COVID shut down travel worldwide in March of 2020, and it wasn’t until November 2021 that we were able to operate our first two groups to Israel since the pandemic began. Then in 2022, with tourism back in full swing, Ed Hill Tours celebrated our 60th year in Christian group travel.
Israel COVID Recap: On March 1, 2022, Israel began welcoming all foreign visitors of any age regardless of their vaccination status… vaccinated or unvaccinated. As of May 20, 2022, Israel no longer required testing before traveling to or upon arrival…hence no quarantine period after arrival! The antigen test which had been required by the US government within 24 hours of a return flight was also eliminated. The “Online Entry Form” requirement was canceled as of October 8, 2022. Masks are not required on the motor coach or any other outdoor location. Some indoor locations such as medical facilities may still require wearing a mask, and some individuals may prefer to wear a mask for their own personal health reasons.
Since international travel was restored, EHT has operated dozens of groups to Israel, Greece and other destinations. We offer our usual high level of touring, professional support, and care for our travel guests. Even with the pandemic now merely a sad memory, we can assure our guests that the hotels we use subscribe to the highest levels of cleanliness and sanitation, and our transportation partners and motor coaches utilize the most up-to-date health and safety protocols available.
Greece is our second most popular destination and travel and tourism there is entirely back to normal. Check out our Steps of Paul Tours to Greece by Clicking Here.
Israel’s archaeologists were busy during COVID and have made incredible progress on some of the country’s most exciting excavations. Our Vice President, Richard Page, has been to Israel over 100 times, and he says that he has seen more progress than ever before at several sites where biblical history is being uncovered. Three examples: The entire Pool of Siloam is being excavated…this is where Jesus healed the blind man. A small Roman Theater which archaeologists had sought for more than a century, has been discovered near the Western Wall and is now part of the Rabbi’s/Kotel Tunnels tour. Caesarea Philippi in the north of Israel has seen the uncovering of a Byzantine church built over a temple to the Greek god Pan. These are just three examples of many new sites and areas to visit.
Tourism worldwide and especially to Israel is stronger than ever and we are experiencing a flood of requests from pastors and group leaders wanting to travel in 2024 and beyond. So we ask interested tour hosts to contact us right away since air and land space for many popular dates is rapidly filling up or already full. We do not offer weekly “cookie cutter” tours. We work with pastors to custom-design their tours based on their requested dates, itinerary, budget, and other needs & considerations. Note: We are not able to work with less than 5 individuals in a group.
Our top destinations such as Israel, Jordan, Greece, and Italy are now welcoming the world again with open arms and EHT has and is welcoming our tour hosts back. We are ready, willing, and able to serve our former and new tour hosts and their groups with the finest in custom tours.
Passports
A passport book (not a passport card) is required for most destinations that our tours visit. In addition, most foreign governments require that your passport not expire within six months of your return date.
Already Have Your Passport?
When filling out your Tour Application Form, please enter all requested passport information. We need this information to book your flights and hotels.
Don’t Have a Passport?
To obtain a passport, visit the US Department of State.
Visas for US or Canadian Citizens:
US and Canadian citizens do not need a Visa to visit Israel. If you are traveling to Egypt or Jordan, our office will obtain the necessary Visas for you.
Visas for All Other Citizens:
If you are not a US or Canadian citizen, our office is not responsible to provide any necessary travel or entry documents, such as Visas. It is your responsibility to check with the consulate for each country they are visiting and obtain any necessary documents required to enter those countries.
Turkey
Turkey is now requiring everyone to purchase their entry visa on-line prior to their arrival in Turkey. Guests can no longer purchase their entry visa at the Airport.
Guests traveling to Turkey will need to visit https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ to apply for their visas and they will submit the $50 USD fee on-line. Currently the website only accepts Visa & MasterCard.
- Open the https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ webpage.
- Click on the Apply Now button.
- Select your Nationality (For most guests it will be U.S.A.) and Travel Document type (Passport). Then you will enter the Security Verification information listed on the webpage. Once the three fields have been completed, you will click on the Save and Continue button.
- You will have to select the day that you are arriving in Turkey (Note: You do not want to list the date that you are departing the US unless it is the same day.). Next click on the Save and Continue button again.
- On this page you will supply your personal information as it appears on your passport (Some information will not appear on your passport): Then you will click on the Save & Continue button. You will then see a screen saying that you have successfully completed the application, and that an e-mail has been sent to you.
- You need to open your e-mail and find the e-mail from the e-visa site. It will have a link that sends you to the payment page.
- Once you have successfully paid, you will download and print your Turkey Visa. It will be in PDF format.
“Israel is a dangerous place to visit.” Since it’s inception as a nation in 1948, Israel has experienced times of unrest, terror attacks and wars. Yet Israel is actually one of the safest places on earth! Most crime as we know it in the US is not prevalent or non-existent in Israel. Israeli security, both in Israel and on ELAL Israel Airlines, is considered the best in the world. Through the years EHT has taken over 50,000 travelers to Israel without incident, and to our knowledge, no tourist visiting Israel has ever been killed. We regularly visit Bethlehem and on occasion, Jericho or Hebron. These towns have proven to be very safe, but our travel itineraries never go into an area of possible danger, including most West Bank towns or Gaza.
“It is expensive to visit Israel.” The costs of travel to almost any destination become more expensive every year, and some destinations such as London, Paris and Tokyo are indeed very expensive. However, compared to those and many other destinations, Israel is still considered a bargain. Prices charged by different tour companies can vary widely as we’ll explain in more detail later in this blog.
“Large tour companies have better tours.” That’s similar to comparing the overall quality of a hotel based only on the size of the building. In comparing tour companies specializing in Christian group travel, EHT is a moderate-sized company. Our travel partner and land operator in Jerusalem is one of Israel’s largest incoming tour operators. Quality tours are based on many factors, and being a larger company is certainly no guarantee of the best travel experience, travel product, or personal service. For example, we know of larger travel companies that consistently use older buses, lower level guides and drivers, and lower quality hotels. Why? Because tour companies save a considerable amount of money operating that way. We use only hotels rated Superior 4-Star and 5-Star in excellent locations. We use only the latest motor coaches, and our guides are experts in the Christian tour, among the most requested in Israel, and have worked with us for many years.
“The hotel you stay in doesn’t really matter since you only sleep there.” Even if true, just sleeping in a 2 or 3-Star hotel is not a pleasant experience (think bedbugs)…however groups do much more than just sleep at a hotel. With a typical touring schedule, groups are back at their hotel from around 5 pm until 8 am the next morning. That includes having dinner and breakfast, and the better the hotel, the better the food and service. For groups desiring the experience, we can place them in a kibbutz or even a Bedouin tent, but typically we only use nothing less than Superior 4-Star and 5-Star Deluxe hotels.
“Some tour companies include free lunches.” The old saying “there is no free lunch” could not be truer than in this case. The cost of the “free lunch” some companies advertise is simply built into the overall tour price. When lunches are prepaid, every tour member pays the same amount no matter what they eat, if they bring their own lunch, or choose not to eat. Yet the tour company will advertise “free lunches” and tour members don’t realize they have already paid for these so-called free lunches in their tour cost. In addition, the tour company uses the same restaurants regularly and typically receives a “kickback” for doing so. The same applies to “free water” on the bus some companies advertise…an amount was already added into the tour cost. Tour hosts seldom ask us to include lunches, but we can do so if requested. We will simply add a fair amount to the cost of the tour as a separate item, but we will not advertise it as “free lunches.”
“All airlines are basically the same.” Not exactly! Airline travel in general is certainly not “glamorous” or as simple as it once was. Most airlines put as many seats as possible on their planes to produce more revenue. Of course, overall comfort, food, and service is markedly better in Business Class for those willing to spend more. Many international flights also offer “Premium Class”, which is priced between Business Class and Main Cabin. To offer lower pricing, some tour companies will use charter flights which usually means older planes, less service, and long waits at connecting airports…not a good experience! Some tour companies use flights on an airline that connects in Europe. This may only amount to an inconvenience for an individual, but for a group it can be a nightmare! Groups can find themselves at the connecting airport, with no escort, and left to find their way around a vast, crowded foreign airport on their own. Then they must go through a long security line after having gone through one before leaving the U.S. Large European airports such as London Heathrow, Paris/CDG, Frankfurt, and Istanbul can be confusing and intimidating to even experienced travelers. That’s why we prefer nonstop flights to Israel on ELAL, American, or Delta from gateways such as New York/JFK, Newark, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
“Some tour companies offer really good deals.” The old adage states, “If it sounds too good to be true…It Is!” Prospective tour hosts should be aware of deceptive advertising and “come on” pricing. Some tour companies offer tours on dozens of dates a year and advertise just the “Land Only” price without including the airfare. Admittedly, it is difficult to quote accurate airfares on that many tour dates. However, the deception lies in the fact that these companies do not plainly state that the quoted price is just the “Land Only” price, and if stated somewhere on their website, it is usually not easy to find. We also see advertising which excludes the “carrier-imposed fees” – formerly called the fuel surcharge. This fee has been $600 or $700 for round trip flights to Israel or Greece, but may increase substantially with the current higher fuel prices. So prices stated by some tour companies in their LARGE PRINT are NOT the total prices you will actually pay. Although this type of advertising is classic bait and switch, it is easy to be deceived if you do not read the fine print very carefully.