Tiyul Jewish Journeys and its founder, Ariel Goldstein are top notch. Ariel an experienced Tour Director guides you through seamlessly with his specialty knowledge of each destination. He picks his destination specifically and his passion for these spots are clear. The Jewish history is woven into the itinerary, so you are learning as you explore the region.
The participants are multigenerational from all over the country which makes for new and interesting conversation. As a travel professional for over 20 years I appreciated the attention to detail from inception to completion. Tiyul Jewish Journeys and Ariel is a trip not to be missed.
read more
We have gone on several trips with Ariel that include places like Berlin, Poland & Budapest, Cuba, Argentina & Uruguay, Spain, France & Belgium, Memphis, New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah & Atlanta. Every trip was well-planned, stress-free, and memorable. They included local guides to help us better understand the places we visited. The hotel choices were comfortable as were the restaurants we visited for dinner. We were provided information before each trip to help us understand what we were seeing. He helped organize meetings with local people for us to have first-hand experience with local communities. Ariel was always available to answer our questions and to provide any assistance, as needed. Ariel Goldstein is professional, knowledgeable and his tours are highly recommended.
read more
As a seasoned traveler touring the seven continents and nearly 100 countries, I am eager to represent Ariel Goldstein as, by far and without comparison, the most professional, competent, and caring tour operator I have experienced and witnessed. With Ariel organizing various special-themed tours to Cuba, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, India, Panama & Curacao, Austria & Germany, and Morocco, every moment of these tours progressed on time and without incident. He has the skill to attract outstanding local guides and accommodations to satisfy the pickiest member of his tours. He is unobtrusive yet always present to make certain all goes as planned. I feel so strongly about how important it has been to make those tours enjoyable that I am open to speaking to anyone who has questions about Ariel’s ability and ethics.
read more
We’ve traveled with Ariel to Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Europe, Panama and Curacao and we’re looking forward to another trip in a couple months. When Ariel offers an itinerary, his former traveling companions eagerly sign up. Why? Because each trip is carefully planned to cover the local highlights, as well as Jewish sites and history. Because we always learn a lot, while having fun. And because Ariel takes care of us like family–which by now we think we are.
read more
Cuba was the first of four trips we have taken with Ariel so far. In addition to touring the island’s cultural and historic sites we established personal connections with the Jewish communities in Santiago and Guantanamo. We celebrated Shabbat with them and even participated in the dedication of the remodeled synagogue/community center in Guantanamo to whose reconstruction we had contributed.
On our second trip with Ariel to Uruguay and Argentina, we felt like members of the family in Ariel’s hometown of Montevideo, where we met his (actual) family and visited the Jewish day school that he attended as a boy. A unique element of the Argentina portion of our itinerary was Moisesville, established as a haven for Russian Jewish immigrants in 1889, and historic home of the “Jewish Gauchos.” The trip culminated with a visit to Iguazu Falls where we were treated to one of the most incredible and awe inspiring natural spectacles in the world.
In India, our third trip with Ariel, we traveled from Delhi to Agra where we enjoyed the stunning site of the Taj Mahal at sunrise and also visited Jaipur before flying south, where we discovered India’s small but varied Jewish communities including the Bene Israel, the Baghdadi Jews of Mumbai and Pune, and the Jews of Cochin, the oldest group of Jews in India.
When I was a student I recall reading about the oldest functioning synagogue in the western hemisphere with a sand covered floor in a Dutch colony on a Caribbean island. I finally got a chance to visit this synagogue on our most recent trip with Ariel to Curaçao and Panama. We also got to snorkel at some of Curaçao’s beautiful white sand beaches. In Panama we experienced the dramatic Panama Canal locks and took a canoe trip through the jungle to the Chocoe-Embera, a community of indigenous people who warmly welcomed us with a home-cooked lunch, a folk dance performance and a tour of their community. What really personalized our Panama trip however, was the chance to meet Ariel’s brother and family who live in Panama City and hosted Shabbat dinner for our group.
read more
As a traveler who looks forward to seeing the world through a Jewish lens, I have gained so much from Ariel’s trips. Traveling with Ariel is easy as everything is so well planned. Each trip is a learning adventure and an opportunity to experience not only the Jewish past but also the present by interacting with Jewish community members wherever we go. I have done seven trips with Ariel (Ethiopia, Israel, Spain, Argentina & Uruguay, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Panama & Curacao, Peru & Ecuador) and look forward to future opportunities.
read more
Trips with Ariel are the only way to go! Everywhere I go, I want to learn about Jewish history and culture with interesting people, and his trips never disappoint. Ariel is not only a terrific guide, he is the very best in travel details! I’ve traveled with him to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Israel, New York, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium & France, Peru & Ecuador, and Morocco
Each trip has been unique, and well planned and I’ve made some wonderful friends along the way.
read more