A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place made to honor God and grow closer to Him through the experience. It is different from a guided tour or a vacation. The journey and hardships that may occur are just as important as the destination. A pilgrimage is a prayerful experience that is offered to God for the pilgrim's benefit.
On each of our pilgrimages, you will be joined by a dedicated pilgrimage director and guide (most of the time, our very own Cody Egner, Founder & CEO) who is with the group each day on every planned activity. Every tour, every site, every church, and every basilica - we are with you to guide you. If there are any scheduled free days during your pilgrimage, you are able to explore on your own.
Each destination comes with its own physical requirements. All of our Rome Pilgrimages are walking pilgrimages. You do not have to be in excellent physical condition. However, you MUST be able to walk on your own, sometimes up to one mile at a time. While we do take advantage of Rome's public transportation, we mostly walk (and at an easy pace). Rome is full of cobble stone streets, slopes and hills, and large stairways. The total amount of walking on any given day is 2-6 miles, with lots of stopping, sitting, resting, and eating in-between.
While we do use a motor coach to travel to various areas in and around the Holy Land, there is still a large amount of walking during the day and oftentimes includes hills, uneven ground, etc.
When traveling to Ireland or France with us, we use a motor coach to travel to the various cities and historical sites, thus making a pilgrimage to these countries less "walking-intensive" than our pilgrimages to Rome. That being said, there is quite a bit of walking in cities such as Dublin, Galway, and Paris. In addition, a lot of the sites we visit are quite hilly and require a bit of up-hill walking.
The Camino de Santiago does require a GREAT deal of physical preparation and readiness. On the Camino, we walk 12-18 miles per day. Anyone hoping to attend a pilgrimage to the Camino, physical training ahead of the departure date is highly recommended. The Camino de Santiago is perhaps one of the most authentic pilgrimage experiences you can do.
For our other pilgrimage destinations not discussed here, please contact us to inquire about the physical requirements for your destination.
Each of our destinations have separate pilgrimage fees. If you are a priest or pilgrimage coordinator, please visit the destinations tab to view the base price of each destination and a list of general features included in the price. A custom quote is emailed to you once you submit your request to lead a pilgrimage.
If you are a pilgrim, please find your parish or group's pilgrimage under the Current Pilgrimages tab for more details on your pilgrimage fee and what is included.
There are ZERO hidden fees or taxes. All fees and taxes, including airline surcharges and taxes, are included in your pilgrimage fee. Please find your pilgrimage under the Current Pilgrimages tab to view the cost of your pilgrimage as well as what is included and what is not included.
The only fee that you may incur is if you choose to pay your pilgrimage fee by credit card, for which there is a 4% transaction fee. That is why we encourage all pilgrims to pay via check.
The total fee (including your deposit) is 100% refundable up to 90 days prior to departure. The total fee is 50% refundable from 90 days to 30 days prior to departure. There is no refund for cancelations within 30 days of departure. Please Note: airfare is non-refundable after flights have been ticketed. Ticketing usually takes place 45 days to departure but could be sooner depending on the circumstances of your pilgrimage.
COVID-19 Cancelations
If at 90 days prior to departure, your destination is “closed” or under quarantine due to COVID-19, your priest/group leader will make the decision to postpone your pilgrimage to the contingency dates determined at a later date. At this time, each pilgrim will have the option of either transferring their paid deposit towards the new dates OR receiving a refund of $300 of the $500 deposit paid.
We will arrange your flight from anywhere in the United States or Canada. Flights out of any major city in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States are covered in our base-price pilgrimage fee. Additional charges may apply if your city of departure is further west or from Canada. All prices are in US dollars. Contact us for a custom quote for you location.
Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Czechia, and Spain is 6 hours ahead of NY and 9 ahead of the US West Coast. Ireland, England, Scotland, and Portugal is 5 hours ahead of NY and 8 ahead of the US West Coast. The Holy Land and Greece is 7 hours ahead of NY and 10 ahead of the US West Coast.
When in Rome, we stay at a guesthouse ran by religious sisters AT THE VATICAN! These rooms are perfect for a pilgrimage to Rome and each one has a private en suite bathroom.
In Ireland, France, the Holy Land, Germany, Poland, and Greece, we stay at the best 4-star hotels with private bathrooms.
On the Camino de Santiago, we stay at simple, traditional Alburges. These Alburges resemble what we would call hostels. While these accommodations are simple, it truly offers the pilgrims the most authentic pilgrimage experience on the Camino de Santiago.
Luckily, when traveling to Rome, Ireland, and France, English is widely spoken (less so in France). That being said, it is always a great idea to learn a few phrases or bring a phrase book along with you.
When on the Camino de Santiago, you will encounter other pilgrims from all over the world, many of whom speak at least a little English. However, we suggest learning basic phrases in Spanish as it makes transactions and interactions a bit smoother.
Rest assured, we will help assist you with any language barrier that may present itself in any of the countries listed above or in any of our destinations not mentioned here.
Generally speaking, we like to suggest parishes plan their pilgrimage during the shoulder seasons which typically are the months within the seasons of spring and fall. By choosing to travel during a shoulder season, your pilgrimage cost per person will be significantly less (due to the cheaper cost of flights & hotels), weather will be much more moderate and enjoyable, and your destination and sites will be far less crowded.
We discourage planning your pilgrimage during a summer month as that is peak tourist season for most of our destinations. This means unbearable crowds, more expensive pilgrimage fees, and oftentimes, very uncomfortable heat.
Ultimately, we suggest you plan your pilgrimages somewhere between February-May or September-November.
All our activities are geared towards those over 16 years of age. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a guardian. We suggest not bringing young children on these pilgrimages. Ultimately, it is up to your priest / group pilgrimage coordinator to make the decision if young children can join your group's pilgrimage. ***We do not take children on the Camino de Santiago.
The currency used in Italy, Ireland, France, and Spain is the Euro. The currency used in the Holy Land is the New Israeli Shekel. The best rates are found at the ATMs in these countries. As long as your bank ATM card is a Visa or MasterCard, you can get Euro or Shekel at ATMs all over the countries. Otherwise change your money to Euro before you depart for your pilgrimage. While you can exchange USD to Euro or Shekel, it is often too expensive and time consuming to exchange it there. Make sure you call your credit and debit card company (number on the back of the card) to inform them that you will be traveling out of the country. Otherwise, your card will most likely be declined.
For pilgrimage destinations not listed above, please contact us.
Most people average 30 to 50 Euro a day on food in Italy, Ireland, and France (slightly more in France). The Camino can have slightly cheaper rates or more expensive depending on your taste of restaurant and how much wine you drink! In the Holy Land, the average cost of food per person per day is around 92 Shekel (roughly $26 depending on current exchange rates).
Again, depending on your dining preferences, the average amount of money spent of food could be less or double what we have highlighted above. Personally, when we are experiencing other cultures while we are on pilgrimage, we like to budget more for dining.