By Carol Hull, 9-time traveler, Bonita Springs, Florida
I’ve been traveling on my own for almost ten years. Prior to my husband’s passing, he and I didn’t do much exploring. He did a lot of traveling for work, so the two of us just didn’t do much of it in our spare time. When I became a widow, I decided it was time for me to get out there and explore the world. Since my friends don’t share my travel interests, I decided to venture out on my own. And I’ve loved every minute of it.
You see, I’m not nervous about visiting a new place as a solo traveler. Traveling this way allows me to meet a lot of people—which is one of my favorite things about travel. I’ve even had women from my group traveling with their husbands approach me to say, “You know, I wish I was doing what you were doing.” Sometimes it’s nice to have the flexibility of exploring at your own pace, and learning about things that are of particular interest to you.
Carol stands at the entry door to the Holy Church of the Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
I chose to travel to Israel and the pre-trip extension to Jordan for many reasons. I’ve read about this area of the world my entire life. I believe that travel is so expansive in our understanding of the world and its history, and I’m fascinated by the culmination of religions in this region. I wanted to get there while I still could: I’m 75 years old and I wanted to be able to experience these amazing countries—including walking on the cobblestone streets—while my body still allowed me to.
Before I leave for any of my trips, I customarily study the sites and history on the itinerary and try to travel with knowledgeable anticipation—and this is exactly what I did before my trip to Jordan and Israel. But nothing could have prepared me for the magnitude of experiences we encountered.
Carol enjoyed views of the Dead Sea from both the Jordan and Israeli shores. Here, she stands on the water’s edge in Jordan.
We saw so many sites in this Holy Land: the historic Tel Megiddo; the ruins of Crusader forts in Acre and Caesarea, Israel and Shobak, Jordan; the Christian sites in Madaba, Jordan, Nazareth, Galilee, and Bethlehem; the Dead Sea from the shores of both Jordan and Israel; and especially the “Golden City” of Jerusalem, a bustling mixture of so many styles of buildings from Jewish, Muslim, and Byzantine Christian history and culture.
But the people we met in Israel and Jordan were a treasured surprise. We ate alongside a Druse family in their home in the shadow of Mount Hermon, watched locals shop in a Jerusalem market before the Sabbath, listened to our driver describe his experiences in the Valley of Tears, joined families enjoying a day of rest at Caesarea, exchanged pictures with young soldiers on leave, listened to gracious members of a kibbutz in the Golan Heights, watched schoolchildren walk up to the top of Masada while we effortlessly floated overhead in our gondola, and were lunch guests of Druse women trying to make a difference for women and children in their Bedouin desert culture.
The people Carol met along the way were a “treasured surprise,” including this Jordanian tourist policeman, whom she encountered at the entry to Petra.
I was completely fascinated by everything I discovered on my Israel: The Holy Land & Timeless Cultures adventure. Before leaving for my trip, many of my friends and family asked, “Why do you want to go there?” My answer: “Why not?” I’m so thankful that I can still explore such wonderful cultures and histories, which I’ll continue to do until I can’t do it anymore. I don’t ever want to look back on my life and say, “I wish I had done that.”
Explore the rich history and legendary sites on our Israel: The Holy Land & Timeless Cultures adventure.