Orthodox Travel Life
Want to stay on your summer vacation forever? These observant Jewish families do it.
Orthodox Travel Life
Our family is on a road trip through South Dakota this week. We’ve spent uninterrupted quality time together, had amazing adventures, and we have even taken a few nice photos where everyone is more or less looking at the camera. Of course there have been less than IG-ready moments too. It’s vacation season, and many of you are on vacation with your families, recently returned, or getting ready to venture out. For those in staycation mode this summer, this post might be even more enticing.
If you have social media, you have probably come across nomad and travel life, where individuals—and brave families—live on permanent or long-term vacation and travel the world. Some have jobs they work remotely, others live off investment income, and still others get gigs, like teaching or working on organic farms in local destinations. There are as many ways to do nomad travel as there are people traveling. Some families do slow travel: spending longer periods immersing in local culture, and all families make decisions about transportation (RV, drive, plane, etc), accommodation, (luxury vs bare bones), and education (online, formal, unschooling), and on down the line. The nomad lifestyle offers a blend of freedom, adventure, personal growth, and connection that can be incredibly rewarding for those who embrace it. I am drawn to this type of travel because of its (perceived) simplicity; I love the idea of focusing on experiences rather than material possessions, connection to nature, and the opportunity to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. There are tons of blogs about every flavor of nomadism, and families that do it give advice and document their travels.
Of course, like all vacations and, well, life, it’s not all and jaw-dropping sunsets and IG-ready hikes; there are downsides. Nomads list challenges including loneliness, bad internet, and feeling unsettled.
Right, you say. But the full-time travel-lifestyle is far less common in the observant Jewish world.
That is probably because davening in a minyan, keeping kosher, and educating children pose unique challenges for observant Jews.
But each of these concerns can be resolved with a little careful planning. There are Jewish communities, Chabad Houses, and kosher food all over the world. When a destination takes one further from Jewish communities, it is possible to travel with minimal cookware and buy fresh ingredients to make one’s own food. It takes more thought, but that’s no reason to stay home! Of course, online and homeschool educational opportunities and resources abound.
This lifestyle isn’t attractive to everyone, but for those who find themselves interested (or scrolling longingly), behind many objections is the nagging thought, “it’s just not done!”
But that’s not quite true either. More accurately, #travellife for families is not common, and it is less common for observant families, but there are some Orthodox families doing it! Below are four families on social media that make a case for Orthodox nomadism.
Daniel and Raizel Namdar and their two adorable boys, Mendel and Lev, travel around the world with no permanent home. In a hyper-modern spin on the tradition of Chabad shlichim, they use social media to educate about Judaism. Their content spans from, “what is havdalah” to “how to dress at a Chassidic wedding” to “Muslim vs Jewish hair covering.” They talk about the joys and challenges of traveling with young children and about keeping kosher on the road. They have been very active supporting Israel and the Jewish people have had to confront significant antisemitism on their page in the wake of October 7.
This Israeli couple and their four kids have been on the road non-stop since 2019. Dvori Pshednovak posts professional quality still photos, including photos of the RV (affectionately dubbed the “Pshednovan”) they outfitted to travel (and cook!) throughout their extensive travels in Africa. In addition to the Hulkasher has a website that explains it all: how they decided to sell their house and change their lifestyle, how they make it work financially, and how they educate their children. They blog about their travel experiences and provide advice and links.
Maayan Kline and her husband Ash have been traveling for over six years. In that time, they have had two babies and started Bet Halev, a Jewish Center in Varkala, India open six months per year for travelers and seekers, especially for “those dealing with the effects of their service, including PTSD.” During the other six months each year, they enjoy traveling to simple and authentic places and seeing Jewish communities around the world. They are very open about their journey toward Jewish observance.
In one of those unbelievably beautiful IG accounts, interior designer Esti travels with her husband and their four young children. Her aesthetic sensibility shows; even when she’s not in her own home, she focuses on architectural details and romantic color schemes. She also provides travel tips re traveling with young children, Pesach abroad, and more. Unlike the other Orthodox travel families above, this family is not planning to travel indefinitely, just for the year. So far, they have spent time in several European countries as well as Morocco and Djerba. I am enjoying this account—and hoping they will opt to extend their trip.
Do you dream about going on a nomad adventure with your family or taking an extended trip? Where would you go? What would you do?
As Ruth Landsman and my husband can attest, I love hearing about frum nomad families. Do you know of others? Please write in—I’d love to hear about more observant travel families on or off social media. Wouldn’t it be great to create community and meet up internationally?
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Looking forward to continuing the conversation!