Travel Guide: Israel 2017

Ah, what a whirlwind.

How is it that we always build up the anticipation for trips, look forward to them for months at a time, and then they're over in the blink of an eye? My flights felt longer than the trip itself -- I mean, they came pretty damn close.

I mentioned in a couple posts back that I would be doing some summer travel, and I am just now recuperating from the journey. Being a tourist is exhausting.

Pro Tip: Don't pee in the Dead Sea

I traveled to Israel and Greece for about 20 days. My trip to Israel was through

Birthright

-- For those of you who are unfamiliar, Birthright is essentially a trip for young adults with Jewish heritage between the ages of 18-26. You'll join a group of others to fly to Tel Aviv and explore the country in 10 days. I

highly, highly

recommend this trip for any of you who are interested and able to go.

Bikini:

Zaful

A solid Mediterranean tan isn't a bad souvenir, is it?

Your flight, hotels, and majority of your meals are paid for. You'll put a deposit down which is refundable after your trip. Make the time for this trip.

I like to talk a lot of shit about group travel. If I had a dollar for every time I sent a text saying "I don't really do group travel", I would've been a millionaire by the end of the trip. I value my alone time and need to recharge by myself, but the trip is so exhilarating you won't regret it. Even if you're a bit of a loner at times like me.

If you're in college, out of college, working, have the slightest Jewish heritage and are curious to explore Israel, apply for Birthright

here

. Just do it. Seriously.

The sights you see can't be explained. We started in northern Israel in Golan Heights and traveled south. We hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and the Negev Desert.

My highlights had to be surfing in Tel Aviv, drinking coffee and eating shawarma, comparing chocolate croissants from bakeries on every corner (literally), visiting the Western Wall, floating the dead sea, and just meeting amazing people.

Also, I feel like it goes without saying that being on a trip where makeup is barely worn and a bra is for the birds is simply amazing. I could get used to that.

There's something about traveling so far from home and being away from your comfort zone that brings you back down to Earth. Connecting with people on the other side of the world who you've never met, sharing a conversation with them, or just smiling in the street has to be my all-time favorite part of any vacation.

"We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic to creativity. When we get home, home is still the same, but something in our minds has changed, and that changes everything."