10 Reasons To Visit Israel Right Now

By

It gets a lot of attention in the media — often times portrayed in a bad light — but Israel really is a colorful country full of interesting culture and natural wonders. If you want a unique travel experience, one that you’ll really take something away from, put Israel at the top of your list.

1. The Chance To Sleep In A Bedouin Tent.

The Bedouins are a nomadic ethnic group that live and travel through the deserts of the middle east. Begin your night sipping tea on colorful pillows and mats as you watch a performance of traditional tunes. After the show, settle into the dining tent, sit at floor level tables and revel in eating traditional dishes with your hands. Make sure to grab your to-die-for baklava before heading out into the pitch black desert to gaze at the stars. Snuggle up with your travel comrades in sleeping bags on the floor of the sleeping tent to warm yourself up from the chilly desert nights.

2. To Experience Riding Camels Through The Desert.

Get on a camel, hope it doesn’t bite you, and pretend you are a princess (or prince) riding through the sand dunes.

3. To Stay in a Kibbutz.

A kibbutz is an agricultural settlement that is home to people living a communal farming life. Many offer home-stays or serve as a bed and breakfast, and visitors can book a night or two at a kibbutz at a moment’s notice. Visitors can also choose to volunteer and will be provided free housing and meals in exchange for work ranging from cow milking and orange picking to working in the cotton fields or factories.

4. To Eat the BEST Food.

The best food I have ever eaten was in Israel. Eat your weight in homemade hummus, stuff your face with perfect falafel (ask for them to put fries inside if you get the chance), and try a Jerusalem bagel with zaatar spice sprinkled on top.

5. To Climb To The Top Of Mount Masada To Watch The Sunrise.

Get yourself out of bed and start the climb in the darkness. Sweat, pant, and wish you would have stayed in bed as you make your way to the top. Once you have arrived and caught your breath, watch the sunrise over the vast desert and Dead Sea in the distance, and spend the rest of the morning exploring the ancient ruins around you.

6. To Float In The Dead Sea.

It’s true. You really will float. Lounge in the sea until the outrageous salt content burns your skin and then join the other visitors in slathering natural mud all over your bodies. Don’t forget to pick up the sand at the bottom of the sea to exfoliate with. It’s exactly the same as the expensive body scrubs sold in stores!

7. To Visit The Holocaust Museum.

Visit the beautiful museum, cry a little, learn a lot, and listen to the stories of a living survivor.

8. To Roam Around Jerusalem.

This city is as beautiful as it is interesting and the limestone labyrinth that makes up the city will transport you back in time. Wander around the alleyways, pray at the Western Wall, and gaze at the Dome of the Rock.

9. To Shop In The Markets.

Wandering around Jerusalem, you are bound to run into a market lurking around the bend. These colorful and busy markets are a shopper’s paradise. From handmade clothes and tapestries to hookahs and dried fruits, you can find all the treasures of the Middle East to take home with you as a keepsake.

10. To Party.

Finally, don’t forget to experience the epic night clubs! They’re filled with raging house music and people dressed as robots, on stilts, and shooting guns full of smoke. I’m not kidding.