Traveling the vast majority of time is sometimes spent just in the going from one place to the next, waiting in lines, traffic and dealing with delays and hassles.
Very little time is actually every spent at the actual place you’re going to – it’s mostly built on the anticipation.
Going with a tour group had pros and cons. I sure did miss the spontaneity of solo travel and ability to manage my own time, though.
In today’s online world, people only see nicely cropped Instagram shots, but nobody shares pictures of the hordes of other tourists, long lines, dirty bathrooms, language translations hassles, hauling luggage to-and-fro, etc.
Hopefully, the final destination makes it all worth it. And, along the way, you have unexpected encounters which make it all the better.
Enough traveling for me for awhile. I need rest.
Hotels / Accommodations:
- Townhouse Hotel (Tel Aviv) – excellent boutique hotel in a remodeled Bauhaus style building.
- King Solomon Hotel (Jerusalem) – three star hotel with somewhat outdated room decor but excellent views and tremendous Israeli buffet dining.
- Isrotel Yam Suf (Eliat, Red Sea) – modern four star family resort offering everything one would need from gourmet buffet, scuba wet shop, pools and bars.
- Cinema Hostel (Jerusalem) – modern hostel built inside an old movie theater, including a cool custom bar on the second floor.
- Momo’s Hostel/Hotel (Tel Aviv) – dreary hostel that was only downer on entire trip, experience was like being in a Turkish prison.