Tours of Israel for Seniors
- Trips to ancient ruins are featured on senior tours of Israel.Massada, Israel image by JoergK from Fotolia.com
Senior citizens have their choice of tour options to Israel, and many of the tours are ecumenical. No matter what the tourist's religious orientation, there are visits available to Christian, Jewish and Islamic sites. Seniors need to be in good health for these tours, as they need to be able to walk several miles a day over uneven steps and hilly terrain. - Exploritas is the new name for Elderhostel, an organization that caters to senior travelers. Exploritas offers Journey of a Lifetime: Israel, Jordan and Egypt. The 16-night tour begins in Tel Aviv with visits to Mount Zion and Jewish and Muslim sites. Next the tour heads to Caesarea to visit old Roman ruins and then to Tiberias to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. The tour then spends three days in Jordan, including a visit to Petra, an ancient city, and lunch on the Dead Sea. The next three days are spent on a Nile River study cruise where you can visit the temples of Karnak and Luxor. The cruise ends in Luxor, and participants then fly to Cairo for a quick tour before departing for home.
Elderhostel, Inc.
11 Avenue de Lafayette
Boston MA 02111
800-454-5768
htelderhostel.org/ - Overseas Adventure Travel is an arm of Grand Circle Travel, which was founded by the same people who founded the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). It offers a 16-day tour of Israel that begins and ends in Tel Aviv. This vacation features many walking tours of sites such as Old Jaffa and Old Jerusalem and is very ecumenical in its outlook as it includes a visit to a kibbutz, lunch at a Druze family's home, dinner at the home of an Orthodox Jew, and a visit to a bedouin village. Other highlights include a sail on the Sea of Galilee, a Jeep ride through the Judean Desert, a visit to Massada and a visit to the River Jordan, where Christians can choose to be (re)baptized in the water.
Overseas Adventure Travel
One Mifflin Place Suite 400
Cambridge, MA 02138
800-221-0814
oattravel.com/gcc/general/default.aspx?oid=261492&linklocation=search - Gil Tours Travel is affiliated with the organization Canadian American Active Retirees in Israel. It offers seven tours of Israel, and tourists can choose whether they want to go on a tour that focuses on nondenominational, Christian or Jewish heritage. For example, its Classic Israel Tour is an 11-day nondenominational tour that starts in Tel Aviv and ends in Jerusalem. In between are visits to famous Israeli sites such as Caesarea, Haifa, Golan Heights, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. A day trip travels from Jerusalem to Massada and the Dead Sea.
Gil Tours Travel, Inc.
1511 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-568-6655
giltravel.com/caari-retirees-israel.html#
