Planning a multi-week road trip? Your first consideration is going to be: where are you spending Shabbos? That question alone opens up a whole litany of questions and considerations.
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We look forward to Shabbos every week as a break from the mundane. But, let’s be honest, sometimes we just look forward to the break. When planning a trip, one of the first things you need to figure out is where you’ll be spending Shabbos. There are several factors that come into play when making this decision and planning accordingly.
Multi-Week Road Trip Planning Hack
What Type of Shabbos Do You Want
There are many questions to ask yourself to determine what type of Shabbos you are looking for. Listed below is just a sampling. The more you travel, the more you’ll hone in on what you want to ask yourself and your traveling companions. While the list may seem overwhelming at first glance, as you read through it, it’s pretty straight forward.
- Do you want to spend Shabbos in a Jewish Community?
- What type of community? Bigger? Smaller?
- Do you want a community similar to your home community?
- Do you want to branch out and experience something new?
- What do you want from the community?
- Just the availability of a minyan?
- One or more hosted meals?
- Sleeping accommodations within the community?
- Or do you just want to spend Shabbos on your own? To sleep/relax? Not have to socialize with new people?
- Do you want the ability to make your own meals?
- Do you want to have the option of take out?
- Are you bringing frozen prepared meals and need a way to heat them?
- Do you have children with you?
- Will you need to keep them entertained for a long Shabbos afternoon?
- Is an eruv a consideration?
- Is your trip in an RV? Car? Plane (then using local transportation)?
If you are on a multi-week trip, the answers may vary from week to week. Even though we travel in an RV, there are weeks that we opt to rent an Airbnb for Shabbos for various reasons.
3 Important Considerations for Shabbos in an RV
Where Will You Spend Shabbos?
After determining the answers to the above questions, now you need to figure out in what city or town you want to spend Shabbos. The simplest way to do that is to look at the skeletal route you’ve mapped out and see where you think you’ll be on Friday.
Read The Big Rocks of Route Planning to help figure out your plan
If you plan on spending Shabbos on your own, that’s easy. Just book a place to stay. Either an RV site that meets the necessary criteria, or a hotel or vacation rental. If you’re relying on Shabbos take out, then it has to be near enough to a community that has that amenity. And, if you need to cook or heat food, you’ll need to keep that in mind as well. Bear in mind any other considerations delineated above too.
If you plan on spending Shabbos in a community, that might take a bit more work. With the exception of Summer 2020, we have always tried to have as “normal” a Shabbos as possible for our kids. There are many reasons for this, but that’s for a different article. Look at your route and see what Jewish communities are near-ish to where you’ll be on Friday. That’s where you should plan to be.
Making Arrangements in a Community
So, you’ve decided you want to be in a community and you’ve even decided which community. Now what?
This is easiest if you have a friend or family member in the particular community. Even if they can’t host you, they can direct you or make connections for you.
If you just want to be there so that you can have a minyan and do the rest of Shabbos on your own, then it’s like “spending Shabbos on your own” with one exception. You need to book a place to stay within walking distance, and that place needs to be “Shabbos friendly” in terms of electronic keys and sensor doors and lights. Often times a local shul website will have a section for “visitors” with suggested accommodations. Sometimes even with discounts available (or arrangements for post-Shabbos checkout).
If you want to stay in the neighborhood but be hosted for one or more meals, and you don’t have any connections, then you’ll have to contact a local shul. If the shul doesn’t have visitors information or hachnasas orchim info on their website, you can contact the shul. Sometimes that may mean reaching out to the Rabbi or Rebbetzin directly in smaller communities. Some shuls have a full kiddush that may satisfy your need for a meal. Sometimes they even host all Shabbos meals (common in areas where there is only the local Chabad). It is best to inquire ahead of time and make reservations (especially if you are a large group). Some shuls charge for the meals and some don’t. Even if they don’t charge, be sure to make a commensurate donation.
If you are a smaller group (i.e. can fit in one room), you may be able to reach out to a local shul for home hospitality as well. However, don’t be presumptuous or worse, entitled. Always ask if there is a place to stay in the neighborhood that would be walking distance and offer to pay (unless their website says explicitly otherwise). Some smaller shuls have rooms they rent to help cover their costs of functioning.
In any case, whenever you reach out and are helped along the way, donations are always appreciated.
Since we travel in an RV, we usually start by reaching out to see if there is a parking lot that can accommodate us to make Shabbos on our own. Anything beyond that is gravy (and enjoyable)!
When To Plan
There’s no such thing as too early to start reaching out. However, we have reached out to the local Chabad in the past and been told that the shul will be closed that week or that the Rebbetzin is expecting so there’s no guarantee anyone will be there.
In the case of larger communities, many times you will be told that hosts don’t know their availability so far in advance. But you’ll get your name on the list and be on their radar. In this case, just keep following up with a friendly reminder e-mail every so often (and more frequently as it gets closer–without being annoying). One time we had a place to stay that forgot about us and double booked. BH, at the last minute a friend of a friend had gone away for Shabbos in the same community and we were able to stay in their house.
Shabbos is a great time to slow down. It’s also a great time to connect with new people and communities.
We love to meet new people along the way and Shabbos is a great time to do it. Once, I even went to the Rebbetzin’s Shabbos Afternoon Shiur–turns out I had known her in camp! Let me know what you’ve done for Shabbos on the road. Maybe we can even meet up.
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