My international journey continues…
I’m excited to announce that I was selected as one of four participants for the 2015 Vibe Israel Women Entrepreneurs Tour!
Vibe Israel is a nonprofit organization based in Tel Aviv that hosts week-long, all-expenses paid tours of Israel for online influencers and bloggers to meet the people who make up the local scene in the fields they write about. In return, they share their experiences with their millions of followers.
Israel has actually never been on my list of places where I wanted to travel, but when I received the invitation to apply for the tour, I became instantly curious about this small country that I only knew for its religious significance among Jewish people.
I am also the first Black American blogger to be a part of this unique event! Besides African tourists, I haven’t seen any people who look like me in Israel yet, so it’s clear that I’m not the only one who didn’t have Israel as a top travel destination.
Yesterday, I flew from Paris to Tel Aviv to begin the adventure of my first international press trip and report on the experience of being in Israel. I’m so glad my finger is healing nicely and I was clear to hop on the plane and go!
“Through Vibe Israel, people from all over the world get to experience what Israel is about through experiences,” explains founder Joanna Landau. After thirteen successful tours and eight tours planned for this year, the organization states it’s a success as these tours change the way people think and feel about Israel.
Click here to check out our day-by-day itinerary for the trip!
During the tour, me and the other three participants from around the world will be learning from some of the most influential women entrepreneurs in Israel, while at the same time visiting all the places that make the country so interesting.
The “who’s who” roster of business women we are meeting on the tour includes cultural entrepreneur Naomi Fortis, former CEO of Bat Sheva; Ofra Strauss, chairwoman of the Strauss Group; Eylon Nuphar, co-founder of the award-winning multicultural “Mayumana” dance troupe and Daphne Leef, founder of the Israeli version of “Occupy Wall Street.”
Last night, we kicked off the tour with a welcome dinner at Nanuchka with Ori Shavit, a leading vegan activist and blogger, enjoying drinks and amazing vegan food while getting to know each other.
And today, we took a guided tour of the “old city” of Jerusalem, including visiting the markets and tasting yummy Israeli food!
Visiting the “old city” of Jerusalem
Tasting the famous Israeli bagel with “zaatar” traditional spice
For more details about Vibe Israel, visit vibeisrael.com. You can also follow my week-long journey through Israel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #vibeisrael and #vibewomen!
