A few hours after this post drops, my plane will land in Tel Aviv, Israel! For those wondering, it is a 4.5-hour flight (moving through 3 time zones) to go from Phoenix AZ to Newark NJ, where (after a 3-hour+ layover), my 11-hour non-stop flight to Tel Aviv traverses 7 additional time zones! All told, I’ll be in the air or in airports for about 20 hours and there is currently a 10-hour time difference between Phoenix AZ (my home) and Israel. Forget the math…just take my word for it when I tell you it is common to wake up at 2am the first night! Those of us able to roll over and go back to sleep until an appropriate hour are far ahead in the jetlag game!
Regardless of time, the first sight of Israeli soil is spectacular as our approach takes us right over the beautiful Mediterranean beaches of Tel Aviv. My flight arrives in daylight, thus I get the full view! Those on the left side of the plane see the view pictured here, while those on the right side may actually see as far as the Gaza Strip on a clear day. (Beaches all up and down this coast are amazingly beautiful…even in the area of Gaza.)
Wheels touch down at the iconic Ben Gurion Airport, often to applause, particularly if the plane is filled with anxious tourists concluding a very long flight in anticipation of exciting days ahead! To be there ahead of the group in order to meet them at the airport, I’m alone on the incoming flight, so less fanfare.
The airport is nice, clean, modern, and welcoming. Thankfully, getting through customs and passport control has grown much more efficient since my early trips here. But one thing is clear when you arrive in Israel: they understand airport security and you don’t want to joke around with security personnel! All business and very pointed…that’s the Israeli way!
The Grand Beach Hotel in Tel Aviv (pictured above) will be “home” for a few days. After getting to the hotel and checking in, my first order of business is to check in and get outside for some sunlight to help re-acclimate my body’s timeclock. Of course, I will greet Israeli friends, as well as get to know early-arriving tour guests checking in a day early as well. There are 3 different countries and several US states represented on this tour, so arrival times are all over the board. The largest group arrives tomorrow morning.
Today (October 16) is prep day but stay tuned. The real fun begins as guests arrive tomorrow! Updates will appear here daily, so stick with us as we go!
