1. The Seder isn't that Big of a Deal: First of all, here in Israel there's much less to do, as there's only one Seder and one day of Yom Tov to prepare for. We make the Seder for our family alone :-( , and we're actually invited out for lunch tomorrow. So the cooking is for all of one meal. Moreover, we stopped eating a large meal at the Seder years ago. After all the Matzah and Romaine lettuce, we eat chicken soup and matzah balls, my mother's famous fricassee, some desert, and move on to the afikomen.
2. Cleaning: We don't do spring cleaning. We clean for Chametz. It's not that big of a deal when you stop washing the walls. (Also, with all the kids home from school beginning last week, the older ones helped quite a lot. I was still working).
3. Amazing deals: Basically, pretty much no one takes a vacation during the week before vacation, so we had the entire city of Teveria more or less to ourselves. And the tiyyullim we took were also more or less empty, other than the random families who are as nutty as us, or groups of men and boys who were kicked out of their homes by the ladies. That means that empty hotels are looking to grab you, and we found a really good deal (at a Groupon-like site) for a hotel that included breakfast and dinner. That was a good move. There's nothing like a vacation when you don't have to worry about most of the food (lunch = ice cream) and you can get up from the table after dinner and walk away.
4. Gorgeous Weather: If you like hiking, walking around and outdoor activities, this is the time to do it. We went on two tiyyulim over two days (to Tel Dan and Nachal Amud), and the weather was perfect!
So, if you're looking for something to do over the week before Pesach, try taking a vacation in Israel. You'll save money, have a great time, and get back home just in time for Bedikat Chametz.
OK, that was a little hectic.
Chag Sameach!
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