Can’t afford pilot trip

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Israel related Inquiries & Aliyah Questions

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amother

OP ↓

Tue, Aug 13 2024, 10:33 pm

How do we do it? I want to check out communities but no way do we have 7k dollars for tickets (forget about money to stay somewhere and travel) and we can’t leave the kids because we have no one to watch them for that long

amother

Goldenrod

Tue, Aug 13 2024, 10:52 pm

Yeah. Sometimes I think about this. If I can’t afford to take my family for a trip, then I can’t afford to make Aliyah. (For example, I wouldn’t be able to come back for family simchas or visit relatives as they age). I’m pretty firm on this.

amother

Winterberry ↓

Tue, Aug 13 2024, 11:12 pm

Not the right time to do it now. Come to peace with it. If Hashem wills it, He will give you the funds for it.
Hugs, it's disappointing.

amother

Whitewash

Tue, Aug 13 2024, 11:55 pm

A little out of the box, but can only one of you do the pilot trip?

Reality ↓

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 12:25 am

We were planning a pilot trip but because of covid couldn't. We have had a very successful aliyah, BH.

Do you have any family who already lives in Israel who can give you accurate advice?

I was very active in Aliyah groups and chats and made a lot of phone calls to strangers to get the help I needed. It wasn't fun but I got information.

essie14

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 12:36 am

I know many families where just 1 spouse did the pilot trip.

↑ Reality

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 1:03 am

amother Goldenrod wrote:

So I thought about that too. I thought no way could we ever afford tickets etc.

Bottom line, your expenses change after making aliyah. When I was paying American tuitions I thought we could never afford tickets. Now, we make it a priority to see our family. We keep our eyes open for better prices etc. We can't come in for everything but it also doesn't mean we never see each other either.

amother

Candycane

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 1:25 am

Reality wrote:

Same, we were more stretched in the USA than in Israel due to tuitions and higher daily expenses.

amother

Bone

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 2:23 am

Came to Israel without a pilot trip. Bh, made it, and was totally worth it.
I don’t think you can experience Israel enough within a pilot trip anyways. It took me more than a pilot trip to realize exactly where we wanted to be.
May you have the zechut to make Aliyah bshaa tova u’be kalut!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 6:04 am

amother Whitewash wrote:

A little out of the box, but can only one of you do the pilot trip?

So DH doesn’t really have a desire to go to E”Y but if we make a pilot trip together and he falls in love with a community he may change his mind

amother

↑ OP ↓

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 6:05 am

Reality wrote:

Ya we do, I’ll ask them but they don’t know much about other communities except where they live (they live in BS and they’re telling us to go to RBS), but I want more options too

amother

↑ OP ↓

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 6:05 am

amother Bone wrote:

Thanks

amother

↑ OP

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 6:06 am

Reality wrote:

Yes but right now we can’t afford it we are not in E”Y right now with changed expenses

imasinger

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 6:21 am

I'm not sure it's called a pilot trip when only half of the couple is interested.

I know it's disappointing, but in your case, you'll have to make a realistic plan. Checking out communities in person is further down the list.

What can you do from where you live right now? Invite guests from Israel often? Talk on the phone together with friends/family who live there? Listen empathically to each other? Take on an extra job to save the money? Make sure your skills are in something where you can get a job there easily? Talk more to people who have done it, particularly with a reluctant spouse, and hear their stories?

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 6:54 am

amother OP wrote:

Ya we do, I’ll ask them but they don’t know much about other communities except where they live (they live in BS and they’re telling us to go to RBS), but I want more options too

1) They are most probably right.
2) Contact NBN and get a consultation. One advisor in particular has very up to date information regarding right leaning/RBS type families making aliya. I just don't remember his name.
3) Sounds like you would do better off saving up for a vacation in Israel (off season). You don 't sound like you are really ready for a pilot trip yet. Renting an air bnb in a non tourist location does not have to be super pricey.

amother

Gray

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 7:14 am

amother Goldenrod wrote:

Not necessarily. Pilot trips involve not just plane tickets and expensive places to stay (short-term rentals, airbnbs, hotels, etc. are more expensive than regular rentals), plus loss of work days, and it's not always feasible, if you don't want to eat the savings necessary for aliya.

Meaning, you might have enough savings to make aliya "safely" (financially), but if you eat them up on a pilot trip you won't have them anymore for the aliya itself.

Anyways, OP, I don't have a solution for you. Maybe just one of you could come, and off season, and only for a few days? Like during December, for a Thursday-Sunday trip. Planned well, you might be able to get a lot done in those few days. In Israel itself, you would have Thursday, the half-day of Friday, and Sunday to check things out, and then you head home Sunday night. (Theoretically. I know flights don't always work out that way.) If your goal is to find a community that fits your family, narrow it down to two or three potential places and then spend some time in each of them. It's better to spend a Shabbat with each community but you do what you gotta do.

If you have ever been in Israel or you have someone who knows your family well there, you can ask them for recommendations.

I know people who have successfully made aliya without pilot trips, though none of them are new olim who have been here for five years or less.

amother

Ebony ↓

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 7:21 am

We are planning to move to Israel but have no opportunity to have a classic pilot trip.
My dh doesn’t want one, he has been to Israel plenty of times, also recently.
I have been in short trips throughout the last couple of years. I am planning a short trip to look at schools with one child and to take a look at a couple of neighborhoods that came up as recs. I beg dh to make another trip with another child to check out more schools and apartments but we’ll see.

Our plan is to rent in JLM or RBS for the first couple of years and then see from there.

amother

↑ Winterberry

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 7:32 am

The point is not about a pilot trip. The point is not even having money for plane tickets. That's the biggie here. You can't move to Israel without a solid plan for income, regardless if you make a pilot trip or not, regardless if it's one person doing it or two. It's irresponsible.

DrMom

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 7:45 am

amother OP wrote:

So DH doesn’t really have a desire to go to E”Y but if we make a pilot trip together and he falls in love with a community he may change his mind

Hmmm... so there are more issues at hand than just lack of $ for flights...

amother

↑ Ebony

Wed, Aug 14 2024, 8:37 am

amother Winterberry wrote:

The point is that they are not even on the same page. So the plan is to have a vacay in Israel and lure dh into liking a community and wanting to move there.

I would recommend OP to start by saving money for tickets, meanwhile make an effort to host more Israelis or recent olim who have had a positive experience. This will trickle down to dh sooner or later

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