Passover is one of the most important dates in the Jewish calendar and is a wonderful family focused holiday where children can take part in the recitation of the Haggadah and learn more about what it means to be Jewish. Passover is also a great opportunity for a meaningful family vacation trip, either to a location with a strong Jewish community or historical connection, or even somewhere off the usual tourist track where a Passover seder celebrated abroad becomes a real adventure!
A luxury family Passover travel package organized with Gil Travel is far more than an unconventional spring break, it’s an opportunity to combine Jewish tradition with exploration and foreign travel, and family bonding.
Arranging Kosher Passover Vacations
One of the first concerns when you’re planning a Jewish family Passover trip is keeping kosher and observing Shabbat and the holiday days, both while traveling and while you’re enjoying your vacation. If you’re taking a luxury Pesach break in Israel, or in a city like Buenos Aires with a large and active Jewish community, gourmet Kosher-for-Passover cuisine is readily available and the kashrut certification is reliable.
If you’re interested in traveling to a more exotic location, keeping kosher – and enjoying top quality kosher food – is more challenging. Schlepping a suitcase filled with kosher crackers and tinned food through the airport is definitely not the way to plan for a family Passover seder abroad.
Fortunately Gil Travel has decades of experience when it comes to international kosher travel and has organized luxury kosher seders in places like Tokyo, hosted by top chefs and supervised by the local Chabad.
Even when luxury Kosher vacations take you off the beaten track, they can still include gourmet seder meals prepared and led by experienced chefs and rabbis.
Passover tour providers with kosher dining expertise can turn your holiday into a true culinary journey. Imagine sharing a traditional Moroccan-style seder by the ocean in Casablanca, savoring an Argentinian seder with tender meats grilled over a parilla, or experiencing the bold flavors of a spicy Indian seder prepared by a local Jewish chef in Mumbai or Delhi. Each destination adds its own flavor and atmosphere, making the holiday as much about cultural discovery as tradition.
Exclusive Jewish tours with pre-planned kosher meals aren’t just an opportunity to explore international Jewish cuisine, an organized seder meal gives your kids a precious insight into how other Jews observe Passover.
Passover Vacations with Kids’ Programs
Traveling with children or grandchildren can be a real pleasure, particularly when you see them learning and growing through exposure to new countries and cultures. As long as the kids are engaged and enjoying themselves, Passover holiday is usually a lot of fun. The challenge is to keep them occupied and stimulated, and to give them plenty of opportunities to let off steam and interact with other kids.
If there’s a big age range in your group e.g. toddlers to teens, this can take some planning. It’s important to choose, or better yet, to create tailored Passover vacations with suitable kids’ programs. Gil Travel can work with you to plan a customized itinerary that will include something for everyone, with plenty of Passover storytelling and interactive holiday activities for younger children.
Your trip can also include teen hangouts and chances for them to meet Jewish teens from the local community, and sporting activities, arts and crafts, cooking classes or musical days for Chol HaMoed. Passover travel packages can also include family programs like hikes, quizzes, and group games or engaging lectures on Jewish history, spirituality, and culture. The best Passover vacations for families provide a chance to strengthen bonds through shared experiences.
Attending Passover Services Abroad
Whether you’re religiously observant, or you just want to enjoy a traditional passover and visit a local shul to attend a Passover or Shabbat service, Gil Travel can help you to find a synagogue that meets your needs and welcomes guests during the high holidays. That includes seders and services led by knowledgeable rabbis or cantors and the possibility to join the congregation in any other holiday activities. In some locations, this will mean connecting with the local Chabad, who can be relied upon to extend a warm welcome and help tourists to observe Passover in a traditional and completely kosher manner.
Sightseeing and Exploring on Chol HaMoed
If you enjoyed a gourmet seder meal the chances are that you’ll want to burn off some calories and get some fresh air. The days of Chol HaMoed are a great time to get out and about, especially if you’ve got some sunny spring weather. A big part of any family Passover trip is going out together and doing some sightseeing. Organized day trips and Jewish heritage sightseeing tours led by professional guides can bring the history of a place to life.
One of the best ways to explore a new country is through private guided walking tours conducted by an English speaking guide.
A leisurely walk through the old Jewish quarter or ghetto gives you a chance to soak up the atmosphere as your guide explains the significance of old buildings and Jewish architecture, takes you around historic synagogues and enthralls your kids with stories of local rabbis, merchants, and artisans. If you spend Passover in Prague, children of all ages will be thrilled by the story of the Maharal and the Golem.
If you’re in a city with a modern Jewish district like Le Marais in Paris it’s a lot of fun to explore Jewish markets and kosher eateries, and do some souvenir shopping in the Judaica shops or browse through the bookstores. You can also just sit at an outdoor cafe and enjoy a coffee or glass of wine and watch the people going by, or strike up a conversation with a local and practice your language skills.
If you do visit a country with a thriving Jewish community, Gil Travel can also arrange encounters with Jewish artists, musicians, writers or chefs. Nothing beats exploring shared heritage through creativity or cuisine – or even a kosher wine tasting event!
It is usually also possible to arrange reliable babysitting services if you want some evening entertainment like Jewish music, comedy, or cultural performances (or events that aren’t specifically Jewish like classical music performances or a trip to the cinema) without young children in tow.
Kosher Hotels and Kosher-for-Passover Cuisine
Unless you’ve opted for a Passover travel package that takes you to a seriously offbeat location like a Tanzanian safari lodge, a trip to Harbin in China (once home to a Jewish settlement) or a visit to the old Jewish quarters in Uzbekistan, you’ll probably want to stay in a luxury kosher hotel for the duration of your trip. Gil Travel has years of experience dealing with some of the best kosher and kosher friendly hotels around the world.
It’s important to be sure that a kosher-friendly hotel genuinely understands and enforces kashrut rules and is supervised by a local mashgiach. You’ll also need to know whether your hotel contains a suitable prayer space, is Shabbat compliant and is within easy walking distance of a suitable synagogue. As well as luxury accommodation with daily housekeeping and top facilities, it’s also important that the little things are taken care of e.g. all-day access to kosher tea, coffee, and snacks.
Local Tourism & Relaxation
When you plan doing the Seder abroad, you’re naturally focused on creating a Jewish travel experience for your family. It’s also important to plan an itinerary that takes in broader attractions and cultural treasures unique to your destination. It would be a shame to visit one of the world’s great cities, or an exotic foreign location and not explore local traditions, arts and museums, as well as areas of outstanding natural beauty or UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It’s also important to expose your kids to iconic cultural and historical sites. A good family bonding activity is to sit together and research your destination online, and build an itinerary together. It could take in zoos and aquariums, waterparks, a haunted castle, a science museum – the list of options is pretty much endless and can include whatever your kids are interested in.
Kosher Passover vacations are far more than just a trip abroad. They are a chance to explore the deeper meaning of the holiday by experiencing it in a foreign setting and seeing how other Jewish traditions celebrate Passover. It also shows kids something of the essence of the holiday and demonstrates that the ancient Pesach rituals can be celebrated literally anywhere.
Exploring a new culture as a family is an adventure for all age groups that can strengthen family ties and produce wonderful lifelong memories. Gil Travel can share their knowledge and experience of Passover travel and offer original and exciting suggestions about where to celebrate Passover abroad. Talk to us today about planning the perfect luxury kosher trip for your family.
