Let's Go Israel: Half of a Travel Guide for A Short Trip

Let's Go Israel is a great guide if you are coming for business or a short trip. Plenty of background information. See excerpts on the Let's Go site: www.letsgo.com

What tour guide do you use on your travels? This question has as much to do about style as it is about information. Are you an organized planner? Or one who noses around and explores open eyed? Do you like traveling in style? Or are seeking real life local experiences?

I met Tim, an American coin collector on Hilton beach a few weeks ago. He came to Israel for the ancient coins. At first he was not planning on touring anything but Jerusalem, the museums and coin shops around Tel Aviv. But he brought two guides, one for Christian pilgrims and another was Let's Go Israel (official site) see book on Amazon: Let's Go Israel

I was surprised, since he looked rather buttoned down and serious about his coin collecting. More of a small businessman dress and mannerism than a backpacking college grad on a summer adventure. Tim was from Tennessee and has been collecting coins for over twenty years. He actually started collecting coins on a post college trip to Europe. He was interested in seeing Israel for himself after hearing so many different (and conflicting) stories. At first he did fear coming. But reading accounts on blogs from other coin collectors, he was definitely intrigued about Israel. What he wanted to see more than anything was the museums with their large collections of Roman coins. That was not his specialty, but he was curious to actually see ancient coins in good condition. He also wanted to see the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I asked Tim what impressed him the most. He said the quiet and order of Tel Aviv. He expected Israel to be one big outdoor market or a mess of tiny streets with bicycles to donkeys to cars and buses all crowded on dusty unpaved roads. He could not understand why his image of Israel was one of what he saw on TV of Cairo, Calcutta or Kabul. I guess it was the location of Israel in the middle east more than anything else. He was also taken back by the seriousness and honesty of the people. I don't know what he expected Israelis to be like. Finally he was impressed by the museums and the guides. He did not expect well organized collections and guides with specialties like ancient history and coins and glass. His image of Israel antiquities trade and culture was a mixed up with politics and culture. I pointed out how important antiquities tourism in Israel makes it a serious field. Something only people in the field, who know what to see and where to buy know well.

Tim made some calls back to his friends. They were all excited about his experience. When he told them that there were plenty of great books and pictures, specially of ancient coins, they wanted them as well. He ended up going to the Eretz Israel Tel Aviv Museum more than once to buy more books and posters for his friends. At first he was afraid to ship books by mail or UPS, but the Hilton Hotel desk clerk assured him it was the best way to take books back. In the end of his trip, Tim was relaxed, he told me on the phone that this was his best trip in many years. Not just the coins, but the whole experience. The last thing he expected was to be relaxed. Sometimes, when you take a chance, you discover not what you expected.