Travel Requirements for the Middle East

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Middle East Travel

Middle East Travel

The Middle East is a vibrant part of the world, filled with sights, activities and lavish accommodation that speak to both the traditional and ever-changing natures of this ancient region. There are many ways for visitors to enjoy their Middle East vacations and explore the culture of its individual countries. Let the Middle East Travel Web Guide help you plan your voyage with tools to make your Middle East visit truly memorable.

Middle East Travel Basics

In this section, you'll find sites that will inform your visit to the Middle East, providing an ... read more »

Travel Requirements for the Middle East

In this section are sites and pages to help you get your bearings regarding Middle Eastern traditions and customs. In addition, your cultural experience of the Middle East may be enhanced, and your practical experience eased. You'll find resources on security and visas, language, etiquette, and more.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • The Middle East is home to many languages, customs, and religions, but it's predominantly an Arabic-speaking, Muslim region. There are important rules and etiquette to take note of concerning both language and religion. Consult JustLanded.com for the specific customs of several popular destinations in the Middle East. While we've mentioned JustLanded.com in the "practical tips and information" section, keep in mind that this is a very thorough site for any prospective traveler to a new country, so you will likely find a variety of indispensable resources there.
  • The Detroit Free Press has a simple article listing questions and answers on Arab customs. While these primarily speak to the Arab-American tradition as encountered by Americans at home, much historic tradition is included and defined here.
  • Catch up on the developments in the region by consulting the online editions of newspapers, as well as blogs based in or discussing the Middle East. Al-Bab, mentioned in the section above, has a good news page with links to general and specific news sources around the Web. Click on the "Blogs" link on the right-hand side of the page to view some blogs hand-picked by the site staff.

Dulcinea's Picks

For practical information regarding security, customs, and visas ...
Just Landed is a valuable resource for learning about a country you're visiting for the first time. You'll find practical information about visas, currency, accommodation, and more. But you'll also find a particularly useful "Culture" section for all of the countries featured (there are several major Middle Eastern countries included). Here you'll get tips and insight into customs, religion, etiquette, and other traditions you'll want to learn about.
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The U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs sheds light on travel warnings, other security issues, health issues, and visa and immigration requirements. Check the "Travel Warnings" site before planning your Middle East itinerary, and visit the "Consular Information Sheet" section to find informative facts about the particular countries you'll be visiting.
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For language help ...
Gulf Arabic is a free site that gives you the tools to speak Gulf Arabic, the Arabic dialect of the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and several other Gulf region countries. You'll find key phrases and words with phonetic and audio pronunciation. Move onto the more advanced lessons for vocabulary and grammar. Note: you have to register for free on the site to access all of the lessons.
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Rosetta Stone makes learning a foreign language about as easy as it can be. You can try a free demo of dozens of languages to get some familiarity with the language(s) you want to know before your trip to the Middle East: just select a language from the pull-down menu in the "Personal" section. You can then purchase the program, available to use online in your browser or as a CD-ROM, for about $100 to $300, depending on how many levels you want to learn.
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BBC Languages has free online resources for learning many languages, and while Arabic is not yet available, you'll find Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, which is also used in urban areas of Saudi Arabia and shares common words with Farsi and Arabic. BBC also has lessons in Turkish (included in the European languages section). You can print key phrases to know before you go and use the interactive lessons on the site.
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Getting to the Middle East

In this section are online resources discussing the transportation methods available in the Middle ... read more »

Middle East Hotels

In this section are tips and sites catering to booking, browsing, and reading reviews of ... read more »

Getting Around the Middle East

In this section are resources to help you learn about and organize methods of transportation while ... read more »

Middle East Travel Blogs and Forums

In this section are sites that gather blogs, travel journals, tips, reviews, photos and videos, and ... read more »

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