This page is for the pastor or group leader doing his homework before he puts a trip in front of his church: what we watch, what we do, what we will and won't promise, and where to read the official advice for yourself. It doesn't replace that advice. It's meant to sit next to it.
Start with the State Department, not with us
Before you decide anything, read the current US State Department travel advisory for each country you'd visit. They are updated as conditions change, they sometimes treat particular regions differently from the rest of a country, and they're written by people whose job is your safety, not your booking.
- Turkey: US State Department travel advisory for Turkey
- Greece: US State Department travel advisory for Greece
- Egypt: US State Department travel advisory for Egypt
Many governments advise avoiding travel to provinces and areas within 6 miles (10 kilometers) of the Syrian border.
Read the whole advisory, not just the headline level, and check it again closer to departure. We'd also encourage every traveller to enroll in the State Department's free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP, step.state.gov), so the embassy knows you're in the country and can reach you if it needs to. While you're there, check the current entry and visa requirements too; they can change.
The security of our guests is a high priority. We monitor state advisory levels closely and will not take a group to an area against the counsel of local, regional, and international authorities. We take great care to practice caution on every tour, mindful of local and regional events that may affect the safety of our guests. We have and will continue to pivot on any tour should we deem appropriate precautions necessary for the safety of our travelers.
What you will find when you search
If you search this question you'll find headlines that would worry anyone, some of them written for Christians in particular. Some describe real events, and some are years old. We'd rather you read them than not. Then ask us about any of them. We'll tell you what we know, what we don't, and how it bears, or doesn't bear, on the places your group would go.
Our families have weighed these stories for our own safety considerations. And the fact remains that we’re not asking you to go anywhere we wouldn’t raise our children.
Our answer is about our children
Most operators answer this question with statistics. We'd rather answer it with the decision we make every morning. Our families live here. Our children go to school here. We don't think about Turkey's safety once a year when a group is coming; we think about it the way any parent thinks about the city they're raising children in.
That's also why the rule we work by is simple: we'd rather lose the booking than take a group somewhere we wouldn't take our own family.
What we actually do
- We keep local, regional and diplomatic relationships here that surface accurate information early. We are in direct contact with the US Consulate General.
- We watch conditions before and during every trip, adjust routes when it's wise, and will tell your group plainly if a trip shouldn't go.
- Every group is led by a licensed guide we know personally, and the guide is with your group each day.
- Ground operations are handled by Oktogon Travel, our Istanbul partner, a TÜRSAB-member operator running biblical study tours since 1998.
- We meet you at the airport, and someone from our team is reachable for the whole trip.
- We have completely restructured trips as late as 24 hours beforehand. As you might imagine, such decisions involve complex and time-sensitive decisions and a great deal of communication and coordination. But we won’t bypass such work if it’s in the best interest of our guests.
- We are mindful of healthcare facilities, which are generally not far from our routes.
“My wife and I used Enjoy Tours during our recent trip to Izmir and Cesme. While we certainly enjoyed our time there, it was the support we got after testing positive for Covid that was impressive. Enjoy Tours arranged for our extended stay at the hotel, coordinated our health care and continued testing, and took care of all our travel arrangements after we were cleared to fly. In our time of crisis, they had our back.”
Glen L., Google review
For the everyday questions about water, dress, walking, mobility, health and traveling as a Christian group, see our Questions page
Greece and Egypt
The same principles apply on our Greece and Egypt routes: read the advisory, ask us anything, and expect us to tell you plainly if a trip shouldn't go.
We don’t take tourists anywhere we haven’t been. We have spent time with the guides who will lead you, and we trust both their competency and their care for you. In Egypt, it is common for an armed guard to accompany your group. Please don’t be alarmed by this, as it is a sign of respect and care in their culture, not a sign that anything is wrong.
If a trip is ever canceled for safety
If we decide a trip shouldn't go, we refund everything we can recover on your behalf: what you've paid us, minus the costs we can't get back from hotels, transport and other suppliers. We'd rather lose the booking than take a group somewhere we wouldn't take our own family.
Three things to know in advance, because nobody should learn them late:
- Your flights are booked separately, so the airline's own terms govern them. Our refund covers the land arrangements we sold you.
- If you cancel by your own choice, the standard schedule on How It Works applies: a full refund 90 or more days before departure, then 90%, 75%, 50% and 25% as departure nears, and none at 15 days or fewer. A 5% processing fee applies to all refunds.
- We strongly recommend travel insurance on every trip, including cancellation and medical cover. It isn't included in the tour price.
Full terms are in our Terms & Conditions, and they govern.
If something goes wrong
A medical emergency
Your guide takes you to the nearest and best hospital, private whenever possible. There are good hospitals along our routes and in every major city. We will provide transit whenever it is needed, and many medicines that need a prescription in the United States are available over the counter here.
If someone has to stay behind for medical reasons
Spouses generally prefer to stay with them, and we understand that. We make all the accommodation arrangements and help however we can with rebooking flights. We highly recommend trip medical insurance, which allows you to claim reimbursement for costs like these.
In the middle of the night
You will have your guide's direct line, and the hotel front desk can reach your guide at any hour. Our team is also on WhatsApp for the whole tour.
A lost passport
Our office will help you work with your consulate through the whole replacement process.
When conditions change during the trip
We watch conditions before and during every tour, and we are in direct contact with the US Consulate General. If a route needs to change, your guide and our team adjust it.
What we can't promise
No one can honestly promise that travel anywhere is without risk, and we won't. What we can promise is that we'll watch closely, tell you the truth early, change the plan when it's wise, and never talk a group into going because the booking is on the table.
For the pastor who has to answer the question at home
Someone in your church will ask you whether it's safe. You're welcome to give them our answer, in our words: the people running this trip live there with their own children, they talk to the consulate, and they'd rather cancel than take you somewhere they wouldn't take their family. Then send them the State Department link and let them read it for themselves.
“Expertly handled travel arrangements for a large group in spite of last minute changes dictated by world politics. Added a very personal touch, we were traveling with the owners and they introduced some of their local friends as well.”
Becky N., Google review
Ask us anything
Email hello@enjoybibletours.com with any question about safety, about a specific headline, or about a particular site, and we'll answer it straight.
