Do I need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend a REALITY journey?

Yes. Although the Israeli government does not require tourists to be vaccinated to enter Israel, to prioritize the safety of our participants and the communities we visit, REALITY adheres to the following COVID-19 protocols.  

1. We ask that participants use the  CDC self-assessment before traveling AND take a COVID test 24 hours before their flight departure. Participants do not need to supply REALITY with physical results of the test. However, if you test positive, please alert us immediately via [email protected] and DO NOT board your flight.  

2. We require all participants and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 defined by the CDC (U.S. Center for Disease Control) as a completed primary series – examples of primary series are below. 

• 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech  

• 2 doses of Moderna  

• 2 doses of Novavax 

• 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) 

Please note that any alternate vaccination situations will require a letter of medical exemption by a licensed physician or a certificate of recovery within the six-month period prior to the end date of the journey. 

3. Antigen tests will be available throughout the duration of the journey should you begin to feel unwell or want to take a test. 

4. Masks will be optional and available. 

Do I need to purchase travel health insurance?

Yes. While standard travel insurance is not required, Israeli law states that all travelers arriving in Israel must obtain an insurance policy with coverage for medical treatment of COVID-19. Therefore, we require participants to get travel medical insurance to protect themselves from the unexpected costs associated with receiving medical care in a foreign country or having to alter their travel plans due to unforeseen circumstances.  

Participants are responsible for the cost of their own travel medical insurance coverage while on a REALITY journey. We recommend consulting with your existing insurance providers to purchase a policy. 

What are Israel’s entry requirements? 

Israel no longer requires tourists to be vaccinated or test for COVID-19 before entering or exiting the country. There is also no longer a need to complete an entry or exit form. However, please read above and below for REALITY’s vaccination and testing requirements.

What COVID-19 regulations do REALITY journeys implement?

Please note that regulations are subject to change. 

REALITY complies with the Israeli government’s COVID-19 regulations as we strive to ensure a safe environment for participants and the communities we visit throughout the journey. Our team will provide disinfectants, masks, rapid antigen tests, and participants will sleep in single-occupancy rooms. Our team may also request that participants perform rapid antigen tests at different points throughout the journey, depending on the circumstances. 

There is no longer a mandatory mask mandate in Israel (except in hospitals and en route to isolate), but participants are free to wear a mask at their discretion. 

To prioritize your health and safety, REALITY requires all participants to take a rapid antigen (at-home) COVID test 24 hours before your flight departure to Israel. Participants do not need to supply REALITY with physical results of the test. However, if you test positive, please alert us immediately via [email protected] and DO NOT board your flight or join the REALITY journey. 

Please note, if you recently recovered from COVID-19, you are considered recovered from COVID-19 per CDC guidelines if you are no longer experiencing symptoms and at least 7 days have passed since you first tested positive. In this instance, if you are still testing positive you are cleared to join the REALITY journey. 

Important: Tourists who present a fake document or who have a confirmed COVID-19 case but refuse to be transported to a managed isolation facility or violate the isolation requirements will be denied entry to Israel for five years.  

What happens if I test positive for COVID-19 during my REALITY Israel journey?

Tourists who receive a positive COVID-19 test result must isolate in a non-public place such as an Airbnb apartment or hotel. You are required to stay in isolation for at least five days (the day of your positive test is the first day of isolation). You must take a rapid antigen test on the fifth evening of isolation. 

• If the antigen test produces a negative result and no symptoms have appeared for 24 hours, you may leave the isolation site at the end of your fifth day of isolation once you receive a certificate of recovery from a physician or a health maintenance organization (HMO). 
• If the antigen test produces a positive result and you are still experiencing symptoms, you are required to stay in isolation until the end of the seventh day but are not required to take another test. You can leave the isolation site after receiving a certificate of recovery from your physician or HMO. 
• If the antigen test produces a positive result and no symptoms have appeared in 24 hours, you may leave the isolation site at the end of your fifth day of isolation once you receive a certificate of recovery from a physician or HMO. We may require you to wear a mask until you test negative. 

What happens if someone in my group tests positive for COVID-19? 

Upon notice of a positive test result, the participant that tested positive will immediately isolate and we will inform the group that a participant has tested positive for COVID-19. We will ask all participants to take a rapid antigen test, inform REALITY staff of their results and we will ask that you monitor yourself for symptoms. Additionally, we may request participants to wear a mask and perform rapid antigen tests at different points throughout the journey, depending on the circumstances. Please note that we cannot share the identity of the participant that tested positive without their permission. 

How physically demanding is the journey? 

The REALITY experience includes an intensive, thoughtfully developed itinerary of speakers, activities, and experiences with little downtime. The group is on the move from morning until night. Many activities are outdoors with high temperatures and include touring, walking and long bus rides. A typical day begins at 8 am and the evening programs typically conclude around 11 pm.   

The REALITY experience is physically rigorous; however, we strive to welcome and accommodate individuals who are differently abled including those with invisible disabilities. Please be in touch with us as soon as possible via [email protected] if you have any specific questions or needs. 

I have allergies. Are you able to accommodate? 

We do our best to accommodate allergies throughout the journey experience. It is important that you share your allergy information with us as early as possible so we can do our best to make reasonable accommodations with our travel partner and vendors in advance of your group’s arrival.  

For food allergies or dietary restrictions, we inform all food vendors and restaurants at each location of any allergies and/or dietary restrictions and ask that they abide by them. However, we cannot guarantee that all food-related requests will be fully implemented. Restaurants and food vendors in Israel may be less knowledgeable than their international counterparts about accommodations for severe food allergies, especially as it relates to cross-contamination. To help, we can provide you with an allergy card written in English and Hebrew to share when necessary (please ask for this if interested).  

If you have food-related allergies or dietary restrictions, we also recommend that you: 

• Do your own double-checking with both REALITY and restaurant staff 
• Obtain comprehensive medical insurance 
• Speak with your doctor about what medications to bring 

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