Let’s Go to the Holy Land in 2009

Some of you will remember that Marlene and I led a very successful tour to Israel in January 2007. We had so many people who said, “We want to go with you next time,” that we promised to lead another tour in two years. I am happy to report that plans are underway for a Holy Land tour in 2009. Yesterday Marlene spent an hour on the phone making some preliminary arrangements with the tour company we plan to use. They discussed potential dates, hotels in Israel, places we definitely want to visit, airlines, prices, and who we want as our guide (always a crucial decision). There are many things to consider, including the fact that because of the rise in oil prices, airline costs have risen substantially in the last year. At this moment we don’t have a date or a price nailed down. It does appear that that we are likely to travel in the spring or fall of 2009. The tour will be 10 or 11 days. We plan to spend at least one night in a hotel at the southern end of the Dead Sea, something we’ve never done before.