Hints_paul-john_2012.vp

Helpful Hints for Travelers
Steps of Paul and John
currently $695 for each person. This has been added to This publication contains the information you your invoice to be paid with your final payment.
need to know to get ready for the tour. In order 4. Tips. Throughout the years I have learned that it is
for it to be as pleasurable as you wish, it will be necessary to tip guides, drivers, and waiters in order to necessary for you to make adequate prepara- have a good tour. My procedure is to collect this in ad- tion. Read the material carefully. It should an- vance. For this tour we are collecting $130 from each traveler for this purpose. This includes the tips on the cruise, but does not include personal gratuities whichyou may want to give for some special favor shown you.
Become familiar with the Helpful Travel Links on the web site: tours.biblicalstudies.info.
5. Meeting in New York. You should plan to be at the
Delta terminal at J. F. Kennedy International airport at
least two to three hours prior to departure on April
1. Passport. Secure your passport as early as possible.
30. I urge you to join Delta's Sky Miles reward program.
It is the most important item in getting ready to make the tour. The application must be obtained and submit- ted in person at your nearest Passport Office. You must April 30 – DL 72 – 4:45pm – Ar. Istanbul – 10:15 am (5/1) have a birth certificate with a seal in it. You will need two – 11:45pm – Ar. JFK – NY – 4:40 pm photos as specified in the application. It is usually notdifficult to find a photographer who knows how to pre- Flight schedule is subject to change. We will keep you
pare passport photos. Some drug stores, copy shops, informed of any changes. Don’t take a chance on a close
AAA, and other places do them in a matter of minutes.
The total cost of the passport has risen to $135 for a newpassport which is valid for 10 years. To those who al- 6. Domestic Air Travel. The arrangements for this
ready have passports: Be sure your passport is valid for tour have been made through Nawas International six months beyond our return date. The cost of passport Travel, a company we have used for many tours. They renewal is now $110. Take extra passport photos with are a tour wholesaler and do not make domesic arrange- you (in a separate place from your passport) in case ments. You should make your arrangements with your your passport is lost or stolen during the tour. Another local travel agent or directly with an airline. Please re- good idea is to carry, in a separate place, a photocopy of member that our flights are subject to change. We ad- the page in your passport which shows your photo andidentification information. See http://travel.state.gov/for info.
2. Visas. A visa is required for Turkey. Upon arrival in
See the section on Reading Suggestions (#24) Istanbul pay US$20 (current amount) in cash and your and the arrangement we have for you to buy passport will be stamped with a visa.
3. Airport and Port Taxes. Airports charge a tax prior
to departure. The airlines have added sizable security fees and fuel surcharges. In connection with the cruise Check the website regularly for updates, and portion of the tour we must pay an embarkation fee at Kusadasi, as well as port taxes. The total of all taxes is Helpful Hints — Steps of Paul and John 2012 vise that you not book your domestic flights too early.
or more $1 bills for small purchases. Major credit cards Check the price several times a week for a while. You
(Visa, Master Card and American Express). American will not have your international ticket until about
Express is not as popular with many merchants. Some two weeks prior to the tour.
shops we visit will take your personal check. Take alonga few personal checks just in case you decide on an unex- 7. Health Regulations. No shots or vaccinations are
pected purchase. Local currency may be taken from an required for this tour. A Tetanus booster is suggested ATM machine, but you must have your pin number. Be sure that you contact your bank (or card company)
prior to departure to tell them where you will be.
8. Cameras. Be sure you have used your camera and
know how it operates. If you have a fairly new, expen-
Dollars may be accepted at some shops, but you may sive, foreign made camera it would be a good idea to
need to change some dollars into Turkish New Lira and take a copy of the receipt with you. You want to avoid paying duty when you return to the USA. Ideally youcould register your camera, or other electronic equip- 12. Mail. Forget it. Use the Internet and the tele-
ment, with Customs before you leave the USA. You must have the equipment with you at the time you regis-
ter it. Easy approach: carry your receipts.
Email. You may have opportunity to access the
Internet several times during the tour. If your Internet 9. Digital Cameras. If you carry a digital camera or a
provider does not have web-based Email I suggest you camcorder be sure you have enough batteries, a charger set up an account with Gmail or Yahoo.
that will operate on 220 volts, electrical adaptor plug
(see tip # 22), and memory, memory, memory. Hidden
Many hotels in Turkey have free wireless Internet Hint: I think that later you will be disappointed with a
services. Others make a charge. I understand that the camera of less than 8 million megapixels. When I made cruise ship now has Internet service, but I suspect the slides I would typically take 350 to 400 picture on each price will be extremely high. You might do better to use tour. With digital photography I make between 2000 13. Insurance. Luggage insurance is highly recom-
Batteries. Don’t take a chance with dead batteries.
mended. You can buy it and/or accident insurance for Replace the batteries in your camera before you go. Be the number of days of the tour. Nawas International has sure to carry spares. The size you need may be difficult a policy available for this tour. Trip cancellation/in-
or impossible to locate, and are much more expensive.
terruption insurance is included in their policy and is a
good idea in the event of a sickness or emergency in the
Memory Cards. Memory cards are extremely ex-
family. A copy of the application form will be sent to pensive overseas. Buy plenty locally before you go.
you. Be sure to read the information and then makeyour decision. Your luggage may be covered by your 10. Baggage. Each airline has a different program for
homeowner’s policy. Check with your agent. Nawas In- baggage. Read the section on Baggage in the General ternational provides flight insurance in the amount of Condtions of the brochure. It says a bag not exceeding $100,000 for each ticketed passenger on the interna- 50 pounds will be acceptable for the international flight, but that the flight within Turkey is limited to 44 pounds.
Airlines usually allow a personal item such as a camera 14. Duty Free Purchases. Purchases up to $800 per
or computer bag. Be sure to pack light.
person (with some exceptions) are now allowed back inthe U.S. duty free. Additional purchases up to $1000 are 11. Money. I no longer recommend traveler checks,
charged a flat 10% duty. You may have certain gifts but if you think you need them get them in denomina- mailed from a foreign country to the U. S. duty free. We tions of $50 or larger. The commission rate for ex- suggest you get the booklet Know Before You Go from U.
change is high. Most of your travel arrangements are

Source: http://tours.biblicalstudies.info/Helpful-Hints_Paul-John_2012.pdf