My mother in-law is a devout Catholic. Her 70-year old birthday is coming up and we would love to send her on a tour of the Holy Land. (No, not b/c we want to get rid of her!) She is pretty fit physically, but not a seasoned traveler, so she would need to travel as part of a group tour. Does anyone know of any reputable tour operators (like Tauck or something) that do group tours of Israel? Bonus points if they focus on sites important to Catholics. Thanks.
Group tour of Holy Land for 70-year old mother in-law
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I am going on Tauck's Israel and Jordon trip this spring. Go to their website to view the itinerary.
Perillo tours runs a tour to Israel. I don't know much about it BUT I think it is more Catholic oriented. ( it is definitely Christian oriented, but I am not sure which ) Check out their website.
Tauck can be very very expensive, more so as a solo traveler.
So, as Elkaz, I'd focus on Perillo Tours, which is definitely more Christian oriented and prices should be more competitive.
I believe also that Gate 1 (located in the Phila, PA area) and Isram Travel (located in NYC), both have group itineraries with more emphasis on the Christian sites.
Also, check out Odysseys Ublimited which has mostly senior travellers and is very reputable. The company now goes to Israel and the itinerary is on the web.
Pat
You may want to check the Franciscan Monastery's pilgrimages. My parents who are Catholic went to one early this year and loved it. The Franciscans have custody of the sites in the Holy Land so they have easy access to places important to Catholics.
http://www.myfranciscan.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=58
I am actually doing research for my MIL too. My husband and I were thinking of sending her on a tour in 2011 as our Christmas present but she's not Catholic so I want to research other possible options.
I won't get the bonus points but here goes: I took a Gate 1 tour in 2007 and I loved it. The group was about half Christian and half Jewish but the tour had something for everyone. I am Christian but I wanted to see both the Jewish Christian sites so I chose Gate 1. It really is a good value for the money.
PS My mother is also about to turn 70 and I considered doing this for her too. Great minds!!
This past summer we took a Roots of Our Faith tour. The company caters to Christians ...half our group was Catholic and half were other Christian faiths. our Jewish guide did an excellent job. It was a perfect trip.
I am in my 70's a widow traveling with Grand Circle Tours to Egypt and Israel in November. The groups are a mixture of religions and they are a couple based group with 4-8 solos. They charge little or no single supplement. This will be my 7 with this company. GCT is web site. I feel very comfortable with them as a solo, having observed how singles blended when I took trips with my husband. They will mail many booklets and info. Good Luck!!!
I second the suggestion for a tour with Grand Circle or their sister company Overseas Adventure Travel. Their tours are an excellent value and do cater to senior citizens and recently there is an emphasis on singles with low-cost or no single supplements. We have always had absolutely excellent tour leaders, which is the most important aspect of a guided tour. Look at their tour "Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures":
http://www.oattravel.com/Trips/2011/Israel-The-Holy-Land-Timeless-Cultures-2011.aspx
On an OAT tour, you can be assured of an opportunity to really experience the country you are visiting, and be able to meet and spend time with the people of that country. There are usually school visits and a meal at the home of a resident, which adds so much to the travel experience.
We have taken a total of 9 trips with GCT and OAT, and have another planned for later this year. If you have any questions about traveling with our favorite tour company, please feel free to contact me at: shelsandy@hotmail.com
Let's give up this "senior citizen's" monica... I prefer the use of "mature adults."
As I can attest from the one group tour I took (Turkey) and traveling with a partner/friend to various destinations around the world, where walking, unever roads, hills and whatever else could cause one to hesitate/complain... not a word. Some even in their 80s. All real troopers and could put the young-uns to shame!
Hooray for them!
P_M, which particular Group 1 tour did you take, and did you like the itinerary? Did you end up having to pay for extra optional day tours (as it looks like you need to do on most of their itineraries)? I am looking at their various Israel and Holy Ladn Tours, and they have many different ones. Thanks in advance.
emd3, I took Gate 1's Affordable Israel tour, this was in 2007. I just now looked at Gate 1's web site and some of the things that were included in my tour are now optionals. When I went I took 2 optional tours, one was to Safed/Golan Heights in Northern Israel and the other was to Bethlehem. I signed up for the nighttime tour but it was cancelled at the last minute due to a protest.
I think what has happened is they have dropped the prices in order to make the tour more appealing, but they have added more optional tours, hence the overall cost is roughly the same. So if you decide to take this tour be sure and add in the optionals in order to get the true cost. In spite of this marketing scheme I would do this tour again with Gate 1 as I enjoyed it so much.