Things Travelers Need to Know

Your trip to Israel will focus on the past, but a number of present realities will affect your time here. I offer the following information to help you have a safer and more efficient trip through the promised land.

1. Identification. The modern state of Israel requires everyone to carry personal identification. At any point in the trip, you may be asked to produce your passport. Make it a practice to carry it with you whenever you are touring.
2. Modest Dress. Clothing standards will apply at many sites mentioned in this guide. In some cases this calls for modest dress (indicated by ), which means that both men and women need to wear garments that cover both the knees and shoulders. Men must remove their caps or hats in certain cases and wear them in others. If you enter an area where you are uncertain about appropriate dress, watch for signs and take note of how the local residents dress.
3. Respectful Photographing of People. Local residents do not view themselves as part of the touring experience. They may or may not permit you to take their photograph. It is always best to ask. And if they agree, they may expect you to pay them for taking their photograph.
4. Respectful Treatment of Antiquity Sites. Part of your learning experience will involve interaction with the archaeological remains found in Israel’s national parks. Realize that these treasures of the past can be harmed by mistreatment; please be respectful of them. Furthermore, the local residents do not view these ruins as playgrounds and will be offended if we treat their cultural artifacts with a lack of respect. You will gain their respect when you show respect for the artifacts that are part of their heritage.
5. Respectful Treatment of the Natural World. This guide will also encourage you to visit national reserves whose purpose is to preserve the plants and animals of the biblical world. The growing population of Israel joins with millions of tourists to create a great deal of stress on these living things. Please stay on the marked trails, refrain from picking plants, and enjoy the wildlife from a distance.
6. Traditional and Authentic Sites. Not all sites that claim to have hosted a Bible event did. In some cases the evidence supports the claim. I refer to these as authentic sites. In other cases the connection is less certain. I refer to these as traditional sites. This means that Christians of a later era came to the site to remember a Bible event even though the current evidence may be less supportive of the event actually occurring there. Both traditional and authentic sites have value, but I have favored the treatment of authentic sites in this guide.