Going to Israel with kids

amother

Fri, May 20 2022, 12:33 am

We would like to visit Israel over Shavuos and for week after that. (We live in NY)
I never went to Israel with kids before. I have 2 kids, 3 and 1.
Does anyone have any tips or advice?

Do we need to bring car seats for them?
What do we do with them? Has anyone went to holy sites with toddlers?
What kind of stroller is suitable for Israel streets? 2 singles or a double would work too?
How does traveling on bus work with toddlers? How about renting a car?
How much do car rentals cost in Israel?
What's it like in June? (Weather, with kids...)

Is it even practical/worth it?
We don't have a lot of money but we might need to go for certain reasons and I just hope it's worth it because it's gonna eat up a lot of our money.

theoneandonly

Fri, May 20 2022, 2:37 am

Re strollers- store aisles in Israel are much narrower than in America, so a double stroller might not fit everywhere. And lots of apartment buildings have elevators that are so small that even a single stroller won't fit.

Weather will be hot but sometimes chilly in the evenings so bring summer clothes and sweatshirts.

Every adult can bring one child under five for free on public transportation so if you and dh are both there you won't need to pay for your kids on the bus.

Car seats you can bring for free on the plane (they put it with the suitcases) so why not bring, otherwise you'll have to rent/buy in Israel.

Idk about car rentals sorry

Mayflower

Fri, May 20 2022, 3:19 am

theoneandonly wrote:

Every adult can bring one child under five for free on public transportation so if you and dh are both there you won't need to pay for your kids on the bus.

I remember that 10 years ago when we were in Israel with a baby, we had to fold the stroller completely in the bus, otherwise we had to pay for the stroller. Is this still the case? (Very annoying IMHO)

Sesame

Fri, May 20 2022, 3:48 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

You’ll need car seats if you’re going to get a car. If not, I can’t imagine why you’d need it. Some rental places are able to provide or you can pre book from a gemach.
I live here, yes I take kids with me, even to the kosel.
Doubles are very commonly used. Just make sure that whoever you’re staying it will fit through the doors. In old buildings very often the elevators are too small, but I imagine you aren’t going to be staying in such a type of place. Otherwise ppl take them everywhere, sometimes it’s a bit squashy, but Israelis are used to pushing past ppl.
Not sure what you mean about how does travelling work. You get on the bus (easier from the back) and pay (tap on the screens available on the bus). If there’s a seat you can take it. One child under 5 free per paying traveller. If you have a stroller you might need to squeeze on at busy times, or fold it for a wheelchair user. Otherwise just use the designated area for wheelchair and stroller use. Intercity buses you fold the stroller, put it at the bottom and get on the bus, pay by the driver as you enter.
Don’t know about car rentals, check it out online.
June is summer, normally warmer. Bring something light for breezy evenings.
Is it practical? Many ppl live here with little kids, I’ve never heard anyone saying it’s not practical. Is it worth it? That depends on you.

Sesame

Fri, May 20 2022, 3:51 am

Mayflower wrote:

You only need to fold now if there’s a wheelchair user and they need the spot. Very often there will be place for a stroller or two to be open with the wheelchair, but obviously you have to see at the time.

Elfrida

Fri, May 20 2022, 5:54 am

To travel by bus (or train) you need a Rav-Kav card. You can get them at the Tachana Merkazit, and a few other places, or I think you can buy anonymous ones (without a photo) from the bus driver. The regular ones are free; the anonymous ones cost 10 NIS and are not eligible for things like child discounts.

Once you have got it, you can load it with as much money as you want, and then you swipe it each time you get on the bus. Within Jerusalem there is a flat fee, and you are charged the same amount for any bus journey. You always have to swipe your card when you get on to a bus or the light railway, but once you have paid there is no additional fee for any bus you get on within (I think) ninety minutes. Intercity travel is charged according to the length of the journey.

ETA
I meant to add that if you have a smartphone you can also download an app to pay via your phone without a Rav-Kav. I don't use it, so I don't know how it works.

Last edited by Elfrida on Fri, May 20 2022, 7:03 am; edited 1 time in total

DVOM

Fri, May 20 2022, 6:56 am

We've been to Israel once since we got married, travelled with (at that time) a 5 week old, 2 ,4,6 year olds.

The plane ride was rough. Long, boring, and at some point the poor tired kids each had a melt down. But Israel itself was a joy to visit with kids. We rented a car and car seats for part of the trip, took busses and the light rail. We took a single stroller as my 2 year old was an energetic and excellent walker who really didn't like to be pushed, but a double could've worked fine too. Also used a baby carrier a lot.

What are you hoping to do while there? We were there for the month of August, so it was hot hot hot, and most days started or ended at the beach, a pool, a sprinkler park, but we were also able to visit the places my husband and I wanted to see. In our case we also did a lot of visiting with family.

Sesame

Fri, May 20 2022, 7:03 am

Elfrida wrote:

I live here, use buses daily and don’t use rav kav. You can use a contactless bank card or an app. Rav kav isn’t necessary

amother

Fri, May 20 2022, 7:54 am

Rappel wrote:

What do you want to get out of the trip?

Just a few reasons:
We have a family member in Israel who needs to find out life changing news and it's time sensitive. It is best if they find out in person from a family member (we don't have other family there) so we were planning being the ones to do it.

My husband is having nisyonos in every area of his life (except marriage BH) and has been feeling dead for the past few years. He is obsessed with Israel and wants to go to get some chizuk and feel alive again, even for a little.

The thing is:
We are struggling financially. A few years ago I put aside some money saying we will use it to go to Israel, but everything got so expensive so it won't cover our whole trip and we might be stuck using some savings or something because we basically live paycheck to paycheck. (I'm in grad school now so I don't work)

amother

Fri, May 20 2022, 7:58 am

DVOM wrote:

I honestly don't know what I'm planning on doing there. We probably won't have a car and can't do expensive things.
But I'm trying to do research.
Can I hear some things you did?
And which parks you went to?

amother

Papayawhip

Fri, May 20 2022, 10:32 am

Your biggest expense will be the plane tickets and you will need three of them. Planning such a trip with so little advanced notice does not leave you with a lot of options. If you can wait until the fall (although not over Sukkos, as that is peak time), you should be able to find cheaper tickets. Do you have a place to stay or will you need to pay for that as well?

amother

Fri, May 20 2022, 10:38 am

amother [ Papayawhip ] wrote:

The main main reason we would go is to tell the family member the news. If they don't hear it from us in person at that time... They will either hear it from someone else which is devastating, or they'll find out when it's too late to process the info and the trauma of that will be even more devastating.
But at the end of the day, we can't break the bank for this so it's such a hard call.

amother

Papayawhip

Fri, May 20 2022, 10:45 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Can your husband go by himself or do you need to be there to break the news?

Another option to save some money - would it be possible for you to leave your 3 year old with a grandparent or other relative? The baby doesn't need a seat on the plane and in general a 1 year old does not need entertainment like a 3 year old does, so you would be able to gear the trip more to the adults than the kids.