Stuart and his son Jake were coming to Israel for a whirlwind seven-day Bar Mitzvah trip. Just the two of them. Father and son, lots to see, lots to do, and not a fortune to spend. Stuart was clear about the budget. Clean, comfortable tourist-class hotels, rental car, nothing fancy. But there was one non-negotiable: two separate beds in every room. Not an unreasonable request for a Dad traveling with his teenage son, right? So that's what we booked, carefully, and confirmed w

Until a few years ago, I hadn't a clue either! For those of you who are equally unfamiliar with the term, Yeshiva Week is a winter break, usually in January, when many Jewish day schools and yeshivas in North America close for a week or so. And for an increasing number of families, it's become the perfect opportunity to pack their bags, board a plane, and head to Israel. Over the past few weeks, I've been receiving inquiries from families planning to visit Israel for Yeshiva

Picture this. You've booked a beautiful hotel in Jerusalem. You've spent hours comparing prices, reading reviews, checking photographs and making sure you're getting the best possible deal. You've even splashed out on a room with a view of the Old City. You arrive, check in, open the curtains and... Well, yes. Technically, you can see the Old City. If you stand at precisely the right angle, lean over the balcony and squint past the building next door. But hey, you got your ro

I think I may have discovered the most comfortable bed in Israel. I haven't slept in it myself, but I know a man who did. And apparently, once he got into it, there was very little chance of getting him out again. Let me explain. Over the summer and Sukkot, I had the pleasure of helping a lot of families enjoy their vacations in Israel. Some were first-time visitors, others had been here many times before. There were families with young children, teenagers, grandparents, and

My home happens to be right under the flight path into Ben Gurion Airport. And right now, it feels as though every 30 seconds another plane is flying overhead. Annoying? Maybe to some people. But to me, right now, it’s music to my ears. Because every time I hear another plane coming in to land, I think about who might be on it. Families arriving in Israel for Sukkot. Grandparents waiting to see their children and grandchildren. First-time visitors. Regulars who wouldn’t dream

Last week, I was driving into Jerusalem when the traffic suddenly slowed down. There was a car stopped up ahead near a checkpoint, and I’ll admit it: my first reaction wasn’t particularly charitable. What is he doing? Why has he stopped? Can’t he just move?! You know. The usual patient, calm Israeli-driver response. And then we got a little closer. The driver hadn’t broken down. He wasn’t arguing with anyone. He wasn’t lost. He was handing a basket of goodies to the soldiers.

Maybe this is the year we finally start again. Rosh Hashanah always feels like a new beginning. A chance to look back at the year that was, and perhaps more importantly, to think about the year we hope is coming. And after the year Israel, and all of us who care about Israel, have had, there is certainly plenty to think about. For those of us working in tourism, the past year has been complicated. Plans have been made, postponed, cancelled and made again. Families have wonder

The ink was barely dry on my blog about whether families really need a bulletproof bus to travel around Israel, when I saw a new headline. "Travel warning: State Department urges Americans to reconsider travel to Israel." Another warning. Another headline. Another reminder that, apparently, travelling to Israel is something we should all be very worried about. And I thought: Hang on a second. Because if you're sitting thousands of miles away, thinking about bringing your fami

At least, that's what you might think if you're planning a trip to Israel from thousands of miles away. One question I am asked frequently is: “Do we need a bulletproof bus?” Last month, a family planning a trip to Israel wanted to visit some places that, from their perspective, sounded a little… adventurous. They wanted to know whether they needed a bulletproof vehicle. Then they asked about an armed guard. I explained that, for private tourists, neither is normally necessar

A few years ago, I was chatting to a fellow tour operator who was based in Europe. He told me about a group he was arranging for a client from Japan. They were traveling to Budapest, and this was a 34-person group. And do you know what struck me? He already had the rooming list. Two years before the trip. He had the hotels booked. He had the itinerary. He knew where everyone was going to be on pretty much every day of the trip. I remember thinking: Wow. Imagine being able to

I recently watched a video about El Al that made me stop and think. The video looks at the airline from a very different perspective, including the way its aircraft are designed and tested and the extraordinary attention given to security. It was fascinating. But it also got me thinking about something much more practical. When you're planning a trip to Israel, how much should you be willing to pay to make sure you actually get here? Because sometimes, that's the part of the

I remember the morning Millie emailed me, bubbling with excitement. She and Josh had been dreaming about their family trip to Israel - three kids, ages 9, 12, and 14, a perfect blend of wonder and chaos, all inside a two-week trip. Together, we crafted a dream itinerary: a mix of bustling Tel Aviv markets, water hikes in the Galilee, desert thrills, Jerusalem history - and, of course, a full-on culinary adventure. Millie was a huge foodie. She had lived in Israel for a year a

Every summer, my WhatsApp starts pinging with families planning their Sukkot in Israel. One conversation this week made me smile. Let's call her Miri. Miri is a busy grandmother whose happiest weeks of the year are spent in Israel surrounded by her children and grandchildren. They've been doing this for years, and by now they've got the logistics down to a fine art. The apartment has been booked months in advance. The Yom Tov meals are planned. Everyone knows where they're sl

Kashrut standards is often one of the subjects people are most confident about... until we start talking. Recently I had two clients who couldn't have sounded more different. The first was Jake. "We only eat Badatz," he told me confidently. "We'll need Badatz hotels." "No problem," I replied. So I began looking at hotels that cater to that market - places with a more religious atmosphere, separate swimming hours for men and women and, in some cases, no televisions in the room

Planning a family trip to Israel can feel overwhelming before you've even packed a suitcase. Flights. Hotels or apartments. Car hire. Restaurants. Activities. Guides. Let's start with the obvious. Israel is expensive. In fact, over the last few years, some activity prices have increased dramatically. Just this week, a guide told me that an activity which used to cost around 200 shekels for a family of six now costs closer to 600 shekels. There's no point pretending otherwise.

When you've invested so much in creating memories, you deserve to spend your time making them: not worrying about everything else.

Imagine landing in Israel after a 10-hour flight with five tired children... only to discover you have nowhere to sleep.

Judy had done everything right. Her flights were booked. Her accommodation was arranged. She’d packed her passport, travel insurance, and medication. Or so she thought. A few days into her trip, she realized one of her prescription medications had been left behind in the United States. Thankfully, she had travel medical insurance. Surely a quick phone call would sort it out. It turned out to be anything but simple. The first hurdle was the phone number itself. The number prov

Imagine walking into your Airbnb and realizing that, while everything looked perfect online, not only is there no kosher kitchen (there was left over treif in the refrigerator), but there's no mezuzah on the door - something that you rarely find in Israel. That's exactly what happened to Yitz last summer. I don’t say this to scare anyone. It's just that, when we travel, it’s so important to know what we’re comfortable with; what our personal standards are; and what we are loo

Since October 7th, life in Israel has been anything but ordinary. When I talk to clients overseas, I often share how resilient Israelis are. During a war, you will still sees families on the beach, kids laughing by the waves, and then, if a siren sounds, people calmly move to a shelter until the all-clear, before returning to their day. That’s part of being Israeli: the determination to keep living, keep connecting. And yes, some people come, and others decide to wait, and th