Travursity’s 1st FAM to Israel was a Historic Experience!

“What an amazing experience this FAM to Israel was!” This past week we joined 12 travel agents in Israel as we kicked off our very first FAM trip and what an experience it was.  Our first stop was in Jerusalem where we spent 2 days exploring the historic Old City including the Western Wall, Temple... View Article

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“What an amazing experience this FAM to Israel was!”

This past week we joined 12 travel agents in Israel as we kicked off our very first FAM trip and what an experience it was.  Our first stop was in Jerusalem where we spent 2 days exploring the historic Old City including the Western Wall, Temple Mount, the City of David and Gethsemane, Via Delarosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  We learned about the history and legends of this holy place through our extremely knowledgeable guide and historian, Joel Rosenfeld, from our tour operator Isram Israel.  Of course, we spent time eating the local dishes and shopping in the markets, but this highly intensive experience provided little time to rest. On the last day in Jerusalem, we spent time to reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust at the Yad Vashem museum; an extremely powerful and moving tribute to the men, women & children as well as the families that were affected by the atrocious beliefs and behaviors of powerful regimes.

From Jerusalem, we headed west into the desert along the coast of the Dead Sea, past the Qumran where the dead seas scrolls were discovered, to the fortress of King Herod known as Masada.  This mountain plateau in the Judean Desert was home to the Zealots which the Romans fought to overcome. After a trip to the top and a visit to Herod’s palace we set off for the Dead Sea.  Although it was getting dark, several us braved the cool temperatures and made the plunge only to find us floating quite easily due to the high salinity of the sea.

That evening we arrived in Tiberius where we spent the next 2 nights on the coast of the Sea of Galilee.  During this part of our FAM, we visited an early Christian fishing village of Magdala, recounted the Sermon on the Mount at the Mount of Beatitudes, walked the ruins of Capernaum, ascended the mountain of Golan Heights and finished the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.  This was a busy day for us and again, packed a lifetime of history into just a few short hours.

Our last day brought us to Tel Aviv, after a short stop in port city of Haifa, where we once again spent time in the markets enjoying the cuisine of the region and picking out last minute souvenirs. Although we spent much of our time walking in the footsteps of many significant and historical figures from the time of the bible, we were still able to visit several hotels and are quite thankful for the time and attention they provided by allowing us to tour their properties.  This is an equally important component of any FAM and was a very informative opportunity for us as travel agents.

We want to thank all the agents that took part in our 1^st Travursity Agent FAM Experience and we look forward to the friendships we created along the way.  We also are grateful to Isram Israel for coordinating this FAM with Travursity and the trust and confidence to see it through.  And finally, to the incomparable Joel Rosenfeld who, lives and breathes the history and religion of this part of the world and has truly a concrete knowledge that allows his passion to shine, and to fully make this trip a once and a lifetime experience.  We hope you all find time to make it to Israel and we look forward to welcoming all of you on one of our FAM trips in the near future!

Vince Yeck & Monique FitzPatrick

Owners – Travursity, LLC