Traveling to Israel is something I always cherished since I was a kid! My mom is from Jerusalem, so we would go as kids to visit my grandparents and aunts/uncles for a month during the summers. I always looked forward to spending the time with family, and the wonderful places to visit. I remember putting wishes in the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem (I wished for a doll), and getting falafel from the street vendors on Ben Yehuda Street, or traveling South to Eilat and stopping at the Dead Sea on the way or a camel ride, and staying at the beautiful hotels in along the Red Sea.
As an adult, I have a new appreciation for visiting. Each time I go, I still visit some of my favorite tourist spots, and learn something new each time. The last two times I visited, we brought our two kids, and really enjoyed experiencing it from their perspective. The country is very kid-friendly, and there is a lot to do and see.
Some tips and fun spots to checkout with kids:
- Hire a private tour guide to take you around the country: Tour Guides are incredible there. It is best to hire a private tour guide and bus so you can tailor your trip to around the places you are most interested in seeing, and most kid-friendly.
- Check out Gojerusalem.com
- Travel South to Eilat and stay at one of the many beautiful hotels on the Red Sea: Most of the hotels have activities that are centered around kids. They have special “kids clubs” or shows that they feature in the evenings.
- Travel North and stay at a Kibbutz that has a guest motel and B&B. It is fun to stay with kids since they usually have lots of open grass grounds, pools, and animal pet corner. If its in the Kineret, they may have water sports.
- Other sites in the North: Water rafting on the Jordan River, Hiking paths for families, BanyasWatefall, or Hula Lake Reserve (has a large bird population and have tours for bird watching)
Leemor Medina is a wife, mother of two (Maya, age 5 and Gabriela, age 3), expecting her third child (in March), and works full time as a corporate lender for a Bank.
As a family they truly enjoy traveling and going on vacation, whether it is to a local spot in Chicago, or across the globe. She has family in Israel, and her husband has family in Honduras, so they have been lucky to give their kids the exciting experience of traveling to other countries and experiencing other cultures. It is so fulfilling to experience new places and things together as a family, and important to build happy memories together.
