But for the Observant Jewish traveler, arranging all of the details necessary to travel internationally and keep the mitzvot can still be a herculean task. Long-time Observant globetrotters have learned how to pack weeks’ worth of non-perishable kosher foods or prepare ahead of time by researching the closest Chabad center, but even that is not always enough.

The Chabad movement has gotten a reputation, and rightly so, for being the Jewish outpost in the non-Jewish world. And many Observant travelers rely on the services of Chabad centers in out-of-the-way locations. But while Chabad offers many services for Jewish travelers, they do have limits in what they can offer and, in most cases, they do not have places for people to stay, even though they may have meals and services available to the “public”.

With the advent of online reservation platforms such as Airbnb and booking.com, the option of finding a place to stay where one has more independence regarding cooking their own food and preparing their environment for a Shabbat stay has certainly taken some of the difficulties out of the process. Yet it still doesn’t eliminate the need to bring your own cooking utensils, dealing with awkward checkout times, lack of a synagogue close by, or issues caused by electronic entry keys.

Enter a new platform called Jstay, created specifically for the Observant Jewish traveler. If you’ve ever considered traveling but been overwhelmed by all the details that need to be considered, you should check out this platform. 

Jstay is available as an app for your phone, or you can access it on the internet through your computer.

On Jstay, like the other reservation platforms, as a guest you can search on the app for residences in a variety of locations around the world. As a host, you describe your property and upload pictures. There is also a chat feature which allows the host and guest to communicate with each other. There’s also a rating system for guests and hosts.

So where’s the difference?

With Jstay, hosts categorize their listing as strictly kosher, standard kosher or non-kosher and guests can filter their search results based on their kosher preferences.  Guests who want to book a “strictly kosher” rental indicate this when they sign up and then they are only shown strictly kosher stays. However, unlike standard or non-kosher bookings which can be booked instantly, strictly kosher stays cannot be ‘Instantly Booked’, the guest first sends a ‘Request to Book’. Requesting a booking sends a notification to the host, who can then decide to ‘Accept’ or ‘Refuse’ the booking. The host can also take a look at the user profile and/or send them a direct message to find out if the user matches their criteria. 

But what sets the Jstay app apart even more is the fact that guests can also filter their search results based on the accomodation’s distance to kosher stores and restaurants, shuls, and even mikvaot. Hosts are encouraged to list if the area has an eruv, as well as any items that are