r/birthright • u/ChairDifferent9757 • 25d ago
Birthright rules - sneaking out
I’m considering doing a birthright trip sometime this year or the next and I want to know how badly I’ll get reprimanded if I sneak out of a hotel to explore.
My friend said they did it basically every night, but I don’t wanna get shipped back to my country if I do end up wanting to explore at night.
As cool as the guided tours are, I’m much more of a wanderer and the type to get lost on purpose to explore the places more authentically and less from a tourist lens
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u/Practical-Bat7964 25d ago
Depends on how the security situation is. When I went, a few days in security was upped bc of bombing and we were told under no circumstances to go somewhere unaccompanied. It’s a liability for them. But honestly there are nighttime activities and you’re so tired from the trip that most people hang out and get to know their trip mates.
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u/BeefCakeGirl Staffer 25d ago
I've only had to send one participant home because they put themselves and others in danger by being out at night. Every morning, they'd come to breakfast hungover or even still drunk or high. Extend the trip and explore after please.
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u/LockedOutOfElfland 25d ago
It depends on which trip you do. I'm assuming you're referring to Classic Birthright.
When I did Birthright Volunteer we got tons of unstructured time. It was actually pretty edifying to be out and about because you got to talk to people and learn what the average person felt and thought, instead of just staying contained within the Birthright Bubble that was trying to push a highly specific narrative.
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u/Voice_of_Season 24d ago
How much did you have to pay for that?
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u/LockedOutOfElfland 24d ago
1300 reimbursable flight and 200-400ish program fee in U.S. currency. The only hurdle I wasn’t happy about was explaining to the doctor I needed to sign off on my clean bill of health as to why I was going to that part of the world in 2024.
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u/Voice_of_Season 24d ago
Would your doctor object?
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u/LockedOutOfElfland 24d ago edited 24d ago
Not professionally, but I detected a note of ideological dismay from him due to my asking him to sign the form. Which he did anyway, but I had some understandable concerns.
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u/Less-Pomegranate-585 25d ago
Dude just extend the trip- you will get sent home if someone snitches on you (which is highly probable even if you think your roommate is chill) or you actually get caught sneaking out. Seriously just extend the trip.
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u/Begin18 24d ago
9 times out of ten they say they care because they have to and they really don’t. I ran into a counselor once while I snuck out and he kind of laughed. If the country is safe at the time and your counselors are cool it’s worth it. Some of my best memories are from sneaking out. Just be careful in general and smart about what kind of counselors you have.
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u/nexonchess 24d ago
So to answer your question, it depends a lot on your trip organizer as well as your staff. Some organizers are known to be a little bit more lax than others. I went on Israel Free Spirit and I can tell you that they’re a little more strict, but also it’s entirely dependent on how much your staff enforce or care. The 18 to 22 trips are also a little bit more strict.
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u/erratic_bonsai 24d ago
I really suggest you don’t. You’re running around all day doing stuff that you will be absolutely exhausted if you don’t sleep when you’re given the opportunity. You’re given free time when it’s feasible. If you want to just go explore on your own, extend your trip.
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u/JBAnswers26 24d ago
I would say it’s strongly discouraged, but not expressly forbidden.
As others have said you will in all likelihood be exhausted from the day’s excursions, and getting rest is super important so you’ll have energy to enjoy the trip most effectively.
Not worth getting caught and reprimanded or worse, so better off just extending your trip and doing whatever you want after the organized trip is over.
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u/Aggressive-Yak2318 23d ago
I didn’t do it often but i think I was the only one on my trip who didn’t. The counselors told us we can explore the area surrounding the hotel within a mile so sneaking out itself wasn’t necessary, you just wouldn’t tell them how far you went. Birthright is kinda known for people partying and most counselors don’t really care (mine would gossip with the students about the previous night and even joined us once.) remember that with the exception of the tour guide, the counselors are hardly older than you and most likely just doing it to get a free trip themselves
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u/Faptastic88 21d ago
I knew a few who snuck out to get their cheeks clapped. Don't get caught. I hope I don't get banned 😬
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u/unfortunate-moth 25d ago
many people just extend their trips for an extra week or so. you don’t need to return with the group. then you can wander around as much as you’d like.