While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge a lot of the world, we are seeing a slow but gradual return to travel for tourism globally. At the time of writing, Israel still is not letting visitors in who do not hold citizenship, but there are more and more conversations happening about reopening the skies.
So, I thought it could be helpful to share some tips and thoughts for anyone thinking about coming to tour Israel in the near future, while we’re still in the shadow of the Coronavirus. There are pros and cons in travelling at a time like this, and ultimately everyone has to make an individual choice on the risk/reward ratio. While prices for accommodation and touring services are likely to be cheaper, and sites less crowded, none of us want to become unwell or forced into isolation. I hope that this blog can help that decision process a little.
And of course — an important disclaimer. In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m not a medical professional. So I’m basing these tips and pieces of advice on what I’ve read and heard from those who are much more learned than I am. Don’t take it all as gospel — read around and do your research.
1) Make a Plan and Stick to It (with a Backup Plan Just in Case)
Because of limitations on visitor numbers, you now have to reserve a time slot before visiting many sites and attractions in Israel. This means that it’s a lot harder to be spontaneous — whether it’s deciding to suddenly change route and stop at a new attraction (they may not have space), or spending more time than you intended at a site (you may miss your slot at the next one).
Spontaneity is not necessarily impossible — because there aren’t as many tourists as normal, if you’re coming outside of school vacation dates there are likely to be spots free. But you can’t be as flexible as before.
However, having said that…if you do need to cancel a planned activity or stay, it’s good to have a sense of options of what you may be able to do instead. I don’t think you need to have a whole backup itinerary planned, just have a shortlist of backup options for activities and accommodations by area and, if you need to, you can quickly rearrange your plans.
2) Be Prepared to Be Flexible
But didn’t I just say you couldn’t be as flexible as before? Indeed you can’t — at least you can’t choose to be. But you may be forced to be flexible as the conditions around the country fluctuate. A site or hotel may be forced to close temporarily because of a confirmed case of COVID-19, or an area may be locked down because of a spike in infections. As long as you come with the mindset that this may happen, and embrace it, you should be ok.
3) Avoid Places When They’re Likely to be Crowded
Try to plan to avoid being in places when they’re likely to be crowded. I’d personally suggest staying out of the big cities during the weekend (Thursday evening until Sunday morning). Don’t go to holy sites during service times and visit markets early in the morning before footfall increases.
Israelis don’t normally eat dinner before 8pm and sometimes even later. So if you’re happy to eat early, you can reduce your risk when dining out by being in restaurants when they are quieter (and also should get better service as a result!). Nearly all restaurants have outdoor dining areas which are recommended as lower risk of virus transmission than being inside.
Alternatively, particularly in cities, there are many great options for getting food delivered. In Tel Aviv, the Wolt app is particularly good as it works in English (although not all menus are translated) and offers a contactless delivery option.
4) Consider Apartment Rentals Over Hotels
The vast majority of hotels in Israel are taking things seriously and following the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. I’ve actually been quite impressed. However, there’s only so much they can control. And they can’t control all the behaviour of their guests. It’s difficult for a hotel as a service provider to force their paying guests to follow the rules. There have been incidences of people who were supposed to be in isolation going to stay in hotels.
So, I’d consider staying in an apartment rental. You won’t get the service of a hotel, but you’ll be reducing your risk of exposure by the simple fact that you’ll be walking past fewer people.
5) Communicate with Your Accommodation
Whether you decide to stay in a hotel or an apartment rental, take the time to communicate with them in advance before booking. Understand the precautions that they are taking in terms of cleaning, distancing, meals (in the case of a hotel) and look into reviews to see if what they tell you is actually happening. Some review sites offer the opportunity to contact the person who made the review, so consider reaching out to them to hear more.
And if you’re communicating anyway, you may want to see what can be done on price. On the one hand, these businesses have suffered a lot because of the drop in tourism, and if you can afford not to negotiate then I’d suggest it would be a nice thing to do. But if the price is the difference between you coming or not coming, there’s no harm in asking.
6) Check Cancellation Policies
Before you book anything, understand the cancellation policy. Until when can you cancel if for some reason your trip can’t go ahead? What are the penalties
for doing so? Is it possible to move your booking if needed? At times like these, understanding the policies becomes even more important.
7) Get Travel Insurance
I’m constantly surprised by how many people I’ve guided don’t come with travel insurance. It was always a given growing up that we had it. Now it is more important than ever, although also more expensive than ever. Good travel insurance will cover any health care needs, help you get home if your flights are cancelled and also cover you for cancelling your trip or parts of your trip if needed. I would not fly without it at the moment.
8) Look but Don’t Touch
This may seem obvious but I think it’s worth stating. For many people, particularly those coming to Israel for religious reasons, touch can make up an important part of the trip. Whether it’s touching the smoothness of the stones of the Western Wall to connect to the millions of people who have done the same, or touching places where it’s believed that Jesus performed miracles, for example. I am not an expert at all on the possibility of virus transmission through touching these places — but I would suggest that it’s not worth the risk of ruining your trip.
9) Consider a Private Guide
You could save yourself a lot of this hassle by hiring a private guide to do it for you — making the bookings, staying on top of which areas are lower and higher risk, adjusting your itinerary if needed and being able to speak the local language to help out in case of any emergency.
Additionally, doing a private tour will reduce your exposure to other people (for example on a bus tour) and keeping the same guide with you for the whole trip as opposed to getting different guides in different places will reduce your risk further.
Obviously I’m biased, but I think that a private guide can add even more value at times such as these, although it will increase the cost of your trip.
10) Consider Your Travel
It pains me to say this, but this is not the best time to come on a trip to Israel. Yes — there are the advantages of lower pricing and significantly less crowded sites. But some places are not open, and depending on your character, possible anxiety re contracting COVID-19 may mean the trip is not as relaxing as you would like. So if you do have a way to delay your trip, I’d very much consider it.
But not everyone chooses their time to visit Maybe it’s a family occasion that has been planned for ages and you don’t want to miss it. Maybe you don’t know if you’ll be able to come in the future because of potential changes in your lifestyle. Maybe you have a work trip and will be here anyway, so it’s a shame not to explore. If you are planning a visit to Israel, I hope that these tips are helpful, and I and the rest of Israel’s tourism professionals are here for anything you may need.
Safe travels!
