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Succos in Israel with little kids



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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 1:05 pm
Hi everyone - I almost never post here so sorry if I'm bad at it! We have an opportunity to go to Israel for Succos and I'm so torn about if we should take it or not...on the one hand I feel like it would be crazy to turn it down but on the other hand I wonder if travelling so far and making yom tov so far from home would be a disaster for my family. I like to make the best of things, jump in and stay positive but I would hate for a trip to the holiest place in the world to end up feeling like it was a mistake.

Some details: Coming from the US, 4 kids under the age of 9 including a baby. They've never been on a plane before and we've never traveled more than a couple hours in the car. We would be meeting a couple close family members there and staying with them for the chag in a rented apartment.

I would love to make this work but maybe better to wait until my kids are a bit older? I would really appreciate if you would share your experiences and advice. Thanks!
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amother
Cyan


 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 1:10 pm
Why would it be a disaster? Sounds like a lot of fun.
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groovy1224




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 1:10 pm
What makes you say it would be a disaster? The plane ride would be a challenge but you can probably get some good tips on here, but what else would make it so challenging? Sounds like an amazing opportunity to me.
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 1:12 pm
The only hard part might be the plane ride. Try to take an evening flight and take along melochews to give to the kids. Give every kid their own backpack with their blanket, some toys, snacks, drinks.
Having 2 strollers for the 2 youngest will also make it easier.
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2gether




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 3:21 pm
Well ... do you have the option of making the trip when you'll have older kids that can appreciate and rememeber it more? Do you know what will be a few years down the road if it will even work out?
If not, go for it, but don't think this will be either very spiritual or much of a vacation.

Try to fly the night, its the whole difference.
Plan kids appropriate activities for Israel, rememeber Kosel- like 15 mins. etc.
Also prepare enough toys for the apartment for Chag etc.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 3:30 pm
2gether wrote:
Well ... do you have the option of making the trip when you'll have older kids that can appreciate and rememeber it more? Do you know what will be a few years down the road if it will even work out?
If not, go for it, but don't think this will be either very spiritual or much of a vacation.

Try to fly the night, its the whole difference.
Plan kids appropriate activities for Israel, rememeber Kosel- like 15 mins. etc.
Also prepare enough toys for the apartment for Chag etc.


I disagree. Have traveled often with young kids to Israel from the US, and I'm so so grateful for the opportunity. I don't see it as the kind of trip to make once when my kids are "old enough." I see it as going as often as we can and building their attachment to our holy Land. Of course it's not a vacation! But it's an awesome way to spend the chag, no matter if you'll be able to go when they're older or not.

I know people have different experiences, but my kids always, always fly best during the day. The night flights often leave very late so they're already overtired by the time we board, and it takes everyone so long to settle down and get comfortable. No one ends up sleeping well and they arrive super cranky and off. When we fly during the day I let whoever is old enough use tablets as much as they want. Younger kids usually end up napping at some point, and the rest of the time need to be entertained but at least they're not whining and exhausted the whole time.

Definitely do go to a cheap store when you arrive and buy some toys to keep them busy during the chag, if the house you're renting isn't stocked with toys. I budget around $50 for this and with the right toys it works out well. But there are also lots of parks in Israel and the weather sukkos time is usually perfect for outdoors so you'll probably end up taking lots of walks to the park too.

Can't recommend enough that you take the leap and do it!
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 4:55 pm
Thank you so much for your replies! In terms of a disaster I guess I'm picturing out of sorts kids fighting and crabby stressed out parents and hard flights. And yerushalayim being so jam packed that you can't even walk around normally or catch a cab easily. Sort of going through the worst case scenario otherwise I agree that it isn't so much a relaxing vacation but more like an opportunity to grab anytime in Israel that we can.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 5:10 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Thank you so much for your replies! In terms of a disaster I guess I'm picturing out of sorts kids fighting and crabby stressed out parents and hard flights. And yerushalayim being so jam packed that you can't even walk around normally or catch a cab easily. Sort of going through the worst case scenario otherwise I agree that it isn't so much a relaxing vacation but more like an opportunity to grab anytime in Israel that we can.


My kids don't fight more in Israel than they do at home.

If you and dh are both on board with the trip you probably will be more excited than crabby.

Flights will probably be challenging, but they are a very small part of the overall trip.

Yerushalayim will have lots of people but it doesn't feel anything like times square, if that's what you're thinking. We never had a hard time navigating with our stroller or anything.
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amother
Sienna


 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 5:14 pm
I did it with 4 kids, oldest 9 and I was pregnant. It was HARD work, but also one of the most rewarding things we have ever done. I was blown away by how my kids responded to being there and how meaningful the whole experience was. I would do it over again a million times if I could.
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allthingsblue




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 08 2019, 5:25 pm
Plan, plan, plan. you won't regret it.
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