(Courtesy of Achva) Achva has been quietly selling out summer tours thanks to kids who have decided that traveling is more fun than staying in one place. Based in Paramus, Achva provides coed, well-supervised travel tours that attract Modern Orthodox teenagers from all over the United States along with a few adventurous souls from other countries. All of Achva’s tours are, of course, strictly Kosher and Shomer Shabbat.

Achva’s tours are also strictly divided by grade. Here is a quick run down of their current offerings including a brand new tour called Mini, which opens up Achva to post-7th graders for the first time in its 38 year history.

Their most popular trip, Achva West, is for post-9th graders (presumably entering 10th) and travels throughout the Western U.S. over five weeks. Destinations include Denver, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Yosemite and San Francisco among others. This tour fills multiple buses which all travel together. While mostly flying under the radar, the program clearly looks to be a runaway success. In fact, this summer looks to be one of their biggest groups ever. If you wish to join, call them right away as only a few spots remain.

For post-8th graders, there is Achva East, a three-week tour which even works well for those wishing to do a first session of camp. This tour has been selling out every year including for 2019, for which there is currently a waiting list to get in. Some of the highlights of East include Cedar Point Amusement Park outside of Cleveland, the Navy Pier in Chicago, the St. Louis Arch, whitewater rafting and horseback riding in Smoky Mountains National Park, paddle surfing in Virginia Beach and much more.

Brand new for 2019 is a tour for post-7th graders called Achva Mini. The tour is billed by Achva as the perfect introduction to see what all the Achva excitement is about. Mini, an eight day tour of parts of New England starting in mid-August, will include Boston, Portland, ME, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and much more. The introductory price is $1,450 and if you move quickly, you can still catch an early-bird discount.

If you are looking a bit ahead, keep an eye on the summer of 2020 when Achva will be bringing back their classic Achva Israel tour for post-10th graders. According to their web site, this five-week tour of Israel combines fun activities, Chesed, outdoor adventure and the mystical and magical sites of Israel including numerous sites in Judea and Samaria.

According to Roger Braverman, Achva’s director, “For those who love to travel, Achva is such a great way to spend your summer. We are so excited about all our tours, and especially our new tour for 7th graders. If you are considering a summer travel program, you have to at least check us out.”

Braverman likes to emphasize that Achva’s prices, especially compared to other summer options, are a good value especially when you consider everything Achva provides. Hotel accommodations, big modern coach buses with bathrooms and outlets, three meals daily provided by Achva’s catering staff or kosher restaurants and daily attractions and activities. Achva is also known for its excellent supervision and superbly crafted itineraries all of which add up to a truly unique summer experience.

Thanks to its continued growth, Achva is also looking for more staff members. If you are interested in being a counselor, senior staff person, rabbi or food-service position for an Achva tour, you should

give them a call or apply online on their website. Because who wouldn’t want to be responsible for a large group of teenagers traveling around the country? Though according to Roger, “Being an Achva staff member is both a challenging and supremely rewarding experience for those who have the talent and time off in the summer to take this on.”

Achva’s recently renovated website can be found at www.youngisrael.org/achva has prices, itineraries and all the details necessary to get you off and running. You can also call the Achva office at 212 929- 1525 x181 to discuss any aspect of the tours. So check them out, especially if you want to spend your summer in more than one place.