Guides · Updated September 2026

Shabbat in Asia: How It Works When You Travel

Shabbat is the part of a trip that needs the most planning — but with the right preparation, a full kosher Shabbat is very achievable almost anywhere in Asia.

Why Shabbat needs the most lead time

Unlike a regular weekday meal, nothing about Shabbat can be arranged last-minute: there's no kosher shop to run to on Friday afternoon, and cooking isn't an option once Shabbat begins. Everything — the meals, challah, wine or grape juice, and a way to keep food warm — has to be in place beforehand.

That’s why we treat Shabbat as the anchor of the plan. Tell us your destination and dates early, and we build the rest of the kosher services around it.

What a kosher Shabbat abroad usually includes

A typical setup covers Friday night and Shabbat day meals, challah, wine or grape juice for Kiddush, and hot food kept warm without cooking on Shabbat — arranged in the hotel, villa, or venue where you're staying.

For larger groups this often means a private chef preparing everything in advance, plus a space set up so meals run smoothly across the day.

Working with Chabad and local communities

In destinations with an active Jewish presence — such as Hong Kong or the main cities of Thailand — a local Chabad house or community can be part of the Shabbat solution. Where there is no infrastructure, we build a standalone setup from scratch.

Planning ahead by destination

Each destination works a little differently. See what’s realistic for Vietnam, Bali, Japan and more on our destinations pages — and reach out as early as you can for group Shabbatot and holidays.