Hi, my friend and I were hoping to do the Middle Eastern Odyssey (Syria, Jordan and Egypt) in May this year, however we are a little worried that it may be dangerous to go to those areas since they are so close to Israel etc. Are you still running trips to this area? Should we wait until closer to the date to book, in case things worsen in this area? We really want to travel to these countries, but are worried we might be putting ourselves at risk...any advice would be welcome!
Thanks very much,
Lisa.
Safe to travel in Syria, Jordan and Egypt?
Dear Lisa,
Thank you for your post - I am sure you are not the only one out there with this question on your mind.
Please be assured that Imaginative Traveller does not expect that events in Gaza and Israel will affect any of our Middle East trips. Although it is the same region, they are very distinct and different countries and geographically you will be a long way away from where anything is happening.
From personal experience, I visited Egypt in 2003 when the war was going on in Iraq. It was quiet, but the people were lovely and very welcoming, and are pleased to still be receiving tourists during that time.
We will of course be keeping up constant contact with our regional managers and tour leaders in the Middle East, and monitoring the sitation in case of any changes. Safety is, as always, of paramount importance.
My advice to you would be to enjoy the preparations for your trip in the knowledge you are travelling with an operator who specialises in the Middle East (it's where we first started) and who would not take any risks when it comes to operating tours there. There is presently no reason why you would not be able to go on this tour and have a wonderful time.
Best Regards
Kelly
Safety in the Middle East
I can't help with Syria but in the last 2 years I have visited Egypt, Jordan and Israel. I know Israel is not in your plans but I want to make it very clear that I never once felt threatened or unsafe in Israel. Obviously you want to stay away from the Gaza Strip, but tours don't go there anyway. I did visit Bethlehem which is in the Palestinian West Bank and it was fine, I would go back in a heartbeat.
As for Egypt and Jordan, they are completely unaffected by anything going on in Israel anyway. You will be perfectly fine.
In the kindest possible way I would like to suggest that you should not belive everything you hear in the news. Enjoy your trip and stop worrying needlessly. :-)
Sorry for the duplicate post
I was trying to edit my last sentence to say "you should not believe everything you hear in the news." I didn't know that could cause a duplicate post, sorry. :-(
No worries I have deleted the duplicate post for you - many thanks for your reply!
Regards,
Kelly