Sam Spector is a staff writer at The Royal Tour. Please scroll down for an index of all of his articles here.
Sam Spector is the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Cum Laude with a BA in Judaic Studies from the University of California, San Diego. While in college, Spector spent a summer abroad at the Rothberg International School at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Spector attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he spent over a year studying at the Jerusalem campus, and then continued his studies at the Los Angeles campus where he received his M.A. in Hebrew Letters and his rabbinic ordination. He began his career as the assistant and then associate rabbi of Temple Judea in Tarzana, CA. With his love of history and religion, he has traveled to more than 50 countries across five continents, many off the beaten track, with often an emphasis on culture, religion and history. Some of his favorite destinations include: Laos, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Morocco, Zanzibar, Cuba, Peru, Oman and Albania. He has led group trips to Israel and Central Europe that are focused on Jewish history and religion. In addition to English, he speaks conversational Spanish and Hebrew. Spector lives in Millcreek, Utah, with his wife and travel buddy, Jill, who works in the hotel industry, and his dogs, Nezek, a Brittany Spaniel, and Walter, a Chocolate Labrador Retriever.
How to Maximize Your Doha Layover
Why Luang Prabang Is My Favorite City
Orcas Island: A Jewel in the Northwest
Exploring Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley
Maasai Mara and Nairobi, Kenya
Eastern Peru Beyond Machu Picchu
The Terezin Concentration Camp
Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake
The Micro-Nation of San Marino
How Travel Saved My Paternity Leave
Colombia’s Tayrona National Park and Santa Marta
Portugal: Is This the Most Baby Friendly Country on Earth?
Sintra, Obidos, and Evora: Day Trips from Lisbon
City of the Future: A Weekend in Dubai
Quba: Azerbaijan’s Red Village
A Day Tour in Northern Armenia
Tips for Traveling While Jewish
Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park
Muscat, Oman: The Legacy of Sultan Qaboos