Chasing the Fionist Dream

Hi all! Fiona here. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am one of those people who is constantly planning and fantasizing about her next vacation. While I love my family dearly, traveling with kids has its limitations. Sometimes you need to get away and recharge, preferably with old friends who you don’t see very often.

Nearly 20 years ago at age 18, I came to Israel “for the year”. (Quotes because I never moved back 😂). The friendships I made on that program were lifechanging and I definitely had no idea that I’d still be friends with so many of these ladies decades later. The year we turned 35, I started messaging the group about my idea of a #ladyvacay abroad the year we turn 40. Then COVID happened, the vaccine finally came out, and I informed the ladies that 40 was too far away. I wanted to organize a “we survived the lockdowns” trip. Everyone was invited to join and brainstorm with me. My goal was to plan a long weekend trip that would cost people only a few vacation days (I took 3. One friend flew in the first night and only took 2.) and be as inexpensive as comfortably possible in order to enable more people to join.

In June 2021, we booked flights and a villa (with a private pool!) in Paphos, Cyprus for that October. In the following months, Cyprus went on Israel’s COVID red list, then Israel went on Cyprus’s COVID red list, making the trip look like it might not happen. Thankfully, by October, all was relatively calm again, and after applying for and receiving the Cypriot version of a Tav Yarok/Green Pass (remember those?), four of us boarded flights to enjoy 5 days and 4 nights on a gorgeous island in the Mediterranean.

So what did we do? How much did it cost us? And equally importantly, how much would a similar trip cost today – almost two years later?

Flights: We got roundtrip tickets from Tel Aviv to Paphos on Ryanair. I upgraded mine to to Priority, which cost me 240 shekels in total. If you book tickets today (August 2023) for a Thursday to Monday in October, it would cost you about 225 shekels for the basic ticket, or about 360 shekels with Priority. Flight prices for midweek getaways are significantly less.

Accommodations: My friends told me that their ideal vacation rental would be 1) a private villa, with 2) at least two bathrooms, and 3) a private pool. The villas I found in Kato Paphos (the main tourist area) that fit the bill were out of our budget, so I suggested that we either nix the private pool or stay one neighborhood over, which is less touristy and bourgeoning with British retirees. As we were all relatively young and healthy and could handle the 2 km walk to the main tourist drag, my friends opted for the latter proposal. I found this gem, which was perfect for our needs and cost us 1,600 shekels for 4 nights or 400 shekels per person. Today that villa goes for 525 shekels per night and other similar villas can be found for 500-800 per night. By nixing the private pool, opting for an apartment with a shared pool, or splitting it among more than four people, you can bring the cost per person down to what we paid – or less.

Activities, transportation, food, and souvenirs: As the primary goal of the trip was to hang out with each other, we ended up spending most of our time chatting in the villa, eating ice cream around our private pool, sightseeing and walking along the beach. We did a fantastic ceramics workshop for 19 shekels per person (now 33 shekels per person) and booked a turtle watching cruise which ended up being cancelled because the sea was too choppy that day. We decided to play mini-golf instead, which cost us 7 euro each (now 7.50 euro). We ate one meal at a restaurant, went to one bar, and prepared the rest of our food ourselves in our kitchen with ingredients we purchased at local supermarkets. Cabs to and from the airport were 25 euro each, regardless of how many people and cabs inside the city were 8 euro, regardless of distance. The bus would have cost 1.50 euro per person per ride (price hasn’t risen since), but with four of us, we never tried it and walked or cabbed everywhere. We each spent around 300-400 shekels for this category. Your expenses on a similar trip would depend on your food, drink and activity choices.

Travelers’ health insurance: I paid 90 shekels for 5 days of PassportCard travelers’ insurance, including the extra COVID cover. That same insurance (without the COVID cover) would cost me 50 shekels today. As PassportCard is one of the most expensive providers of travelers’ insurance, you likely can get a cheaper deal somewhere else. Just make sure to get reviews from people who have actually had to make a claim.

COVID tests: At the time, Israel required that Israelis coming back from abroad needed to do a PCR test up to 72 hours before returning to Israel and again upon landing in Tel Aviv. These two COVID tests cost us each 170 shekels total. Thankfully, we all tested negative both times. Fortunately for us all, this is no longer required today, so this expense wouldn’t exist.

In conclusion: This trip was unforgettable and I’m already brainstorming our next adventure. While prices definitely have gone up in the past two years, it is still possible to travel inexpensively, and even organize a friends’ trip very similar to this one. The 210 shekels you won’t be spending on COVID requirements can now go toward inflation. 😂

Before planning your next international trip, wherever you go, make sure to familiarize yourself with how to cut major costs on your next vacation and how to avoid the most common costly travel mistakes.

Happy travels! ✈️

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