FAQs
What is my role in Follow the Women?
Go to the region.
See the reality of life in the Middle East
Tell everyone when returning home
Act and encourage others to act. Support projects in the Middle East to benefit women and children.
You are an ambassador for your country. You are a reflection of your country. In some areas you might be the first American that a school child or villager will meet. Learn some Arabic greetings.
Participating in Follow the Women is not easy because you are consistently interfacing with many people, from the time you get up to sometimes very late at night when you’d rather be sleeping. The locals are excited when we come to their community, yet it takes a lot of energy to engage in daily meaningful exchanges for two weeks. Follow the Women is not a vacation. It is work – albeit exciting, inspirational work that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Do participants of FTW share the same perspectives about the Middle East?
FTW is not affiliated with any political party nor does it have a particular
ideology. Participants have their own perspectives. However, we do have
Aims & Objectives (opens new window) which participants are expected to agree with.
Do Israelis participate in Follow the Women ?
FTW-USA seeks and welcomes Israeli participation. However, logistically at this time we cannot breach the bureaucratic hurdles. Both Lebanon and Syria do not allow Israeli passport holders to enter their countries. Conversely, Arabs are not allowed to enter Israel.
For the record, FTW did meet with a small group of progressive Israelis at the Qalandiya checkpoint during the 2005 Ride who then joined us for lunch in Ramallah at the invitation of the Palestinians. Read about the encounter in the 2005 Ride (PDF). Also, a young woman with dual Egyptian-Israeli citizenship cycled on the 2009 Ride.
Many of us in FTW recognize that without an Israeli presenc e the peace rides are more like solidarity rides. A number of us have made determined efforts to find a workable way to include progressive Israelis. One suggestion has been to hold the ride in a nearby third country, perhaps Turkey or Cyprus, where all nationals can freely meet and travel. More practical is a simultaneous sister ride inside Israel and the two rides meet in Jerusalem.
Please email FTW international or the USA team if you have ideas or contacts with receptive Israelis.
How much does it cost to participate in Follow the Women?
First you must pay for your own airfare to the region. Second you must pay a registration fee, usually 500 euros (about $730 by 2010 exchange rates). This fee covers just about everything – all accommodations, all food, all visas, non-biking transport, airport pick-ups. Third, a bike rental for the two week duration is $160 (see below).
Since the above costs are paid in advance through your country coordinator, technically you do not need any money during the event. However, most of us cannot resist a souvenir or two. Plus, there arise many opportunities to make a donation to a cause or an individual.
Can I bring my own bike or are bikes provided?
You can bring your own bike but it is easier and cheaper to rent a bike from Beirut By Bike run by Jawad Sbeity. Jawad’s bikes are either brand new or last year’s fleet. They are “city bikes” which means flat handlebars, fat tires, gears operated by your thumb. The cost is $160 for the two weeks duration of the ride which averages to $11 a day. Jawad’s mechanics take care of any problems arising en route – flat tires, broken chain, etc.
If you bring your own bike you must bring your bike tools to assemble it yourself upon arrival and de-assemble upon departure. Most airlines charge an excess baggage fee even if the bike box is your only check-in luggage. You must also pay a fee to Beirut By Bike to have your bike box transported to the end of the ride.
What are the levels of safety?
Helmets are required or else you cannot ride. You must bring your own helmet. There is always medical personnel accompanying the ride, if not a foreign participant with FTW, then local medics. Often we have police escorts and sometimes (like Syria) entire roads are shut down to allow us to bike through. Nonetheless, this is a bike ride and you must always exercise caution. See FTW Bike Safety and Etiquette
Are there any travel requirements?
Yes. You cannot have an Israeli stamp in your passport. Your passport must be valid at least six months from date of travel. Your passport must have at least six blank pages from date of travel. In the past, the host countries have always given FTW participants free visas, which is great because paying for four visas, some with multiple entries, is expensive. Upon request passports are not stamped when we cross the Israeli border at the Allenby Bridge because an Israeli stamp will prevent participants from returning or traveling to most Arab countries.
Do I need insurance?
It is advisable to get travel insurance that includes medical coverage, although insurance is not required to participate in the rides.
Do I need vaccinations?
See the Centers for Disease Control's country destinations. (opens new window)
What is the food like?
The food is usually buffet style, sometimes sumptuous, other times sparse but filling. It is local healthy Mediterranean food, such as, tabouli, hummus, pita, eggplant, falafel and always meat. Each year our hosts get progressively better about making dishes for vegetarians. Vegans have a more difficult time and are encouraged to bring supplemental power bars because in terms of variety the meals are usually not fulfilling for vegans.
At the pit stops we usually get healthy snacks like dates and oranges and raisins, but it's not a bad idea to bring along a few power bars. There is always bottled water on the bus or at the pit stops. Many of us are conscientious that bottled water is a big environmental problem (opens new window) (excess waste, leeching plastic, it’s often just bottled tap water). We hope to propose alternatives for future rides.
How hard are the bike rides?
The rides are not physically challenging enough for athletes yet they may be too challenging for unfit or beginning cyclists. The rides are not a race. If you are able to bike 15-20 miles in one day and handle several high hills, you can do the FTW rides. Do not regard the FTW ride as an opportunity to get in shape. You should train before coming so that you are already in shape. We don’t bike the entire route from Lebanon to Palestine. There are many bus transfers in between. And if you are tired during a ride you can always hop on one of the many buses accompanying us en route.
Where do we sleep?
We usually stay in hotels, two or three to a room. The hotels are modest but comfortable. In Damascus we stay at a five-star hotel. Other times we stay in capacious Bedouin tents with carpets and mattresses, like an elaborate slumber party. Sometimes we sleep on gymnasium floors at schools and universities, with mattresses. We have slept in dorms and guest houses, too. Sometimes we stay with families.
Is there a vehicle to carry my luggage?
There are many vehicles! In each country each team is assigned to a particular bus and you ride in that same bus whenever we go somewhere not by bike. Your luggage is supposed to be transferred in that same bus. These buses are usually numbered. You generally do not have access to your luggage during the day, although sometimes day packs can be left on your seat. There is always a bus to pick you up if you no longer feel like biking.
What should I bring?
One of the hardest challenges for Follow The Women participants is packing. Only bring one suitcase, like a medium sized duffel, plus a small day pack. You will need cycling gear, casual clothing, outfits for more formal occasions, warm clothes for the evening. During the ride your luggage will be transported to each destination by coach or truck so you will carry only the things you may need during the day, like your camera, sunglasses, windbreaker, cap. However, when cycling into Palestine the trucks and coaches will not come with us. You might have to carry everything you need for those three days with you while your main luggage will remain on the Jordanian border until we return. See suggested Packing List
It’s the Middle East. Can I bike in shorts?
Yes, you may bike in lycra bike shorts and bike jerseys. When not biking, however, and engaging with the local people it is better not to wear sleeveless blouses or short shorts, especially in predominantly Muslim communities
Photo Banner, Colleen McGuire, US, in Syria, 2008, by Yiota Kamaratos, Cyprus