Travelogger

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

3 Tips For Traveling To Israel For The First Time

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While most people’s travel plans are currently being canceled or postponed, there’s no harm in planning for the next trip that you’ll be able to take once the world gets back to normal function.

One area that you may want to consider visiting is Israel. Especially if you’re a religious person, Israel could have some particular significance to you. Or, if you’re just a lover of history, the region of Israel can be a great place to explore and learn more about. So if this is something that interests you, here are three tips for traveling to Israel for the first time.

Understand Shabbat

Like most places, Israel is likely to have very different legal cultures and traditions than you’re used to. Arguably the best example of this is their observance of the Sabbath or Shabbat.

According to Anthony Grant, a contributor to Trip Savvy, most things around Israel are closed from Friday afternoon to Saturday night, which is when the Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat, is. While you will likely still be able to go to a restaurant to eat, a lot of public transportation stops running during this time, so make sure you plan for this when nailing down your itinerary while you’re in Israel.

Learn Common Hebrew Phrases

Although many of the people living in and visiting Israel will speak at least some English, it’s always a good idea to learn some of the most common phrases that you’ll be using when visiting a different country.

Wendy Altschuler, a contributor to Forbes.com, shares that some of the best phrases you should learn in Hebrew, which is the official language of Israel, are:

‘Shalom’, meaning ‘Hello’
‘Toda’, meaning ‘Thank you’
‘Ken’, meaning ‘Yes’
‘Lo’, meaning ‘No’
‘Bevakasha’, meaning ‘Please’
With these phrases at the ready, you should be able to at least attempt to speak to the locals of Israel in Hebrew, even if you’re not able to have an entire conversation in this language.

Be Vigilant Against Violence

Just like with most places that you’ll visit around the world, there’s always a chance that some sort of violence could break out while you’re traveling around Israel. But while you can’t know when and where something dangerous will take place, you can create a plan to keep yourself and the rest of your group safe and ready for whatever may happen.

As part of this, Elizabeth Smith, a contributor to USA Today, warns that you should take extra precautions when you’re in the Old City or when visiting religious sites, especially if you choose to visit on a Friday, during the weekend, or over a holiday.

If you’re wanting to plan a trip to Israel, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare for your first adventure there.

3 Tips For Traveling To California For The First Time

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Taking time to travel can be a great way for you to experience new things, see new places, meet new people, try new foods, and come back home refreshed and ready to tackle your life. However, many people find that while the idea of taking a vacation is great, they often find themselves feeling very overwhelmed with the planning of their vacation and the execution of their plans. So to help ensure this doesn’t happen to you when you plan a visit to California, here are three tips for traveling to California for the first time to help reduce your stress and ensure you have a great trip.

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Enjoy Your Vacation, But Avoid the Pitfalls of Travel

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You’ve been saving up money and setting up your schedule to go on your next adventure. Your budget is set, your time off is on the calendar, and you’re ready to go. All you want to do is enjoy your vacation. And that is possible, but before you even get there, make sure that you understand and prepare for the pitfalls of travel they can put a damper on the experience.

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4 Ways To Save Money While Traveling

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Traveling is something that gives you something to look forward to. Being able to take a break from the daily grind to explore new places and enjoy some leisure time is what life is all about. However, anyone who’s traveled before can tell you it doesn’t come cheap. Between paying for airfare, a place to stay, activities on your travels, and covering your expenses back at home during the trip, most people tend to estimate they’ll need at least $1000 for a single trip.

Although many people can comfortably fit travel expenses into their budget, there are the rest of us who don’t have the budget to be able to spend freely however we want. For a comfortable trip that fits the budget, it’s important to know a few tricks to keep costs down while traveling. [Read more…]

Planning Your Activities Ahead of Time While Traveling

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Sometimes the whole point of traveling is getting from one place to another. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of instances where it’s not smart to plan your activities out in advance, however, whether it’s for things to do while you’re stopping over somewhere or what you want to do at your final destination. Even a short amount of research and planning to make a big difference in your enjoyment of the trip.

You may want to look into the things you can do in suburban areas. Perhaps you’re looking into city events. Maybe you want to spend some time in the country. For all of those categories, you may want to have a few things planned, or you can try to keep an open schedule if that suits your purposes more. [Read more…]