Travel abroad this year and explore the world’s top Jewish heritage sites – as well as exotic and remote tourist destinations – with complete confidence! A little basic planning, and a list of kosher travel essentials, can transform your travel options.
Gil Travel has prepared a guide to packing for kosher travel and some useful Jewish travel tips for American Jews who want to plan a customized luxury itinerary – without compromising on keeping Kosher.
Why You Need a Kosher Travel Packing List
If you’re traveling to Israel, or flying into cities like Buenos Aires or Paris with large Jewish communities and a strong “kosher infrastructure”, it’s relatively simple to keep kosher. With a little basic planning you can eat well and observe Shabbat and the Jewish holidays without any inconvenience.
When you’re traveling to Eastern Europe for a Jewish heritage tour, or exploring the fascinating Jewish histories of North Africa or Central Asia, keeping kosher can become a lot more problematic. Gil Travel can help you to create a kosher tour, combining luxury kosher-friendly hotels and restaurants, kosher markets, delis and food delivery services, and coordinating with the local Chabad. Although you can find kosher food and synagogues, and often a warm welcome from local Jews, many families understandably still prefer to bring their own kosher travel essentials and religious items.
Packing Non-Perishable Food for Kosher Travel
Bringing kosher food for an entire trip is impractical, and some foodstuffs may contravene airline and local customs regulations. That said, one of the top Jewish travel tips is to bring some “emergency rations” in the form of shelf-stable kosher foods. If you’re delayed at a foreign airport or enroute to a destination, or there is a glitch in your kosher itinerary, you’ll be able to break out your own food supplies. You can also take challah for Shabbat. The best solution is to double wrap small rolls with plastic bags and refrigerate them as soon as you arrive.
The most important consideration is to try and find light weight foods that don’t eat into your baggage allowance. Freeze dried meals can be an excellent option and their quality has improved considerably in recent years. A single packet weighing less than 200 grams can deliver an impressive 1,000 calories of nutrition – that’s enough to sustain you for hours of travel. It is possible (subject to local laws) to travel with fresh meat or cooked meals for reheating, but you should give serious thought as to whether it’s actually a practical option.
Other good options include crackers and matzah, tuna packets, nutritionally dense nut butters and nuts and dried fruit. Kosher tortilla wraps are reasonably light and don’t take up much space. They make a great bread substitute and are perfect for an improvised traveler’s sandwich. A good tip is to divide food between your hold luggage and carry-on baggage so that you won’t go hungry if the plane is delayed and you’re stuck in the cabin. If you’re traveling long-haul with kids or grandkids, a steady supply of kosher sweets and snacks will definitely ease the journey.
Travel-Friendly Kosher Utensils and Tools
Depending on your itinerary and your personal needs, you may want to travel with some lightweight utensils (either reusable or disposable). A trip to a good camping store, or a specialty online store, can yield some excellent collapsible bowls and hot cups and travel sized cutting boards. Ultra-light backpackers and hikers have driven the development of all kinds of accessories and utensils that can also qualify as kosher travel essentials.
There are no hard and fast rules about how to travel kosher. Some American Jews like to take a mini toaster or immersion heater when they travel abroad. One thing to bear in mind is that you may need an adapter if your destination uses different plug sockets. It’s often better to travel light and buy locally. You can always give away small electrical items before you fly back. There are plenty of people who will be happy to receive them.
Religious Essentials for Kosher Observant Travelers
If you’re traveling to Africa to join a luxury safari, taking a jeep trip in the mountains of Georgia, or flying to China to explore Harbin’s surprising Jewish heritage, proper Shabbat observance may require some initiative on your part. Adapting your itinerary to pause on Shabbat or Jewish holidays isn’t a problem. Jewish travelers and adventurers – as well as refugees – have celebrated the arrival of the Sabbath in some very remote and unusual locations over the past 3,000 years!
A really useful Jewish travel tip is to put together a basic portable Shabbat kit. It can include small tea lights to use as Shabbat candles, a travel siddur, havdalah set, mini bottles (plastic may be more practical than glass) or a flask of kosher wine or grape juice, and possibly a travel challah cover. If you’re celebrating Passover abroad, you can even include a lightweight (and unbreakable) anodized aluminum pesach plate in your travel kit. If you’re planning a longer stay abroad, consider taking a mezuzah or some small items of Judaica.
Keeping Things Kosher on the Go
Another useful kosher travel essential that is often overlooked is simple foil and plastic bags (microwave-friendly bags are great). These basic household items can be ideal for helping you to keep kosher on the go. Wrapping utensils or covering kitchen surfaces can help to keep your food preparation kosher, as can designating separate items for dairy and meat.
Phone apps are great for checking on local Shabbat timings and there are some really useful apps for finding kosher restaurants and other food outlets. You might want to invest in a travel Shabbat timer, particularly if you plan to travel regularly. Portable water kettles, and power banks for digital siddurim can also be useful if you are willing to devote some of your suitcase space to electrical items and gadgets.
How to Enjoy an Improvised Shabbat Abroad
A very basic and improvised Shabbat in a remote location can sometimes be a unique spiritual experience. Some American Jews feel that Shabbat at home can focus too much on food and table talk and sometimes just become a routine weekend ritual. Making the effort to celebrate Shabbat thousands of miles from home, possibly in a remote location, can restore and renew the spiritual essence of the Sabbath, or create a deeper connection to thousands of years of Jewish history and heritage.
Kosher traveling is a lot of fun and it is definitely an adventure, but it can also be tiring and full of sensory overload. A day of rest and contemplation can bring a deeper sense of peace. Dressing as smartly as your travel wardrobe allows, lighting candles – even if they are just tiny tea lights – reciting blessings and passing around a glass of grape juice or specially packed wine, before settling down to a pre-prepared meal, can bring a family or group of friends closer to the real essence of Shabbat.
If you’re visiting a city with a Jewish community, Gil Travel may be able to arrange for you to visit a local synagogue for Shabbat services, or coordinate with the local Chabad to enjoy a home cooked Shabbat dinner. You can also plan your itinerary to include a range of appropriate Shabbat activities. If the weather is pleasant, this might include a gentle walk through an old Jewish quarter, or through local parks, or possibly an organized visit to a community center or Jewish family home.
Packing Tips and Kosher Travel Hacks
The key to creating the perfect packing list for kosher travel is accurate research. If you can identify your likely needs for kosher food and religious items, you can work within your baggage allowance and try to keep weight and volume to a sensible level. It’s also very important to have a detailed knowledge of airline and customs regulations. Gil Travel can provide up to date advice on all aspects of kosher travel planning and offer location specific recommendations on how to travel kosher without compromising on a luxury travel experience or basic convenience.
If you’re interested in creating a customized Jewish heritage tour, or exploring your family history in Europe, Gil Travel can draw upon decades of experience and a wide network of local contacts to create a luxury kosher tour package. If you’re looking for a more unusual or adventurous travel experience, try a kosher river cruise along the Danube with visits to Jewish sites in Central Europe’s most beautiful cities. Gil Travel will ensure that you achieve the optimal balance between luxury travel, historical and heritage exploration, and kosher compliance. Talk to us today about planning the perfect luxury tour that is tailored to your requirements!
