Dreams DO Come True: How I Planned My First Budget Trip to Egypt and Israel

It was an odd dream. I was sleeping at a strange hotel in a foreign country. Rows of bunks lined the wall.

I woke up and mentioned the dream to Alan. He said hotels existed like that. They were called HOSTELS. How strange. The first time I ever heard of one was in my dream.

As I research the itinerary on my upcoming trip -- the more I learn about hostels, the better I like the idea. A hostel can run between $6 to $20 a night.

I was very amazed at how many hostels are located throughout the Middle East. Checking locally, there's even a nice hostel in Austin. I learn something every day.

To keep up with my travel plans, I've started a new section on my blog called, TRAVEL DIARY.

This is where I'll keep updates.

Right now, I'm currently trying to decide whether I want to fly open-jaw or round trip.

An open-jaw ticket is where you fly into one city and leave by another. My family had done this once when we had flown to Los Angeles and returned home from Las Vegas. Renting a car, we drove from California to Nevada.

My plans are to fly into Cairo, and leave by Tel Aviv. This way we won't waste any time backtracking. But the catch is price. We're talking about $300-$400 difference in airline tickets. Doing the math, I'm trying to determine if I break even on that return bus ride, and possible overnight.

My other concern is returning back to Egypt. From what I've learned, flying into Cairo I can acquire our visa's from the airport. Trying to get an Egyptian visa from the Israeli border is another matter. So many details I need to look into.

Half the fun is planning though!

Planning an international trip can be almost as exciting as taking the trip itself. Looking back, I smile at how much there was to learn before we ever boarded the airplane.

One of my biggest surprises was discovering hostels. Until then, I had always assumed hotels were the only affordable option for travelers. When Alan explained what a hostel was, I couldn't believe how inexpensive they could be. The more I researched them, the more I realized that budget travel opened the door to destinations I had only dreamed about visiting.

What Is an Open-Jaw Flight?

As I planned our itinerary, I also learned about something called an open-jaw ticket. Instead of flying into and out of the same city, an open-jaw itinerary allows you to arrive in one destination and depart from another.

For our trip, I considered flying into Cairo and returning home from Tel Aviv. That would allow us to keep moving forward instead of retracing our steps. Although the ticket cost more, I had to weigh that against the time, transportation costs, and extra hotel nights that returning to Cairo might require.

One thing I've learned over the years is that the cheapest airline ticket isn't always the least expensive trip.

Travel Planning Is Part of the Adventure

Researching visas, border crossings, transportation, hostels, and airline routes taught me that every successful journey begins long before you pack your suitcase. Each evening I found myself reading travel guides, comparing maps, and imagining what it would be like to finally stand beside the pyramids or walk the ancient streets of Jerusalem.

Looking back today, I realize those evenings spent planning became part of the adventure itself. Half the excitement wasn't simply reaching the destination—it was watching a lifelong dream slowly come together one decision at a time.