How to Choose a Trip Organizer?

While it is not as big of a decision as choosing a career, a college or a spouse, your choice of Trip Organizer (TO) can impact your Taglit-Birthright Israel experience. Since most itineraries are similar, the differences between Trip Organizers are usually subtle. There are usually two dozen different Trip Organizers, many of whom offer more than one trip and more than one departure so you have many opportunities to select the trip that suits you best.

Itineraries

All Taglit-Birthright Israel trips must adhere to our educational and logistical guidelines so there are many things common to all trips including:
*Israeli tour guides
*5 or 10 days spent with Israeli peers (mostly soldiers and students)
*Tour of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall
*Tour of Massada and the Dead Sea
*Travel to other cities/towns like Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tsfat and Eilat
*Accommodation in three and four star hotels
*Uniform safety and security procedures

Your Jewish Background

Most Taglit-Birthright Israel trips are geared for the less involved or less knowledgeable Jews. Learning about the Jewish State of Israel will involve learning some Jewish practices and customs in a welcoming and learning environment. Most trips (with the exception of those geared for more observant Jews) have participants with a variety of Jewish backgrounds. If you are unsure, you should ask the Trip Organizer what kinds of Jewish learning, prayer and experiences you should expect on their trip. There are several educational resources on this website about Israel and Judaism if you would like to learn more prior to your trip.

Where you live or go to school

Some Taglit-Birthright Israel trips are organized by campus organizations or city but many are not. If this is a deciding factor for you, you should ask the Trip Organizer where they are recruiting participants from. Either way, you will return home with at least 50 new friends! The only requirement we impose is that US residents go on a US based trip and Canadian residents go on a Canadian based trip. For our purposes "residency" includes where you or your family reside.

Your availability

Your schedule may make the decision easy. Not all Trip Organizers offer trips all the time and convenience may be your highest priority. Be sure to ask the window of dates that the Trip Organizer is offering (they will not know exact dates until 30 days prior to departure).

Recommendations from alumni

There are nearly 100,000 Taglit-Birthright Israel alumni in North America alone, surely you know one! If not, feel free to email and we can put you in touch with alumni from a variety of different Trip Organizers.

Quality Control

All trips are evaluated by independent quality control monitors for high logistical and educational standards. All of the current Trip Organizers receive high marks. Those with low marks are unable to offer trips until their programs are modified accordingly. You can be assured that whichever trip you choose will be a high quality trip.

Still Unsure???

We have come up with a list of questions you might want to ask a Trip Organizer before signing up for their trips. View or Print the Questionnaire.

Go to list of North American Trip Organizers.