Middle East - Woman traveling alone in Israel

My husband has recently passed away. We had always planned to visit Israel. Is it safe for me to travel by myself?

My husband has recently passed away. We had always planned to visit Israel. Is it safe for me to travel by myself?Sorry for your loss. Traveling alone in Israel is no problem, just be smart & careful like you would in Chicago. If it's your first time you are definitely going to want to be on some kind of tour, or to hire a licensed tour guide (in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv you can just hire one for the day(s) - to get to other places you will need a guide with a car or you will have to sign up for a bus tour). Good luck.

Yes, don't beloved everything the media says. I've lived there for a few years and visit it regularly and its perfectly safe. Just don't go around at night by yourself in dark places, just like u wouldn't in america

There shouldn't be any problems. Israel is a regular 1st world country. But again, just be smart

If you're traveling to Tel Aviv or any major city there, I wouldn't worry about gender related discrimination. Exercise caution like you would anywhere else and have fun! The dodgy parts FEEL dodgy, but no more than south side Chicago :-)

Thanks for the quick responses. Now just have to figure out when to go. Thinking about late November. Is it difficult to find a guide? I've done that in other cities and like the flexibility of going where you want when you want.

We were just in Israel for 2 weeks the beginning of November & it was 70ºF and sunny every day. We used this guide and his car for the whole 2 weeks:

http://tourwithariel.weebly.com/

Ariel was fantastic and I would highly recommend him. The link is to his website. I'm sure if you only wanted him for certain days/places that you could make arrangements. He is a licensed guide & his wife is a tour planner (she worked for a group like Birthright the 4 years they were in California).

Quality of guides in the middle east vary greatly, so get a recommendation from friends/family, hotels mostly pump the ones that give the best kickbacks or have paid referrals - even big chains like Marriott.

What kind of itinerary are you hoping for? I'd start with what you want to see then start looking for things from there. A driver can be great, but the quality of facts can also be, um, questionable?

Quality of guides in the middle east vary greatly, so get a recommendation from friends/family, hotels mostly pump the ones that give the best kickbacks or have paid referrals - even big chains like Marriott.

Tour guides in Israel are licensed and must pass rigorous exams covering subjects such as history, archeology, geology, climate, plant and animal life and architecture in order to be certified.

The Israel Tour Guides Association (http://tour-guides.co.il/about.php) has a referral service.Just let us know what your traveling plans in Israel are, and we'll suggest a list of expert tour-guides that will make your trip to Israel as enjoyable and interesting as possible.

How did I miss this question?
a. I am a middle aged never married women who has made close to 50 trips ( since before I was middle-aged) to Israel. I feel perfectly safe and secure each time.

b. The best way to get a private guide is through recommendations. Ask at this site, go to some of the other travel site and look for guides others have used. When you find a few possibilities call or skype with them to make sure you understand whatever accent they may have. ie. not only Israelis have accents. If you are American you may find a guide from Australia or South Africa hard to understand too. ( or you may find all are easy to understand, it depends upon the individual speaker, not their background) YOu want someone who listens to you and your ideas in planning the trip.

Israel's probably one of the safest places you could go. Wouldn't worry at all.

Sorry for your loss.