About thirty days before departure, every Christian Expedition traveler receives a travel kit with a final travel letter for their own trip. Most of what is in that letter is the same wherever you are going, so here it is in one place: what to bring, what to expect, and what to do if something goes wrong. Your own letter carries the details of your trip, including your flights, your hotels and your daily schedule.
Your documents
Airline tickets. If we arranged your airfare, your seats are booked as group tickets and there is no paper ticket. Your flight details are in the Christian Expedition mobile app. At check-in you show your passport and the agent prints your boarding pass. Arrive at the airport three hours before an international departure.
Seating. The airline assigns group seats in blocks, and individual seat requests are not possible on a group booking. If you are traveling with a spouse or a friend, ask at the desk whether you are seated together. The agent will move you if seats are free, but that is the airline’s decision.
If you booked your own flights, email your arrival and departure details to hello@christianexpedition.com so we know when to meet you.
Passports. Your passport should be valid for at least six months after the day you come home, which covers every country we visit. Keep a photocopy separate from the passport itself and a photo of it on your phone. Both make a replacement much easier if it is lost or stolen. If your passport expires sooner, renew it now, because a routine renewal can take several weeks.
Visas and travel authorizations. Israel needs an approved ETA-IL, which each traveler applies for online before the flight. Jordan and Egypt need a visa, which we arrange for the group as part of your package. Greece, Italy, Malta and Turkey need no visa for U.S. citizens on a tourist stay. The rules for every country, and what we handle for you, are on our passport and visa page.
Luggage
On group flights we arrange, your ticket normally allows one checked bag, one carry-on and one personal item.
- Checked bag: about 50 lbs (23 kg), and no more than 62 inches in length plus width plus height.
- Carry-on: about 21 x 15 x 9 inches including wheels and handles, and on many airlines no heavier than about 17 lbs.
- Personal item: small enough to fit under the seat in front of you, about 17 x 13 x 9 inches.
Anything over the allowance is charged by the airline at the desk. Flights within Europe that are booked separately from your international flight may allow less, and your letter will say so.
Pack light. You will lift your own bag on and off the coach and in and out of hotel lifts, and you will want room for what you bring home.
What to pack
Layers. Mornings and evenings run cooler than afternoons in every season, and Jerusalem in March or inland Turkey in October can be cold after dark. A light rain jacket or a compact umbrella is worth packing in any month.
Shoes you have already walked in. Comfortable, closed-toe, with grip. You will walk on ancient paving at Ephesus, polished stone in Jerusalem’s Old City and rough paths up to places like Masada and Mount Arbel.
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees. Churches, synagogues, mosques and the Western Wall all ask for modest dress, and some will turn you away at the door without it. A light scarf in your day bag solves it.
Sun protection. A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. The desert near the Dead Sea and the coast of Turkey are bright even when the air is mild.
Medication in your carry-on, never in a checked bag, in its labeled bottle, and enough for the whole trip. See your doctor before you travel.
Your Bible. Most days include time to read the passages where they happened, and it is good to read them in the Bible you know.
Money, phones and plugs
Tell your bank and card company your travel dates, so a card is not frozen the first time you use it abroad. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere you will go.
Carry some cash. A couple of hundred U.S. dollars for emergencies, plus local currency for tips and small purchases. Using an ATM when you arrive usually gives a better rate than exchanging money at home. What to tip, and in which currency, is answered in our Traveler Support Center.
Plugs. Most countries we visit use the round-pin Type C plug at 230 volts. A universal adapter covers every country, and most phone and laptop chargers handle the voltage on their own. Check the label on anything that heats, such as a hair dryer. The plug for every country is in our travel adapter guide.
Phones. Call your provider before you leave and ask what an international plan costs for your dates. It is almost always cheaper arranged in advance.
Travel insurance
We offer Allianz travel insurance, and a plan can be bought up to the day you leave. The price depends on your trip cost, your age and your state. Two benefits are only available within 14 days of your first deposit: Cancel Anytime, and cover for pre-existing medical conditions. Compare the plans on our travel insurance page or call (877) 234-3002.
What an expedition asks of you
An expedition is not a sightseeing tour. You will stand where the events of Scripture happened and read them there with your group, and many travelers say it changes how they read the Bible at home. Come ready for that. Your group leader will usually teach or lead a short devotion at the sites, and your guide fills in the history and the archaeology.
Walking. Expect a good deal of it, often on uneven ground and steps at ancient sites. Rest when you can. If walking is difficult for you, tell us before departure through your Traveler Portal. Bring your own wheelchair if you use one, and travel with a companion who can help you.
The daily schedule. Your itinerary is in the app before you go. Each evening your tour director goes over the next day with the group, and any changes go to the group chat in the app.
Meals. Breakfast and dinner are included on most expeditions. Dietary needs are entered in your Traveler Portal. Carry a snack and a refillable water bottle, because the gap between meals can be long on a full day.
The coach. Be on board at the time given. Many streets do not allow a coach to wait, so you may be dropped near a site rather than at its door. Other groups often park alongside in coaches that look like yours, so watch for your guide.
Name badges. Wear yours. Several groups are often at the same site on the same morning, and the badge is how your guide finds you.
Pickpockets. The places you are going are full of welcoming people, but crowded sites attract a few who work the crowds. Keep your wallet in a front pocket and leave the bulky handbag at home.
Staying in touch
The Christian Expedition mobile app holds your itinerary, your hotels and your flight details, with a group chat for your fellow travelers and live updates from your tour director. You receive an invitation about thirty days before departure. Download it at home, while you have familiar wifi.
If a flight is delayed or canceled
The airline rebooks you. Go to the gate or the airline desk and get the new flight. We cannot rebook a ticket that is in the airline’s hands, and trying to do it through us costs time. Once you have the new details, call us, and we will meet you whenever you land.
When you arrive
Collect your luggage, clear customs and go to the arrivals hall. If you are on the group flight, a Christian Expedition representative will be there to meet you, and your tour director takes it from there.
Who to call
- Office hours: (877) 234-3002, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern
- Travel emergencies, around the clock: (877) 234-3002, extension 9
- Email: hello@christianexpedition.com
- Allianz, from the U.S.: (800) 654-1908
- Allianz, from abroad: (804) 281-5700, collect calls accepted
On the ground, your tour director is the first person to ask. Anything not covered here is almost certainly answered in the Traveler Support Center, and if it is not, call us.
Newsletter
Expedition notes, once or twice a month
New articles, routes as they open, and the practical things worth knowing before you travel.
Unsubscribe in one click. We never share your address.