Hidden Fees to Budget for When Going to Palestine: You have received your letter of invitation from the Excellence Center, you have booked your airplane ticket to Tel Aviv, and you are excited to start your next adventure in Hebron, Palestine. While most of your major costs have been paid for, including your program fee and flight, there are several expenses we advise for you to budget for while volunteering, interning, or studying abroad. These hidden fees are small – a few shekels here and a few shekels there – but they can sneak up on you. For that reason, we want to prepare you for the little, hidden expenses that may arise during your time in Palestine. Budget for them in advance so you are not caught off guard.
Like we stated, your program fee and your airplane ticket are the biggest costs you will pay for. Prior to arrival, you will also want to purchase travel health insurance, should an emergency occur. Once you arrive in Palestine, you will have to watch out for foreign transaction fees. These ATM fees may not be much, but if you plan to stay in Palestine for several weeks or months, the fees can add up. Of course, if your bank does not have foreign transaction fees, then you are in the clear and will bypass this hidden cost altogether.
In addition to transaction fees, you may wish to purchase a Sim Card and Palestinian phone when you arrive in Hebron. This is inexpensive to do, but is certainly an extra, hidden cost to look out for. Ground transportation costs, including taxi rides and bus rides will be another cost to budget for. Both modes of transportation are very reasonable. For instance, shared taxis in Hebron will cost 2.5 shekels and private taxis will cost 10 shekels.
That transfers to less than $1 USD and a little less than $3 USD, respectively. If your host family lives further away from the Excellence Center, it may not be suitable to walk to and from the Center every day. In that case, riding a shared taxi will be a cost-friendly way to get to and from the Excellence Center daily. For male volunteers, interns, and students who live in the apartment unit, you will be located a short walk away from the Center and will not have to rely on shared taxis to get to and from the Center.
Another thing to budget for is food. A communal breakfast is served every morning at the Excellence Center as a chance for local teachers, staff members, and international volunteers to gather together, enjoy a meal, and enjoy one another’s company. For other meals, set aside extra money to purchase food while in Palestine. You will also need to budget for side adventures that you go on. These trips may include trips to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jericho, and Nablus. Keeping an adventure fund when going abroad is a brilliant idea.
Altogether, these are the commonly overlooked expenses that we advise budgeting for when you come to Palestine. Taxi rides, bus rides, and daily meals are rather inexpensive, but depending on the length of your stay, these several shekels spent a day can add up. We also advise keeping an eye out for foreign transaction fees, phone costs, and adventures that you go on throughout your time in Palestine. Extra expenses come with any international travel experience and these are the ones we want you to be aware of when coming to visit us at the Excellence Center.
