Phone Calls & Using Your Phone
Some hotels will have phone where you can dial out, however, please be aware that the cost of these calls may be expensive and rates will vary between hotels. It is possible to use mobile phone applications such as Skype and WhatsApp through an internet connection to contact friends and family back home free of charge.
E-SIM cards can be pre purchased in Australia or at most major airports, kiosks, street vendors and shops in the major cities. Some of these cards can be used in multiple countries.
If you wish to use your own sim card from Australia, we recommend that you contact your mobile provider if you intend to use international roaming during your holiday and ensure you investigate all associated costs before you leave home. Most major providers have an optional add-on charged by the day to use your phone for calls and internet when overseas.
Australia: To call Australia, the international access code is 00, followed by the country code 61, then the landline or mobile number (omitting the first 0).
Egypt: The country code to dial into Egypt from Australia is +20
Jordan: The country code to dial into Egypt from Australia is +962
Israel: The country code to dial into Egypt from Australia is +972
Saudi Arabia: The country code to dial into Egypt from Australia is +966
Internet and Email
Free Wi-Fi connections are available in most hotels in main cities and tourist destinations. Please note that (where available), the internet speed will not be consistent throughout each country. In remote areas, you will rarely be able to access phone or internet facilities and mobile phones are not likely to have reception. We advise that you let friends and family at home know that you will be out of phone contact during these sections of your itinerary.
Postage
We recommend that you use the Post Offices, rather than your hotel to post items, as these are often more expensive and unreliable. We advise you to use a courier service from Post Offices to send anything valuable or important.
Time Difference
Israel's time zone is GMT+2. Jordan and Saudi Arabia are on GMT+3.
Egypt is the only country in the area that uses Daylight Saving and is therefore GMT +2 between the last Friday in April and the last Thursday in October. For the rest of the year, the time zone is GMT +3
Therefore, when it is 15:00pm in Sydney it is 7:00am in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and 6:00am in Israel. Depending on the time of year, in Egypt it will be either 7:00am (Apr-Oct) or 6:00am (Nov-Mar).