Frequently Asked Questions - Health

For information on vaccinations and other travel tips regarding health visit the Center For Disease Control website at: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/mideast.htm. Many vaccinations require boosters or multiple shots so please plan in advance and accordingly.

The water in Damascus in some areas is quite good. Nevertheless, we encourage participants to stick with bottled water. Outside of Damascus it is definitely not advisable to rely on tap water.

Syria is extremely hot in the summer. Thankfully, the rooms at St. Elias have airconditioning. Participants are recommended to bring hats, sunglasses, sun screen and also swim trunks and a towel as there will be some arrangements to swim in some five stars hotel and in Latakia in the Mediterranean sea.

Middle Eastern cuisine is actually rich with vegetarian options. A traditional Middle Eastern breakfast, for example, usually consists of a spread of: pita bread, cheese, hard boiled eggs, black and green olives, apricot jam, hummus and coffee or tea. Fresh fruit is available at local shops and stands and vegetable sides and salads are popular options at most restaurants. Let us know in advance if you would strongly prefer vegetarian meals. Where you might run into difficulty is when you stay with a host family or are a guest on any other occasion. Local Syrians take it as a point of pride to treat their guests very well, and often this includes serving them large portions of their best dishes, including meat dishes-it is sometimes difficult to politely refuse your host's hospitality.

Middle East Fellowship provides all participants with travel insurance through Travel Insure. This includes basic medial coverage and emergency evacuation coverage. It does NOT cover lost luggage or flight cancellations. The cost of travel insurance is included in the overall price of the program.

Yes! In fact there are quite a few and a number of them are near the St. Elias Monastery where we will be staying.

Unfortunately, the facilities are not always particularly good, and there are typically different hours set for women and men. Weights are very common in most facilities and you can find facilities with treadmills. Although we are living in a particularly safe area, it is generally not recommended for women to jog in public (especially not alone) so finding a gym, even if the facilities are not ideal, is still probably the best bet for those who want to exercise regularly. We will also, of course, be walking a great deal. So, as long as you avoid the almost overwhelming lure of Damascus' sweets, you'll probably find yourself keeping in good shape this summer.