I’m so excited to finally announce the details of my summer trip to Tel Aviv! Next week I’m flying out to my favorite Middle Eastern city to delve even deeper into the cool, hip city that it is. I don’t usually travel so publicly with a hashtag, but I’ve got a handful of sponsors and supporters—and the general nature of the trip is to promote the arts, culture (read: food) and nightlife in Tel Aviv. And for that I will need lots of tips! So if you have any stories or travel tips for Tel Aviv, be sure to tweet them at me with the hashtag #tlv4fun.
Have a hot tip for Tel Aviv? Tweet it please!
I’ll be in Tel Aviv from June 5-10th and I’ve got a lot of exciting things planned. Everything from a food tour to discovering some of Tel Aviv’s best gay nightlife. I’ll also be in town during the gay pride which I’m really looking forward to. If you saw my recent feature in Vanity Fair Italia, you’ll know that Tel Aviv is sure to be one of the hottest destinations this summer. One of my favorite bands, The XX, is set to play a gig there at the end of the summer, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that the city will get some of Europe’s best DJs throughout the summer.
I’ve been promoting Tel Aviv as a destination ever since I first fell in love with the city in 2010. Sure, the city has its share of problems, but to this day it continues to be one of the most exciting city destinations. This trip is being supported by Out in TLV, Atlas Hotels, Steele Travel and AndrewChristian.com — companies I personally reached out to because I know and respect their products & services. Be sure to check out their websites or just keep an eye out for the #tlv4fun hashtag.
Discovering Tel Aviv’s Arts
For this trip I plan to really get into the arts scene of Tel Aviv. I’ve previously written about some of the city’s best museums (Design Museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art) but this time around I’ll explore more of the street art and smaller, independent galleries. Plus, my hotel actually doubles as an art gallery with works by internationally-renowned Israeli artists.
Discovering Tel Aviv’s Culture
I’m no stranger to the food scene in Tel Aviv, but on this trip I’m going to make a better effort at discovering the city’s best cheap eats. I already have plans to visit my favorite place to get sabich, a hummus restaurant and more. Then there’s the coffee. There are so many great coffee shops in Tel Aviv and one of my favorite styles of summer drinks is the Israeli version of iced coffee. Essentially it’s a frappe, but it’s so so good!
Expect stories about Tel Aviv’s restaurants and highlights from some of my favorite Tel Aviv neighborhoods. I’ll also be adding new discoveries to my AFAR.com Wanderlist for Tel Aviv and my Foursquare Hipster Guide. And you can bet I’ll be enjoying the many Tel Aviv beaches and writing up a short guide on the best of ’em!
Tel Aviv Gay Pride
Tel Aviv has been a gay travel hotspot for years, but only recently does it seem to have caught on with more and more tourists. That’s why companies like Steele Travel have set up package tours to Israel centered around the gay pride festival. And local tour operators, such as OutInTLV offer LGBT tours throughout Israel as a package or just for day trips. Plus, with their extensive local knowledge, the OutInTLV crew has some really great useful information about travel in Israel.
I’m planning to hit up the big Tel Aviv pride parade on Friday, June 7, though there are plenty of other festivities throughout the month as well (including a gay film festival). In fact, I’ll be at Tel Aviv Pride on Friday with a box full of underwear to give away to some lucky guys on the beach! I can’t tell you how excited I am to attend the pride, and the fact that I’ll be there promoting some of my favorite underwear just makes me smile even more. Here’s a sneak peak video of all that underwear:
Discovering Tel Aviv’s nightlife
Besides my old hangouts and a few other clubs I want to visit, I’ll be hitting up some of Tel Aviv’s newest bars. In January I visited The Container in Jaffa. It’s a fusion art space, restaurant, bar, gallery & music venue and it was one of the highlights of my short visit. With the help of some friends (and the always handy DIY Tel Aviv blog), I’m sure I won’t be lacking for cool things to do on this trip. Keep an eye out on the #tlv4fun hashtag to see where else I choose to explore!
* * *
This trip to Tel Aviv is a little different than how I usually travel. I’m laying out all my travel goals in advance in the hopes that it’ll push me to make sure I visit the coolest and most hip parts of Tel Aviv. I’ll be publishing a handful of Tel Aviv stories before I depart and while I’m there you’ll want to watch me on social media for the live updates:
- Lots of tweets, and share your own content with #tlv4fun — @travelsofadam
- Daily photos on Instagram — @travelsofadam
- Video blogs on my brand new YouTube channel — be sure to subscribe!
By the end of June, I should have collected a ton of great information on how to make the most of a vacation to Tel Aviv. I’ll collect as much useful information as possible and make it into a free ebook which I’ll give away on this website. Contact me directly if you’d like to be involved in that process.
I’m really looking forward to this trip and hope to make it a lot of fun by sharing my vacation in real-time. Stay tuned!
Have a hot tip for Tel Aviv? Tweet it please!
Fabulous! I’ll be following your trip on social media Adam. I wish I can join you give out the hot undies haha. Have fun! I’m sure you will ;P
Thanks DJ – the trip should indeed be FABULOUS! I’m really looking forward to the underwear part of my trip as well ;)
So the real question is will you be wearing and displaying the underwear while you’re handing them out? ;-)
Good question Auston! I guess you’ll just have to follow the #tlv4fun hashtag to see what happens :-)
Looks like a great, and fun, campaign Adam. So cool to be able to go to a city that you already love to discover more of it. Am sure you will have a blast and it will go great. Stay out of trouble!
Thanks as always Michael for your support. I’m really happy with the progress of this trip and it should be exciting and interesting for everyone to follow!
I love The XX! Looks you’ve lined up a great trip! HAVE FUN!
Yep they’re a great band! Tel Aviv gets some pretty cool music gigs when they actually do make it over there. I just read The Killers will also be playing in TLV at the end of the summer.
Sounds like an awesome trip Adam! The city is getting ready for the Gay Pride parade – rainbow flags down the main street, rainbow beach shelters – it’s going to be awesome! And of course the sun is shining fiercely already. Have an amazing time in our city!
Hi Jo,
Yes I’m really excited about this trip! Glad to hear the sun is strong – my past two weekend beach trips have been a bit of a bust with the weather, so I’m counting on Tel Aviv to pull through.
I hope we can also meet for a coffee or a drink while I’m there! Just be sure to tweet at me :)
Sounds like a great trip!! I’ll be following along to see how fun Tel Aviv is!
Glad to hear it Bethaney. It’s a really cool city and I have a lot of fun every time I visit. This time should end up being even *more* fun if it’s possible!
that’s a lifetime supply of underwear – what a hilarious unboxing! can’t wait to follow along on your trip – have fun! :)
Glad you enjoyed the video – stay tuned to see what I’ll be up to with all that underwear :)
Yeh – definitely get us some video footage of you giving out the cool undies to some hot boys! Tel Aviv sounds like a fun place to go. Look forward to hearing more about it.
You bet! Video should be a lot of fun at the pride and I’ll have some help to make sure I properly document it!
Sounds like you’re going to have a great time in Tel Aviv! It will be great to give some of the smaller art galleries and local eateries coverage.
Yes that’s my definite plan, Mary – already been in touch with a few people who know the local arts scene and run tours, and have compiled more recommendations than I know what to do with! Should be a fun few days of exploring TLV’s arts!
Both myself and Franca know how much you love Tel Aviv and we always love reading what you have to say about it so we’re both really excited to see what happens and what has to be said via #tlv4fun
Cheers Dale! I’m en route to Tel Aviv now and I’m already bursting with excitement. Have lined up some great story ideas and it should be a lot of fun. Stay tuned!
I’m still waiting for you to be dancing on a float in that underwear :-P
Didn’t get on a float but was definitely dancing on the tables in some bars last night :-P
And today was the big underwear day! Check Facebook for the photos coming soon – and some teasers that are already up :)
Adam
I went to Tel Aviv many years ago and you’re right, it’s got great nightlife and one of the best beaches in the area.
Cool to hear that you agree Raymond! I almost always have a lot of fun every time I visit Tel Aviv
[…] part of my #tlv4fun summer trip, I went to several of the gay pride events this weekend. From an outdoor street party at the trendy […]
Adam…………I have been going to Tel Aviv since 1967. I lived there in 1973 for four months and have been there since then about 30 times. I have been going back 2 times a year for the past few years in my capacity as a member of the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University. Coincidentally, I was there the same time as you in early June while attending the Board of Governors meeting at TAU. Tel Aviv is everything you say and more. It is alive. It is the heart and the center of Israel’s modern society.
One of the things you might want to do the next time you are there is visit Tel Aviv University. You will be WOWed. That is for sure. If you go back to Israel and want to visit the campus and meet some professors doing cutting edge research in nanotechology, cyber security, genetics or something else of your interest, let me know and I would be happy to arrange it.
And, if I could be so forward………… I lead a trip to Israel and TAU once a year……the next one is in October. If you are interested in joining us, let me know……….and, feel free to let your readers know as well. Our itinerary is superb and includes trips all over the country and to the campus as we discover TAU and its influence on the entire country. And, if you are in Israel next May, we have our Board of Governors meeting and I would love to take you to the campus………..to see a world class university and Israel’s largest university and research center.
Feel free to contact me.
Jon
Hi Jon,
Thank you so much for your comment and information about TAU. I’ve heard about some pretty interesting things coming out of the university but haven’t ever visited myself. Seems like the trip that you arrange to TAU is interesting. I’ll be in touch!
Very Beautiful beach and i was with my honey and never forget my life trip thank you so much for remind my past…