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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Israel related Inquiries & Aliyah Questions

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MimiMommy

Sun, Oct 18 2015, 10:20 am

Thank G-d we have enough money to pay our bills. We really want to move to Israel but we can't afford to fly ourselves to Israel for a pilot trip - how could we move there? I keep hearing and reading stories about people who were poor and moved to Israel. How did they come up with thousands of dollars for the airfare alone? (I know NBN pays for the tickets but they also require a pilot trip which they don't pay for).
Would love some practical advice.

doctorima

Sun, Oct 18 2015, 10:46 am

Keep your eyes on DansDeals; he's posted some very good fares to E"Y lately.

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, Oct 18 2015, 10:50 am

You all don't have to go on the pilot trip. My husband came and the rest of us where home in the U.S. (5 people).

Sanguine

Sun, Oct 18 2015, 11:17 am

amother wrote:

You all don't have to go on the pilot trip. My husband came and the rest of us where home in the U.S. (5 people).

That's really your answer. Can you come with DH and leave the kids with grandparent/cousins... Stagger your trips so you each come for 2 weeks but are only in Israel together for the middle week.

There are much cheaper times (I think right now is actually cheap)

Direct is expensive. A short stop makes it much cheaper. Stopping in Russia has become very popular (you even get 2 pieces of luggage that way)

Now, keep your eyes open for fare prices. If this terrorism keeps up people will be cancelling trips here and the airlines will be having great sales LOL

Sanguine

Sun, Oct 18 2015, 11:46 am

MimiMommy wrote:

(I know NBN pays for the tickets but they also require a pilot trip which they don't pay for).
Would love some practical advice.

AFAIK the Sochnut (Jewish Agency) pays for your Aliya ticket. You don't have to make Aliya through NBN (though I think people recommend it for many reasons). They only help you if you first go on a pilot trip? It's not NBN's ticket. It's yours from the Jewish Agency.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Oct 18 2015, 1:08 pm

MimiMommy wrote:

Are you sure about that? My parents made aliyah last summer. They never came on any official pilot trip. How can they force you to go on a pilot trip?

4Sisters

Thu, Oct 29 2015, 5:09 pm

I also don't think NBN requires a pilot trip. And I second Dan's Deals. We got tickets for less than $600/RT and that meant my kids could come on the pilot trip.

There was a discussion about a month ago on the NBN Yahoo group about Xtian groups that give $ for people to send lifts.

Hatzlacha! We made aliyah 8 weeks ago and b''H, love it here.

November

Thu, Oct 29 2015, 5:17 pm

I do know of a family who came on aliyah with small children. They came after Pesach, I believe, and went around visiting different communities knowing that they'd be choosing one as their new home.

m in Israel

Thu, Oct 29 2015, 5:17 pm

Sanguine wrote:

This is correct. The (one-way) ticket is paid for by the Jewish Agency and has nothing to do with meeting any NBN requirements. NBN does help arrange trips, and they offer charter and group flights if you want, but technically you can come on any flight you want whenever you want once you have been approved for an Aliya visa and the Jewish Agency will pay. Many people make Aliya without doing a pilot trip.

As others have said, though, if you are flexible about which airlines and when you can often find decent fares to Israel, and Dans Deals often posts them when they come up. Honestly, though, the expenses of moving are so much more than the pilot trip -- you really need to do some serious financial reckoning to plan for your Aliyah. Coming without a semi-decent financial plan can really make it hard to have a successful Aliyah.

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