If you’ve never been to Israel, you are in for a treat. Walking around in a land steeped in culture and drenched in the bright Middle Eastern sun, will give you memories for a lifetime. There is so much to do and see, that as soon as you leave, you’ll want to plan your next trip. Best of all, this country is very kid-centered so wherever you go, there will be tons for your children to do.

Travel Prep

A common problem many people face when traveling to the Middle East from the US, is jet lag. Families will small children may find that getting over jet lag can take up to a week! Don’t get stuck sleeping through your trip. Try these jet-lag busting ideas instead:

• Night flight. Taking a flight overnight is conducive to sleeping. When the lights are dimmed and the tablets are put away, kids can actually get comfortable so they can sleep.
• Natural supplements. Keeping your family awake can only work if you are awake. Find a plant-based product which will give you the boost you need to enjoy your vacation. Take a look at analyze that for honest reviews about which jet lag supplements are safe and effective.
• Expose yourselves to sunlight during the day to help your body acclimate and reset it’s circadian rhythm.

5 Fantastic Places To Visit In Israel

1.   Old City, Jerusalem

Entering the Old City in Jerusalem and stepping on the ancient stones is an experience which cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. It is a one-kilometer area surrounded by stone walls which can be entered through any one of 7 different gates.

Old City, Jerusalem

The Old City is divided into four quarters: The Christian Quarter, The Jewish Quarter, The Muslim Quarter and The Armenian Quarter.

The Christian Quarter

The most famous holy site is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection. There are about 40 holy sites located here, including the Franciscan monastery, the Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox and the Latin Patriarchate.

You will also find museums, hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants and tons of tourists.

The Jewish Quarter

Winding stones paths snake in between tightly packed homes of the Ultra-Orthodox. Many Jewish schools are also in the area so you will see many children to and from their way to learn. This quarter leads into the wide expanse Western Wall Plaza. People of all religions come to pray and to stuff little notes of prayer into the venerable stones of the Western Wall.

The Muslim Quarter

Test your bartering skills in the famous shuk, or marketplace, in the Muslim Quarter. Vendors are packed into this area selling everything you could ever hope to buy. Even if you don’t purchase anything, your kids will be spellbound by the sights and sounds.

The most famous Muslim holy site is the Dome of the Rock which can only be entered by Muslims. However, tourists are able to tour the area around it as well as the Al-Aqsa Mosque nearby.

The Armenian Quarter

This is the smallest quarter and is home to ancient community of Armenians who have lived there for over 2,000 years.

2.   Dolphin Reef, Eilat

Located in the southern tip of Israel, Eilat is a true oasis in the desert. It’s also a fun family destination. Choose from a plethora of hotels to stay in, many with spectacular swimming pools as well as kids clubs for when you need some adult time.

There are so many touristy things to do here, but the most special is the Dolphin Reef. Plan to spend an entire day relaxing on the beach, hanging out with dolphins and getting a bite to eat. The water is clear and beautiful which makes snorkeling an obvious activity. You can also go scuba diving and swim with dolphins.

Dolphin Reef, Eilat

If your kids are too little to do either of those activities, there are floating docks to sit on. Many people dangle their feet into the water and wait for dolphins to swim by and touch their legs. The best part about this place is that the dolphins are not trained to perform and can freely swim wherever they like. Watching them swim happily in their natural environment is truly relaxing. Adults and kids of all ages get lost in the natural magic of this wonderful reef.

3.   Sea of Galilee

Located in northern Israel, the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake. Israelis love to camp alongside it and go swimming in this freshwater lake. There is a ton to do if you are a tourist in this area. Take a boat ride, rent bicycles or go on a water hike. Float lazily down the Jordan River in a kayak or canoe. Go to the hot springs. Check out amusement parks with daring water slides.

Sea of Galilee

Or travel around to different Kibbutzim where you can make chocolate, build and paint wooden toys and go on a ride through a banana grove.  

4.   Masada and The Dead Sea

Climb up Masada or take a cable car up to the top of this fortress. The views of the Dead Sea and the surrounding area are worth it!

The Dead Sea is therapeutic and relaxing. Slather yourself in mud and be amazed at how you really don’t sink in the heavily concentrated water. Younger kids may appreciate playing in mud, but beware that they won’t be able to spend too much time in the super salty water.

You may want to try a family friendly water hike nearby in Ein Gedi, full of small waterfalls and refreshing pools.

5.   Tel Aviv Port

The city of Tel Aviv has a pulse and beat to it like no other. Vibrant, busy streets full of tall buildings, delicious restaurants and fashion-forward clothing designers give way to the glorious Mediterranean beaches.

Tel Aviv

Walk or scoot along the Tel Aviv Port, and hop on a merry-go-round, get some ice cream, play in the sand, listen to a street musician or get sprayed by the sea. There are also shallow areas of water which are perfect for kids. If you want to escape the sun for the hottest hours of the day, duck inside any number of restaurants or indoor play areas for children.

Our Ultimate Travel Advice

Experience the sights and sounds of a region which is packed with culture. Kids are welcome to act as kids and there is no shortage of child-based activities to choose from no matter which part of the country you are in.

Traveling is stressful for everyone. Whether you’re riding solo or with your family, there are many factors to think about that can help you simplify your journey. Plan out your trip as much as possible beforehand – routes, stops, travel activities, and snacks – definitely don’t forget the snacks.

Healthy Travel Snacks for the Whole Family

If you’re looking for some snacks for your family, check out Clearspring they have a variety of healthy snacks for you to choose from. It’s easy to default to fast food restaurants and gas station goodies, but you can keep yourself and your family healthy by packing your own snacks. You’ll also save money and time making extra stops. Determine which snacks are best for your trip, then make a plan to stock up and pack up ahead of time so you have one less thing to worry about. Read on for great healthy travel snack ideas that are easy to pack and good for the whole family.

Proteins

Carbs are the last thing you need to fill up on while your travel. They weigh you down and can cause a severe energy crash. Fill up on proteins like string cheese, yogurt or hard-boiled eggs. For those of you flying, pack some roasted chickpeas, energy bars or cheese crackers. If you’re eyeing a bag of jerky at the airport book store, grab one – guilt free – because the protein will give you energy and fill you up.

For those of you with a sweet tooth, pack some mini graham crackers, dark chocolate or organic fruit snacks – all airplane friendly.

Fruits and Veggies

This is tricky because many fruits and veggies go bad quickly, so you’ll have to pick and choose, based on your trip and its length. Fruits and veggies are great for road trips, beach trips and really any trip that doesn’t involve air travel. Choose options that aren’t messy, like dried fruit, snap peas, baby carrots, squeezable applesauce or clementines. There are loads of other options like celery, apples and broccoli florets – the list goes on.

Spice it up a bit, and buy little cups of ranch, hummus or guacamole at the grocery store for dipping. You can even divvy dips up at home using small Tupperware. Make sure you store your fruits and veggies accordingly. For those that spoil easily, pack them into an ice chest or insulated lunch kit. No one likes spoiled fruits and veggies.

Not a fan of any of the above? Pack healthy smoothies loaded with fruits and veggies so you’re not eating them raw. You can also make individual salads in a jar with your favorite toppings and dressing. Make sure you put the dressing in first, at the bottom of the jar, so it doesn’t make your lettuce and toppings soggy or mushy. Once you’re ready to eat, pass them around the car, shake them up and enjoy. These make great mid-day snacks to keep your energy up.

For a refreshing snack to take with you during warmer months, pack some frozen grapes to satisfy any sweet tooth. They’re easy to eat in the car and will also help to quench your thirst.

Drinks

Don’t forget to stay hydrated during your travels, especially if you’re flying. High altitudes are more likely to cause headaches and dehydrate you. You can never have enough H2O, so while it may seem boring, it’s the best thing you can put into your body.

For long car trips, insulated water bottles will keep water colder longer. Don’t worry about increasing bathroom stops because the benefits of staying hydrated strongly outweigh the inconvenience of stopping. Water flushes out toxins, promotes healthy blood circulation and much more. If you want to shake it up a bit, all natural coconut juice is a good option, and you can give the kids low sugar juice boxes.

Cereal

High-fiber, low-sugar dry cereal is a great portable snack for kids. It isn’t messy, it has nutrients and will fill up your little one’s tummies. Take it to the next level, and make snacks fun by making O-cereal necklaces. Kids can wear them around their neck and munch when they want to.

It’s easy to also make a delicious trail mix out of dry cereal. Throw in some yogurt covered raisins and your nut of choice, then store. Trail mix is also great because the entire family can enjoy it, there are hundreds of variations and it’s easy to store.

Hummus

Not only is hummus loaded with vitamin B6, iron and folate, but it’s also very versatile. It makes a great dip for raw veggies and an excellent spread for sandwiches. Incorporate it into a fun snack idea like a pita pocket. Stuff small pitas with hummus and your choice of raw veggie. Try sliced cucumbers, carrots or tomatoes – maybe even add some black olives for taste.

There are so many ways you can fill your pita pocket, which makes this is simple and easy treat for almost anyone. Take the extra step towards a more healthy option, and go with whole wheat pita. Store these in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag so they stay fresh.

Healthy Travel Snacks for the Whole Family

Traveling doesn’t have to be a daunting task, especially when it comes to snacks that are healthy, energizing and tasty – even for the kids. With a little planning and experimentation, you can find great portable snacks your entire family can enjoy, whether in the car for long periods of time, on a beach trip or up in the air.

Use the tips above to get your creative juices flowing, and make your next trip full of fun and exciting healthy snacks for the whole family.

Kacey Bradley is the lifestyle and travel blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she frequently writes for sites like US Travel News, Thought Catalog, Porch, Tripping.com and more!

Follow Kacey on Twitter and subscribe to her blog to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!

Did you ever wonder why traveling with your family is advisable and can be beneficial for you and your family? Like most parents, these days we are all saddled up with the day to day living and working to make a better future for our children. Most of the time we and our children run on day to day tight schedules from work to home, and for our children from school to home which is the norm in this day and age. We grown-ups get stressed out and feel that we need a break from time to time to keep us going to recharge and refresh our energy for the day to day living. Most often than not we tend to forget that our children get stressed too with school and other activities they get into. The whole family needs a break!

Benefits of Family Vacations

Children these days tend to do something unfavorable not knowing they are already stressed out to alleviate the way they feel. We as parents don’t even notice this until it’s too late or we hear things because we’re too busy with our schedules. Then we realize and normally ask ourselves, “ Do we know who are children are or do we even know why they like what they like or dislike?”. It pays to know and understand them beyond the usual likes and dislikes, we need the bonding as a family unit to keep it strong.  One of the best ways to understand and learn more about each other within the family is traveling.

Science has proven that one of the best gifts that can be beneficial to us and our children is having a family vacation. It need not be an expensive one but you can opt for other means of doing this, there are a lot of options to choose from such as going on road trips, visiting other states or travel to other countries to experience other cultures. Here are some benefits of traveling with your family and why you should take one every year.

Plan – try to involve your kids when planning your vacation, experiencing the process of planning makes it more fun. It gives your children a chance to voice their choices and learn to work within your budget. They will realize the value and appreciate it more knowing what’s going on if vacation involves. What they need to prepare for the trip and what to expect from it. Especially when you intend to do this at least once a year,  they will have something to look forward to and encourage them to explore other possibilities that the whole family can do every year.

Budget – because you have encouraged them to get involved in planning for your annual or bi-annual vacation you encourage them to get involved in creating the budget that you need such as saving up together for the vacation and sacrificing on money intended for a toy to put it in the travel fund that all of you have planned together.

Journey – the journey to the destination of your choice could be quite an experience for them. Traveling makes them see new things and the activities you get engaged in can be a very good experience for them. Accumulating memories is good for your children’s brain development as well as their well-being.

Venue – maximize exploring and experience what your vacation can offer. Be flexible with the activities of your choice and enjoy the moment whether you do it with your children or they get to do it with other children to enhance their interaction with other children, this helps them learn to socialize well and learn new cultures. Let them experience new food and beverages, this helps educate them on different cultures and makes them a well-rounded individual.

Adventure – participate in most of the activities that you have planned for your children.

This is a good way to create the bonding and strengthen family relationships. Getting to know your children, how their mind works and understanding why they like and dislike something. Understanding their opinion, talking and sharing it with them makes them open more to you about things that are going on around their world. This helps in creating a healthy and more open relationship with your children. Try and experience new adventures that help to enhance your children’s motor skills, social awareness, and language. It will also help you gain and be perceptive about yourself as well as your children.

Stress-Free – taking a holiday with your family helps de-stress everyone, you all get a chance to forget work, school and other factors that have stressed you out and help you relax and energize yourselves.

Memories – the most important factor in every holiday or vacation we have planned with our family is to create memories, this is something that money can’t buy but stays with you and your children for a lifetime.  Children will always remember the beautiful things that you did in every vacation or holiday spent with the family. They will always cherish the happy memories the way you do and to carry it with them throughout their lives.

Planning a trip these days is not so difficult to do, there are a lot of packages that cater to each family’s needs. One way of starting is to check out resorts that offer a family-friendly resort, they mostly cater to each family’s needs. Budget wise, this can be quite helpful for you. You get to pay for this vacation in advance and experience all the amenities, activities that are included in the package that you have chosen including food and beverage for all ages from your children and for you and your spouse. You don’t have to worry about monitoring your budget on vacation because this is prepaid but concentrate on creating, experiencing and collecting beautiful memories. Best advice is to let your family take advantage of all the inclusions that is part of the all-inclusive package since this is planned ahead of time. I am sure that everything that you have seen in this package would tailor fit the kind of activities you and your children are looking for in your holiday.

Telling friends and family you want to travel to the likes of Honduras might raise a few eyebrows.

“Why would you want to go to Central America? Would you bring the kids, too?”

There are of course going to be inherent security concerns for any international trip but as long as you do your homework and stick to the right spots, you’ll be fine.

Listen: you shouldn’t let anyone talk you out of your next awesome family vacation.

Maybe you’re just looking for something off the beat and path. Perhaps you’ve been sending remittance payments to Honduras and want to introduce your kiddos to your family’s homeland. Either way, you totally shouldn’t count out a Central America trip as part of your travel plans.

Despite popular belief, there are tons of family friendly spots in Honduras which attract tons of tourists every year. We’ve provided a glimpse of some of the absolute best cities to bring your kids on vacation. Whether you’re just looking to relax, enjoy nature or take some epic family hikes, Honduras has you covered.

Copan

Although Copan itself is relatively small, this famed site boasting a myriad of Mayan ruins represents the main attraction of the country at large. There’s no shortage of sculptures to see and hikes to take along the way, but make a point to…

Copan, Hondurasa

• See the Copan Ruins, including sculptures and wall carvings at the site’s epic amphitheater
• Visit the Macaw Mountain Bird Park, where kids can get up close and personal with toucans and other exotic birds
• Marvel at the Hieroglyphic Stairway, perhaps the ultimate sight to behold within the ruins

Roatan

If you’re looking for a classic island experience, look no further. Another tourist hotspot, Roatan is the perfect place for beach-going families and those who aren’t afraid to get into the water. In addition to watersports and the island’s numerous gardens, here are some other ways you and your kids can turn your trip to Roatan into a true adventure:

Roatan, Hondurasa

• Go on a ziplining adventure, perfect for beginners and nature lovers as many courses on the island allow you to spot wild monkeys
• Hit up West Bay Beach, great for snorkeling or just walking on the white sugar sands
• Experience Gumbalimba Park, a must-see for animal lovers, this spot boasts sloths, parrots and monkeys to name a few

La Cieba

This port city promotes itself as the tourism capital of Honduras. La Cieba’s natural parks, wildlife refuges and beautiful beaches speak for themselves, with any of the following activities representing great ways to spend your time while you’re in town:

• Marvel at the Rio Cangrejal, the shore of which represents some of the best hiking in Honduras
• Snorkeling at Cayos Cochinos, boasting crystal clear waters which are perfect for dolphin-watching
• Take a ferry ride, a great way to unwind with your kiddos and see the water at a relaxed pace

While you have every right to be concerned about safety, bear in mind that tons of tourists visit Honduras with their kids. If you have your heart set on Honduran adventure, simply look into any of the above spots which are family friendly and a total blast to see firsthand.