Israel Anniversary Travel Review: Tel Aviv, Old City Tour, Camel Ride, Dead Sea, 6-Day Trip

Our travel company's tour was a great success. It was a part of a 40th anniversary bucket list adventure. Our family group of 4 got to sample the Eastern Mediterranean via cruise ship before our travel adventure, including two stops in Israel. We knew we wanted to spend much more time in Israel. We are a multi-faith family and wanted a customized itinerary since typical itineraries focus on a single religious tradition. We worked with LeeAnn from this travel company to coordinate and make our Israel experience right for us. It worked.

The planning started pre-Covid in 2020 and was postponed twice. LeeAnn made sure we were informed of developments and made whatever adjustments were needed. We knew we were in good hands when, as promised, LeeAnn had arranged for a man to meet us in the jetway to guide us through entry into Israel. He introduced us to our driver for transfer to our hotel. For first time visitors to Israel, that was reassuring.

Our guide/driver was outstanding. We learned so much about each place on the itinerary and he took us to rarely visited sections of traditional sites. We were impressed with his camaraderie with restaurant workers, shopkeepers, people offering camel rides, ticket takers, officials at checkpoints, and other guides. He knew many of them and made friends with the rest. This made for a smooth trip and special access. He helped us make a few needed adjustments to the itinerary, so we accomplished our trip objectives. The camel ride was an unplanned add-on. We had numerous geopolitical discussions and appreciated his non-judgmental, well-informed perspectives.

Our accommodations were wonderful. The staff at the hotel in Tel Aviv was particularly helpful. LeeAnn and our guide/driver worked well together and took care of logistical matters without impacting us or our itinerary.