October 19th Israel and Jordan Tour
Has anyone already cancelled this trip because it seems likely it will not go. This tour for 2022 seems to be selling out fast. I'm thinking I should move into another tour. Thoughts?
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Has anyone already cancelled this trip because it seems likely it will not go. This tour for 2022 seems to be selling out fast. I'm thinking I should move into another tour. Thoughts?
Comments
Wow, I’m surprised they haven’t cancelled yet. Ours was canceled earlier in the year and we rebooked for March 2022 quite a while ago. To be honest, we are not holding our breath for that date either.
A while back, I booked the Israel-Jordan trip for November. At the Tauck-referenced CIBT website (cibtvisas.com), I found current and robust information for both Israel and Jordan. My issue is not with the Jordan visa (which Tauck helps with/takes care of at the border) but with potential Covid requirements, restrictions, and quarantine specifications for both Israel and Jordan. Where you fly from and/or through (e.g., UK, Turkey, etc.) might make a difference as well. Tauck needs to make a decision on the Israel-Jordan trip(s).
It can’t yet. Israel is still closed to visitors. I know people who are supposed to visit family there next week. So I’ll find out if they can get to go
Tauck assured my travel agent just last week that they will not expect final payment (ours is due in 3 weeks) if any quarantine requirements are in effect. However, it appears as though they haven't cancelled tours departing weeks ahead of ours. A&K is showing "waitlist" for their mid October tour that is almost a duplicate of ours. I'm curious if the tour companies are just holding on to hope or if they know some exceptions may be on the horizon.
We know of people who just arrived in Israel, they were able to go because they have parents there and some business. They had to have a ton of paperwork. Before they went, there was a one week quarantine requirement. Then the day before, they found out it had just changed to a two week quarantine. They are confined to the place they are staying. If they break quarantine they will be in trouble and not be allowing back in the country for five years. Since Israel has already commenced booster shots, it would not surprise me if they require that of visitors if they open up the country. One country already has a requirement that if you had your last shot more than 210 days ago, they will not count you as reliably immunized.
Our Israel and Jordan is next March, well maybe 😕
I cannot imagine that any trips to Israel will be going for a long time. My sister has lived in Jerusalem since 1976. We were just texting. Israel is a mess. She had her third Pfizer vaccine last week. Numbers of positive and seriously ill are out of control. They do not have enough hospital beds or staff. They are trying to avoid closure in September because of all the holidays but she said it is very unsure at this point. As my sister said -- "Now is not the time to visit Israel." From yesterday's Haaretz newspaper:
"Israel reported 5,946 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday according to data published by the Health Ministry on Thursday, the day after Israel approved tightening proof of immunity and gathering restrictions as the delta variant continues to spread nationwide.
According to the ministry, the number of serious coronavirus cases in Israel topped Tuesday's six-month high, with 421 cases. There are currently 42,203 active coronavirus cases in Israel."
My cousins were scheduled to go to Israel with Road Scholar in October and their trip was canceled quite awhile ago -- even before Covid became so bad again. The reason was that there were too many things on the itinerary that they would not be able to do because of closures -- reduced hours -- etc. I do not understand why Tauck has not canceled yet.
Thanks, judy05 and British for the first hand accounts. Tauck is still showing their Israel/Jordan itineraries for October/November as "available". I would like to cancel (there are 4 of us together) but I need for Tauck to cancel so I can plead my case to the airline for a full refund and not an e-ticket that I must use by the end of March '22. We probably still won't be traveling by then and I'm kind of tired of piling up future travel credits on airlines, cruises and land tours. With refunds I can re-roof my house
dneuser--good use of refunds. I just finished re-roofing my house and my red cedar gazebo. Think I'll be spending more time in both places than in an airport lounge or a Tauck bus for a long time to come.
For those of you anxious for Petra, on Aug 26, there will be a rerun of a Jeopardy episode from 2011 that includes a category about Petra.
For example:
I'll take Petra for 200 Alex...
Answer: This trail has been mapped out for a hike by AlanS, but rescheduled twice, and is expected to take 1h 45m...
Oooh, ooh, I know- What is the Wadi Al Farasa trail?
atomptom I was hopeful; however, with the new quarantine requirements for travelers from USA to enter the country...It's highly unlikely this trip will take place in October
Pure luxury, did you mean to say not take place? Israel has upped its quarantined for entry to two weeks, we know people who just went there to see family.
British Yes...I meant to say highly "unlikely". Thanks for catching that!
PureLuxury- easy to fix- Click on the little gear in the upper right of your post, select "edit," make changes or corrections, then click Save Comment.
AlanSPost edited....Thank You!
I'm convinced Tauck will be cancelling October trips so I had a backup plan of a trip to Greece with Smithsonian in October and that was recently cancelled. I had multiple deposits hoping one of them would go. I'd like to reschedule Israel in March 2022 if that trip actually happens (British- what date in March are you scheduled for?). I could also transfer funds to the India/Nepal tour I have scheduled for November 5th 2022 or the Cowboy Country Family trip I plan to take with my grandson next July.
We leave for our tour on March 20th, so I assume it starts on the 22nd. There is no way Tauck will go to Israel in October, it’s still closed to the average tourist, and the US keeps going on and on about it’s Delta spikes, the unvaccinated and on and on, would you want Americans in your country! I’m not holding hope for March either. I don’t think India and Nepal would be a good choice either!
I am beginning to realize that the best thing to do is pick somewhere that is a safe bet in going. It might not be a first choice from a bucket list point of view, but it will be a place you haven’t been, or somewhere you have been and enjoyed and would like to go to again and see more, you know the lie of the land and preferably English and the Health care system is pretty good. . That’s why for us, since the Pandemic, we have only booked two future tours, new Botswana one….ok well health care? But we have extra insurance that covers evacuating and or arranging transfer to another hospital or country or home with a nurse escort. And Costa Rica, where we have been four times before, ir health care is good, with another company, just over two weeks, to more places that Tauck don’t go to.
I would go to other places with Tauck in the US failing everything else, but I’ve taken quite a few of their domestic tours already.
I'm returning from an Antarctica cruise in early February and leave for Romania Bulgaria late April so I booked the Tauck Israel Jordan trip for March 15th as that fits right between my two other trips. I also booked an early June Danube River Cruise with extensions before and after. I hope to book Switzerland for early August and Greece for late September. I'm confident Tauck's India Nepal trip will go as scheduled 15 months from now. I had planned a National Geographic trip to Costa Rica in March but I'm switching that to their Great Apes of Uganda and Rwanda trip that leaves a few days after Christmas and returns early January. Getting up close to the gorilla families is one of my bucket list trips. Besides Tauck I also tour with Smithsonian, Odyssey and National Geographic. All have provided excellent tours for me in the past.
The Gorilla trip is just wonderful! Rwanda has gorgeous scenery
Tauck just cancelled all tours to Israel through December 31st so I've rescheduled the Israel-Jordan trip for September 13th of 2022. I previously booked March 15th but switched it to September because I'm not convinced March will happen. I've now had 9 Tauck trips cancel on me since March of 2020. Can anyone top that dubious distinction?
COngrats, I guess :-) I had 3 cancelled (one trip twice). Were these 9 different trips or some rescheduled more than once?
My canceled trips are: Peru & Bolivia twice (March & Sept 2020), Ireland & Northern Ireland twice (June 2020 & July 2021), India twice March 2021 & Oct 2021), Costa Rica & Panama Canal Jan 2021), Peru & Galapagos (May 2021) and now Israel & Jordan. Next up with Tauck are Israel & Jordan (Sept 2022) and India & Nepal (Nov 2022). As the eternal optimist I keep rescheduling.
I’m hopeful my Costa Rica and Botswana tours will go next year.