| The
United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) out-of-country
board meeting was held in Israel. I had been to Israel
twice – in 1994 and 1996. I had heard there have
been a lot of good changes and advancements, but there
was still a wait and see attitude. For me, 40% of the
travel experience is the anticipation, and I had told
my friends and family of my upcoming trip to Israel.
Some said "is it safe there"?
I
immediately talked about how most travel groups have
security with them all the time and we would be safe.
The Monday before my trip, the Boston Marathon incident
occurred. My heart was heavy with the loss of lives
and tragedy to the great city of Boston. Boston is special
to Mayflower Tours as one of our very first signature
tours that we operated is New England and Cape Cod,
which begins and ends in Boston and is still a very
strong program for us. You would never expect something
like this to happen.
In
traveling throughout Israel, I felt very, very safe.
I met with many Israeli suppliers and the one that impressed
me most was at a Kibbutz which is three miles from the
Syrian border. Our local guide Hanna walked us through
the Kibbutz and showed us many bunkers. She explained
how no matter how young or how old, everyone knew which
bunker to go to when there was an attack. Different
families were assigned to different bunkers. Different
sirens would indicate by their sound whether it was
a missile and what type of attack they were going to
experience. Children are taught what to do and which
bunker to go to. This had become part of their everyday
life. By the way, the last time they used these bunkers
was 2006.
The
Israelis are very tough and determined people. Business
is thriving and they talked of over 700 entrepreneurial
"start ups". They are a very proud and thriving
country. They have learned to survive through difficult
times. America too is changing and we will adjust, thrive
and survive.
Should
I stay or should I go? You bet I should go (and you
should too), as the freedom to travel is something I
take very seriously. Israel has showed us how. It is
very hard to think if it is safe to travel in America.
The truth be told, all of us need to be vigilant wherever
we go.
Israel
was great! The people are passionate, the food was amazing
- and the history, cultural and religious experience
is spellbinding. Send your travelers to Israel - it
is the best favor you can do them. |
