2024 Best Sights Around Israel
Western Wall - Jerusalem, Israel
Intro
This post is dedicated to my experience visiting the nation of Israel in 2010. I have included personal stories from the time in the country as well as recommendations of sights and restaurants from myself, Google, and Anthony Bourdain.
The most important part of travel to me is being able to see a place completely different from where I am from. Meeting people with vastly different experiences from my own. As well as expanding my mind and heart.
I mention this a few times in this post but while I had an amazing and very safe experience during my two week tour of Israel, there is currently conflict in the region. With that being said, I always recommend, regardless of where you are traveling, to check your country’s travel advisory to the region for the most up to date information.
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There is a lot going on in the world. So many innocent people in the region have been displaced, injured, or killed. I wanted to share about my travels to the country of Israel. While there has been unrest in the region for some time, I wanted to highlight the beauty of the country and the Israeli people I met.
Up until this trip, I did not know much about Israel or Judaism past occasionally being present at someone else’s seder dinner and enjoying some Passover food, like matzah, which I am not a fan of but ironically love matzah ball soup. I wasn’t even fully aware of what a seder was so I was excited to see a country and learn about a culture different from my own.
I will start off with the logistics. This was a last minute travel. I wasn’t sure I would go on this tour as I was offered a job and they wanted me to start immediately, which would have fallen over this trip. I always gravitate to traveling abroad and the experiences I will obtain there. This was far from a luxury travel experience but I was used to solo traveling and not having to scour the travel sites and plan all the logistics was refreshing. All the details were arranged, there was a tour guide throughout the duration of the tour and we had a dedicated tour bus taking us from city to city to see all the key destinations. Typically, most of my travel was done during summer vacation but this trip was in November. This was actually a great time to visit Israel as it was still very warm, which made it easier for packing and only needing to bring the travel essentials vs. a ton of layers. I had a toiletry bag in my small carry on suitcase of clothes and shoes, while everyone else on my tour had large suitcases or multiple bags.
I met the group at JFK, where we flew direct to Israel. This was just over a 10-hour flight. My previous trip to Greece and the trip to Israel were the longest trips I had taken at this time. When you fly on El Al airlines (the Israeli airlines), you not only go through TSA, you are also interviewed by an El Al agent prior. We were at the airport about 3 hours prior so we had some time to kill. A few people in the group and I wandered around duty free and became acquainted with each other. When we finally boarded, settled into our seats and took off, there was a bit of excitement when the airplane significantly dropped during takeoff, which shook many people on the flight. Most people just hope to have a safe flight, and that was quite a way to start it off. The rest of the flight was uneventful other than my in seat TV not working.
When we first got to Israel we were ready to go! We exchanged money and were off to the Ilana Goor Museum in Tel Aviv before taking a 2.5 hour drive to Tiberias. True to form, I knocked out on the bus within minutes of sitting down which was much needed after an almost 11 hour flight from JFK and my previous flight at 7 AM from Miami. Before ending the first day we went to Golan Amiad Winery. I am not usually a wine fan but they had flavored options like berries, chocolate, and caramel. Speaking of food. The amount of falafels I ingested over almost 2 weeks was glorious.
What stuck out to me the most past the falafels was the architecture and Western Wall in Jerusalem and the Bedouin camp. I have never been a huge camper so that was new for me, but it was super interesting learning about the Bedouin’s and their way of life. The culture and history in Jerusalem is magical and unmatched to anywhere I have been.
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I want to start off with a disclaimer. With the regular turmoil in the region, I highly recommend travelers check their country's travel advisories for Israel and surrounding area's as well as check Israel's government website on any travel advisories or information.
Past that my planning recommendations are pretty standard across the board with researching prior to departure, depending on your schedule and budget. I am usually one who tends to avoid group tours but I do think that Israel is a country people could benefit from group tours, to ensure safety as well as receiving all the historical facts the country holds.
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Israel is about the size of New Jersey.
The glue on Israeli postage stamps are Kosher.
The population of Israel is just under 10 million people.
Actresses Gal Gadot and Natalie Portman were born in Israel.
The Israeli region dates back over 1.5 million years, however; it became a nation on May 14th, 1948.
Conclusion
I learned so much from my trip to Israel. I learned about myself as a traveler, I learned about different cultures and religions, I learned about history, I learned about different humans around the world and how alike we all really are. With all the turmoil and sadness going on in the region, we could all use to show a little grace, understanding, and walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.
Quote
“If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food, it's a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” Anthony Bourdain
Next on the Blog…
If you are looking to explore another country with rich history and culture, check out my Best Sights Around Rome.
Tel Aviv, Israel