Just back from the Israel and Jordan trip

Just arrived home last night from our Israel and Jordan trip.
The trip was WONDERFUL. I am exhausted, but enlightened.
Our tour director and all our local guides were wonderful.
LOTS of walking and lots of learning.
We were very well fed and cared for. Our group was great and everyone became friends. I love the fact they divided the group for touring in Jerusalem which made getting around the Old City much easier.
Tauck really knows how to put a trip together!
I'd be happy to answer any questions.
«1

Comments

  • We also got back recently and agree this was a fabulous trip. I would caution anyone with a bad back to be wary of the horse carriage ride in Petra. It's pretty fast and pretty rocky! I also would be happy to answer any questions.
  • Hi Schmerl - I'm the one who posted the Tauck question on Fodors. (Keep looking for you trip report but haven't seen anything yet!) If you wouldn't mind some general touring on Tauck questions, would you email me at flipperdo@aol.com so I can send you my questions. Thanks! Kathie
  • Schmerl,
    Could I please obtain a copy of your notes from the Israel-Jordan Trip?
    Leaving in October.
    Much appreciated.
    Kjzucker@charter.net
    Thanks
  • KZ,
    I just sent it to you.
    The trip is fantastic!
  • I am going on the Israel/Jordan trip on sept 1. I was wondering if you would recommend walking boots. I have weak ankles. I would also like a copy of your notes if you don't mind: my e-mail is stuffily@consolidated.net. Thanks..
  • I don't know that you would need actual walking boots. We wore good walking sandals the whole time. Some open toe and some with a covered toe and we were fine. There is a LOT of walking on uneven surfaces so only you know what your ankles can handle. You will be walking a LOT of steps also.
    I tried to send you the documents, but the email address you listed didn't work.
  • edited October 2011
    Schmerl,

    Please send another copy of your notes. I lost what you sent to me somewhere in cyberspace. I have decided to go based on your comments and that of others.

    Thanks,

    carolb7332@comcast.net
  • schmerl wrote:
    Just arrived home last night from our Israel and Jordan trip.
    The trip was WONDERFUL. I am exhausted, but enlightened.
    Our tour director and all our local guides were wonderful.
    LOTS of walking and lots of learning.
    We were very well fed and cared for. Our group was great and everyone became friends. I love the fact they divided the group for touring in Jerusalem which made getting around the Old City much easier.
    Tauck really knows how to put a trip together!
    I'd be happy to answer any questions.

    Schmerl

    Please send a copy of your notes.

    Thanks

    Arnoldinfl@AOL.com
  • We are planning to visit Israel in March 2012, please email me your report. Thank you very much. My email is AlvinLow@comcast.net
  • Sorry that I made a typo in my e-mail. My e-mail is stuffibuy@consolidated.net. Thank you for the info on walking.
  • I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but, we're going on this trip 7 Sep. This would be our first trip with Tauck. Heard it was fantastic. We're excited. My question is: Can my hubby wear shorts just about knee length? Can I wear capris? What is the dress code? Do we get to do a Dress Up night on this trip? Can someone help me with this matter? Thanks.. donald_martino36@hotmail.com
  • MoMo
    edited August 2011
    We are scheduled to travel to Israel and Jordan with Tauck on October 27, 2011. We're feeling a little uneasy about visiting that part of the world at this time. Would appreciate any comments. Thanks so much, Mo My e-mail is marphil701@comcast.net
  • Mo,
    We took this tour this past May. At no time did we feel unsafe or have any concerns. Tauck would not take you anywhere that wasn't safe.
    Our tour director and local guides were wonderful. We also went off on our own in the evenings or late afternoon and never felt anything but safe.
    I live in a suburb of Philadelphia and there is a lot more violence going on in Phila. than in Israel or Jordan.
    The media really doesn't give us an accurate idea of what life is like there. We were very pleasantly surprised.
  • I agree that we felt totally safe the whole time we were traveling. We were there when it was announced that Bin-Laden had been killed. It was almost a non-issue. Tauck does not take you anywhere that is not safe, and does a great job of monitoring so that it would adjust an itinerary if need be. Don't worry and have a fabulous time.
  • Just want to jump on the reassurance bandwagon! This question was raised on the old Tauck message board and I still have my reply:

    In terms of security -- honestly -- there was not one single second that we felt anything other than completely and totally safe. I think everyone in our group would say the same thing. In fact one day our tour director was talking about how he was sure that many of us had friends who thought we were crazy for going on this trip. Everybody laughed. What you might think being here in the U.S. and the reality of what you experience when you are there are very different. A friend of ours was actually in the tourist areas of Israel during the Lebanon war and said the same thing. The interesting thing about Israel is that on a day to day basis it is an incredibly safe country. We could go anywhere we wanted to -- both during the day and at night. Things there now are very quiet. You can even go to places like Bethlehem -- where I went when I was in Israel many, many years ago -- and later tourists could not go because of safety issues.

    In Jordan we had a member of the tourist police with us when we traveled by bus. Again -- there was no time we felt anything other than totally safe in Jordan. Obviously this was just our experience and anything can happen anywhere at any time. That said -- we have been in other countries where we did not feel nearly as comfortable in terms of safety as we did in Israel and Jordan.
  • edited September 2011
    Schreml,

    Can you send us a copy of your Israel/Jordan notes. We are scheduled to go on the Oct 27th trip. We are only doing Israel since we did Jordan 2 years ago when we did the Egypt/Jordan trip which was also wonderful.

    Thanks, Cathie Herndon.
    My email is sassy-skier@comcast.net
  • Schmerl:
    We are scheduled for the November 10 trip to Israel. I'd love to have a copy of your notes, if possible. I'm at edalpert@gmail.com.
  • Ric..I just sent it.
  • Hello schmerl,
    We too are booked for the November 10 tour, so I am making one more request for your trip notes. My email is ronellenc@comcast.net
    Thank you.
  • emc_rnc,
    Just sent them to you. Enjoy!
  • Hi Schmerl, My husband and I are scheduled for the December 8 trip to israel. If possible, we would appreciate a copy of your notes. I'm at kiakona_cabal@yahoo.com. Aloha
  • would appreciated your travel notes
    leaving in nov-we have a extra night in amman
    any ideas how to tour there
    thanks
    rrapaport@bellsouth.net
  • roz47 wrote:
    We also got back recently and agree this was a fabulous trip. I would caution anyone with a bad back to be wary of the horse carriage ride in Petra. It's pretty fast and pretty rocky! I also would be happy to answer any questions.
  • schmerl wrote:
    Just arrived home last night from our Israel and Jordan trip.
    The trip was WONDERFUL. I am exhausted, but enlightened.
    Our tour director and all our local guides were wonderful.
    LOTS of walking and lots of learning.
    We were very well fed and cared for. Our group was great and everyone became friends. I love the fact they divided the group for touring in Jerusalem which made getting around the Old City much easier.
    Tauck really knows how to put a trip together!
    I'd be happy to answer any questions.
  • citygal wrote:
    Hi .... I'm planning to make the trip in early Spring and sure would appreciate receiving a copy of your notes... much appreciated. many, many thanks. nana
  • Citygal,
    I need your email address to send you the notes.
  • Hi Again Schmerl ..... my e-mail is 'kips8@aol.com' Many thanks. Happy Holidays. nana
  • Hi Nana,
    I just sent them to you.
    If you have any other questions, feel free to ask away!
  • Gail .... special thanks for taking the time to send me the details ... will be of great help. nana
  • yes can i have a copy of your notes also? would very much appreciate. EG1680@aol.com. thanks!
This discussion has been closed.