It's ironic that some of us who couldn't wait to make aliyah
and realize our dream of living in Israel, dream, once summer
rolls around, of going anywhere else to escape the heat,
congestion and throng of tourists who themselves have dreamed
of leaving wherever they live and coming to Israel. (Others
are quite happy where they are. - Ed.)
It's quite likely that some of us would want to go traveling
on vacation even if we were still living in the Garden of
Eden. Wherever we are, and wherever we want to be, we are
daunted in our vacation plans by unlimited choices and a
limited budget. And so, a few tips to wade through the
lagoons of vacationland.
1. The most economical way to travel is on business, i.e.
they pay you to go where you want to go anyway. I recently
managed to procure an almost free week in London by having a
friend arrange for me to lecture while I'm there and then
offer to accommodate me. I'll be "working" four hours of my
time there and the rest of the time having a spot of
vacation. Any number of businesses lend themselves to this
kind of arrangement, among them: computer consulting, working
as a doctor, taking care of others' children (while they go
on vacation), fundraising, being a camp counselor, teaching
summer school, buying for a company, covering a news story or
guest lecturing. You'd be surprised what they'll pay you for
if you just ask.
2. If working vacations don't appeal to you, you can always
go the house swap, car swap, headache swap route. Find
someone who is ready to exchange neighborhoods with you for
the duration. You're still left with the cost of travel but
everything else is on the house — theirs. If you do
this, you can also avail yourself of local facilities by also
swamping any memberships to health clubs, museums, pools or
the like. You don't have to go abroad to take advantage of
the old switcheroo, even another city provides a change of
scenery or you could exchange a country cabin for a city
apartment.
3. Always shop around for the best prices. A big family may
constitute a group and you can get a group rate or team up
with the neighbors who also don't want to be stuck in the
city.
4. Many cities at home and abroad offer freebies —
attractions that are free at certain times, on certain days,
sometimes all summer. Check with the local travel or tourist
agencies or the municipalities to get a list or ask friends
and neighbors.
5. One doesn't have to travel far to feel like one is on
vacation. Ask your family members what they would like to do
during the summer. There are many places and activities you
don't get to all year right in your hometown. Going to the
local beach or children's museum is just as much fun at home
as away, if the kids don't see it all year long. The best way
to make sure that you do what's on your list is to pencil it
in. Make sure nothing interrupts your family time. Make
yourself as unreachable as if you were really out of town.
Word to the wise, don't try answering a cell phone while
riding a camel.
6. Enroll yourself or your children in a course. If the
course is intensive, you spend several hours a day immersed
in another world.
7. There are many volunteer organizations that can be checked
into (very carefully, of course).
8. Invite some guests for the summer. There's nothing to make
you feel like you're on vacation as when you're playing tour
guide. It's sort of vacationing vicariously, by osmosis, and
seeing the good in your hometown through someone else's eyes.
And again, you're practicing hachnassas orchim.
9. Visit another dimension in time. Time travel is very
popular; that's why history tends to repeat itself. Since
your children learn about the great men and women of Jewish
history during the year, make one day a week a living history
lesson and recreate the world of the Vilna Gaon, the Maharal
from Prague, Don Yossef Abarbanel, etc.
10. A good suggestion (for next year) is to plan summer
vacations a year in advance. Put away a few shekels a day
(faithfully) in a special pushke; gather accessories
and props you need and make a folder of ideas and information
that you might find useful on any real or imagined trips.
Then come next June, you're all set for a great summer!
And when all is said, done and returned to status quo for the
fall, remember, there's no place like home.
