High Flying Israel:
An Aerial Arts Retreat
Tel Aviv
June 4-9, 2022
It’s finally happening! After three years of anticipation, join Brenna Bradbury of High Flying Retreats and Alexandra Baackes of Wander Women Retreats on an aerial adventure through Israel in which we’ll explore the aerial, acro, and circus communities of seaside Tel Aviv.
Get ready to dive into workshops in aerial hammocks, lyra, silks, and trapeze throughout the hottest city in the Middle East. Explore each day with an aerial-strengthening adventure — including one from atop a stand up paddle board — and end it sampling Tel Aviv’s best restaurants and epic nightlife.
Israel is filled with incredible history, yes, but it’s also home to some of the most vibrant cities, stunning landscapes, and interesting people in the world — not to mention home to one of the world’s most drooled after cuisines. Brace yourself for six days of beaches, hummus, sunshine, and flying!
Want more? Extend your stay and arrive early to join us for a whirl around some of the top sights of Israel, from ancient Old City of Jerusalem to the infamously salty Dead Sea on our Pre-Retreat Jerusalem + West Bank Extension. Still can’t get enough? Stick around for our Post-Retreat Pride Party Extension, including a wild seaside parade one day, and an epic day rave in Yarkon Park the next.
A fabulous photographer will be behind the lens every step of the way, ensuring everyone leaves with profile-picture worthy shots of themselves in the air and on epic adventures.
Please note that while this retreat is open to a variety of levels of aerialists, you must have a passion for aerial arts and a base-level of skill in at least one aerial apparatus before enrolling. Having a confident inversion on your preferred apparatus is highly recommended. Feel free to contact Brenna or Alex to discuss your situation.
The Details
The retreat will be held from June 4-9th, 2022, and starts at $2,750.
What’s Included in the Retreat
• Five nights accommodation at a chic design hotel in Tel Aviv
• Daily breakfast, an opening and closing dinner, and most importantly… a daily happy hour with free wine!
• Three aerial arts workshops with Brenna in silk, hammock, and hoop
• One flying trapeze workshop with local trapeze artists
• One stand up paddle conditioning class with a local surf goddess
• One bike tour with a local tour guide extraordinaire
• A professionally produced aerial shoot
• A custom welcome bag
• All tips for tour guides and drivers
• Professional photos of the trip
• Additional meals, alcohol or activities not specific in the itinerary
• Optional Contortion Workshop upgrade
• Mandatory travel insurance
The Itinerary
Subject to change, and expect surprises, but here’s the general idea.
Day 1: Let’s get retreating! If you’re joining our Pre-Retreat Jerusalem + West Bank Extension, we’ll pack up together and head to Tel Aviv to meet the new arrivals at our hotel. Once everyone’s accounted for, we’ll gather for a rooftop acro-yoga class by a local Israeli guest instructor designed to loosen up tired travel muscles. Next, we’ll toast with a free hotel happy hour and head over to dinner at a iconic Arabic restaurant known for it’s endless servings of pita and dips to get to know your fellow aerial artists.
Day 2: Kick off the morning with a traditional Israeli breakfast before heading around the corner to a plant-filled aerial arts studio for the first of our daily aerial workshop with Brenna. After lunch at a fave local restaurant overlooking the sea, it’s time for afternoon as you wish in Yafo, Tel Aviv’s charming old city — go beach bumming, explore Jaffa Flea Market, or walk to a famed viewpoint. At sunset, we’ll reconvene for a stand up paddle board strengthening session overlooking the Jaffa Port. At night, Tel Aviv roars to life again.
Day 3: We’ll start the day again with another aerial workshop with Brenna. Later, we’ll enjoy lunch at Alex’s favorite Arabic restaurant in the Levinsky Market. After free time to wander the market or, as is always an option in Tel Aviv, head to the beach, we’ll meet back up to head north of the city for a private flying trapeze lesson! Once back in the heart of the city, we’ll stop for dinner at a beloved Tel Aviv pita joint.
Day 4: Get your day off to a strong start with another aerial training session with Brenna. After lunch at the Carmel Market, packed with small stalls + cafés and open for nearly a century, we’re off on a tour of Tel Aviv on two wheels. Enjoy the city’s Bauhaus architecture, seaside breezes, and buzzing energy while giving your upper body a break and letting your legs take over! In the evening, return to our retreat rooftop for a private shopping night browsing local aerial brands’ wares over the complimentary happy hour back at our hotel (excuse me, but are the bartenders our best friends yet?). Finally, we’re off to a favorite garden-like restaurant named — we couldn’t help ourselves — Bicicletta.
Day 5: Join us for one of Brenna’s famous aerial warm ups on our private rooftop before we set off for the ultimate aerial adventure — an urban photoshoot shot in style around the city with Backyard Circus. We did it! Time to head to a beach club and toast (with shots of arak, of course!) to a high flying week — the summer beach scene in Tel Aviv is not to be missed! In the evening, we’ll return to our hotel for one final hotel happy hour followed by a special surprise closing dinner.
Day 6: We’ll send off those heading home today with a final goodbye breakfast, and lots of hugs! Before folding yourself into a plane seat, sign up for an optional upgrade Contortion Workshop with Jonathan Nosan, founder of Contorture. Not ready to say shalom to Israel? Join us for our Pride Party Extension!
Where We’ll Stay
For the retreat, we’ll stay at The Market House Tel Aviv, a chic boutique hotel in Southern Tel Aviv! Private rooms have one bed while shared rooms feature two twin beds unless otherwise requested. While you can of course room with a friend, if you’re traveling solo, fear not, so are many of our guests! We’ll do our best to pair you with someone we think you’ll click with — and we’ll all be one big aerial family by the end anyway.
Enjoy perks like a daily Israeli breakfast, a happy hour with free wine, complimentary bike rentals, and more. Plus, the location is perfect — just around the corner from our aerial home and centrally located to enjoy Tel Aviv’s best nightlife and restaurants.
What We’ll Eat
Breakfast is included every day, as well as an opening and closing dinner. For the non-included meal of the day, we’ll bring you to a favorite spot where you can order at your own expense, or branch off and do your own thing. Israeli cuisine is perfect for our high activity level — it’s not only delicious, but also healthy and well balanced.
Of course, there will be plenty of hummus along the way (and bonus — learn to make your own one day, if you join the extension tour!).
Travel With Us
On this trip you’ll be traveling with Wander Women Retreats founder Alexandra Baackes and High Flying Retreats founder Brenna Bradbury as your hosts.
Alexandra Baackes fell in love with Israel’s hospitality, culture, and adventures immediately upon her first trip in 2018 and loved it so much she hasn’t been able to stay away since! She is a RYT 200 Registered Yoga Teacher, an Aerial Vinyasa and Aerial Yin instructor, a Buti Bands and Sculpt instructor, and is an enthusiastic aerial arts student. She can’t wait to travel with you.
Brenna Bradbury has performed as an aerialist and dancer with an assortment of entertainment companies in New York City, and as a speciality artist at venues such as The Box, The Slipper Room, The Diamond Horseshoe, Galapagos Art Space, and House of Yes. Off-Broadway, she performed aerial moon in “Speakeasy Dollhouse: Midnight Frolic” at the Liberty Theater. Brenna won 2nd place in the 2015 U.S. Aerial Championships, Silks Division, and was selected as a finalist in the 2016 U.S. Aerial Championships, Lyra Division. She has her 200 hour Vinyasa TT from Atmananda Yoga Studio, her 50 hour Aerial Yoga TT from OM Factory, and her 25 hour Flexibility TT from Elevated Education, through Body & Pole.
Health + Safety
Israel has some of the world’s most stringent COVID arrival procedures — allowing us to relax and enjoy a full travel experience upon arrival!
Israel requires visitors to be fully vaccinated, which they define as vaccinated with two vaccine doses (or a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine) more than 14 days before arrival in Israel (and no more than 180 days later than the departure from Israel). If more than 180 have passed since the last dose in the series, they must also receive a booster shot at least 14 days prior to entry. You can find more information here.
Additionally, you must take a PCR test no more than 72 hours before your flight or a lab rapid test taken no more than 48 hours before your flight. According to current guidelines, you will also be required to take a PCR test at the airport on arrival. This costs $25USD, and you will be able to proceed to our accommodation and relax until the results are texted to you and you are free to continue with our amazing itinerary! On average, this takes a few hours, however, many anticipate this requirement will be lifted before summer.
We will assist you in arranging all tests required to travel home from Israel.
Getting There and Away
Most international flights to Israel arrive and depart from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV).
Upon arrival, you can take a private taxi, Uber, or Gett (Israel’s own, much more affordable Uber!) to and from Ben Gurion airport. We will send additional information on airport transfer upgrades once you’ve booked, but don’t worry — the options are safe and simple!
Extend Your Adventure
Want the full Israeli experience? Before traipsing (and trapezing) around Tel Aviv, join us for our Pre-Retreat Jerusalem + West Bank Extension for a much fuller picture of what Israel is all about! After we finish swinging from the ceiling literally, do so metaphorically for the wildest party in the Middle East — Pride! Join us for our Post-Retreat Pride Party Extension to experience Tel Aviv’s epic beachside Pride Parade, followed by a wild day rave in Yarkon Park, Tel Aviv’s answer to New York’s Central Park.
You can book the extension bundled with your retreat below, or separately via the individual sales pages for each extension.
Join Us
A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot. Can’t make this one? Don’t sweat — sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when enrollment opens on future retreats.
Once payment is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email with intake form and an invite to a private Facebook group for your trip. We’ll make sure you know exactly what to pack + expect, and help you with any questions.
Have a ton of questions about Israel and this trip? Schedule a 15 minute Zoom chat with Alex for all of your burning questions! Otherwise, don’t hesitate to email us at retreats@alexinwanderland.com with any and all questions or concerns over if this is the right retreat for you. We’d love to help!
$2,750.00 – $3,500.00
High Flying Israel // June 4-9
F.A.Q.
What is the refund policy?
The $500 deposit to secure your space is non-refundable and remaining invoices are due 90 days before departure. If the trip must be postponed or cancelled due to events beyond our control, you will be offered the choice between a full refund and applying your payment to a future trip.
The reason our deposits are non-refundable is that we start incurring costs from the moment someone presses “book” — from credit card fees to high hourly wages for our team who corresponds with guests, manages trip inventory and our e-commerce platform, analyzes forms to create room assignments, coordinates with our local vendors, and beyond.
There’s nothing we want more than for our guests to take and enjoy the travel they have worked hard and paid for. Thank you so much for your understanding and respect of our need to enforce this policy strictly. We want to be here to travel with you for years to come!
Is this retreat women-only?
No — while Wander Women Retreats are, by definition, for women, our High Flying collaborations are open to aerialists of all genders.
What if I test positive for COVID while abroad?
We understand this is a major concern for many traveling internationally right now.
In the very unlikely event that you contract COVID-19 while traveling with us, we will assist you in confirming your positive test results, finding a location to isolate, and rebooking your travel home. We resumed our trips in May of 2021 and our guests have had a 100% success rate of staying positive and testing negative ever since 
Will I have time to do my own thing?
This is your retreat and we want you to make it exactly what you want! There’s a lot to see and experience, so we’ve tried to design an itinerary that balances the best of activity and downtime. But any time you want to bow out to have some “me-time” or do your own thing, we’re going to cheer you on.
How much money will I need to bring?
Tel Aviv is one of the most expensive cities in the world! You can expect to spend a minimum of 50NIS ($15USD) for lunch or 100NIS ($30USD) for dinner, depending on where you go and what you order.
I want to extend my trip to explore more of Israel. Any suggestions?
Check out our destination page for our posts about the Dead Sea, Eilat, Jerusalem, Negev Desert, Tel Aviv — and feel free to email us for more info and ideas! Alex has traveled Israel extensively. We offer an hour of complimentary consultation on expanding your trip, after which we will offer our hourly consulting at a special retreat guest rate.
Can I do a payment plan and pay in installments?
Absolutely. Email us at retreats@alexinwanderland.com.
Will I need travel insurance?
Yes, everyone will be required to have travel insurance for the duration of the trip. Our affiliate, World Nomads offers coverage at affordable rates.
Is there an age requirement?
You must be 18 years old or older.
What about visas?
Visas are not required for travel to Israel from the US, Canada, The UK, or many other countries. Traveling to Israel can be slightly intimidating given the more complicated restrictions, but we’re here to help!
As you might have heard, security at the airport can be comprehensive. We will provide a wealth of information on the Israeli airport + visa experience and welcome any follow up questions and concerns! Israel no longer stamps passports, but if you have any worries about future travel plans, we have extensive background and knowledge in this area — please email us at retreats@alexinwanderland.com with questions or check with your embassy for current visa information.
Is there a waiting list?
There will be a waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis in case spaces open up. If the retreat is full and you’re still interested, email us at retreats@alexinwanderland.com to be added to the waiting list.
I have questions about the aerial portion of this trip. Who do I contact about that?
Awesome! Contact Brenna at highflyingretreats@gmail.com.
I still have questions about Israel, or cute photos of my dog. Who do I contact about that?
Um, us please! Our email is retreats@alexinwanderland.com.