Scrapbook Page Group Photos Most Frequently Asked Questions Do I need a passport? Yes, absolutely. If you do not have a valid passport, call your local courthouse and begin the application process immediately. If you do not have a passport yet, go ahead and register for the trip by sending in your form and deposit. Write "Passport applied for" and then when you get your passport, provide us with the information needed on the form. Who is the tour operator? Our Tour Operator is Trans-Global Travel, Ltd., with offices in Jerusalem. They have been in operation for over 30 years, and are considered the best in Israel. Kay Arthur, Jack Hayford, and Jimmy DeYoung use Trans-Global, and have highly recommended them. Are there Guides? Yes, and we have hired the best. Our guides will teach non-stop on bus rides, and will also teach and provide tours for us at each site. They will teach us all about the geography, history, archeology, architecture, customs, agriculture, and climates. They will be able to answer all of your questions pertaining to things you see and experience. You'll want to take notes. The information you will receive from them will be better than any college course! What will Mark and Carrie do? Mark and Carrie will serve as your hosts. They will be on hand to tell you where you need to be and when. They will solve problems and help answer your questions. They will coordinate the trip and carry around with them cheerful dispositions to encourage and serve you. What is the time difference? Israel is 8 hours ahead of Illinois' Central Time. (If it is noon here, it is 8 PM in Israel) How will we get to O'Hare and back? We will take a luxury coach, and the cost is included in your fee. It will leave from a church parking lot which we will announce later. You may be dropped off, or park your car there at your own risk. Do we need to change currency? Israel loves American dollars. No need to change currency unless you would like to use Israeli Sheckels. Shopkeepers will give you change in NIS (New Israeli Sheckels). Can I bring my lap-top? Yes. The hotels will help you connect with phone lines. What languages are spoken? Most everyone in Israel understands English. All road signs are printed in the 3 official languages of Israel: Hebrew, Arabic, and English. How much money should I bring? It is up to you - you know your own spending habits and budget. We recommend that you bring a bundle of 100 single dollar bills, per couple. They will be useful for all kinds of things like bottled water, postcards, ice cream, stamps, bookmarks, souvenirs, etc. Most credit cards are welcome, as are traveller's cheques. You really won't need much cash, since breakfasts, dinners, special meals, tips, and fares are covered in your fee. You may want to budget $8-10 a day for an optional lunch. (A note about lunches: we have found that most people in our groups feel absolutely stuffed the entire trip and need only a snack from home to carry them through from breakfast until dinner.) Can I bring my curling iron, blow dryer, travelling iron, and electric razor? Yes. You will need two gismos: a converter AND a transformer. These can be purchased at Wal-Mart. Israel's power is 220 voltage. Should I bring my Bible? Yes, bring a couple. Be sure to bring a Bible with Old and New Testaments, and then you might want to tuck away a small Bible in your pocket or purse. What kind of clothes do I bring? In general, pack modest (ladies, no spaghetti-strap tops) casual, neat, khakis, denims, and cottons. Slacks for women are OK, however you may want to wear long-ish skirts in Jerusalem. In certain Holy Sites, shoulders and knees must be covered. In other sites, shorts that extend to the knee may be worn. It will be hot. Pack walking shoes that are already broken-in. Bring a sweater or light jacket for evenings in the mountains of Jerusalem. More will be said about clothes later. Comment on clothes-- you mean I can really wear the same outfit over again? Yes. No one will even notice! Bring tops and bottoms that can mix and match. Wash out your tops and underwear in the sink of the hotel and dry it on the clothesline over your bathtub. Your clothes will dry! Travel light. Use scarves and jewelry to change the look of your outfits. Solid colors photograph better than printed fabrics. Light colors will keep you cooler than dark colors. Have fun shopping and sewing from now until we leave! I'm old. Can I still go? There are a lot of stairs to climb, and a lot of walking. We are on the run from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm most days, so you will need endurance. You know what you are able to do in a group situation. Seek the Lord. Call Carrie and let her know your thoughts and concerns. What about laundry? Hotel rooms are equipped with retractable clotheslines in tub area for hand washing. Or, you may have the hotel launder or dry clean your clothes. What are hotels in Israel like? Our hotels are the best in Israel, 4 and 5-star. You'll enjoy the wonderful accommodations. Women, you will feel like you are being pampered. Our hotels will enhance your experience of the Holy Land. Will the hotels have wash cloths? Some will, some won't, and some you will have to request them from the front desk. Interestingly, Americans seem to need wash cloths more than Europeans, etc. If you like using wash cloths, it might be a good idea to pack your own. What is food like in Israel? Our food service for breakfast and dinner will be much like that on Cruise Ships. Abundant, gorgeous, colorful, delicious buffets will be served. Everything is fresh in Israel. Most of the food is produced in this amazing country. Is smoking allowed? No smoking is permitted on planes, busses or in restaurants. For the sake of roommates who do not smoke, we request that you do not smoke in hotel rooms. What is the climate like? There are many climates in this small country. Tel Aviv will be very warm and humid. The Sea of Galilee area will be breezy and warm. The Dead Sea area will be hot and dry. Jerusalem will be cooler because it is in the mountains, and the evenings in Jerusalem will be cooler still. Eilat and Petra will be really hot. You will need to protect yourself with hats, loose long-sleeved shirts, sun block, and umbrellas. Will we need our swimsuits? Yes. Swimsuits are needed if you choose to be baptized in the Jordan River. You will wear your swimsuit under a white gown (gown and towel will be provided at the site for a rental of about $6). Mark and Carrie were baptized together in the Jordan River, even though they were baptized previously in church. It is very, very special. You will also need your swimsuit to swim in the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and the beautiful pools at each hotel. Even if you are not a swimmer or a bathing beauty, you will want to take a dip in the Dead Sea. Here's how to be modest: the Hyatt Dead Sea will give you a white robe to wear for your walk down to the Dead Sea. Once on shore, slip it off and walk right in. No one will pay attention because they are all worried about themselves. The Sea will cover up your body, and only your head will bob up and down in the water. All of us our self-conscious about our bodies so do not worry. Bring your suit. You'll be really glad you did! You may also wish to bring water shoes for baptisms in the Jordan, and for wading into the Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee all of which have rocky bottoms, not sand. Can we make phone calls home? Yes. The most inexpensive way is to use a calling card at pay phones. Buy the calling card IN ISRAEL at almost any gift shop, then use them in the phones in the hotel common areas. Calling from your hotel room is extremely expensive---don't do it! Will we be witnesses in Israel? Yes. You will be amazed how kind and sweet people will treat us, because they will see something different in us. They will see love, and courtesy, and patience, and kindness---they will see the love of Christ. Please do not hand out tracts. Put on Christ, and this will speak louder than any tract. Is it safe? Yes, it is safe for us to travel to the Holy Sites. Israel is very secure, and you will understand this when you arrive. We are in touch daily with friends and contacts in Israel, and the Israeli Consulate in Chicago keeps us well informed. We also receive news briefs every other day from the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. As a woman, Carrie has always felt very safe there. You can rest assured that we won't go if it is not safe. The areas we will visit are in Jewish-Christian Israel, not the Palestinian West Bank where the disturbances have been. When you are in Israel and watch the news on CNN in your hotel room, you will be amazed-- you will most likely not even be aware of any of the disturbances you see on CNN. This is very important. You will gain an even clearer understanding of the biased reporting when the topic concerns God, Christians, and Jews. Do I need shots? None are necessary. Do I need Trip Insurance? It is up to you. Check your home owner's policy to see if you are already covered. Or, perhaps you may purchase a rider on your policy, or check with your travel agent. Insurance typically covers trip cancellation, baggage and person effects, limited medical, accidental death and dismemberment, medical evacuation, etc. Be sure to bring your health insurance cards/data and Driver's License for ID just in case. You may also purchase Trip Insurance through the travel agency with which we work. Can I get a tax-deduction for this trip? You will receive an excellent education on this trip. If you are a pastor, teacher or other ministry leader, consult your accountant to see if you can claim this trip as a tax-deduction. If your organization has a budget line for professional or spiritual growth, this trip would be a perfect selection for 2001. I have friends who live out of state who want to come. What do you recommend? We will fly out of Chicago O'Hare. Your friends will need to make their own flight arrangements to O'Hare. Please contact Carrie at 217-367-7777 and she will let you know what time your friends will need to be at O'Hare, etc. Should I bring a backpack or tote bag for our day trips? Yes. Either will do, and usually one per couple works fine. Make sure your tote bag is large enough to carry your Bibles, notebooks, pens, sun glasses, bottled water, money, snacks, medicines, cameras, film, and other necessary items you will need to get you through the day. Do we need special travel visas? No. Our stay is brief. No special visa is needed for a trip such as ours to Israel. Will there be any free-time? The daily schedules will be pretty full. Dinners will usually be served at 7 pm, and after dinner you will be free. There will be a few stops factored-in for shopping, and other shopping times in the evenings that will be optional, but come prepared with your lists of people to buy for so you can power-shop. Our focus will be on the Holy Sites. I would like to car-pool to the church on our day of departure, but how will I know who lives near me? Very close to the time we leave on our trips, we will give you a list of the names addresses and phone numbers of your fellow travelers. Use the list to make car-pool arrangements and to contact and get to know your fellow pilgrims. You will also appreciate the list when we return home---you will want to keep in touch with your new friends. Should we bring snacks? Yes, bring a few. The meal-schedule on our trip will undoubtedly differ from your usual meal schedule at home. Here's what Carrie brings: a few individual boxes of raisins; nuts, trail mix, and candies in zip lock bags; mints for the delight of her fellow passengers; cheese and cracker packets, etc. These kinds of things will help you make it to the next meal. Just a few are needed---you will be very well-fed at meal times! What precautions should I take with my toiletries? First, remember to pack your toothbrush and tooth paste in your purse or carry-on so that you can brush your teeth before we land. You will be more endearing to all if you do. Second, it's a good idea to enclose shampoos and the like in little zip-lock bags, in case cabin pressure causes them to leak. Our hotels will provide shampoo and will have blow dryers (however the air comes out like a gentle puff; there is little power in them). Avoid aerosols. What kinds of things are there to buy? Religious items: you will be in your glory! Mezuzot, menorrahs, shofars, kippas (skullcaps), prayer shawls, candlesticks, cups, crosses, etc. will all be available for purchase. For those of you who teach Sunday School, you might want to pick up some of these items for your church. Perhaps the church might give you some spending money so that they have these items on hand. For the home: beautiful and-crafted objects like trays, cups, pottery, silver, rugs, prints, etc. For kids: lots of little camels, flags, and trinkets. I like getting books, T-shirts, and shofars for kids. For women: fabulous jewelry and skin care products. Alas, don't expect to find beautiful clothes- Israelis get most of theirs through American catalogs. For men and all: books, prints, coins, stamps, etc. What are luggage limitations? One 70 pound piece to check in and one carry-on are allowed per person; women may also take their purses and both men and women may also wear fanny-packs. El Al requires that carry-on luggage be no bigger than 45 linear inches (height + length + width) and no heavier than 40 pounds. I've heard that if you spend a certain amount in any given store, you get back 17% of your purchase at the airport in Tel Aviv. What is this and how does it work? The 17% VAT (Value Added Tax) is refundable to non-Israelis at David Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. You need to spend $100 or more in a single store to get the VAT refunded. The strategy is this: if you find a store that has many items that fit your purchasing needs, try to buy as much as you can in a single store or go in with a friend to make the purchase so that the total bill will reach $100 or more. The clerk will give you a form to fill out and will place your purchases in a sealed bag along with the form. Once you get to the airport, all of us who need to get our VAT back will go to the desk at the airport to present our sealed bags and our forms to the agent. We'll then get our 17% back in American dollars, cash. How can I prepare spiritually, intellectually, and culturally before the trip? Here's a start: Scripture: I & II Kings for History, Geographic Locations; Luke for History, Chronology; Psalms 120-134, Songs of Ascents; Jeremiah 31-33, Old and New Covenants; Isaiah 61 & 62, Read as a Prayer; Bible Maps Literature: Israel My Beloved, by Kay Arthur; Zion Chronicles, 5-part Historical Novels by Bodie Thoene; The Hope, Herman Wouk History: O Jerusalem!, by Larry Collins and Dominque Lapierre; The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom; The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah, Alfred Edersheim Jewish Interest: Abandoned, by Stan Telchin; Shoah, by Claude Lanzmann; The Jewish Book of Why, Alfred Kolatch Guidebooks: Exploring Israel, Fodor's; Israel Past and Present, Frommer's Films & Videos: "That the World May Know, Film Series by Focus on the Family; "ISRAEL: A Nation is Born, " 5-part Video Series with Abba Eban; "The Hiding Place" Web Sites: http://www.christiansforisrael.org/home.html Christian perspective regarding Israel in events, news, history. http://www.shalomcu.org/ Local Jewish interest. http://aish.com/wallcam/ Direct live picture of the Western Wall, Jerusalem; offers insights into Judaism. http://www.arosnet.com/~thropedo/show/index.html Offers a virtual tour of the Holy Land. Music: "Psalm Enchanted Evening," Marty Goetz; "Love of God," Marty Goetz Food: Basmati Middle Eastern & Indian Cuisine, 207 W Clark, Champaign; Jerusalem Middle Eastern Restaurant, 601 S Wright Street, Campus; Hop 'N Shop Int'l Groceries, 519 E University Ave, Champaign © copyright WGNJ 89.3FM/WGNN 102.5FM and 103.9FM