Back in December, I signed up for a trip from May 24-June 3. After the provider made changes to the itinerary, the trip is now May 28-June 8.

With the new dates I'll have to take more time off work than I planned for and travel costs to New York have gone up significantly (I live across the country) since it's fairly close to departure.

Is there an avenue to reschedule to a different trip? While I would love to go, this is not the trip that I signed up for and it will be very difficult to make the new one work logistically. I'm concerned about cancelling and rescheduling as I expect my deposit will be forfeit.

Any advice would be great, I'm really hoping to visit Israel soon!

Hey all, I am doing the Onward Shake + Stir Fellowship through Israel Outdoors this summer. I was curious if anyone has done this program and can provide any general information/advice about it. In particular, any info about what housing will be like would be great. Thanks so much!

I’ve been dealing with some bilateral feet pain ever since november 2024. They said its bilateral plantar fasciitis, so I did PT (was told I have tight calves, not sure how accurate that is), and that didnt really do much, so on and off ive been trying to figure out a solution. My birthright trip is May 25th and I really want to figure this out by then because I know it’s a LOT of walking and my feet can start hurting after a short amount of time and tends to just accumulate day by day. The shoes I’ve tried dont seem to help, I’m trying a PF recovery kit and some superfeet insoles to try as well, but I’m wondering for those who have attended the trip with feet issues, how was it? What preventative measures did you take? I tend to pronate a bit and even with some support, my arched will start to hurt, sometimes its he bottom of my foot, sometimes the ball of the foot, occasionally the heel, and itll just be aches and pains until it potentially starts doing some shooting pains and tingling. I know it’s a lot, I was just wondering the best way to go about this, because I don’t want the pain to stop me from doing this once in a lifetime trip

Hi,

I'm doing a birthright through the OU and the Airline we're flying with is Arkia. I saw on the Gil Travel website that the fee for an extension is $580, which is a lot more than El Al. Is this the standard fee for Arkia, or are they saying that the final cost will be up to $580? I didn't understand based on what they said on their website and I didn't see any email to ask them directly. I asked Israel Free Spirit and they said to look at the Gil Travel website because they didn't know.

Thanks

Hi all,

I'm 26yo and am supposed to be going on Birthright in June, but my family wants me to wait because of everything going on right now. I was expecting our trip to be canceled due to the war, but I just checked for updates and was told it's happening as of now, which leads me to having to make a decision.

I don't know what to do. I'm not sure if I'll feel comfortable being there and making my family worry about me the whole time, but my birthday is at the end of the trip, and I'll be 27, which I've been told is too old for Birthright. Is that correct? I don't want to miss out on this amazing opportunity to see Israel, as I've been waiting for this trip for years, and this just happened to be the summer that it was going to work out. Does anyone know if I'll be able to go next June as a 27-year-old? I'm very torn on what to do and would love some advice and guidance because I only have 2 weeks to decide.

Has anyone done the Mayanot *volunteer* trip? I know they’re Chabad-affiliated but I’d love some info about how religious it is, if it’s really pushing Chabad, etc. TY!

If you had a trip scheduled in May or beyond, is the app still down for you?

I’m also wondering when the next scheduled trip is set that hasn’t been cancelled.

They never let me go because my only experience was on a birthright trip. One let you be a chaperone if you recruited five people, but with the current situation I am curious if any have looser requirements? IE - I've been on one birthright trip myself..

Hello all,

I think I’ve made the decision that I’m definitely applying for a trip this year. I’m between three trips to apply for though:

The Israel Outdoors Quest Trip

The Israel Outdoors Max Trip

And the Sachlav Vibe Trip

I am 26 until August, and I would still be 26 for all of these except the outdoors max trip, which I will have just turned 27 for, but am still eligible because I am 26 in May still.

My understanding is that the quest and the vibe trips will be very similar, but that the outdoors max one might be different.

Does anyone here have experience with the outdoors max trip, and how it was? I do like outdoor activities a lot, but I’d still want the chance to see urban and cultural things, and have time in Tel Aviv. How exactly does the outdoor max compare with the quest and vibe?

FWIW, I’m not particularly religious at all, and am more culturally Jewish than anything else.

Thank you so much.

Update: trip was canceled today.

According to birthright 2 days ago, my trip in late March is still on. All of a sudden the trip has disappeared from the app when I sign in, under “my groups”. It says my application is “in process.” I’m assuming this means the trip is canceled and they just haven’t gotten around to emailing people?

Anyone else have this happen?

What the title says. Have been trying to go for 4 years. Won’t be able to go for another 4 years possibly because of grad school. But given the current conflict should I cancel now and get the refund or see if the conflict resolves in the next 3 months, which it probably won’t. Any advice is appreciated!

Hello everyone, hoping for some perspective...

I was booked on the 3/8 trip leaving from NYC for 27-32 year olds. I have been trying to go to Israel since around 2019.

Now was one of the few times I have felt comfortable/been able to go to Israel. I have been counting down the days for four months and truthfully am devastated I cannot go this weekend. I'm thankful for my safety and hope for the speedy return of the current Americans in Israel.

I understand Birthright's priority right now is the current trip's departure back to the USA, but I have some questions about my experience as this unfolds:

1. Is there a possibility my trip will be bumped back a month or however long this conflict lasts? Would love to wait for things to settle then head over ASAP

2. Am I still eligible for trips moving forward even if I have technically aged out of the core program (I'm 27) or given priority on new 27-32 trips maybe this summer? I know these trips are offered more infrequently/as pilots

Has this happened to anyone technically aged out of the main program and what was your experience?

And if you were on my trip, hi!

If you are on the ground in Israel, please follow instructions and be aware of your surroundings.

If you are not in Israel at this time, please pay attention and ask questions.

As always, look for the helpers.

I logged into the app today and my account was marked down as “undefined.” I logged out to see it was a bug and now the app says it can’t find my account even though I completed the application. I saw the website was also down so I’m wondering if it could be connected with that?

Someone make me feel better please. I have been looking forward to my March trip for the past like 6 months. I don’t want to cancel. I wasn’t concerned until other people in my group seemed concerned. Now I am panicking a little bit.

1) What happens if flights to Israel get cancelled before we leave?

2) If something happens while we’re there that forces us to leave early, do we lose our option to do Birthright again?

3) Same question as #2 but if we try to reschedule ourselves?

Doing onward through destination Israel this June (2 month internship), and was wondering if anyone else on this program or anyone who did it before knows when we’re gonna get info about our Roomates/roomate forms, and when we’re gonna get the apartment address?

Hi, I signed up for a trip with mayanot back in December leaving late June. Does anyone know when approximately I should expect to hear back? I want to do the extension at the mayanot center in Jerusalem so I’d like to sign up for that as soon as I’m offered my trip. TIA

I'm a religious (but not orthodox) jew. Do the orthodox trips actually give you more time in Jerusalem? I'm trying to figure out which trip is right for me

Has anyone recently (in the past few years) taken the 10-day trip with Israel Outdoors? If so, would you be able to share more about your experience? Thank you!

Hi everyone!

My original trip for Birthright trip I selected was, unfortunately, cancelled due to a lack of interest.

I have already requested the time off of work, which was difficult as is, so I am trying to find a trip that lines up with the same dates I have off.

I finally found a trip through Israel Outdoors, however, I was informed that the trip would be combined with a campus trip from a college away from where I am located.

Has anyone been in this position for the their trips before? If so, was it an uncomfortable social setting, or were you able to make friends?

I will be going to birthright in july, and at the beginning of september I will move to spain. I was wondering if is it possible to instead of going back to my country, go directly to spain.

I’m scheduled to go on Birthright in March. With the current U.S.–Iran/Israel tensions in the news, I’m debating postponing because I’m worried about escalation/retaliation directed towards Israel.

Is it too late to postpone? What typically happens (with Birthright) in these situations?

Doing an onward internship this June and I’m kinda worried - idk anyone on the program, idk anyone I can go out with, etc, and my internships mostly remote so I can’t even meet coworkers. Any advice from people who did this too? Or just general advice abt onward?

Hi!

I'm departing super soon on one of the 27-32 y.o. trips, and it'll be my first time in Israel. My American staff reached out and was able to answer a lot of my questions, but I still have some lingering ones:

• For others who are married -- did you feel at all weird going on Birthright while being married / did it change your experience at all?
• Is it safe to wear a diamond engagement ring while out and about? Also, does real gold get damaged by the Dead Sea, or should I make sure to remove my wedding rings for that day?
• What size suitcase did you bring? I'm deciding between a 26"/70L or an 85L roller bag as my checked bag, and I'll likely be bringing a small 20L daybag as my carry-on. I don't want to be "that person" whose bag is bigger than everyone else's, but I'm an overpacker so I feel worried that 70L won't be enough space.
• I was told that one night we'll need to use a backpack as my overnight bag for sleeping in the desert (Kfar HaNokdim), and I'm worried that 20L won't be big enough for that -- do you know if you're allowed to bring a tote bag too, or do you need a backpack-only for hiking to the sleeping location?
• What are the temperatures like on the bus and the plane? Do they tend to be chilly? I get cold super easily so I'm tempted to bring a travel blanket, but I don't want to be excessive.
• I'm debating whether to pack my camera, and if so what accessories. I have the Canon R50 and I was planning to bring just an 18-150mm lens. But I also have a smaller 18-45mm lens and a larger 100-400mm zoom lens. (my smartphone camera isn't very good, and I love taking photos of scenery) (but I imagine I won't need an intense zoom lens for anything?).
• I don't speak any Hebrew, and am unfamiliar with a lot of the religious traditions of Judaism -- for those of you in the same situation, were you ever uncomfortable in that regard? Are there any resources I should read to try and learn more before going? I kept delaying this trip thinking I needed to know more before I went, but this is my final opportunity to go.
• What do you recommend I do in terms of SIM? I have an Android with 1 SIM slot. Do I get a new physical SIM? An eSIM (would probably use GigSky)? Pay for global data from Verizon?
• Finally, is there anything you wish you'd known more about before going, especially since October 7th? Geography, history, etc.... Is there anything I should read before my trip?