The Itinerary

It is simultaneously exciting and daunting standing of the precipice of a new travel adventure. Of the three major overseas trips we have conducted, this one seems to evoke the most raising of eyebrows and a mixture of bewilderment and envy from those we have told.

When we booked the trip 6 months ago, the situation in Egypt and Israel was relatively calm, however in the last few months as the Western media has taken interest in the region, most informed citizens can rattle off the name of the Egyptian President and the Israeli anti-missile defense system without realising that the conflict in the area continues even if it doesn't appear in the 6pm Melbourne news. That's not to downplay the situation or undervalue the recent political realities, but rather place them in context of what is "normal". Interestingly, the Smart Traveler website has not significantly changed the travel status of either country as the trouble is isolated to small sections of both countries. Therefore, am I worried? No.

For those interested in the itinerary, here is the overview of where we are going:

1. Dubai (Dec 21 - Dec 24)
2. Egypt (Dec 24 - Jan 3)
3. Jordan (Jan 3 - Jan 8)
4. Israel (Jan 8 - Jan 18)
5. Rome (Jan 18 - Jan 22)
6. Arrive back in Melbourne early on Jan 24.

For Egypt, Jordan and part of the Israel leg, we are going on a tour with Gecko's Adventures. More information: http://www.geckosadventures.com/middle-east-north-africa/egypt/pharaohs-crusaders-kings-2012

I'll be posting intermittently on this blog with updates on the adventure for those interested in following.

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By the way, I've been super impressed with an app called TripIt. Simply forward all the confirmation emails for flights, hotels, tours etc and it extracts out all the information and puts it into an itinerary for you! I can then access that itinerary from my phone, iPad, computer and see all sorts of associated travel information with it.

Google Play Store

iTunes Store