Vacation -that I can afford.

amother

OP ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 4:35 pm

I had a really intense year - lots of work, the war, brothers who are chayalim, a parent who was in the hospital for over 6 months and more.
I needed more than anyhting in the world a good geshmak vacation.
but- cant afford it at all. (please dont give me ideas like- go away for a day)
on one hand I am proud that we are responsible with out finances. and I know that we are doing the right thing.
but on the other hand I am so tired and burned out and I need a week in a hotel- with entertainment for the kids, someone else cooking and just pure rest time.
I feel like I have to make do with the reality of my life but it is so hard for me to accept it.
its so hard now that summer is comming to an end and I know that I have to go back to work without ever going away and relaxing.
I am so sad about it.
anyone else going through this?

amother

Powderblue

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 4:58 pm

We are going away to a cabin about 2 hours from home for 3 days.
I’m going to buy some takeout and a disposable grill for
Hot dogs etc.
it’s not someone serving me etc. but it’s a getaway and we can have some nice wholesome family time.
Likely will cost us $350-400 total (including an activity here or there) it’s money but that’s one night at a nice hotel without the fancy restaurant.
We live in a low key community BH I can imagine it’s harder when everyone else around you is doing more exotic destinations or vacations.
Can you do something that will give u a bit of a respite without needing to go all out?
Hugs.

thesoundofmusic ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 5:12 pm

I also live in a super low key community. most people dont go away. they do house swaps or go to thier inlaws for afew days:)
we do those kind of fun days and cabins and bbqs. I love the family time and the fun of it.
but this year I needed something different- to really be pamplered....

DVOM ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 5:18 pm

I don't know where you live, but state parks in the US rent camping cabins by the week or for 3 or 4 day slots for very cheap. Many parks have beautiful hiking trails, biking and boating rentals, and wide open spaces for kids to run wild. Many are in utterly beautiful locations. Food can be as simple as you want it to be: hot dogs and a can of baked beans on the grill, Betty crocker scrambled eggs and toast or frozen pizza and blintzes...

Luxury hotels and lots of money is not the only way to vacation!

I hope you get the rest and recharge your looking for!

amother

Cinnamon

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 5:44 pm

So hard to feel like the season is coming to an end, and what the season can potentially offer, you weren't able to get. Almost looking back and wishing things could've went down differently...

Is there a way to nurture yourself in another small way? A massage, a night out, a swim session, etc.

Practically speaking for the future, do you have a way you may be able to save up credit card points and use it on a hotel?

↑ DVOM ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 6:06 pm

amother OP wrote:

sounds stunning!
I live in israel:)
the cheepest tzimmers for a family our size go for around 2000 shekels a night.
campings costs around 1000 shekels a night...
but for now the golan is off limits Sad

We just camped in lovely little air-conditioned cabins in a private campground in Eilat for 3 nights, about 1800 nis/ 500$. The campsite was breathtaking, in the Eilat mountains overlooking the water, just 5 min out of town. Snorkeled for hours every day (rent snorkeling gear is about 20 nis/5$ a day, plus we bought some of our own so didn't need to rent much). There's a separate beach, but we had no trouble finding ourselves a quiet corner (towards Jordan) where we could snorkel and swim together. It was hot, but awesome! Breakfast, lunch and dinner was kariot, milkys, and waffles, scrambled eggs, cheesy pasta waffles, smashed cheese sandwiches, waffletoast and butter or PB in a waffle maker, and one night we went out for schnitzel and chips (120nis/35$).

The most expensive thing we did was the underwater observetory/aquarium, which was about 250$ for our family of 7. The tickets are for a week though, so you can come back every day of your trip to catch different feedings and shows. You can skip it though, and just beach- bum all vacation.

Don't give up, OP! Think out of the box, and you can get the break you need!

amother

Chestnut

Mon, Aug 26 2024, 2:47 am

The people that I know in EY are mostly in your shoes and they do house swaps with friends and relatives for anywhere from two nights to a week. They visit people & do barbecues.

Just do anything out of your routine to refresh your brain.

DrMom ↓

Mon, Aug 26 2024, 3:29 am

You need to look for either:

I. A nice property (so you can enjoy it) located somewhere that is unpopular (so it is cheap) because it is either:

(a) too hot in the daytime -- like someplace in the Negev (which might be manageable in the evening)
(b) in the middle of nowhere
(c) someplace borderline dangerous (the North)

You can probably find a combination of (a) and (b) pretty easily. Use a site like Airbnb or Booking.com and use the map function to search.

OR

II. A simple property (so it is cheap) located somewhere with things to do (so you can enjoy trips). Such as:
(a) camping
(b) youth hostels

I think option (I) is more likely to yield results, esp if you are looking for something for the upcoming days.

Busybee5

Mon, Aug 26 2024, 3:52 am

We're away now in the UK. We planned and prepped in advance which is a lot of work but now for 11 days I'm on a complete holiday. We love it! We don't do much at all, besides for keep the kids alive pretty much 😂
We're having a blast. We have a hot tub, came with family so the kids have cousins their ages to play with. We adults are chilling most of the time.
We brought tons of nash, proper food etc. We brought with an air fryer, domo etc. We're eating well with minimum effort.
Bbq's. The holiday house is a mess but the main thing is that we're having a good break with the views. It's serene and calm!

↑ DVOM ↓

Mon, Aug 26 2024, 4:40 am

thesoundofmusic wrote:

sounds amazing
what was the place called? contact number?
did the drive through the arava feel safe?

The campsite is called נאות מדבר אילת. It's gorgeous! Google it, you'll find their website. The owner's name is Miriam.

The drive felt safe. My husband is Israeli and much more... adventurous about security than I am. I trust him, but I do get anxious, so our deal is he doesn't tell me exactly where we are and what our travel routes are. I don't want to know. So I have no idea which route exactly we took to get down there.

amother

↑ OP

Mon, Aug 26 2024, 4:45 am

(c) someplace borderline dangerous (the North

poster here-
I dont think you live here if you are offering us to go to somewhere dangerous..
do you understand the meaning of hundreds of rockets?
thank you but no thank you- that is NOT a serene vacay.
and yes we have many relatives who live up there and its beautiful adn life goes on
but to get stuck with sirens and blasts isnot relaxing....

↑ DrMom

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 8:36 pm

amother OP wrote:

I do live in Israel.

As you may have noticed, I did not advise you to choose this option.

↑ DVOM

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 10:36 pm

DrMom wrote:

I do live in Israel.

As you may have noticed, I did not advise you to choose this option.

Just saying, a few of my Israeli siblings in law went north for vacation this year with their kids and extended families--- Acco, Haifa, northern kinerret beaches...

Not my idea of relaxing, and we declined many invitations to join them, but the impression I get is that if the community isn't evacuated, people are vacationing there. So not such a crazy suggestion.

amother

DarkOrange

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 10:46 pm

amother OP wrote:

I met a family that just pitched a tent for two days on the ashkelon beach for free near an edge of cliff so it was in the shade. They brought a grill and coolers. The cost was free for those who own a tent and a long term cooler. I have a tent you can borrow too. Our cooler broke so we just ordered a new one. I’d do it at Caesarea though so it’s cooler during the day.

salt

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:53 pm

Going away to a hotel, with entertainment for the kids, and someone else cooking, is not in the realm of reality for the majority of Israelis.

Going to a tzimmer/ airbnb, is slightly more doable, but still expensive, as you say, and you are the one who has to entertain the kids and cook - I personally don't find that much of a vacation.

Swapping houses with friends/ relatives/ friends of friends, etc is a great cheap option.

Where do you live?
Do you live somewhere where lots of people go on vacation? That is hard if it's out of the question for you.
In some cities/neighbourhoods the iriya or local Matnass offers day trips for families at very reasonable prices, and that is considered vacation -
eg. organized bus to the beach, cheap tickets to Magicass, tour of Ir David, cheap tickets including organzied bus to Kiftzuba. Can you find out if you have those kinds of options?
Go out for pizza, felafel - cheap eat-outs.

Send kids over to friends, and have them over a different day.
Once or twice get a babysitter, and go somewhere with DH.

It's all a matter of expectations.