Jewish Travel Customs and Prayers: Hitting the Road the Jewish Way

Before You Go

The suitcase is packed, the tickets are booked, and you are almost out the door. But if you are Jewish — or at least, if you are a Jew who pays attention to these things — there are a few things to do before you leave.

Judaism has always been a traveling religion. Abraham was told to lech lecha — “go forth” — and Jewish history has been a series of journeys ever since: from Ur to Canaan, from Canaan to Egypt, from Egypt to the wilderness, from the wilderness to the Promised Land, and then, for two thousand years, from exile to exile across the world. It makes sense, then, that Judaism has developed a rich set of customs, prayers, and practices for the road.

Kissing the Mezuzah

As you step through the doorway, you touch the mezuzah — the small case affixed to the doorpost containing a scroll with passages from Deuteronomy — and bring your fingers to your lips. The gesture is brief, almost reflexive for those who do it daily. But on the day you leave for a journey, it carries extra weight.

The mezuzah marks the boundary between your home and the world. Touching it as you leave is a moment of transition — a recognition that you are leaving a protected space and entering one where the protections are less certain. It is also an act of trust: the scroll inside contains the words “The Lord will guard your going and your coming, now and forever” (Psalm 121:8).

Saying Goodbye: The Right Words

Jewish tradition has specific language for farewells, and getting it right matters:

“Lech l’shalom” (Go toward peace) — This is the proper way to say goodbye to someone who is leaving. Note: it says toward peace, not in peace. Going “toward” peace implies movement, growth, progress.

“Lech b’shalom” (Go in peace) — This phrase is used when parting from the dead — said at funerals and gravesides. Using it for the living is considered inappropriate and even inauspicious. The Talmud (Berakhot 64a) makes this distinction based on the examples of David (who said lech b’shalom to Absalom, who subsequently died) and Jethro (who said lech l’shalom to Moses, who succeeded).

“B’hatzlacha” — Simply “with success” — a common and warm way to wish someone well as they depart.

“Tzeitchem l’shalom” — “May your departure be toward peace” — a communal blessing sometimes sung at the end of Shabbat meals for guests who are leaving.

Tefilat HaDerech: The Traveler’s Prayer

The most important Jewish travel practice is Tefilat HaDerech — the Traveler’s Prayer. It is recited when setting out on a journey of significant distance, typically upon leaving the city limits.

The prayer reads:

“May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our ancestors, that You lead us toward peace, guide our footsteps toward peace, direct us toward peace, and bring us to our desired destination — for life, gladness, and peace. Rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush, bandits, and evil animals along the way, and from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to earth. Send blessing on the work of our hands. Grant us grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us. Hear the voice of our supplication, because You are God who hears prayer and supplication. Blessed are You, Lord, who hears prayer.”

When to Say It

• After leaving the city limits (or after takeoff, if flying)
• Once per day of travel
• Ideally standing, though sitting is acceptable (in a car or plane, obviously)
• Some travelers keep a laminated card with the prayer in their wallet or passport case

The prayer’s language is vivid — “bandits and evil animals along the way” reflects the genuine dangers of ancient travel, but the sentiment is universal. Every traveler, in every era, hopes to arrive safely.

What to Carry

Several customs relate to what a traveler should take along:

Charity (tzedakah) money: The Talmud teaches that giving charity before a journey provides protection. Many Jews carry a small amount of money to give to charity upon arriving at their destination. Some communities have the custom of giving the traveler tzedakah money to deliver to a charitable cause at the destination — making the traveler a shaliach mitzvah (agent of a commandment), which tradition says provides additional protection.

A piece of challah or bread: Some communities have the custom of carrying bread on a journey, based on the tradition that sustenance accompanies the traveler. In practical terms, this ensures that you always have food — a sensible precaution in any era.

A siddur (prayer book): For maintaining daily prayers while traveling. Today, phone apps serve the same purpose, but many travelers prefer the physical book.

Kosher food: For observant travelers, this is not custom but necessity. Preparing kosher food in advance — or knowing where to find kosher restaurants and stores at the destination — requires planning.

Shabbat on the Road

Perhaps the greatest challenge for the Jewish traveler is Shabbat. The prohibition against travel on Shabbat (from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall) means that observant Jews must plan their journeys around the Jewish calendar. This includes:

• Arriving at your destination before Shabbat begins
• Knowing candle-lighting times at your destination (which change with latitude and longitude)
• Finding a synagogue or Jewish community for Shabbat services
• Arranging Shabbat meals — or cooking them yourself

The global network of Jewish communities — and especially the Chabad movement, which maintains centers in over 100 countries — makes Shabbat observance possible in remarkably remote locations. There is a Chabad house in Kathmandu, in Phnom Penh, in Cusco, and in dozens of other places you would not expect to find a Friday night dinner.

Visiting Jewish Sites Abroad

For many Jewish travelers, visiting Jewish historic sites is a central motivation for travel. Key practices include:

• Visiting synagogues and Jewish museums in cities with significant Jewish histories (Prague, Amsterdam, Venice, Krakow, Istanbul)
• Saying special prayers at Holocaust memorial sites
• Visiting the graves of tzaddikim (righteous individuals) — a practice especially important in Hasidic tradition
• Saying the Shehecheyanu blessing (“who has kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this time”) upon visiting a place of great significance for the first time, particularly Israel

Coming Home

The return home has its own customs:

• Touching the mezuzah upon entering — a mirror of the departure gesture, now marking the return to your sacred space
• Reciting Birkat HaGomel — a blessing of thanksgiving said after surviving a dangerous situation, traditionally including sea travel, desert travel, serious illness, or imprisonment. Today, many say it after any significant journey, particularly air travel.

The Birkat HaGomel is recited publicly, in the presence of a minyan (ten adults), typically at the next Torah reading after your return. The congregation responds with a wish that God “who has bestowed goodness upon you, may continue to bestow goodness upon you.”

The Journey as Metaphor

Jewish tradition understands that every journey is two things at once: a physical movement through space and a spiritual movement through life. The prayers and customs of travel sanctify the physical — they ask for safe roads and calm seas — but they also point toward something deeper. Lech lecha, God said to Abraham. Go forth. Not just from your home, but from everything familiar. Not just to a destination, but toward the person you are meant to become.

Every time you step through a doorway, touch a mezuzah, and say the Traveler’s Prayer, you are walking in Abraham’s footsteps. The road is long. The destination is worth the journey.