Flying to Israel
 

Any gouge on flying out to Israel?

I'm planning to take the family out for a week and curious if anyone has done a trip out there?

V/r.

Just got back from an eight day tour of Israel....outstanding!!! UAL has two flights a day from EWR to Tel Aviv, both 777s, and SFO has one on the 787. Haven't looked at the loads out of SFO but we were thinking about flying non rev out of EWR. The flights are always very full and the "high" season is coming up. We bought tickets in econ plus both ways. Glad we did. The couple we were traveling with (also a UAL pilot) planned on non revving both ways but had to buy tickets in coach at the last minute to get over but they got the last seats by the lav in the back for the return trip. PM me if you want more info.

Greg Mason

I went to Israel in November, El Al out from EWR and UA back to SFO. If you take El Al, you'll love the service, but if you're traveling by yourself, expect to get grilled by the security personnel. I was questioned for 10 minutes about why I was traveling alone, where I was staying, why I was in uniform, etc.

If you rent a car in Israel, make sure you get the collision damage waiver. Half the cars over there have scrapes from the narrow streets and tight parking.

Tel Aviv was okay, but much like any other international city. Old city Jerusalem was amazing. You need at least a full day and preferably two days to check it out. Yad Vashem was well worth seeing too. My wife saw a bunch of other stuff with a tour group after I left, and it sounded like Masada was the highlight.

Have fun - it's one of my favorite international destinations.

I went last year at the end of May/start of June with my family via United out of EWR. We returned 8 days later via United to SFO. Here are my thoughts:

1. Traveling up until late May is good. The day of the week you travel is key. If we had come back a day earlier, we'd have gotten Polaris to EWR, same if we departed a day earlier.
2. If you have Ritz Visa or another card with primary rental insurance, you can get a letter from them before you go to waive the Israeli insurance. It is very expensive. Take pictures of the car at return. Do a search on the old forum for horror stories.
3. During our time we visited Old city Jerusalem, Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Dead Sea and Petra. I would recommend all.
4. El Al has a $75 ticket from Tel Aviv to Athens. Our plan was to stop on the way home for 2 days because the flights from Athens to Newark were wide open at the time. However, one of my sons got food poisoning at the Marriott in Petra and we had to stay 2 extra days there.

Awesome trip, would do it again. However, I hear it has gotten heated with the relocation of the U.S. embassy, so definitely check the state department and CIA websites for the latest advisories if you are headed to the Old City.