According to Independent News, the Travel Risk Map 2019 has shown that Iran is as safe as the UK, Slovenia, Denmark and Switzerland and this fact puts Iran on the list of tourist destinations for many tourists. Here we are going to make you aware of the requirements of traveling to wonderful Iran. Just like other countries you visit, you need to obtain a visa to enter Iran; the process is different for different nationalities; some nationalities must go to Iranian embassy in their countries and ask for the visa while some others could have visa on arrival at the airport; some nationalities do need to get visa to enter Iran. Here it is important to mention that if you are in Iran and you think that you need more time to visit more beauties, you only need to go the immigration office in major cities of Iran; such as Tehran and Shiraz, and ask them to extend your tourist visa; that is a very simple process and it only takes some hours of your time. Next is the matter of money, here we should say that there are two common currencies used in Iran, Rial and Toman, and this is kind of confusing for foreigners; the only thing we could say here is that most prices are stated in the currency of Rial and to change it to Toman you only need to delete the last number of the price. The exchange rate in Iran varies day to day and there is no fixed rate just like other countries; and how to change? You have two ways here; the first one is the exchange market which show you the rate on their board, they are available at the airport and some especial places of the city such as Imam Khomeini and Ferdowsi Square in Tehran and the second way is through the black market; in these two places of Tehran, walking through the sidewalks you would definitely see some men sitting and having briefcases full of cash in front, they could also help you change your money but as they are dealer, it is much safer to use legalized exchange markets. We recommend you to take USD or Euro with yourself because it is much easier to change them and the expenses you are going to spend highly depend on your taste but it usually does not exceed 30 to 50 USD a day. During your trip to Iran, you must also pay attention to the dress code of the country. As the country is a Muslim one, Hijab is compulsory and women visitors must cover their hair and body but do not worry you are not forced to wear something that makes you feel uncomfortable just a long sleeve shirt that covers till half your thigh and long pants or skirt and having a shawl on your head would be perfect. For male visitors, they are not allowed to wear shorts or topless in the street so depending on your taste and the place you are visiting a T-shirt or shirt with either jeans or pants are proper choices. Colors do not matter here so feel free to wear what color you like. Internet addict may have some difficulties in Iran, to be honest. First of all if you need to have internet access while you are out of your accommodation center, you need to purchase a sim card either at the airport or the cell phone shops in the markets. It is important to mention that some websites such as twitter and facebook are banned in Iran and to access them you must run VPN before you try to login. As Iran as a Muslim country and the officials insist on having everything according to the Islamic Rules, there is no night life such as club and bar and drinking alcohol is forbidden. Although Christians and foreigners could drink as long as it is not in public places; just be sure do not have alcoholic drink with yourself while you are entering the country at the airport; it may causes you a lot of problem. To make you aware, there are some religious ceremonies that Iranian hold in different times of the year according to the Islamic Lunar calendar such as Tasoa and Ashura and the month of fasting, Ramadhan; during these ceremonies there are some restrictions such as not being allowed to eat in public places in Ramadhan so check them before you plan for your trip to Iran. Something you frequently come across in Iran is their habit of Taarof which you would never see anywhere else in the world; let’s get familiar with this habit of Iranians, when you want to buy something or pay for something, Iranians offer to pay instead of you or even have it for free but most of the time this is at play; it means that they want to show they are kind and they love you but they do not really mean it so thank them and pay; just a nice example could be when you like a beautiful car and the owner may offer you the key and say you could have it; that is just Taarof. In these cases, the only thing you have to do is to thank them for their kindness. As Iran is frequently visited by avid tourists, many people as well as officials try to make the visit as more comfortable as possible. Although the official language is Persian or known by locals as Farsi and the alphabet and numbers are quite different from other languages, many places have the English translations of numbers and world under the Persian forms of them; this is true for traffic signs and also the names of the streets and information about the sightseeing. The navigations in English language are also helpful during your visit. These all were the tips that could help you double the joy of your trip to Iran. Our experts in Alaedin Travel are ready to help you with every travel services you may need so you would get back from your trip with unforgettable sweet memories, call us on +982174495 or visit us online at www.alaedin.travel and reserve whatever you want. We hope to see you here in the cradle of Persian civilization, magnificent Iran.
