With the affluence and increasing mobility of the contemporary Orthodox world, frum Jews are traveling to places their ancestors had never even heard of. Orthodox Jews can be found taking a cruise to Bermuda, going on a safari in Botswana or embarking on a multi-day hike in Nepal.
Traveling does, of course, pose significant challenges for the kosher traveler. From determining zemanei tefillah to finding appropriate kosher cuisine, the experienced kosher traveler knows that to be prepared, he must learn the relevant halachot and plan ahead.
Below, we offer you, Jewish Action readers, a brief quiz to find out how much you really know about kosher travel. Good luck—and don’t forget to rate yourself at the end!
How did you score?
3 -5 correct: Go back to yeshivah.
5-10 correct: Not bad. But don’t go to Thailand without first brushing up on your kosher travel skills.
More than 10 correct: Excellent. Go find your passport!
Rabbi Epstein directs the Asian Desk of the Kashrut Division’s New Companies Department at the Orthodox Union. He is married with six sons, and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is the author of Halachos for the Traveler (Jerusalem, 2000), which addresses the specific problems that confront the kosher traveler.