Israel Travel Forum

Hey,
The Hebrew school that I teach at is looking to take a trip to the Holy Land and we are looking for a travel agency that specializes in group fares. I live in Florida so its needless to say that there are a lot of travel agencies in my area that have experience sending older Floridians to Israel but I am looking for a tour that would be entertaining to 14-15 year old post confirmation students. If anybody knows of a good travel agency that has cheap group rates and can cater a trip to a younger clientele please tell me.

Generally speaking American travel agencies organize the group, but the actual arrangements in Israel are put together by a wholesaler who specializes in "incoming tours" So, don't discredit contacting your local agent.

In addition look to see who sponsers groups that encourage children, The Eretz Yisrael movement, Margarert Morse etc. are a few examples. See if they would organize a "private' group just for you.

The answer is divided into 2:

If the group will require a trip with special attention of “educational added value” I suggest contacting “Ramah Programs”. They specialize first with Conservative groups, but also reform. They have very good reputation. They contacts are at:

http://www.ramah.org.il/

If the group will require a trip that is more towards the touristy/adventures theme there are many good operators:

For budget trips I heard good reviews about “Oranim”. They could be reviewed here:

http://www.ecamp4u.com/Oranim.asp

For groups doing any type of tour that is even slightly above budget (ie: not youth hostels as overnight base) there are many agencies, as well as sales representatives. At the end most work is operated by a small number of big agencies and bus companies, though. If you would like, I can provide you with contact details for that.

Good luck!

I organized a trip for my hebrew school a couple years back an used an agency called Gil Travel. They have a lot of great Jewish Heritage tours; I think we did one called the Ultimate Israel Tour but I remember that they have a wide selection of different tours. If you want to check out the site its www.giltravel.com. Also dont be afraid to ask for specific things, I wanted the kids to vistit certain Islamic sites in Israel and Gil Travel had no problem organizing the proper transportaion, tour guide and security arangements for no extra cost.