EUROPEAN STUDENTS SPRING BREAK TRIP

PRELIMINARY REGISTRATION

The Israeli government requires a Covid-19 vaccine within the six months prior to the date of your departure from Israel.

Learn more about Covid-19 related travel requirements >>

Due to limited places available on this tour, this is only a preliminary registration step. If your preliminary registration is approved, you will receive an email with a link to complete the full registration process.

Please complete this form for each person who is interested in the tour.

Helpful Information

Important Information

Travel Insurance
It is required that you take out travel insurance for your trip. For further information please refer to our Terms and Conditions.

Passport Copy
JJ Travel requires that you send us an electronic copy of your passport prior to travel. This is in the event of an emergency or loss of your passport, while on the tour. It is also a requirement that you bring a copy of your passport with you and keep it in a place separate from your actual passport.

Itinerary Pace
In order to see all the sites and get the maximum from the itinerary the tour must maintain a certain pace. In the interest of everyone on the tour we ask that you cooperate with the tour guide and tour leader to keep the schedule.

Payment
Unless otherwise agreed pre-payment is required by bank wire or credit card.

Accommodation

Check-in
Check-in time is usually around 15:00. If you arrive significantly before this time and want access to your room it may be that you have to pay for an additional night. Check-in times on the Sabbath (Saturday) can be significantly later than 15:00.

Extras
It is your responsibility to settle the bill for any ‘extras’ (drinks, WiFi, additional meals etc.) upon checking out of the hotel. If for any reason a bill is not settled JJ Travel will request payment from you and add a 5% handling fee.

Solo Travellers
Unless otherwise stated, all tour prices are based on two people sharing a room. If you are travelling alone you have the option of paying a ‘single supplement’ for sole occupancy of a room. If you are unable to pay the single supplement we strongly encourage you to find someone to accompany you on the tour.
If neither of those are an option, we will do our best to place you in a room with another participant on the tour of the same gender. However, we cannot guarantee that this will be an option. If we are able to find a roommate for you, this will be your roommate for the duration of the tour as changes to room arrangements during the tour are not typically possible.

Upgrades
At some hotels, it may be possible to request an upgraded room. If the option is not available to you at the time of booking please contact us for more information.

Arrival Information

Passport and Immigration Control
All travelers must ensure they hold a passport that is valid for at least 6 months at the time of traveling to Israel. At passport control you may be questioned regarding your visit to Israel, answer simply and truthfully. State that you are coming on a tour of Israel and if necessary, present your documents from JJ Travel showing that you are attending a tour. Passport control will give you a small blue and white piece of paper, this is your permission to stay in Israel (instead of a stamp in your passport). It is important to keep this with your passport you may be required to present it to officials while in Israel and when you leave the country.

The Sabbath and Religious Holidays

The Sabbath begins just before sunset on Fridays and ends just after sunset on Saturdays. Stores and some restaurants begin closing on Friday afternoon and will not open again until Saturday night or Sunday morning. Similarly, public transport is also very limited during this time. The extent of this depends on the location, for example, it is most noticeable in Jerusalem, but it applies across Israel. Similar circumstances apply to some of the religious holidays. If you are in Israel when this happens you will be informed beforehand.

Tour Book

JJ Travel provides each participant a tour book - Touring Israel According to God's Economy - to accompany the tour. The tour book brings to life the Biblical sites and puts each place into the context of our daily Christian experience.

Electrical Items

The electrical supply in Israel is 220V AC. The plug type is a 2-pin (European) style. It is advisable to purchase an adapter prior to your trip if you need one. Most hotels provide hairdryers and have 110/220 electric shaver outlets. Please be aware if you are traveling from the USA or another country that uses 110V you will need to bring appliances that can be switched to 220V or bring a transformer. Chargers for laptops, phones, cameras etc. are generally fine as they have the transformer built-in. If you are in any doubt about your appliances check before you leave.

Wifi and Internet

Most hotels provide free Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi will be available on JJ Travel tour buses. During the tour there may be WiFi access at various restaurants and coffee shops, but when out of the bus during the day access to Wi-Fi will be limited.

Money Matters

Currency
The national currency in Israel is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS). Each Shekel is divided into 100 Agurot (singular Agura). NIS bills are in denominations of 20, 50, 100 and 200. Coins are in denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 Shekels and 10 and 50 Agurot.

Credit Cards
Standard international credit cards are accepted throughout Israel. There will be some small vendors that do not accept credit cards and will require cash. To ensure your card will work while in Israel contact your card provider prior to departure.

Money Exchange and ATM’s
It is advisable to have your money needs taken care of before the start of the tour, although money can be changed at the airport on arrival. However, if you are arriving in a large group please be aware that this can take time. There will also be opportunities to change money at the hotel (this can be expensive) or in the cities you are staying in. The most simple and convenient way to get Shekels is to use a bank ATM machine with a credit card. The rates at these are often favorable. However, please note that tour itineraries are full and time is very limited. You can calculate the value of your currency in Israeli Shekels at www.xe.com. We recommend that you have at least 350 Shekels (approximately $100) before the start of the tour.

Emergency Fund
We strongly recommend that you have you have access to an emergency fund of approximately $200 while on your trip.

Tips
It is recommended and customary to tip the guides and drivers for the tour. We suggest $5 per person per day for the guide and $3 per person per day for the driver. This can be in USD ($) or Shekels. Our suggestion is that this is organized and collected as a group. It can be given daily or as a lump sum at the end of the tour. JJ Travel or your tour leader may help facilitate this by collecting the money, but it is paid directly to the guide and driver.

Transport

The tour transport will be an air-conditioned bus. Significant amounts of time will be spent on the bus and the driver, who works in coordination with the guide, is an important part of the tour. Depending on the size of the tour there may be very few empty seats so you should expect to sit next to someone. If you suffer from travel sickness please bring appropriate medication with you.

Meals

Meals Included
To see specifically which meals are included as part of your tour package please refer to the itinerary.

Breakfasts
Hotel breakfasts in Israel are buffet style. There will be a wide selection of salads, breads, pastries, eggs etc. along with tea, coffee, and juice.

Lunches
Lunches that are included as part of your itinerary will vary in type but will be a good-sized meal. Soft drinks to accompany these meals are usually an extra to be paid for by you in cash. When lunch is not included as part of your package you will be taken to a place where you can purchase your own lunch. Lunches can vary in price depending on the type and quantity of food but it would be safe to budget the equivalent of $10-$15 (USD).

Dinners
Dinners in the hotels will generally be buffet style with a choice of meats, rice, pasta and potatoes etc. and a large selection of salads. Typically water, tea, and coffee are included but other beverages such as soft drinks will be extra and charged to your room. Eating out in the evening will vary in price depending on the type of food. You can pay around $10 for street food (falafel, kebab etc.) up to $20-$30 or more for a sit down meal.

Snacks
Due to the physical nature of the tour it is advisable to have snacks with you. The days start early and are active and it can feel like a long time from breakfast to lunch.

Departure Information

Upon departure you should plan to be at the airport three hours before your scheduled flight time. As part of the security process you will be asked some simple questions when you leave Israel. Answer truthfully, accurately and to the point. If you are travelling with others on a flight, for security reasons, it is advisable that you check-in together.

Tour Guide

It is a legal requirement that all tours in Israel have a professional Israeli-registered guide. These guides undergo an extensive education program in history, archeology, geology, flora and fauna and more. At JJ Travel we choose the guides that we work with very carefully. Guides may be Jewish, Arab, believer or non-believer, but all guides are selected based upon our understanding of the participants of the tour and of the specialist nature of the tours we conduct. The guides fulfill two main functions. First, they take care of the group while touring, not only making sure that everyone is safe and well and that the schedule is maintained, but also that everyone is enjoying the tour. Secondly, the guide provides an explanation of the various tour sites.

What to Bring

We recommend that you travel light – one suitcase and one bag to use daily on the tour. You will move hotels during the tour and so being able to move your luggage around easily and pack and unpack quickly will be much more convenient.

Passport and copy of passport.
Visa (if necessary).
Airline tickets.
JJ Travel booking confirmation document.
A photocopy of your passport. Keep this in a different place than your passport. In this way should you lose your passport you will have this copy.
Travel insurance documents.
Comfortable walking shoes.
Day bag – a small bag or backpack for use during the tour.
Water footwear – if you are planning to take a dip in the Dead Sea you will need footwear you can get wet. The ground in and around the Dead Sea can be very uncomfortable to walk on with bare feet.
Umbrella or waterproof coat (winter months). Between the November and March it is possible to get caught in rain showers while on the tour.
For other clothing items please refer to the information on the weather and climate in Israel for the time of year that you are travelling. It is important to note that a significant amount of time on the tour is spent outside.
Due to the religious sensitivity of some tour sites, females need to have some form of clothing that will cover the knees (skirt or trousers) and also cover the shoulders. In some places males are also required to wear long trousers. This only applies to a few days on the tour and you will be informed ahead of time by your guide or tour leader.
Sunscreen.
Insect repellent.
Water bottle – bottled water can be bought, but it is convenient to have a refillable bottle.
Camera/cell phone/tablet for pictures. Don’t forget the charger or spare batteries. Extra memory cards can also help – you will want to take a lot of photos.
Electrical adapter – see the information below.

Cell Phones

There are a number of options available to you if you would like to have cell phone access whilst in Israel.

Rent an Israeli phone or purchase an Israeli SIM card. SIM cards can be purchased at the airport in the arrival hall or in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
Use your own cell phone as it is with your current number. You may need to speak to your provider to ensure this will work and check to see if you can purchase a special plan. This is often an expensive option but maybe necessary if you need to keep your current number.
Ask for an Israeli number from your current provider.

Weather

In general Israel enjoys warm dry summers (April-October) and mild winters. More specific information can be found in the tables below. A current weather forecast can be found on the Israel Meteorological Service website.

Monthly temperatures by region (min/max)

		Jerusalem	Tel-Aviv	Tiberias	Eilat	Dead Sea
Jan	C	6-11	9-18	9-18	10-21	11-20
Jan	F	43-53	49-65	48-65	49-70	53-68
Feb	C	7-14	9-29	9-20	11-23	13-22
Feb	F	44-57	48-66	49-67	51-73	56-72
Mar	C	8-16	10-20	11-22	13-26	16-25
Mar	F	47-61	51-69	51-72	56-80	61-78
Apr	C	12-21	12-22	13-27	17-31	20-29
Apr	F	53-69	54-72	56-80	63-87	68-85
May	C	15-25	17-25	17-32	21-35	24-34
May	F	60-77	63-77	62-89	69-95	75-93
Jun	C	17-27	19-28	20-35	24-37	27-37
Jun	F	63-81	67-83	68-95	75-99	80-99
Jul	C	19-29	21-30	23-37	25-40	28-39
Jul	F	66-84	70-86	73-98	77-103	83-100
Aug	C	19-29	22-30	24-37	26-40	29-38
Aug	F	66-86	72-86	75-99	79-104	83-101
Sep	C	18-28	20-31	22-35	24-36	27-36
Sep	F	65-82	69-89	71-95	75-98	81-96
Oct	C	16-26	15-28	19-32	20-33	24-32
Oct	F	60-78	59-83	65-89	69-92	75-90
Nov	C	12-19	12-25	15-26	16-28	18-27
Nov	F	54-67	54-76	59-78	61-83	65-80
Dec	C	8-14	9-19	11-20	11-23	13-21
Dec	F	47-56	47-66	53-68	51-74	56-71

Average monthly rainfall (mm)

	Jerusalem	Tel-Aviv (Costal Plains)	Tiberias (Galilee)	Eilat
Jan	133	127	90	3.5
Feb	118	90	73	5.8
Mar	93	61	57	3.7
Apr	25	18	20	1.7
May	3.2	2.6	4	1
Jun	0	0	0	0
Jul	0	0	0	0
Aug	0	0	0	0
Sep	0.3	0.4	0.6	0
Oct	15	26	14	3.5
Nov	61	79	50	3.5
Dec	106	126	81	6

Health

As part of the registration process, you will be asked some simple medical/health-related questions. This information is treated in the strictest confidence. In some cases, JJ Travel may deem a person's health condition unsuitable for a given tour. If you have any questions regarding these matters please do not hesitate to contact us.