Is it safe to travel to Israel?

Is it safe to travel to Israel?  We were a little concerned.  We had heard of high security.  We had heard it’s not safe to go to various areas in Israel.  However, we also heard that it is a place you have to absolutely check out!  So…is it safe?  It was for us.  We went with a large group (tours are great) because they picked us up from the airport and escorted us through customs and to the taxis.  We were told to ask them to stamp a separate piece of paper not our passport as we were planning to visit other countries, and because of the conflict, some countries don’t accept passports with this stamp.  So…be aware of this before you get the stamp!

Israel is a place incredible history.  From the moment we arrived you can see the strong tradition and culture.  We decided to stay at the Mamilla hotel in Jerusalem.  This 5 star hotel is very contemporary and exquisite customer service.  The Mamilla hotel is right next to a brand new shopping center which Yvette loved, enough said about that.

Growing up a Catholic and now having a strong Christian faith, it was an incredible experience to go and visit the place where Jesus was buried and where he returned.  With hundreds of people waiting in line for over 3 hours to take a look I found myself feeling grateful for my life.  For being able to travel around the world, experience magical moments, and see some of the most wonderful cultures that exist.  This was not the case several years ago.  It’s been said if your life was a book and you don’t travel, you’ve only read one page.  We look forward to proving you experiences, photo’s and videos of some of the most amazing places on the planet so that you can live it with us and eventually one day see them for yourself.

The Mamilla hotel, even though we only stayed their for two days and then flew off to Egypt we rate as an 7 (ta tao how you like me now).  The 5 star hotel was very nice, customer service was great and the food was above average.  However the rooms were a bit small for a 5 star hotel.  However, being a new hotel we were surprised at how we were welcomed by about 3 or 4 people outside but they didn’t really offer to take our luggage they just saw us walk in and smiled.  Hm….a cultural thing?  Not sure…

We HAVE TO WARN you:  if you are going to see a sacred site and you are wondering if it is safe in Israel…make sure you travel and respect the local laws:  cover your shoulders and hair and knees if you are a lady.  Gentlemen…cover your knees!  Our friend wore short and they would not let him in.  He had to buy a long wrap and come in like that!  Also, NO TOUCHING!!  My guy friend hugged me for a picture and we got yelled at and they said no touching.  Even friendly touching.

Our recommendation is that you take a group or a tour there who is going to take care of the security issue.  In Jerusalem, there are three different religious forces living there and it is very dangerous.  Again because we were in a tour bus we were okay.   We respect people from all cultures.  We are very happy we made it out safely.  Took us three hours at the airport to get through security.  And then we were stuck at the airport until the morning after!  For that adventure, click here!