Gabrielle Sulzberger – I had the opportunity to be introduced to Beyond Borders Tours by the former Israel bureau chief of the New York Times, who recommended my guide, Rami Nazzal highly. I had been a bit hesitant because of all the border conflict, but I was totally reassured that it would be safe and a worthwhile visit with Rami. I go to Israel periodically for work and love the country, but also wanted to deepen my understanding of the region – this tour certainly did that for me. Rami picked me up promptly at 9 and we drove to the West Bank. He toured Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem and it was fascinating. Rami is Palestinian and well known in the community, and I felt very comfortable visiting the refugee camps, and spending time with local people. He is extremely knowledgeable about the country’s history and also current events – and I always felt he portrayed the complicated political situation in a way that was fair and balanced, and also gave me some real insights. Rami attended college in the U.S and his English is flawless. We finished off the day with a tour of Bethlehem (which I found very moving), and the MOST amazing lunch under a Bedouin Tent! I was surprised that Beyond Borders was not on TripAdvisor before, but Rami doesn’t market. But even though he is known only via word of mouth, he works with most of the major U.S colleges – this month he is taking groups from Harvard, Yale and Columbia. It is impressive. I travel internationally quite a bit for work (and pleasure), and often like to take small group or private tours when I am in a new place. I honestly have to say that this tour, and Rami, were one of the best and most impactful tours I have ever taken.