A Bible And A Good Pair Of Walking Shoes

It’s Time To Start Packing!

I leave in one week for my trip to The Holy Land. And sorry John Denver, I cannot say, “All my bags are packed. I’m ready to go.” I’ve read up on the trip, got the passport renewed, now it’s time to literally start putting stuff in a suitcase.

Do you get packing anxiety? I think it’s a real thing. In fact, I’ve started having dreams (nightmares?) about it lately. Usually, I’m at my destination and have absolutely nothing appropriate to wear. Why did I bring only this?

The other night I dreamed specifically about this trip. A friend in my Sunday School class and his wife picked me up to go to the airport and as soon as we left my house I said, “Stop! I forgot my wallet.” While I’m back in the house, I remember I also forgot to pack any makeup and the cute maxi dress I was planning to take. Then I wake up and realize, “Whew!, I still have a chance to get this right.”

So, everyone keeps saying pack light, pack light, pack light! My group leader says, “You do not need 5 pairs of shoes.” Um, I know we haven’t been friends that long, but I don’t take less than 5 pairs for a weekend in Hot Springs! And I’m going halfway around the world to a climate that goes from cool mornings to warm afternoons? Ok, I promise to try.

“All you need for Israel is a Bible and a good pair of walking shoes.” That’s what I’ve heard. Got the Bible of course, and now I think I’ve made a good decision on the shoes.

For my Holy Land walking shoes I journeyed all the way to….Benton, to see my friend Bart at Tops Shoes. He talks all about comfort on my show, so why not? I picked out these super comfy sandals. They are Naots and they are made in, wait for it….Israel!

In fact, here’s a pic of a Naot store in Jerusalem. Funny that they came from Israel to Arkansas, and now are headed back with me. Thanks to KATV’s Matt Mershon for the pic from his trip to Jerusalem at age 16.

Probably going to need some good tennis shoes, too; for those chilly mornings. So, now we’re up to at least 2 pairs of shoes. Bible: check. Walking shoes: check.

Now, a word about hair care and what I’ve learned about electricity. The outlets in Israel (and Europe, too) are different than ours. You’ll need adapters with the round plugs for everything. I bought a set of cheap ones like this.

But that doesn’t mean you can now plug in your precious hair dryer or curling/flat iron and go to town. Since Israel uses a 220 voltage system and the U.S. is 110, you need a power converter or you’ll fry those babies. I chose instead to buy an inexpensive travel hair dryer and curling iron that have dual voltage. I can switch from 110 to 220. Also, this little pink dryer is so small it looks like Barbie would own it. I’ll let you know how it all works out. I’ve got a lot of hair to tame in the desert and a sun hat as a backup!

Those seem to be the most important things to know about packing for Israel; good shoes, the right voltage, also layers for dressing, and a Bible to remind you of why you’re really there. Do you have some “must haves” from your trip to The Holy Land? I hope you’ll share them and your packing tips with all of us. And if you see me at the Little Rock airport next week, I hope I’m not the woman who looks like this, but no promises.