Israel is literally in the center of the never-ending turmoil of the Middle East.
So it may surprise you that it's extremely easy and safe to travel there and it's an extraordinarily fun place to visit, even if you're an American traveling alone who doesn't speak or read Hebrew.
I recently spent a week in Israel meeting with the country's super hot tech startup scene.
When not in meetings, I spent some hours wondering through two of Israel's main tourist cities alone, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
I felt as safe (or safer) as wandering around San Francisco by myself.
SEE ALSO: The startup scene in Israel is going bonkers, and the Chinese are swooping in
When you first arrive in Israel, you are greeted by a huge, modern, international airport in Tel Aviv filled with travelers from all over the world. Israel is a major tourist destination for Americans, Europeans, Asians, and Africans, for instance.
If you're a U.S. citizen, you don't need a visa to visit Israel. It's not hard to get through the border, but do take Israeli security seriously. If you joke about your visit, or your travel plans are vague (no return ticket, hotels or Airbnb not booked in advance), you could be detained and searched for hours.
Make sure you contact your wireless carrier before you travel. I forgot to add the necessary international calling plan and when I landed, I had no service. It was the middle of the night in the U.S. it's so hard to get customer service at that hour. It took most of the day to get it sorted out, but then my phone worked fine. Fortunately, Google Maps worked even with no service. The GPS can track you if you have WiFi turned on.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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