Going on a pilgrimage

[Root of Jesse]

My wife and I have finally decided to go on another pilgrimage mid-2014. We're going to Fatima, Portugal, Santiago de Compostela, Avila, Loyola, Salamanca, Burgos (all in Spain), Lourdes, Paris, and Rome. The tour we're taking can be seen at Spain France Italy 206 Tours 77 - Catholic Pilgrimages.

I wonder if anyone has used this company, or has any info on their reputation. They seem like a good company.

We figure this will be our last trip to Europe, and wanted to visit all the places we want to go on one trip. Age, rigor of travel and other considerations would probably prevent more than this trip. Although I might do The Way if my wife passes before me.

We've never done a tour this extensive. What to know?

 

[Michie]

My wife and I have finally decided to go on another pilgrimage mid-2014. We're going to Fatima, Portugal, Santiago de Compostela, Avila, Loyola, Salamanca, Burgos (all in Spain), Lourdes, Paris, and Rome. The tour we're taking can be seen at Spain France Italy 206 Tours 77 - Catholic Pilgrimages.

I wonder if anyone has used this company, or has any info on their reputation. They seem like a good company.

We figure this will be our last trip to Europe, and wanted to visit all the places we want to go on one trip. Age, rigor of travel and other considerations would probably prevent more than this trip. Although I might do The Way if my wife passes before me.

We've never done a tour this extensive. What to know?

I've got the Martin Sheen movie concerning 'The Way' but I have not watched it yet.

Hubby & I are considering a Biblical tour that covers the main places mentioned in Scripture. We'd like to do something like you are planning for a second go round. I can't help you with your questions but would love to hear how your trip went.

We were also curious about those tours advertised in Church where a priest is basically the guide. I can't find anyone that has gone on one of those.

 

[Anhelyna]

RofJ

That's an exhausting tour - you are not going to get much rest on it !

When are you proposing to go - in the summer temps may well be about 40 degrees [ 104 Farenheit ] and both Paris and Rome tend to empty in August - heat and holiday period . You will only find tourists there then.

Warning - Lourdes is not on the level - the Domaine is low [ think flooding these last 2 years ] and the rest of to Town is much higher up .

 

[Root of Jesse]

I've got the Martin Sheen movie concerning 'The Way' but I have not watched it yet.

Hubby & I are considering a Biblical tour that covers the main places mentioned in Scripture. We'd like to do something like you are planning for a second go round. I can't help you with your questions but would love to hear how your trip went.

We were also curious about those tours advertised in Church where a priest is basically the guide. I can't find anyone that has gone on one of those.

It's a good movie, Michie, though Martin Sheen does scatter his son's remains at the markers along the way. It's not particularly "religious" though I would call it "spiritual". And the last scene at the Basilica where St. James is buried is fantastic!

If you're going to the Holy Land, I would suggest going with one of two groups-Fr. Mitch Pacwa's company goes at Christmas every year, and then Steve Ray's Footprints of God tours. They aren't the cheapest, in fact, they might be the most expensive. But Steve Ray goes over there 4-5 times a year, uses primarily Catholic or at least Christian tour guides, and Steve is an expert. Fr. Mitch is such a historian, he'll be good to go with as well.

I will let people know here how everything works.

 

[Michie]

It's a good movie, Michie, though Martin Sheen does scatter his son's remains at the markers along the way. It's not particularly "religious" though I would call it "spiritual". And the last scene at the Basilica where St. James is buried is fantastic!

If you're going to the Holy Land, I would suggest going with one of two groups-Fr. Mitch Pacwa's company goes at Christmas every year, and then Steve Ray's Footprints of God tours. They aren't the cheapest, in fact, they might be the most expensive. But Steve Ray goes over there 4-5 times a year, uses primarily Catholic or at least Christian tour guides, and Steve is an expert. Fr. Mitch is such a historian, he'll be good to go with as well.

I will let people know here how everything works.

Have you been on a Holy Land tour?

Please do let us know how it turns out as we are interested in going to those places after seeing the Holy Land.

 

[Root of Jesse]

RofJ

That's an exhausting tour - you are not going to get much rest on it !

When are you proposing to go - in the summer temps may well be about 40 degrees [ 104 Farenheit ] and both Paris and Rome tend to empty in August - heat and holiday period . You will only find tourists there then.

Warning - Lourdes is not on the level - the Domaine is low [ think flooding these last 2 years ] and the rest of to Town is much higher up .

I know it's rigorous, we usually don't 'rest' on vacation. In fact, we do more on vacation than we do at home. We come home and rest while getting back into the regular routine. On a typical week-long vacation we will have some activity planned every day, from a dawn sunrise viewing on top of a mountain (with a 20 mile bike ride back to sea level), to scuba diving, to any number of activities. We do go to bed early, not being party-types.

We also realize it might be hot. My wife is from SE Asia, and I'm from Louisiana, both of which have hot, humid summers. There's a reason for this time of year-my wife's clientelle goes on vacation during this timeframe, and she doesn't lose income if she takes a trip while they're gone. As for the terrain, we're ok with that, too-one reason to do this now is because we can still do active things. As long as I'm not running a marathon, I'm good. I walk 3-5 miles a day, half of it up-hill. We walked through Assisi a couple years ago, I remember the ups and downs.

 

[Root of Jesse]

Have you been on a Holy Land tour?

Please do let us know how it turns out as we are interested in going to those places after seeing the Holy Land.

No, we didn't. If my job holds up for a few years, we might. The problem is we get tired of spending so much time in the air. At least every other year, we have to go back home to my wife's country, the Philippines, which is 16 hours minimum travel time.

Even this tour, from take off here to landing there is at least 22 hours.

If you've seen any of Steve Ray's videos "The Footprints of God", you can see the passion he has for being in those places where God walked. And every time I hear him on Catholic Answers, he's just so powerful. That's what makes me want to go with his company. Fr. Mitch's homilies are like graduate level history lessons, that makes me want to go with him.

I know the ones you're talking about, and haven't checked them out, but if you're going to, check out what's included and what's not, and compare with the Footprints of God, which has, I believe, every surcharge, and tax and baggage fee listed, or it says it's not included. Steve also has a good document about why you should go with him. Footprints of God Pilgrimages | Join Us On The Adventure of a Lifetime | Not All Holy Land Pilgrimages Are Created Equal

And no, I'm not a salesman. I just admire the man.

 

[Anhelyna]

All I can say is - I've 'done' the Shrines of Northern France by coach and it was quite tiring [ a 7 day trip from Scotland ] . I've been to Santiago , Burgos , Salamanca, Lisbon [ fabulous city BTW - I love it ] Fatima , Avila and of course Lourdes . Add in other Cities and towns in France Spain and Portugal .

I used to spend 6 weeks in France, Spain and Portugal twice a year [ until my husband's illness ] but dashing around like that - you see things / Sites but you don't really get the 'feeling' of the place and the people.

I personally would not attempt all that in one trip .

 

[Michie]

No, we didn't. If my job holds up for a few years, we might. The problem is we get tired of spending so much time in the air. At least every other year, we have to go back home to my wife's country, the Philippines, which is 16 hours minimum travel time.

Even this tour, from take off here to landing there is at least 22 hours.

If you've seen any of Steve Ray's videos "The Footprints of God", you can see the passion he has for being in those places where God walked. And every time I hear him on Catholic Answers, he's just so powerful. That's what makes me want to go with his company. Fr. Mitch's homilies are like graduate level history lessons, that makes me want to go with him.

I know the ones you're talking about, and haven't checked them out, but if you're going to, check out what's included and what's not, and compare with the Footprints of God, which has, I believe, every surcharge, and tax and baggage fee listed, or it says it's not included. Steve also has a good document about why you should go with him. Footprints of God Pilgrimages | Join Us On The Adventure of a Lifetime | Not All Holy Land Pilgrimages Are Created Equal

And no, I'm not a salesman. I just admire the man.

Thank you so much Jesse. I'll be sure to run this by my hubby!

 

[Root of Jesse]

All I can say is - I've 'done' the Shrines of Northern France by coach and it was quite tiring [ a 7 day trip from Scotland ] . I've been to Santiago , Burgos , Salamanca, Lisbon [ fabulous city BTW - I love it ] Fatima , Avila and of course Lourdes . Add in other Cities and towns in France Spain and Portugal .

I used to spend 6 weeks in France, Spain and Portugal twice a year [ until my husband's illness ] but dashing around like that - you see things / Sites but you don't really get the 'feeling' of the place and the people.

I personally would not attempt all that in one trip .

I understand. But when it costs $4000 per person (economy class) to get there, we have to pack as much as we can into it. We went to Rome a couple years ago, I think it cost us nearly $12,000 air and hotel alone. We met a few really great people, but spent the majority of our time visiting places. We walked from Via Veneto to the Vatican one day on our own.

There's places closer to here, like Hawaii, where we go frequently, and know people and get to know the flavor of the place, and honestly, this isn't one of those trips. I'm so sure we'll be tired, but happy.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

My wife and I have finally decided to go on another pilgrimage mid-2014. We're going to Fatima, Portugal, Santiago de Compostela, Avila, Loyola, Salamanca, Burgos (all in Spain), Lourdes, Paris, and Rome. The tour we're taking can be seen at Spain France Italy 206 Tours 77 - Catholic Pilgrimages.

I wonder if anyone has used this company, or has any info on their reputation. They seem like a good company.

We figure this will be our last trip to Europe, and wanted to visit all the places we want to go on one trip. Age, rigor of travel and other considerations would probably prevent more than this trip. Although I might do The Way if my wife passes before me.

We've never done a tour this extensive. What to know?

Well first let me just say, I'm jealous.

Kidding though, this will be an awesome tour.

My wife and myself went to the Shrines of France with 206 Tours, and they were very good.

In fact, they normally only run the tour if they have at least 15 people. However, we only had six. When we found out how small our group was, we called to be sure they would still be running it. Sure enough, they said that they wanted to be sure that the itinerary was still up to their standards, which it was except for the hotel in Paris, which could've been better.

The hotel in Lourdes was excellent and because our group was small, we had a shuttle van instead of a bus. The tour guide and driver spoke perfect English and made sure our meals were up to our liking.

Enjoy, God will bless on this.


Jim

 

[Root of Jesse]

Well first let me just say, I'm jealous.

Kidding though, this will be an awesome tour.

My wife and myself went to the Shrines of France with 206 Tours, and they were very good.

In fact, they normally only run the tour if they have at least 15 people. However, we only had six. When we found out how small our group was, we called to be sure they would still be running it. Sure enough, they said that they wanted to be sure that the itinerary was still up to their standards, which it was except for the hotel in Paris, which could've been better.

The hotel in Lourdes was excellent and because our group was small, we had a shuttle van instead of a bus. The tour guide and driver spoke perfect English and made sure our meals were up to our liking.

Enjoy, God will bless on this.


Jim

Thanks, Jim, it's good to know someone who has had experience with 206 Tours. They seem to be very good, and I believe they're one of the few that frequent Santiago de Compostela. I only hope they allow you to linger in these beautiful churches...I remember a secular tour in Rome, we went to St. Mary Major, and they were loading the bus 15 min after we went in...was pretty disappointed that we didn't have the time to enjoy it.

We're still deciding about how to travel to and from Europe. I wanted to use some accumulated points to fly Business Class, and asking them if I can book coach through them and upgrade with points...

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Thanks, Jim, it's good to know someone who has had experience with 206 Tours. They seem to be very good, and I believe they're one of the few that frequent Santiago de Compostela. I only hope they allow you to linger in these beautiful churches...I remember a secular tour in Rome, we went to St. Mary Major, and they were loading the bus 15 min after we went in...was pretty disappointed that we didn't have the time to enjoy it.

We're still deciding about how to travel to and from Europe. I wanted to use some accumulated points to fly Business Class, and asking them if I can book coach through them and upgrade with points...

Well, we were a small group and so they didn't push us. Also, they gave time for one couple to go off on their own to visit parts of Paris which were not part of the tour.

In Nevers, the tour guide went out and found a restaurant who would serve hamburgers, because the other couples we were with wanted a burger.

My wife and myself wanted to experience French dining, so we took the French menu an the others got an American menu. We had mussels in sherry and beef cooked in a beer. They had hamburgers and fries. Our bill cost the same.

Jim