@Yehuda's Israel/Eurotrip Honeymoon Trip Report

[@Yehuda]

I'm looking into booking the hotel now in GIB. doesnt look like there are any that use points. so the Elliott has a 3 night special where you get the 3rd night free on the weekends. so Sunday night is free. so planning on spending Sunday in GIB and maybe go to Tangiers. still trying to figure out Shabbos in GIB , Food, shul , hotel , electric doors , etc..

No point options, although if you want to burn UR, Eliott and one other is in the UR "mall" (but it's not a good redemption value - just saying in case you wanted a free hotel).

Seems like a good plan (nice deal at Elliott), 3 nights is probably great unless you go to Tangiers. Expect no time to do anything on Friday if you first leave SVQ at 1pm. So you'll want Sunday for climbing The Rock, dolphin tour, caves tour. 2 Kosher groceries exist and a bakery - ask the locals where they are - everything is on 1 main street that's about 5 blocks long. Fleishig places aren't so pashut there as per the locals. I only went to 1 shul, but just try the different ones out if you want. They're only open during davening times, so my plan of visiting them all Shabbos afternoon didn't work out. Elliott has key entry but they ask for 50GBP deposit. Btw be careful with currency, they take GBP but they also have their own Pound (which is what most ATMs will give you there) however it's not accepted anywhere else but GIB. We got stuck with a few Gib Pounds when we left. Elliott front desk will trade with you 1:1 if you ask. Elliott has a manual side lobby door but it's closed at night, so we worked out with them that we'll stand infront of the main door (far enough from the sensor) and someone will see us and come to let us in. Not sure if that's halachically okay but turns out the clerk didn't see us waving like mad men, so we waited till someone entered the lobby and ran in behind them. There must be a site where you can find a contact email for the Rabbi or one of the Shuls to ask about getting set up for Shabbos meals as everyone there seemed really nice - if you have problems PM me.

@Yehuda Wow what a trip. The whole thing looks so exciting. I wish I was able to pull off a honeymoon like this. I took a month long roadtrip across the US which was nice but I was naive then and used Priceline for hotels instead of points. I kind of wish I planned it out in detail like you did with Israel and Europe.

Thanks! I'm sure your trip was awesome too! I can't imagine most ppl can take off for 6 weeks, and I don't expect to be able to either, but smaller trips are great too!

2nd honeymoon?

I know someone who's done 3 already

It works just as well for anniversaries or vacations.

+1

[sruly101]

I really wanna go with my wife to Spain this upcoming Jan. (basically Gibraltar), My only concern is, how is the weather there in the winter? Officially Spain is warm (warmer) in the winter, just the question is if this means nice summer days (as it was summer), or its just not so cold but it still has the winter affects as winds, rain etīc!!

TIA

I know this isnt the best thread for it, but here I have more chances for an answer.

[@Yehuda]

I really wanna go with my wife to Spain this upcoming Jan. (basically Gibraltar), My only concern is, how is the weather there in the winter? Officially Spain is warm (warmer) in the winter, just the question is if this means nice summer days (as it was summer), or its just not so cold but it still has the winter affects as winds, rain etīc!!

TIA

I know this isnt the best thread for it, but here I have more chances for an answer.

Ha, well I was there in the summer so I can't comment. Why not look on Google. Maybe look for weather sites that let you see past temperatures and look at random dates over the last few Jans.

[sruly101]

Ha, well I was there in the summer so I can't comment. Why not look on Google. Maybe look for weather sites that let you see past temperatures and look at random dates over the last few Jans.

Did it already (always google before asking ) but I didnt come out with a clear answer, Maybe there is a GIB guy here that can provide me with details

[rediplus]

No point options, although if you want to burn UR, Eliott and one other is in the UR "mall" (but it's not a good redemption value - just saying in case you wanted a free hotel).

Seems like a good plan (nice deal at Elliott), 3 nights is probably great unless you go to Tangiers. Expect no time to do anything on Friday if you first leave SVQ at 1pm. So you'll want Sunday for climbing The Rock, dolphin tour, caves tour. 2 Kosher groceries exist and a bakery - ask the locals where they are - everything is on 1 main street that's about 5 blocks long. Fleishig places aren't so pashut there as per the locals. I only went to 1 shul, but just try the different ones out if you want. They're only open during davening times, so my plan of visiting them all Shabbos afternoon didn't work out. Elliott has key entry but they ask for 50GBP deposit. Btw be careful with currency, they take GBP but they also have their own Pound (which is what most ATMs will give you there) however it's not accepted anywhere else but GIB. We got stuck with a few Gib Pounds when we left. Elliott front desk will trade with you 1:1 if you ask. Elliott has a manual side lobby door but it's closed at night, so we worked out with them that we'll stand infront of the main door (far enough from the sensor) and someone will see us and come to let us in. Not sure if that's halachically okay but turns out the clerk didn't see us waving like mad men, so we waited till someone entered the lobby and ran in behind them. There must be a site where you can find a contact email for the Rabbi or one of the Shuls to ask about getting set up for Shabbos meals as everyone there seemed really nice - if you have problems PM me.

Thanks for the information. Maybe i can trade you for those GIBs. By the way what did you do for shabbos meals ? did you get invited out ? or did you eat in the room and buy the food there ?

[Esther]

Thanks for the awesome trip report! I noticed you made comments how you wouldn't recommend certain modes of transportation if you have a lot of luggage. How did you manage going from place to place even with the luggage you had? Did you go straight to the hotel for early check-in/storage of luggage and then go about your day?

[@Yehuda]

Thanks for the awesome trip report! I noticed you made comments how you wouldn't recommend certain modes of transportation if you have a lot of luggage. How did you manage going from place to place even with the luggage you had? Did you go straight to the hotel for early check-in/storage of luggage and then go about your day?

YW. I really have to do more of it. We basically always went from the airport via cab to the hotel. I don't think we ever had an issue of being there too early and having to store bags. I mean I'd have to look through my calendar/notes to confirm, but I don't think we ever landed at like 8AM and were at a hotel by 9. It was always in the afternoon or evening that we landed, so they were okay with letting us into the rooms. In terms of going from the hotel back to the airport, we usually tried to take public transportation.

Our logic was that at the airport, the info desk may know where your hotel is, but they don't necessarily know the best public transportation route. Plus, we're always antsy after a flight just to get to the hotel. On the return, though, the hotel always knows where the airport is and the best/cheapest ways to get there, so it was easier to plan the return journey with the front desk clerk the night before departure than it was to plan the trip in the busy airport with some info clerk who doesn't really know the best way to get where you need to go, although we did ask a bunch of info desks on our trip - and ended up just taking cabs.

[Esther]

YW. I really have to do more of it. We basically always went from the airport via cab to the hotel. I don't think we ever had an issue of being there too early and having to store bags. I mean I'd have to look through my calendar/notes to confirm, but I don't think we ever landed at like 8AM and were at a hotel by 9. It was always in the afternoon or evening that we landed, so they were okay with letting us into the rooms. In terms of going from the hotel back to the airport, we usually tried to take public transportation.

Our logic was that at the airport, the info desk may know where your hotel is, but they don't necessarily know the best public transportation route. Plus, we're always antsy after a flight just to get to the hotel. On the return, though, the hotel always knows where the airport is and the best/cheapest ways to get there, so it was easier to plan the return journey with the front desk clerk the night before departure than it was to plan the trip in the busy airport with some info clerk who doesn't really know the best way to get where you need to go, although we did ask a bunch of info desks on our trip - and ended up just taking cabs.

Thanks. I'm eagerly awaiting as I'm planning Spain, Italy, and Switzerland for the end of December!

[@Yehuda]

Thanks. I'm eagerly awaiting as I'm planning Spain, Italy, and Switzerland for the end of December!

Hey, at least I finished Spain!

[TimT]

Somebody seems to be trying to make some $$ off of his DDF knowledge from some innocent college kids...
 

What's $150 ?

[Yehoshua]

Somebody seems to be trying to make some $$ off of his DDF knowledge from some innocent college kids...
 

Does that bother you? Good for him!

[tzvicoco]

Does that bother you? Good for him!

depends how he does it... Lots of what he did wouldn't be advisable for most college kids who will probably destroy their credit scores because they can't dedicate quite as much time to this "hobby," and may get in way over their heads. I've started to get friends involved, but I make sure to be very careful about it. That's all I'm saying.

[tzvicoco]

What's $150 ?

Entrance Fees: $150
10 discover card referral bonuses: $500
Other credit card referrals: A bunch of miles
Total: More than $150

[@Yehuda]

Good morning everyone!

Looks like the first post about this was deleted (by tzvicoco? by a mod?) so I don't know exactly what was posted, but I will bring this up as I think it's fitting here:

Now you're in an elite class. You have your own personal haters.

I don't know who you are (although I tried figuring it out) but thanks for bringing up your points. I plan to explain the amount of time I put into this, while at the same time explain how people who are far more expert than I am, spend even more time here while holding full time jobs. I think you're also underestimating how much time a college student has on his/her hands, but I guess that's different for every student. Also, staying organized and making sure not to hurt your credit doesn't take time, it takes organization and responsibility. (Which happen to be lessons that college students usually learn.) I wasn't planning on telling them to signup for credit cards on the spot nor even using referral links, I was really just planning on teaching people how to get their feet wet. But now you've given me a good idea, so thanks.

Does that bother you? Good for him!

Thanks!

[TimT]

Go for it. Good luck

[@Yehuda]

Go for it. Good luck

Thanks

[tzvicoco]

Good morning everyone!

Looks like the first post about this was deleted (by tzvicoco? by a mod?) so I don't know exactly what was posted, but I will bring this up as I think it's fitting here:
I don't know who you are (although I tried figuring it out) but thanks for bringing up your points. I plan to explain the amount of time I put into this, while at the same time explain how people who are far more expert than I am, spend even more time here while holding full time jobs. I think you're also underestimating how much time a college student has on his/her hands, but I guess that's different for every student. Also, staying organized and making sure not to hurt your credit doesn't take time, it takes organization and responsibility. (Which happen to be lessons that college students usually learn.) I wasn't planning on telling them to signup for credit cards on the spot nor even using referral links, I was really just planning on teaching people how to get their feet wet. But now you've given me a good idea, so thanks.
Thanks!

A) I think it's very funny you view yourself so highly that you think I'm a "hater."
B) just because I'm not a frequent poster does not mean I've done less than you in this game
C) I'm always wary of people trying to make money off of this kind of knowledge, because, well, the people who know this stuff are the people that like to make easy money. But I think there's a proper way to do it, and it sounds like you'll do just fine, so good luck!
D) I do disagree on your assessment of college student though, and I recommend you stress as much as possible that they shouldn't dive in too quickly and that it does take responsibility.
E) I deleted the first post, only because moose pointed out that it had your email address in the picture.

[@Yehuda]

A) I think it's very funny you view yourself so highly that you think I'm a "hater."
B) just because I'm not a frequent poster does not mean I've done less than you in this game
C) I'm always wary of people trying to make money off of this kind of knowledge, because, well, the people who know this stuff are the people that like to make easy money. But I think there's a proper way to do it, and it sounds like you'll do just fine, so good luck!
D) I do disagree on your assessment of college student though, and I recommend you stress as much as possible that they shouldn't dive in too quickly and that it does take responsibility.
E) I deleted the first post, only because moose pointed out that it had your email address in the picture.

If you knew me, you'd know I really don't think I know much about this stuff. I'm the first to admit there are many people here who are way more knowledgeable and experienced that I am. I know post count doesn't indicate that one knows what they're doing/talking about.

I often get asked for help from friends and on a few occasions even sat down for an hour or two and explained start to finish how to get in the game. Afterwards, they always say - you could really charge for information like this. So, I'm trying it. Small group, small market - and hey I love talking about this stuff (comes up all the time at Shabbos meals), so why not just try it out? I'm not as sleazy as you think, but obviously there's no way to prove that.

I love DDF. This place has become (partly because I had nothing to do for a year) a new group of friends for me. I'm on here chatting more than I am on FB. That's why I have a lot of posts - I enjoy the conversation flow just as much as asking pointed questions/answers. I'm not claiming I know so much, I just enjoy this and thought hey maybe I could make a few bucks while getting more people involved. If anyone takes my session seriously, you can be sure they'll be popping up on the forums in the coming weeks.

Thanks for the advice about how to approach the diving in too quickly issue. I don't think it'll be one, but I can address it. I appreciate that you took down the picture with my email. Thanks for pointing that out, DrMoose.

[ilherman]

Go for it. Good luck

+1

[Novo]

Hmmm. Where will it be? Maybe I'll also attend.