Routes - Family Tours

Routes Travel is renowned for our "boutique" family tours. We will work closely with you and your family to design a personalized trip that will provide the best experience for all ages!

Take full advantage of the range of our services when we customize your family trip itinerary. We recommend a variety of hotel options, high quality guides/educators, and exciting new tours and activities so that you can choose the options that match your family's needs. Let our years of experience and expertise make your upcoming family trip to Israel a Journey that will last a lifetime.

...Let our family show your family all that Israel has to offer

"Dear Friends,

We are home and settling back into everyday life after an incredible experience in Israel. Thank you so very much for all your efforts - we really appreciate all that you did and the efforts that went above and beyond the "call of duty." We are so grateful that our Routes coordinator was available to us 24/7!! We felt we were in extremely capable hands and knew we could count on you should any issues arise. All the arrangements and reservations you made went smoothly - transfers,reservations, guides, and especially the arrangements for the ceremony to renew our vows - we enjoyed the venue, the rabbi, and the photographer. And how wonderful to have our album prepared and delivered before we left!!!The guidance across the border between Israel and Jordan was wonderful and we felt confident through the process.All the hotels and meals were impeccable and tasteful.

The mix of guided and self-guided touring was perfect - and VERY ambitious!!

I have already forwarded your contact information on to our friends and family

Best wishes,

Rona and Eddie

October 2009 Montreal Canada

New York Times - In Israel, History With a Whiff of Adventure

1.

Contact information

Name of family/ Group

Email

Principal Contact Person

Office/ Home Tel

Cell

2.

Beginning of tour

Date of arrival

Estimated time of arrival

Air Carrier

Flight no.

3.

End of tour

Date of departure

Estimated time of departure

Departure Air Carrier

Departure Flight no.

4.

No. of participants in group

5.

Age range of participants

6.

What is the preferable rooming arrangement?
(Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)

Two adult participants per room

Three adult participants per room

Family rooming plan (usually involves 1-2 rooms of 3-4 beds being shared by parents and children)

7.

Are most of the group members
individuals who have been to Israel
before, or mostly first-timers?

8.

Is there a main theme and/or objective for
the tour?

9.

Is there a specific price target or
budget within which the tour should
be planned?

10.

What is the requested level of accommodation?
(Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)

Five Star Deluxe

moderate Five Star

four Star or Kibbuts Hotel Lodging

Three Star or Kibbuts Country Lodging

11.

For families with children, please indicate how many hotel rooms you would like.
Please note: family rooms in Israel are usually slightly larger than the regular double
room and normally include one pull-out sofa-bed in addition to the regular double or twin
bed.

1 Family Room

(Depending on hotel, can accommodate up to 2 adults and 2 children)

2 Rooms

Please advise number of adults/children in each room:

3 Rooms

Please advise number of adults/children in each room:

Other

Please advise number of adults/children in each room:

12.

For groups of 7 or less, what are the preferred arrangement for guide and
transportation? (For larger groups, minibus or full size bus can be provided)
(Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)

private car with guide as driver

Self driven rental car with the guide as a passenger

13.

What are the preferred arrangement with regards to meals (lunch and dinner)?
Please note: Israeli Buffet Breakfast is normally included with accommodation in Israel.
(Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)

Please do not make any arrangements with regards to meals. We will book and pay for all our lunches and dinners ourselves

please include a number of recommended restaurants or culinary experiences

Please include all meals in our program

14.

Which of the following types of sites and activities should be of interest?
(Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)

Art	Folklore/Minorities (Please select Muslim/Christian/Druze/Bahai)
Archaeology	Historical Sites
Nature and Outdoors	Jewish Heritage Sites
Museums	Sites of Religious Importance

15.

Are there any specific additional
sites or experienceswhice are of
any interest? Are there sites
which should not be included?

16.

With respect to how physically challenging the program can be, which of the following is
most applicable?
(Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)

Tour should be almost entirely by car, with short walks between the car and sites

Tour can include reasonable mix between car transportation and walking tours within cities and sites

In addition to the above, tour can include some short (about 1-1/2 hour) hikes at Nature Reserves

Tour can include some moderately challenging physical activities, such as: (Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)
Moderate Walks	Hikes
Rock Climbing/Rappeling/Zip Line	Camel Rides
Swimming	Cycling
Rafting/canoeing/Water Sports	Other (Please specify)

17.

Please characterize the preferred pace of schedule:
(Please select by clicking the appropriate checkbox)

Leisurely - with some carefully chosen sites, but with plenty of free time each day to rest, shop, and walk around on your own

Relatively full but not exhausting with sufficient time for rest, beach, and relaxation

Full and varied - minimal free time, but perhaps with one free day, or two free half-days

Packed from morning to night in order to cover as much as possible

18.

Is there anything else we
should know?

Read below for a sample 10-day itinerary of a private family tour:

	Day 1: Arrive in Israel Greeting at airport Transfer to Tel Aviv Visit the Nahalat Binyamin craft market Walking tour of the Old City of Jaffa and Neve Tzedek artist colony Visit Rabin Square Overnight: Tel Aviv Hotel
	Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel Visit Independence Hall Time for shopping and swim/relaxing on the Mediterranean beach Drive north along the Mediterranean coast Tour the ancient Caesarea amphitheater Travel to a Druze village in the Carmel Mountains for a unique hospitality experience Walk along the Promenade and Dinner in Haifa Overnight: Haifa Hotel
	Day 3: Breakfast at the hotel Visit the beautiful Bahai Temple and Gardens in Haifa Tour Acre (Akko) and explore the newly renovated underground crusader city, the famous British prison and the Ottoman fortifications around the city Lunch at Uri Burri, the renowned fish restaurant on the ancient port Visit Rosh Hanikra and ascend by cable car to see the white chalk cliffs and a spectacular view of Haifa and the coastline Continue north to the Golan Heights Overnight: Tiberias Hotel
	Day 4: Breakfast at the hotel Tour Tzfat: the city of Kabbalah and Mysticism Visit Tzfat's artist colony Kayak down the Jordan river View of the Sea of Galilee from Mt. Arbel Family sunset boat ride on the Sea of Galilee Dinner in Tiberias Overnight: Tiberias Hotel
	Day 5: Breakfast at the hotel Lookout over the Golan Heights and Overview Jeep ride on the Golan Heights Wine Tasting at the Golan Heights Winery Hike to the Banias waterfalls Visit Mt. Bental look-out point over Syria Relax at the hot springs of Hamat Gader Overnight: Tiberias Hotel
	Day 6: Breakfast at the hotel Drive south to Jerusalem Overview of Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade Walking tour and Lunch in the Jewish Quarter Free time for shopping in the Cardo Kotel Tunnel Tour Visit to Southern Wall excavation Dinner on Ben Yehuda Promenade in Jerusalem Overnight: Jerusalem Hotel
	Day 7: Breakfast at the hotel Visit to Yad Vashem Hike to Sataff's ancient cisterns and springs Experience Mahane Yehuda "the shuk" as Jerusalem prepares for Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Kotel Festive Shabbat dinner at hotel Overnight: Jerusalem Hotel
	Day 8: Relaxing Shabbat in Jerusalem Shabbat lunch at hotel Optional walking tour of Jerusalem neighborhoods Dinner in Jerusalem's upscale German Colony Overnight: Jerusalem Hotel
	Day 9: Breakfast at the hotel Visit Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery Tree planting in the Jerusalem foothills Archeological dig at Beit Guvrin Drive towards the Dead Sea Relaxation time at the Dead Sea Dinner at the hotel Overnight: Dead Sea Hotel
	Day 10: Breakfast at the hotel Early morning ascent to Massada via the Snake Path Camel Rides in Desert Hike to the natural desert springs of Ein Gedi Depart to the Ben Gurion International Airport and leave Israel
	Shalom U'Lehitraot !

A Rough Idea of Costs for Your Family Tour

There is a very wide range of prices which can apply to a tour, depending especially on the number of people in the group, the season in which the tour takes place, the level of hotel accommodation, the number of touring days as well as the range and type of activities which are included. We provide here a very rough estimate of possible costs so that you can get a sense of the type of expense involved, but please note that actual pricing for a specific group could be significantly higher or lower than these examples.

The following chart illustrates possible costs for a variety of accommodation levels and group sizes. All prices are per person per day in USD and are based on double occupancy (except the costs for one person which are based on single occupancy). All prices include Israeli Buffet Breakfast, a professional full time guide, private transportation, the expenses of the guide and a budget for entrances to sites. Not included in these estimates are lunch, dinner, extras, supplements for Single room and gratuities. All estimates assume regular rooms in the hotels but do not include supplements for high seasons (or discounts for low seasons). Supplements would of course apply for any deluxe or upgraded rooms and suites requested.

The costs below also include a Tour Planning Fee which applies to a customized tour, and which covers the costs of the extra dedicated staff time and administrative expenses involved in such specialized travel.

Prices per Person for Different Group Sizes and Different Hotel Levels
# of People >	30	15	10	6	4	2	SGL Supp
Level of Hotel V	30	15	10	6	4	2	SGL Supp
Kibbutz	150	185	235	255	325	510	45
4 Star	165	210	260	280	350	550	70
Moderate 5 Star	215	260	315	335	415	630	115
5 Star Deluxe	250	295	355	375	460	690	145

There are discounts available for a child (and in some hotels for 2 children) staying in the same room as the parents.

Payment Arrangements

Once the Tour Request Form is received, you will be contacted by your personal Routes Travel tour operator. Your tour operator will guide you through the trip planning process and provide you with necessary time tables and payment guidelines. Once you are comfortable with the guidelines involved, the Routes Travel team is ready to begin investing the time and effort which go into the development of a personalized itinerary. At that time we require a tour registration fee . The deposit is non-refundable, but it is fully applicable to the total cost of the tour.

Family Tours

...Let our family show your family all that Israel has to offer

Shalom U'Lehitraot !