Message from Olene and Nancy:
IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL?
We would never go on a tour if we were feeling at all unsure about it. Also, the owner of Omega Travel, Beverley Robb, who travels with us, as well as the local guides, do not want to be on a trip that isn’t safe. We remain in close communication with our guides (who've become our good friends). They have their own communications networks and keep apprized of the real situation throughout their own countries - especially those areas where we will be traveling.
Writing this on April 7, 2008, we can say that every one of the 19 tours we've led over the past 13 years has been safe and joyous. We have been welcomed in all the countries.
We’d like to share an e-mail directly from Israel just a month ago, February 23, 2008 from Bev, our travel agent. She was accompanying a tour of 2nd Timers – meaning that everyone had been to Israel before:
Greetings from the Galilee! What a great time we're having with this second-timer tour! All is calm and peaceful and serene. The wildflowers are blooming and the new lambs are playing in the green fields and there is beauty all around. We had a teaching time last night before dinner and the pastor asked the people to give prayers of thanks for something in their lives. I was struck with the number of prayers of gratitude for the peace in this land and the sense of security they feel here in this land of so much controversy and conflict - the land of the Bible. Even though all of these ‘pilgrims’ have been here before and have already experienced the differences between what the media portrays and the reality of their time here, they're impressed again by how safe and secure they feel. I wish I could convey this truth to the passengers who consider coming but don't do it because of their fear.
One woman said to me last night, “I'm so glad I didn't let the stories on the news rob me of the joy of this experience. I'm so happy that I came in spite of the concerns that my family had for me.”
So once again I'm struck by the joy that this pilgrimage brings to people and the enlightenment they find in being here and seeing the places where the stories of the Bible happened! It's such a pleasure to me to bring people here and watch the Bible come to life for those who are ‘brave’ enough to come!
Can't wait to come back with you all in October! Love, Bev
We have had wonderful tours to Israel/Jordan, Greece and Turkey in the past several years. We were so pleased to see evidences of increased tourism throughout these countries! A traveler from St. Louis on one of the Israel tours wrote, “I didn't feel unsafe at all - no sense of danger, ever. Everyone we met was so friendly. Life was just going on as usual.” A tourist from Colorado said, “It is the U.S. media that's denying us the freedom to travel.” Another traveler said: “After all we see on TV, how refreshing to see the real picture of 'normal life' everywhere: rush hour traffic, school children walking with overloaded backpacks, people shopping, and even the results of huge building projects that have been going on normally through the past 3 or 4 years!”
In the months preceding any tour, we are especially alert. We have postponed or cancelled several tours when the situation was questionable. Even during the past several years, it has been safe in Israel for travelers on Christian tours. In most cases, the areas where we travel are not problem areas. And if an area is at all questionable, we revise the itinerary for that day.
We pray daily for the harmony of our tours. Some of the spiritual ideas that have been meaningful we wrote in companion articles titled "Afraid to Travel Abroad?" published in the May 3, 2004, issue of The Christian Science Sentinel. We can assure you that praying does not mean we put our heads in the sand. We depart on a tour only if we feel both spiritually and humanly safe. We eagerly await our next glorious adventure. Come join us!
2. HOW STRENUOUS ARE THE TOURS?
A. We don't
want to discourage people from taking these wonderful biblical journeys! But you
do need to know that there is a lot of walking, some of
which is on uneven terrain
(old brick and stone streets, packed dirt roads, rocky areas
around archaeological sites, etc.). We always recommend that if
people spend much of their time at home sitting, they should prepare for the
trip with regular walks!
We've had travelers of all ages, and certainly some travelers are slower than others. There are places on the tour where the guide will explain that there are "x" number of steps to negotiate, so if one doesn't feel up to this task, s/he can listen to the explanation and then stay back, or go with our bus driver to meet the group at the exit.
It is important to think of the whole group when you are deciding
whether such a trip is for you. Although our travelers always support
one another and are generally very joyous, it isn't fair to make others miss out
while they wait for someone. On the other hand, don't feel you must
be an Olympic sprinter to be able to go!!! If you have questions about
this, please call us and we can talk more specifically with
you.
3. WHAT'S THE FOOD LIKE?
A. Except for our "Young
Adult/Actively Paced" Holy Land tours in the summers, we stay in 4 &
5-star hotels. Our breakfasts and dinners are abundant (usually
buffets) in the hotels, with a variety of salads, meats, vegetables.
The salads and veggies are so numerous, that the vegetarians who have traveled
with us have said the trip is heaven for them! (The Actively Paced tours stay in
3- and 4-star hotels which have just as wonderful food.) As the hotels in Israel
are kosher, there is no pork (no bacon with your eggs in the morning!), and no
butter served at the evening meal where meat is also served. There
is margarine, however! Lunches are "on the road" - more local-type food:
falafel, Greek salads, dolmadas, moussaka, gyros, St. Peter's fish, shwarma,...
-and in Israel - always the pita bread and hummus! One can get a salad or
other light lunch, to make up for the huge breakfast and dinner! The food
is not hotly spiced, except for a few items that would be pointed out by the
guide.
4. WHAT ARE THE
HOTELS LIKE?
A.
For the "regular" tours, we use first-class (usually
5-star) hotels. For the "Young Adult/Actively Paced" tours, we use 3-
or 4-star. The 5-star hotels have all the amenities one would
expect: hair dryers in the rooms, TVs, little shampoos & hand lotions, phones
with access to MCI, Sprint, etc., shops in the lobbies, swimming pools.
Occasionally, in a more out-of-the-way spot in Turkey or Greece, they may not
have all those extras! The 3- and 4-star hotels are also very good -
clean, with TVs, sometimes with hair dryers, usually no hand lotions!
Rooms in all hotels are set up for double occupancy (2 single beds, often
placed right next to each other so it looks like a double bed). For
families, some rooms are larger and can accommodate a third
bed.
5. WOULD I FEEL OUT OF PLACE IF I'M NOT A
CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST?
A. The travel agent who accompanies our tours, Bev
Robb, is a Methodist (her husband is a minister) and our guides are Jewish,
Moslem, and various Christian denominations. So right from the start
we are "interfaith"! The large majority of travelers on each of our tours
are students of Christian Science. But most of our tours have
included several people who are not Christian Scientists - spouses, friends,
etc. The tour is basically BIBLICAL, not denominational.
We do begin each day with a short inspirational reading (3 - 5 minutes), part of
which will be something from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and
founder of Christian Science. At several of the sites in Israel, we
sing a hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal (we do provide the words for those
who do not know them). We try to schedule our tours so that when
we're in Jerusalem, Athens and Cairo, we attend a service of the
local Christian Science Church or Society. The Biblical sharing that we
(Nancy and Olene) do is basically an augmentation of the Bible stories that took
place on a particular site with passages from reputable commentaries, Bible
translations, lexicons, etc, - again not denominational, although we certainly
choose the comments that have enriched our own spiritual understanding of the
Bible passages. The people who have traveled with us who were not
Christian Scientists have all said that they felt not only comfortable, but
totally embraced by the group. No one will try to convert you, but
instead will enjoy the perspective you bring! We would assume you will not
try to convert us!!! In our own prayers for these tours, we pray to see
that God is bringing each group together; and when you feel impelled by God to
go, THAT tour will be the perfect one for you and for every other person in that
group. We have seen that happen over and over.
6. HOW MUCH EXTRA MONEY IS
INVOLVED?
A. The price printed
on the brochure covers everything from the point of departure (usually New York
- sometimes with a stopover somewhere to change planes) back to that point, WITH
THE EXCEPTION OF THE FOLLOWING (which you'll need to add to the cost):
7. DO I NEED A
PASSPORT?
A.
You must have a current passport (it has
to be valid up to at least 6 months AFTER the time of the tour. If
you are thinking about going on a tour some time, start working on your passport
now. It's no fun trying to hurry the government just before your
departure!
8. DO I NEED A VISA?
A. Not every country we tour
requires a visa from Americans. Omega Travel will take care of
getting visas for you if one is required.
9. WILL YOU SEND ME SPECIFIC
INFORMATION AHEAD OF TIME?
A. As soon as you register for a tour with Omega Travel,
we are given your name - and the mailings begin! Ordinarily, we send 3
packets of information during the months preceding a tour. You'll
receive a list of site citations (following the tour's itinerary, we have
listed the verses of every Bible story that took place at each
location). Most people bring this with them on the tour and use it
each evening as a review of the sites seen that day and as a preparation for the
next day's visits. We also send a reading list (optional), various
inspirational articles, hints on everything from rolling your clothes in the
suitcase to bringing a water bottle carrier. We'll tell you about
the weather and what kind of clothes to bring (totally casual on all tours - no
dress-ups needed!). We include a page on how to keep track of
photographs, how to tour "hands free," and we tuck in a packing checklist just
like you had as a child for summer camp!!! AND, we encourage you to call
us with any questions. We feel very strongly that the more you know
ahead of time about the tour, the more you'll be able just to relax and enjoy
yourself. For many of you, this will be your first travel outside
your home country - or at least, your first trip to the Middle East or
Mediterranean world. We want every aspect of the trip to be
comfortable and fun! That way, there is nothing to keep you from drinking
in the full inspiration of this wonderful adventure!
10. WHAT WILL THIS TRIP MEAN TO ME?
A. You will enjoy experiencing the
history and culture of this country. But most important, the Bible will be
a new book to you forever! That's what happened to us, and that's why we
keep going back! The section on this website entitled "Comments from
Travelers" will give you a sampling of what others have experienced.
One of our former Holy Land travelers said it this way: "Not only did I
gain spiritual insights that have stayed with me, but I glimpsed the promised
land of the kingdom of heaven---the holiness that dwells within each of
us."
To register online, go to www.omegatravelusa.com and select "Tours", "Christian Science Tours", and the tour you are interested in.
For further information and a free color brochure, email us today or call us at (800) 347-2842...and watch Friday's Christian Science Monitor for Carroll/Fischer Tours!