shall keep you posted!

Good. Looking forward to it.