There is an earlier trip recorded – 3 Arabs stopped by Avraham for Pesach and, thus, went to a Dead Sea resort for chol hamoed. The accommodation options were limited, but the locals were excited to see the guests, and the whole trip was reported a blast.
It was bigger than the desert trip – one new nation emerged from 40 years of travel, but two new nations were conceived in the two night of THAT chol hamoed.