How To Find The Perfect Passover Program: What You Need To Know
Pesach programs are a lot of things. They’re a vacation, they’re a holiday, they are an experience, and they are, to be frank, an investment. When you and your family go on a Pesach program, you’re paying a premium for a long list of different types of experiences: exciting, mouth-watering, relaxing, exhilarating, spiritual, family bonding, etc. It’s a package that includes entertainment, childcare, travel, cuisine, intellectual stimulation, and so forth. The best way to make sure you find the best program for your family is to be prepared when you begin.
Think about air travel. When searching for the best pricing for flights, you need to have certain known parameters before starting. Even if you have flexibility, you need to know the number and ages of the passengers, as well as the specific dates and times that work for your trip. Without these, it’s almost impossible to research effectively. On PassoverListings.com, a site that provides users with Passover program details, reviews, pricing, contact information, and a concierge service to assist in finding the best program for them, users can click on the “Pricing Tool” and enter the number of rooms and the number of guests per room. The site then populates a list of programs in price order. While prices can vary to some degree based on a number of factors, this tool helps guide program seekers to standardized pricing so that they can compare apples to apples and support them making the most informed decision possible. Two currently popular and highly talked about programs on the site are Olam Barcelona and Olam Croatia. Offering extremely reasonably priced rates paired with lavish cuisine and beautiful resorts and destinations, previous attendees lavish enormous praise for both of these programs. Regardless of which program you choose or how you sign up, knowing the number of guests, as well as their ages and how many rooms, beds, and suites you need is critical information for any kind of research on Passover programs.
Every year, opportunities for how and where people want to spend their Pesach vacations grow and change. You can choose from country retreats with actual organic farm-to-table dining or five-star resorts. You can stay within the tri-state area or venture to Europe, Thailand, Morocco, or Australia. In terms of location, the options are endless. That being said, everyone’s circumstances are different. Maybe you want to spend part of the holiday with family and part at a program. Maybe your group includes an older or pregnant family member and is limited to local travel.
In the United States, with programs on the East Coast, West Coast, and sprinkled in between, no matter where you are, a Passover program is no more than a short plane or car ride away. In Palm Springs, California, you’ve got Upscale Legacy, just a two-hour ride from Los Angeles. In Stamford, Connecticut, you’ve got Al Kanfei Nisharim’s “The Pesach Experience” at the Armon Hotel and Conference Center. In Long Branch, New Jersey, Leisure Time Tours is hosting one of their six programs this season. Agudas Achim in Aurora, Ohio offers those in the Midwest a local and affordable option to enjoy the holiday without having to travel too far. Add all of the Florida programs and Pesach rentals, as well as other programs in Texas, Arizona, and Colorado and there are programs all over the U.S., making it easy for Americans to access wonderful options close by.
Those options are great for those who want to stay local. But what about those hungry for adventure and the chance to experience something new and different? Kosherica Atlantis in the Bahamas offers guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour through The Dig, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways, to journey through ancient Atlantis. At Safari Pesach Retreat in Rustenberg, South Africa, guests can tour Safari game reserves, animal sanctuaries, gold mines, and go hot air ballooning. Zip lining through the jungles of Costa Rica. Swimming with Dolphins in Cancun. For those seeking adventure, there are now plenty of options to choose from.
The bottom line is that whether you want to stay in your time zone or prefer to journey across the world, knowing which to choose will make your task much simpler.
On to everyone’s favorite topic: budget. A dirty word to some and comforting to others, budgets help people determine what will work for their financial situation. Working in the business, people frequently ask me about Passover programs; specifically, they ask me about pricing. “I want to go on a Pesach program with my siblings and our kids. How much is it going to cost?” While this question may seem simple, it’s actually not. It’s just too open-ended for me to offer a helpful response. I now know that properly answering their question requires them answering the follow-up question: “What is your budget or price range?” This is the point at which people tend to retreat due to discomfort about providing a budget. In most cases, though, people do have a ceiling, a price point they will not exceed. That is key to finding the right Pesach program, or even kosher travel option. Knowing your budget or your highest possible number will give you tangible answers. Maybe that number will give you a list of options. Maybe you’ll find two to three. Maybe you’ll find that it’s not a realistic number and while it won’t work for this year, maybe you can plan to go in the future.
Having your basic information clear and together before beginning your search is really the best way to save time and energy while navigating the ever-growing world of Passover programs. By gathering and having ready your parameters for the number of people in your party and the number of rooms you’ll need, the distance you’re willing to travel, and the amount you’re willing to spend will exponentially simplify your research process and make communicating with programs a much more clear and efficient experience. Happy searching and have a great time!
