Middle East - Anthony Ham [3]
On the positive side, it’s worth trying to time your visit to tie in with something like Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice, which marks the Prophet’s pilgrimage to Mecca) or the Prophet’s Birthday, as these can be colourful occasions. Both of these religious holidays can be wonderful opportunities to get under the skin of the region and enjoy the festive mood. Remember, however, to make your plans early, especially when it comes to public transport and finding a hotel. Click here for the dates of these and more Islamic festivals.
For a snapshot of the Middle East’s best festivals, see the Travel Planner Click here.
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COSTS & MONEY
The Middle East is in the midst of an inflationary spiral driven by rising oil prices and it’s difficult to predict how far it will go. Previously cheap countries such as Jordan, Egypt and Syria (where prices have almost doubled since we were last there) remain cheap by Western standards and travel staples – accommodation, meals and transport – are generally affordable for most travellers. The gap is, however, narrowing. The gap between prices in the West and Lebanon, Turkey and Israel and the Palestinian Territories long ago narrowed, and don’t be surprised to pay the same for your latte in Beirut, Tel Aviv or İstanbul as you would at home. Indeed, in many places, midrange and especially top-end travellers may find themselves paying prices on a par with southern Europe. Budget travellers should still, however, be able to travel economically in most countries of the Middle East.
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‘some of the best travel experiences cost nothing’
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Although it’s dangerous to generalise, if you’re on a really tight budget, stay at cheap hotels with shared bathrooms, eat street food and carry a student card with you to reduce entry fees at museums, you could get by on around US$20 to US$25 a day. Staying in comfortable midrange hotels, eating at quality restaurants to ensure a varied diet, the occasional private taxi ride and some shopping will push your daily expenses up to between US$40 and US$60. In Lebanon, US$25 a day is the barest minimum, while US$45 is more realistic. In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, budget travellers could keep things down to $US40 per day if they really tried hard, while a more comfortable journey would require up to US$65.
When estimating your own costs, take into account extra items such as visa fees (which can top US$50 depending on where you get them and what your nationality is), long-distance travel and the cost of organised tours or activities, such as desert safaris and diving. And remember, some of the best travel experiences cost nothing: whiling away the hours taking on the locals at backgammon in Damascus, sleeping under the desert stars in the Sahara or watching the sun set over the Mediterranean.
For advice on the pros and cons of carrying cash, credit cards and/or travellers cheques, check out the Money section in the Directory of each individual country chapter. In general, we recommend a mix of credit or ATM cards and cash (Click here), but the situation varies from country to country.
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READING UP
Books
Lonely Planet has numerous guides to the countries of the Middle East, including Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Cairo & the Nile and Syria & Lebanon. There’s also a city guide to İstanbul, a World Food guide to Turkey, as well as phrasebooks for Arabic,