Traveling This Chanukah? 5 Things to Remember!

1. Pack a Menorah

Credit: Judaica of Great Neck

At very least, take with you a box of candles and a simple menorah stand. If you want to go all the way, we recommend those neat, ready-made cups with oil and wicks that you can bring with minimal mess (as well as eight beeswax candles for the shamash). Forgot to pack a menorah? See if you can get tea lights for a perfectly kosher alternative. Line them up in a row and put one candle on top of something small for a shamash. You can light the menorah in your hotel room, just as you would at home.

Purchase the perfect menorah for your trip.

Get candle-lighting times for your location.

How to light the menorah.

2. Go Local

Thousands attended the 2014 menorah lighting at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, despite near-freezing temperatures. (Photo: David Osipov)

Locate your closest Chabad-Lubavitch center and make reservations for Chanukah parties, outdoor menorah-lightings and whatever else they may be planning. From Aruba to Alaska, from Madrid to Melbourne, you can count on a public menorah-lighting ceremony and more. Besides giving your Jewish soul some joy, you’ll be experiencing an authentic local tradition.

Find Chanukah celebrations all over the world.

3. Feed Your Soul

They may not be a mitzvah, but traditional foods have a way of evoking special feelings and memories like nothing else. Even if you won’t be anywhere near a kosher bakery or in the position to fry up some hot potato latkes, you can still savor the oily sweetness of Chanukah with some packaged doughnuts from the kosher supermarket back home. A quick phone call to Franczoz Bakery in Brooklyn, N.Y., tells us that their legendary doughnuts can last at least a week.

Just for fun: Check our mouthwatering collection of Chanukah recipes.

4. Do It Yourself

(Photo: Nati Shohat/Flash90)

It’s at times like this one when Jews sometimes feel lonely isolated in a sea of red, green and gold. Even if you’re on a cruise in middle of the Atlantic Ocean or in one of those rare locations without proximity to a Chabad center, you can send out feelers to fellow travelers. You’ll be delighted to discover members of the tribe with whom to celebrate Chanukah.

How One Young Woman Celebrated Chanukah Far From Home

5. Go to the Top

Las Vegas awash in even more light from these menorahs.

If you’ll be road-tripping this Chanukah, consider outfitting your car with a menorah that affixes right to the roof (and lights up, to boot). You’ll be spreading the Chanukah message wherever you go, and you’re sure to get lots of waves, smiles, cheers, and, depending where you go, some curious stares.

How Car Menorahs Became a Staple of Contemporary Chanukah.