Ted and I named our August-September 2023 overseas trip the “Big Trip” because it was seven weeks long. During that time, we visited eleven countries on three continents. Wow! Several years ago, we set a goal to reduce our travel luggage to a backpack and a 35-lb. suitcase (the carry-on weight limit). Unbelievably, we reached that goal for our longest trip ever. When we finished packing, we each had a 13-lb. backpack and a 33-lb. carry-on suitcase. The photo below shows the total luggage we traveled with for seven weeks.
For some reason unknown to me, every time Ted and I fly overseas, our flight leaves in the very early morning to arrive before noon the next day, local time; then we can’t get into our hotel room until after 3:00 p.m. I wish we could just leave a little later (say, after sunrise) and check into the hotel when we get there so that we could take a much-needed nap.
As usual on the day of departure, our alarm clock went off at 4:00 a.m. for our flight to Newark. We had a four-hour layover in Newark before leaving for Tel Aviv, where we were scheduled to arrive at 9:55 a.m. local time (yes, before noon) the next day. Because we were traveling in business class, we had access to the airline lounge—a much nicer place than the concourse to spend four hours. There are comfortable chairs and couches, a restaurant, a buffet, an open bar, sleeping suites, quiet suites, bathrooms with showers, etc. Everything in the lounge is free (covered by the ticket price, of course), the seating is comfortable, the room is attractive, and it’s peaceful.
Security for our flight from Newark to Tel Aviv was very tight. Thanks to the meticulous security precautions, our flight was uneventful. Our Viking cruise ambassador met us at the Tel Aviv airport and escorted us to a bus with other Viking guests. It was an hour-long drive to Jerusalem, where we all checked into the King David Hotel, then took a walk to stretch our legs while we (as usual) waited for our rooms to be ready.
We were 6,500 miles from home and ready for new adventures.