Trip Planning Process

While no two trips are planned in exactly the same way, the following is a general outline of how we work to plan group Israel tours:

Step #1: Planning the itinerary
The first stage of the process is to meet with you, either in person or over the phone, to discuss the goals for the trip. We will want to gather important information that will help us guide the planning process.

- What is the theme / purpose of the trip?
- What type of people will be coming?
- When do you expect to travel?
- What sites /activities should be included?
- What speakers or educational programs to incorporate?
- How many people are expected in the group?
- Will registrations be managed by you or by us?**
- What level of accommodations are appropriate?
- What type of guide and what level of staffing is needed
  (e.g. whether to include medic/guard escort)?

Once we have established the basics, our trip planning specialists will propose a draft itinerary for review. We will fine tune that draft itinerary as much as necessary with you until it matches your exact vision for the trip.

Step #2: Confirming the trip costs
After we have settled on a basic itinerary for the trip, we will prepare a formal proposal with detailed trip costs and a listing of the services that are included. Since the biggest cost of every trip is the accommodations (hotels, guest houses, etc.), it is usually easy for us to manage the price of the package to meet your budget by adjusting the choice of hotels. In any event, we will always give you a series of options to consider. 

Step #3: Booking the trip
After we have settled on the itinerary and a price, our operations staff in Israel will begin the process of booking the trip. This process usually takes 1-2 weeks. In some cases, a specific hotel or activity that was requested may not be available when we try to book it. We will let you know of any such issues when they arise and propose a solution. After that process is complete, we will send you a final contract with confirmed trip details and full payment terms.

Step #4: Getting ready for the trip
Approximately two months before the start of the trip, we will do a final day-by-day review of the itinerary with you and make any necessary updates. We will also put you in touch directly with your trip guide so that you can get to know him/her before arrival in Israel. Finally, about six weeks before the trip, we will send detailed pre-trip preparation information to share with the group as well as final travel documents. Included in this packet will be your Authentic Israel luggage tags, the final itinerary, a suggested packing list, links to order cell phones, as well as other useful information for an Israel trip. In many cases, we can also send an Authentic Israel staff representative to meet with your group locally (or over the phone) for a pre-trip orientation meeting.

Step #5: On the ground in Israel
A well planned program means that once you arrive in Israel you can relax and focus on the experience itself. You will be met at the airport by the trip guide as well as by the operations manager from our Tel Aviv office that is responsible for your trip. While the trip guide is the primary contact for day-to-day requests, the operations manager will be there to assist you in case any major changes to the itinerary need to be made during the trip. The point is that you will be backed up on the ground with the full support of the Authentic Israel team.

Step #6: Reviewing the trip
Once the trip is over, we will be following up with you to do a post-trip review. Many of the organizations that we work with have been traveling to Israel with Authentic Israel for many years. We are always looking to improve, and we will discuss what steps should be taken so that the next trip is that much better.

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**One of the unique advantages of Authentic Israel is that you can use us to manage registrations, collect payment, and answer questions from the participants in your group. Many organizations prefer to handle these matters directly. However, some organizations either do not have enough staff or the right expertise to keep up with the work. The Authentic Israel team in North America and in Israel can provide the solution. We can even help you to promote the trip as well. Contact Us for more details.