Families who want to go on an outing need to plan ahead so that they can eat their meals in a sukka. If they decide to go somewhere without a sukka, they should make sure not to eat se’udot keva during the trip. Rather, they should make do with fruits, vegetables, and a little bit of mezonot (above, section 5). Some disagree and maintain that when traveling, one may eat even se’udot keva outside of a sukka. Just as during the year, one who is traveling is not meticulous about eating in a house under a roof, so too on Sukkot, a traveler need not take care to eat in a sukka. Nevertheless, it seems that being lenient in this case is not appropriate. Only someone who is compelled to travel is exempt from sukka. But someone who decides to go on a pleasure trip is making a conscious decision to neglect the mitzva for no compelling reason, so he may go on a trip only if he takes care to eat all se’udot keva in a sukka.[17]
As a rule, one should make sure not to waste Ḥol Ha-mo’ed on outings, as these holy days are meant for Torah study and festive meals. As I have written elsewhere, half the day should be dedicated to God, i.e., spent on study and prayer (Peninei Halakha: Mo’adim 10:6). The reason that melakha is forbidden on Ḥol Ha-mo’ed is to enable Torah study (y. Mo’ed Katan 2:3). When one devotes the holidays to his own pleasures, God says to him, “These are not My festivals, but rather yours.” About such people it says, “Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing; they have become a burden to Me; I cannot endure them” (Yeshayahu 1:14). However, those who dedicate Ḥol Ha-mo’ed to Torah, prayer, and festive meals are beloved of God (Shelah, Sukka, Ner Mitzva 31).
Some trips have a mitzva element. One example is visiting one’s rabbi whom he does not see on a monthly basis. Another example is visiting Jerusalem in order to enjoy its courtyards, come close to the Temple Mount, and pray at the Western Wall; this is a quasi-fulfillment of the mitzva to make a pilgrimage to the Temple (Peninei Halakha: Mo’adim 1:16-17; 10:6). When people are on these types of trips and it is difficult for them to find a sukka, they may eat se’udot keva without one.
