Welcome back!

As you may have noticed, we made the decision to temporarily close Thorn Tree over the holiday period – a move we felt was necessary in order to put in place some additional moderation systems. We recognise it wasn’t the best time of year to do so and we’re sorry for any inconvenience.

The good news is that we’re now up and running in a limited state, and we’re going to be scaling back up from here. This branch is one of those back in operation, so you can post and answer questions as usual and read a limited archive of content. We’ll be adding to this over time.

We’ve made some changes to how we ask travellers to use Thorn Tree. Strong language of any kind won’t be acceptable, and you’ll find filters are in place to prevent this. Attempts to get around this with creative sailor-speak will be deleted, so please avoid doing this. Off-topic posts of any kind have no place on Th... more »

Middle East FAQ thread

The countries covered by this FAQ are: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel & the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Please read this thread first if this is your first visit to the Middle East. There is some travel information about the [Middle East in Lonely Planet's Destination|http://www.lonely... more »

VISA ADVICE FOR TRAVELLERS GOING TO IRAN

Several Thorn Tree members have had trouble in the past securing a visa to travel to Iran.

Our expert on Iran Andrew Burke has written an article with the most up to date information on how to get a visa to travel to Iran, please check it out before posting a question on Thorn Tree:

How to get an Iranian visa

We strongly advise travellers to do some research and consider carefully which agent they choose to go with and to allow enough time between the application and the time of the trip to avoid any risks.

Getting from Amman airport to Ramallah: Cost? Difficulty?

Hello all,

I am a US citizen flying into Queen Alia (AMM) airport in late June in order to spend a month in Ramallah, where I will be taking Arabic lessons with private tutor. I've never been to Jordan nor the West Bank, so don't know what to expect. A few questions:

-Do I simply hire a taxi from Amman airport to get to the border crossing or are there wiser options? What does one mode cost versus others?

-What sort of stamp will I get at the Jordan/West Bank crossing-- an Israeli one? (I am concerned that a State of Israel stamp in my passport will ruin my ability to travel to other Middle East countries in the near future with same passport.)

-Should I expect any problems with Israeli border authorities, as a lone American tourist? I'm not of Arab ancestry or anything.

Apologies for my ignorance on these matters! Thanks for your help! more »

Double entry visa for Iran

Is it possible for EU citizens to get a double entry tourist visa for Iran?
I was given the following advice by an Iranian travel agent:
1. tourists can get double entry but one has to produce some evidence as to why this is necessary.
2. if I say I want to make a trip to Kurdistan for a few days and come back, the embassy might refuse giving me a visa altogether and travel agents also do not like to do that as "noone wants to take the responsibility", even though Iran and Iraq are great friends.
3. saying I want to go to Turkey and come back might work.
4. if the embassy says no, I should come back, pay him (much more than the visa fee) and he would apply for me and try again.

What is the deal with the double entry visa, is it possible or not? Has it become easier to obtain one? Is it an exception?
How do you produce evidence if you want to leave the country by surface... more »

Showering in the Abu Dhabi Airport

If everything is on schedule, I have 1 hour and 15 minutes between fights. I arrive in terminal 1 and depart from terminal 3. Is it reasonable to assume I am going to have enough time to take advantage of the free shower facilities? Any advice to optimize or not lose any time looking for terminal 3/the showers? I'm talking in and out in 5 minutes.

I was really excited to hear that there are showers there. I have 20 hours of travel time this saturday (Cairo-Abu Dhabi-Toronto) and it would be awesome to feel clean when I arrive home.

Cheap Accommodation

I am heading over to Europe in mid August and have to fly through Dubai. Having never been I have decided to spend a quick 2 days to see the sights.

I am just wondering if there are any backpackers accommodation in Dubai or is it more of a hotel focus? I am having trouble finding dormitories or equally cheap beds.

I am hoping to keep it fairly cheap, so any suggestions would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

Any advice on the best seashelling beaches on the Israeli Mediterranean?

I am looking to book a weekend on the Mediterranean in Israel when I am in that country and I would like it to be near the best beach for sea shelling (on shore, not scuba or snorkeling) Any thoughts welcome, and if you also can recommend a place to stay that would be wonderful!
Many Thanks, Oakleafhydrangea

How safe is Beirut?

Hello everyone

I'm sorry if this is a question that has been asked many times before but I would really like to spend a few days in Beirut. I met a Lebanese man recently who told me it is now perfectly safe but the British Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel there.

From some of the posts on here it seems that people are travelling there as tourists. I would like to go there with my cousin, who lived in Beirut as a child and remembers it as a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and would love to go back there.

I would be really grateful for your views and thoughts.

Many thanks and Happy Travels!

Bev
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Dress Code in Iran

How to look good in Iran: a rough guide to dress code in Iran

source: incredibleiran.com

Generally western travellers are advised to dress conservatively when travelling through the Middle East, however dress code is a tricky thing when it comes to Iran. That is because of people’s perception from Iran, who have usually only seen the black “Chador” on International News channels.

This couldn’t be further from truth, Iranian women are very modest in choosing their Hijab or Veil, and you can’t see its equivalent anywhere in the Middle East. A lot of our clients are shocked by the way women dress in Iran once they arrive, they see local women who are typically stylish and take great care of how they look.

Although there is nothing wrong with the “Chador” and/or a covered veil, when most of our female customers land in Iranian airports they are the most covered people around. ... more »

Iran Visa Pickup In Istanbul

Hello

We are planning to go to Iran in Oct / Nov this year and after obtaining authorization number, wish to pick up the visa in Istanbul.

Can anyone tell us how long it takes in Istanbul to obtain the visa ( eg: roughly 3 / 5 /7 working days ? ), so we can plan our flights and time in Turkey, before we leave on the Ankara train towards Tabriz.

Many thanks for any info