My pilgrimage to Medjugorje in November this year was wonderful. I always look forward going up Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain every time I visit, but the most wonderful thing this time besides the climbing is the day we were with Maria when she had her apparition on the 4th. I had three (3) experiences that day. 1 – when we had Mass at the convent. I sat on the end of the pew next to the broken cross. 2 – After Mass I saw the sun before we got on the bus. And 3 – is when we were with Marie. I couldn’t ask for anything better except for when we went to Tihalina to see the statue of our Lady. What a wonderful experience.

Marie Hankins
Montana

Dear Friends, The group of pilgrims that joined Roberto and me were truly lovers of Jesus Christ. Their faith in their love add it to my experience of intimacy with Jesus. They came together as a unified family sharing the gifts of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, as loving children of God. I would like to thank 206 Tours for the opportunity to share such great graces experienced at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. My dear friends let us continue to pray for one another, especially the poor. San Thomas of Villanueva, O.S.A., shares the poor are our salvation. They teach us the true love of Jesus Christ. They are our spiritual guides. May you and all your loved-ones have a most blessed and joyous Christmas. I pray the Christ Child, our hope, showers you with an abundance of blessings and graces during this most holy season.

In the Love of Christ,
Fr. Greg

I can name many reasons why my journey was so good, but the main reason was the guidance, leadership and knowledge of our guide Sa’id. After a day of listening to his vast knowledge on everything about the Holy Land , I knew we were in for a special experience. He told us what to look out for and what to be wary of . While taking us a shopping excursion , he said before making any large purchases check with him for advice. My wife always wanted a special keepsake nativity set, where else better to buy it in Bethlehem? After our large Purchase he gave me his card and email and advised if we had any problems after it shipped to get in touch with him. We received our purchase which was damaged during shipping. I reached out to Sa’id via email and he called the store and helped to expedite a new replacement to be shipped. We were already home for 3 weeks and he was still working on my behalf. I feel as if I found a new friend. He is a true gentleman in every sense of the word and if I return to the Holy Land , I would certainly look him up and most certainly recommend his leadership for anyone needing a gifted guide. This is our 3rd pilgrimage, the 1st two being with Peters Way Tours , while each trip was great and unique, I think 206 Tours was a step (or Two ) above the rest thanks to Sa’id and your organization The pilgrimage was blessed by our spiritual guide, Fr Frank who was assisted by Deacon Bill. Hearing the Gospels these past few weeks have really been enjoyable and interpreted with a much different view.

Thank you for your time,
James & Barbara Regan

It’s been a month now since our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I knew this trip would be special. I hoped it would be spiritually rewarding. I did not expect it to be life changing. The entire region is full of sites of special interest. 206 selected all the right sites and scheduled full days without overcrowding the schedule. I am especially impressed with the special access we enjoyed at very popular crowded sites. The highlight of our pilgrimage was nearly a half hour of private access to the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ where we celebrated a Mass where Jesus’ body laid. I am still in awe over that experience. I want to mention the ladies at 206 that helped arrange this pilgrimage for us. They answered numerous questions and solved occasional dilemma’s with ease. They are polite, friendly and professional. Our Bus driver, I am sorry I have forgotten his name, is skillful in maneuvering the large bus through crowded and narrow streets. He always found a way to reduce our walking and helped keep us comfortable as we traveled. Our guide, Rizek Nazi, made our pilgrimage the outstanding spiritually rewarding experience I’ve described above. Rizek’s faith and extensive knowledge of the Bible and it’s relation to the places and things in the Holy Land was conveyed at each site. We could almost touch the faith he shared as he explained Bible verses as they related to each holy site. Rizek increased my faith and understanding of my Christian faith. What more can I say? Our group has met a few days ago to remember the pilgrimage and share pictures and thoughts. I suspect this pilgrimage will be a centerpiece of our friendship for years to come. Please accept my heartfelt appreciation for making this pilgrimage very special to me, my wife and our group.

Denny Johnson

Dear 206 Tours, It has taken a bit to “come back down” after a trip like we just experienced so please forgive us for that and not responding sooner. First, we must comment that this is our third pilgrimage and by far it was the best in terms of dealing with your company. None of them were bad by any means, but from the very beginning you could tell that everyone at 206 Tours is special and goes beyond what is expected to ensure client satisfaction. From initial registration to payments to “silly” questions we have always felt valued, appreciated and genuine concern and we thank everyone for that. The “206 difference” is also evident in the packaging and delivery of materials prior to departure. (we especially liked the small blue bag that contained the Magnificat and other prayer books!) The pilgrimage was wonderful and we were blessed with a fabulous group which was only enhanced by our spiritual guide, Fr Frank who was assisted by Deacon Bill Weiss. Knowing both of them personally is a gift and getting to know them even better is something we will cherish forever. Our guide Sa’id was tremendously knowledgeable and his concern for our experience and growth in faith was evident every step of the way. There honestly isn’t anything he could have done more or differently to ensure the success and enjoyment of our journey. We also were fortunate to have Khalil as our driver who was not only very safe, but efficient in getting us as close to the various stops and picking us up nearby as well. He always had a smile on his face and was courteous to deal with. As for all of our excursions and places we visited, I don’t think we could have been much more fortunate. You were able to arrange for Masses in some very special places and each enhanced our experience in ways you cannot imagine. It was especially beautiful that we were able to witness a wonderful Priest like Fr Frank and Deacon like Deacon Bill celebrate Mass at the Holy Sepulchre, especially after praying the Via Dolorosa (even after getting up at 3:15!) It was a gift for them as well as us and will never be forgotten. Personally, it was also nice that Said and Khalil tried to get us to visit the 9-11 memorial outside of Jerusalem on our way to the airport being that several in our group are former Police Officers and Firefighters who participated in the rescue and recovery after 9-11. Sadly, we were not able to get to the monument due to its remote location and the fact that it was raining and we were on a bus, but their efforts were greatly appreciated. As far as any other plusses and minuses: Delta was excellent and a pleasant airline to fly on. Fortunately, our flights were ahead of schedule and not too turbulent! The Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv was a nice place to stay for one night and the food was good. The Pilgerhaus was probably our favorite in terms of the setting, simplicity and cleanliness as well as friendliness of staff. The food was also very good. The Dan Jerusalem is a nice hotel, albeit slightly dated. The staff was friendly and efficient and the facilities were clean. I thought I’d share a few pictures. Thanks to all who helped to make this a trip of a lifetime and we would not hesitate to consider 206 for future trips!

Kevin Regan

Hello Caterina,

My trip to Ireland with 206 Tours was very well organized. All the Hotels were excellent and the buses and tour guides where wonderful. Our main tour guide was great. Gearoid provided us with in depth information along with being amusing and funny while presenting us facts about what we were seeing. Paul was an excellent driver and kept his bus very clean. He was very efficient getting our baggage on and off quickly at our stop over destinations. I enjoyed the spiritual sites a lot. Gearoid ensured all tours were ready for us when we arrived. We did not have any delays getting started on any of our tours. I felt very safe and secure in the environment Gearoid put us in. Gearoid also kept us informed of the major news event occurring in the USA while we were on our pilgrimage. I so appreciate it. Thank you very much for your service and God Bless You.

Thank you very much for your service and God Bless You.

Terri Garity

Dear Milanka and Rinda, My parents and I would like to thank you for the excellent accommodation and gifts you gave for our recent tour in Mexico. We enjoyed our stay and it was a very memorable one for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. This was our second pilgrimage with your company and as always, your office staff, our spiritual leader and tour guide are top notch with hearts of gold. Again, thank you so much and we deeply appreciate it. We look forward to our next pilgrimage with your company. May God continue to bless you through our Mother Mary’s loving intercession.

Sincerely,

Charissa

Dear Caterina, Overall the trip was excellent. The Priests, tour guide and Penny were Wonderful. I will do another trip with 206.

With Thanks,

Nimmi

To all who helped make our journey of faith a much stronger and richer experience, we Thank You. It is very important to plan, rearrange, be there for all of our needs, and yet we knew behind our wonderful ‘Leaders’- Mary J. , Fathers Ivan and Dave, you were back here Organizing everything like a ‘well oiled machine’ so we could continue on with our trip each day.Thank You doesn’t seem enough to say, but we wanted to let you know you ARE appreciated. Please let our Tour Guide know that he gave us a wealth of information and that he was wonderful.

Mr. and Mrs. David Hrabak

Good Morning Cara, After Thanksgiving, I will send in my reservation and deposit for the Vilnius-Poland pilgrimage. It sounds wonderful! In the meantime, I finally have a few minutes to write down my thoughts about Donna-Marie’s pilgrimage to France. I have to say, first of all, that I’m very glad that I waited because, as I’ve now had the opportunity to show my photos and talk about the pilgrimage with several of my friends, I now also have their perspectives, and everyone that I’ve spoken with is amazed at how much of France we covered and how many shrines we visited. As I look back, I recognize that one of the reasons our pilgrimage was such a big success is because 206 Tours has the experience and knowledge to plan out and execute what really is a strenuous itinerary, but have the journey flow very smoothly and seamlessly. As I mentioned in my earlier email, Juan Carlos, our Tour Director, and Mario, our driver, both were excellent. Juan Carlos’ experience as a Tour Director and his knowledge of our faith contributed greatly to our pilgrimage success. I can’t say that I felt that any one stop was the highlight of my pilgrimage because it was all so amazing and beautiful, starting with Lourdes through to the shrines in Paris. The pilgrimage itself was a highlight of my overall travel experiences! Having said that, being able to celebrate Mass at so many beautiful shrines was wonderful; I’ve been on other pilgrimages where some of the Masses were actually celebrated in hotel meeting rooms – none of that on this pilgrimage. And with that, I do have to say that the visit to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery was beautifully solemn. I appreciated being there this year, vs. during the 75th anniversary, when there will probably be many more visitors each day. The day we visited, very few others were there and the stillness was striking; I could look out at the English Channel, picture the soldiers struggling to come ashore, and could say a small, silent prayer for their souls, then celebrating Mass with our small group in the cemetery chapel touched me (and all in our group) with the spirituality of the moment.

June Getchius

Hi, Thank you very much for organizing this wonderful trip to The Holy Land. I am blessed because it was my second time visiting The Holy Land with 206 tours and. I would highly recommend 206 to my family and friends considering a trip to The Holy Land. Our tour guide Usama Salman is an incredible guide and extremely knowledgeable with every single sight we visited. He really cared about our group and our safety. Usama has a great ability to give biblical, cultural and historical views of each sight. He’s an incredible tour guide. I felt very comfortable knowing he was there and I learned a lot from him. The hotel accommodations were excellent as well. I am planning on going again in 2020. Thank you.

Aggy Sapienza

Hi Liz, Catarina, and Natasha,
I just wanted to tell you how absolutely wonderful our pilgrimage was. It was a dream come true for everyone. Our guide Shafik in Israel was absolutely amazing!!!! He is not just a guide but an Apostle. What an amazing man with a weath of knowledge to share. We learned alot. Our guide in Italy, Alexandro was excellent as well and he took much extra time to help 4 people who had gotten ill-talking to the doctor and getting prescriptions! He also was such a spiritual man and was a great guide! We all could not believe that we actually got to have Mass inside Jesus’ tomb. It was a spiritual highlight for everyone. WOW. There were so many special things on the trip that you arranged for us and we are thankful for all your hard work. We hope to be able to do a different pilgrimage in a few years and we will be sure to contact you!

Thanks again for everything,
Cathy

Hello Natasha, My husband and I wanted to write you a quick not to let you know how much we enjoyed our Holy Land tour! From the beginning of our journey, when Usama met us at the airport, we were well taken care of and could not have asked for a better tour guide. Well, except for Penny, who is an angel walking on earth! She really picked a winner when she asked Father Leon to lead the group! I had met Father Leon in Medjugorje so I already knew how special he is, and combined with Penny and Usama, it was a team made in heaven! Usama’s ability to give us both the historical, cultural and biblical perspective of each site was incredible! I’ve studied the Bible for 15+ years and I still had so much to learn! Penny’s joyful and godly attitude kept everyone focused and happy! She could turn a complaint into a positive every time and was always willing to listen, good or bad. I know she stayed up very late every night making sure everyone’s needs were taken care of, and I appreciated her company so much. I am truly blessed to have met her. Father Leon was also wonderful at being attentive to all the pilgrims. You can imagine that everyone wanted to talk to him and he was so lovely to all. He was also willing to hear our confessions at a moment’s notice. This is something I found lacking on other pilgrimages I’ve been on. What a beautiful servant heart he has. And his ability to deliver a powerful message in a few sentences (due to time constraints) was amazing. I know we and so many commented on that fact and how inspiring he was. The Holy Land was more than I could have imagined and I long to go back again already! The hotels in Petra and Amman were awesome! So sad we only got there in time to sleep each night and left after breakfast. We would have like to have stayed longer at each one. The hotels in Israel were fine. I am so happy we stayed as a group at The Olive Tree. Much better dining facilities, ambiance and service. The staff was very professional at the Olive Tree. We will definitely look to you first for any other pilgrimages we might choose to go on. May God continue to bless the work you do!

In Christ,

Marie Baker

Dear 206 Tours, Thank you, 206 Tours, for an amazing pilgrimage to Jordan and the Holy Land October 25-November 6! It was my first ever pilgrimage there and probably one of the best experiences I have ever had as a pilgrim and as a spiritual director. The Bible truly came to life for me as we followed in the footsteps of Jesus. For anyone who has never been to Jordan and/or the Holy Land, I would highly recommend that they go, especially with 206 Tours. Everything on the pilgrimage was top notch – the hotels, the food, the transportation, the tour guides, etc. I learned so much from all of the holy sites that we visited. A couple of the highlights for me were sailing on the Jesus Boat on the Sea of Galilee and being able to celebrate Holy Mass at the Holy Sepulchre and consecrating the Eucharist right over the tomb of Our Lord. At the end of the pilgrimage, everyone in our group shared how they ended up on the pilgrimage and any blessings they received during our trip. It was such a beautiful time of sharing. Many said that once they got back home that they would start reading the Bible more. I believe that conversions truly happened.

God bless,
Fr. Angelo Casimiro, MIC

This was an awesome experience. 206 tours was run beautifully. Our guide Slava was excellent and couldn’t have been nicer or more informative. She knows Medjugorje. Grace Hotel and meals were wonderful and I would highly recommend them for all your tours. I came back rejuvenated and with a calmness I haven’t felt in a long time. Thank you.

Louise Caglarcan

My husband and I and the rest of our group were extremely pleased with our tour to Holy Land. This is our first pilgrimage and it made us desire to do more pilgrimages as well as go back to the Holy Land again in our future plans. We are so impressed with our tour director Rizek . He is not only so knowledgeable, so passionate in what he does and so caring about all of our pilgrim needs. He made us feel safe and never alone like we are his family. The way he shares information with us about the Bible is beyond description. I have read the bible so many times, read it literally, but never felt the same depth of knowledge, understanding and realization of the greatness of what is being said. His interpretations of all the miracles, the events in Jesus life are so meaningful to us now more than it will ever be in our whole lifetime. This is truly a life changing pilgrimage and Rizek undoubtedly contributed a lot to make this to be such for us. He will set a precedent for all of your tour guides. Are they all this good or we were just lucky. If we go back to Israel we will definitely request to be in his group. As we plan to do other pilgrimages we hope to be with tour guides just like Rizek. He is certainly and undoubtedly a great asset to Catholic 206 tours and hope to see more of him amongst your other tour guides . Compliments to our bus driver to Muhmad for being so helpful , kind , respectful and pleasant all the time. Our best hotel was Notre Dame . Didn’t mind not having tv in the room. Great to have the church to meditate, to confess, and be able to join daily benedictions. Great food, hotel was clean and all their personnels were great. Quite a great experience for us and looking forward to joining Catholic tours for our future Pilgrimages.

James E. Garvey, O. Praem

Dear Diane, What a wonderful experience it was to serve as a spiritual director for 206 Tours this month! I don’t believe I can say enough of what a smooth, beautiful comfortable and spiritual experience it was. Everything ran seamlessly and the years of experience that 206 Tours brings to the planning and execution shines through. It was both a privilege and honor to serve as the spiritual director. As a newly ordained priest I found it overwhelming at times to be presiding at Mass in some of the most sacred churches in all of Christendom. Personally, in reflecting upon the Eucharistic celebrations, it was the closest I have ever felt to the experience of the “Communion of Saints”. Simply awesome!Our guides- Leonardo and Tony- were superb. They were always hospitable, knowledgeable, and gentle in keeping us all on track. Each day the itinerary was well paced. If we had a particularly long day on our feet, it was often followed by some driving time the next day giving us time to rejuvenate. There was a thoughtful period each day for free time too. As for the meals, well they were all sumptuous, but I am happy to report however, that with our average of 17,000 steps a day- I didn’t gain a pound. We saw many other tours operating throughout our journey but what distinguished our group from all the others was the spiritual component and structure. We prayed morning and evening prayer together as well as the rosary and Eucharist each day. Many of the attendants availed themselves of the sacrament of Reconciliation too.Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve on this tour. I hope to have the opportunity to be chosen to serve again.

Sincerely,

James E. Garvey, O. Praem

My husband and I and the rest of our group were extremely pleased with our tour to Holy Land. This is our first pilgrimage and it made us desire to do more pilgrimages as well as go back to the Holy Land again in our future plans. We are so impressed with our tour director Rizek . He is not only so knowledgeable, so passionate in what he does and so caring about all of our pilgrim needs. He made us feel safe and never alone like we are his family. The way he shares information with us about the Bible is beyond description. I have read the bible so many times, read it literally, but never felt the same depth of knowledge, understanding and realization of the greatness of what is being said. His interpretations of all the miracles, the events in Jesus life are so meaningful to us now more than it will ever be in our whole lifetime. This is truly a life changing pilgrimage and Rizek undoubtedly contributed a lot to make this to be such for us. He will set a precedent for all of your tour guides. Are they all this good or we were just lucky. If we go back to Israel we will definitely request to be in his group. As we plan to do other pilgrimages we hope to be with tour guides just like Rizek. He is certainly and undoubtedly a great asset to Catholic 206 tours and hope to see more of him amongst your other tour guides . Compliments to our bus driver to Muhmad for being so helpful , kind , respectful and pleasant all the time. Our best hotel was Notre Dame . Didn’t mind not having tv in the room. Great to have the church to meditate, to confess, and be able to join daily benedictions. Great food, hotel was clean and all their personnels were great. Quite a great experience for us and looking forward to joining Catholic tours for our future Pilgrimages.

James E. Garvey, O. Praem

What a blessing it was when we decided to book our pilgrimage with 206 Tours. First, we can’t say enough great things about our tour guide Madj. His knowledge about each location we visited, both historically and spiritually, made this a fantastic experience. The sites 206 chose for us to visit were of great spiritual significance. Father Kevin White presented insightful homilies at each of the Masses which further enhanced our religious experience. He was a wonderful spiritual guide. Our bus driver Hamed was kind, skillful, and very knowledgeable about navigating the challenging roads. The hotels were great and the food was plentiful, wonderful, and an introduction to another culture. We will definitely be using 206 Tours for our upcoming trips.

Peggy and Gary Hastings
Lake Arrowhead, California

Hi Katherine,
Habib did above and beyond my expectations, he was very impormative. I usually take a nap in the bus in between places because of Habib’s spiritual knowledge my mind was in tune to what he tells the whole group. Reading the Bible still puzzled me but when Habib spoke about places I understand it better. The food were delicious and it’s more than I could handle. The food servers in the hotels were very nice. Especially at Dan’s hotel in Jerusalem. They made sure we had enough coffee or water. Their supervisor were kind enough and allowed us to pack food for the pilgrims who are not able to come at the dining room. The one thing I don’t like is the airline accommodation. The airplane is crowded and it’s more than 10 hours flight back to San Francisco and the space is so tight to get up and use the restroom. I had to let my daughter and my husband to stand up to use the restroom.

Mariflor Caliboso

Dear Diane and Rinda,
So sorry for not responding sooner but we were sick with bronchitis two days after we have arrived from our pilgrimage.We praise and thank the Lord that we have completed our pilgrimage which was physically exhausting but spiritually uplifting. Although we have issues with our mobility (walking) we did not experience undue harm on our physical well-being. Our sincere thanks to Rinda for providing the wheelchair and arranging the handicapped accommodation.We are specifically thankful to: Quico who was not only knowledgeable to all the sites that we visit and also he was always making sure that we (my husband and myself) are not so stressed out in keeping pace with the group. He goes above and beyond in giving a hand to push the wheelchair especially when the pathway is a steep uphill. He is a very kind and caring person. Miguel who performs his driving skills in a very safe manner. He was very courteous and helpful when we get off and board the bus. Father Johnny who gives homilies with excellent “take home points” or nuggets that we can apply in our day-to-day life. To all the other 206 pilgrims who were very helpful and always offer a helping hand addressing our issues in mobility.We are very grateful to 206 tours and may you continue to serve for the glory and honor of the Lord.

Sincere thanks,
Simplicio and Clara Garces

Hi Katherine,
Thanks for your outreach and all that you do for 206. We had an awesome Pilgrimage through Northern Italy this past week! It was deeply moving to encounter the vibrant legacy that so many of the saints have had in the spiritual life of the Church. From praying at the tomb of St. Ambrose and then the Baptismal Font where he baptized St. Augustine in Milan to celebrating Mass in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice where the Evangelist’s relics are kept, we were powerfully immersed in their spirituality. This continued and deepened as we journeyed to Padua and Siena, celebrating the lives of St. Anthony and St. Catherine. In Florence we were witness not only to the Patron Saint of the city, St. John the Baptist, but also how the Renaissance shaped and molded the expression of our faith. Then, we basked in Assisi and the deep spirituality of St. Francis and St. Clare. It was an amazing trip. 206 did a stellar job arranging for tickets, hotels, transfers, etc… We were so thrilled with our guide, Miguel, from last year’s Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi that we requested him to join us on this journey as well. He did not disappoint and was actively attentive at every stage of the trip to various shifting needs, including a late night hospital run with one of our pilgrims that, thankfully, ended up not being too serious. Miguel was top notch all the way through and we would love to have him again on a future adventure. The hotels were all of very high quality. The food arrangements were superb. The bus drivers were excellent and very professional. All in all, a wonderful trip! Looking forward to our next two pilgrimages with 206: Ireland in 2019 and Oberammergau / The Passion Play with a River Cruise in 2020. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have further questions.

Gratefully,

Fr. Timothy Harrison

Thank you for all that you did to provide a peaceful and profound experience of our rich Catholic tradition. The only word to describe the pilgrimage was AWESOME…maybe a word overused in our society but truly the only way I can describe the journey. Everything about the schedule enhanced The tour. Briefly, I will note the highlights:

* Wonderful and very knowledgeable guides and drivers

* Chaplains were very helpful and the Masses so beautiful

* Timing worked well for me

* Hotels very clean, modern and adequate

* Food and dinners out quite enjoyable

* Itinerary was amazing and I loved being able to spend time n both San Giovanni Rotondo and Assisi.

* Flights very convenient

One suggestion: I would have liked a map of Italy in my packet to track the pilgrimage. Thanks again for your very excellent service. I hope to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2020 and will definitely contact 206 Tours.

Sincerely,
Sister Rosemary DePaul IHM

Hi Katherine,
We had a great trip, just a little bit of rain and we missed the Venice flood by a day. I posted a ton of photos on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paulrblanchette and you can use any that you like. 3-4 batches each day beginning on Oct 21. I find it to be good marketing. Lots of people follow our journeys and over the years many have joined in to the next one. I’ll upload some Bag shots that I took along the way, when I get a chance.

Paul Blanchette

Dear Diane, 206 Tours you are the best!!!Four of us traveled from Boston on September 23rd to experience the most incredible Holy Land pilgrimage of our lives! Hani, our tour guide, was remarkable- we couldn’t have asked for a more spiritual, knowledgeable, articulate and kind man. Fr. Allan Hood, our spiritual director, brought us closer to Jesus, his mother and the disciples in his teachings. Thank you, Fr Hood, for your love! Mahmoud, our bus driver, kept us safe with his driving. Such a gentleman and a beautiful soul! We experienced so many blessings and we thank 206 Tours for their expertise as we walked where Jesus walked. Attached are a few pictures to share.

Sincerely,
Margaret Laiosa
Sheila Leavitt
Mary Plantamura
Mary Walker

Caterina,
This pilgrimage was a heart felt experience. I encountered an especially spiritual moment when at Our Lady of Lourdes in Carfin. I had walked into a small dark grotto, turned the corner, and there He [Jesus] was, laying on the stone slab – He died for me. I felt like I was in that moment…. It was mostly wonderful. Our guide Barbara was warm & humorous! I have to say I gave many prayers of thanks for our skilled bus drivers. They were friendly, accommodating, and kept us safe in some very trying driving conditions. The important question and bottom line is: would I go on this same pilgrimage again if I knew in advance what it all entailed? A resounding YES, of course, it was wonderful.

Peace of the Lord,
Mary Klingsten

Caterina,
This pilgrimage impacted my life through fellowship-both my fellow travelers and our drivers and guides! Enjoyed conversations with everyone! In terms of spritual activities once home; I do try to get to mass as frequently as possible and beling to several rosary groups. But the pilgrimage renews my perseverance to be more diligent in particiapting in the mass and rosary. Proclaim the word both in word and deed.

Thank you and God Bless,
Holly Coppiellie

To Caterina, Liz and Natasha,
First, my husband and I want to thank you for the easy and smooth transport you arranged for us when we arrived at Edinburg Airport to our hotel and back to the airport to meet Suzanne and her group. It was seamless. We were relieved we made the decision to arrive a day early before the tour began the following day as we had been up for a little over 24 hrs. In fact, it was mentioned by one of the members of the tour that they wished they had arrived a day early esp since their tour began as soon as they collected their bags from the airport in Edinburg. I think it would be a good suggestion to recommend this for future Scotland/England pilgrimages.We did not know when we booked this tour that it was originally 2 separate tours joined as one at the request of Fr. Gordon. It was a great idea. Not only was it very spiritual esp having private Masses celebrated in Cathedrals and Churches 1000 years old, but also learning about the Reformation and its affect on the Catholic faith, the loss of our churches because of the Reformation, the saints who sacrificed their lives fighting the Reformation and gaining a deeper appreciation of our Catholic faith. It was quite an eye-opener.In Scotland we could see Edinburg Castle from our hotel room, an immense feat built upon lava rock with an amazing view of the city of Edinburg from the top of the Castle and shops and eateries along the Royal Mile also at the top of the Castle. The churches, palaces, the sea, all so beautiful.The transition from Scotand to London was also smooth. Our guide, Barbara, was excellent throughout the trip. Her knowledge of both Scotland and London mixed with little hidden details and her sense of humor was such a delight that we were truly going to miss her when it was time to leave for the States.Loved the International Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham built in year 960. Fr. Gordon celebrated Mass there for us and it was a bit overwhelming to think we were in a church over 1000 years old, the only one that was spared destruction during the Reformation probably because it was so far back in the woods that it could never be found, God had a plan. It was a wonderful pilgrimage and so happy we made this trip. Lots of good memories and returning a little smarter because of it.Thanks again and great job coordinating all the sights and transportation.

God Bless,
Diane and Jim McPartland

To the group at 206 tours,I am so grateful for having been on 2 of your tours with Fr. Johnny Savoie. I went to Ireland in 2017 as well as this past October to Poland. I made great friends within the group as well as within the countries we’ve traveled. I had fallen away from the Catholic faith after being born, raised, baptized and confirmed in the faith. I strayed but God sent Fr. Johnny Savoie, who happens to be a relative, to me to guide me back where I belong… HOME in the Catholic church! I’ve learned to pray the rosary and look forward to doing so every morning. I even sneak in an extra one here and there when the call beckons. I’ve began attending mass and RCIA classes to be “full” in the church. The pilgrimages have been excellent as far as first class treatment all around. Poland was quite different from the experience I had in Ireland but what an eye opener! I appreciate the freedoms I have here in the USA. I will never take for granted my ability to pray MY Catholic faith in public again. I have many pictures and would like to share them. (I was only able to attach 4 for some reason)

Thank you and I look forward to next year’s pilgrimage.
Cynthia Quinn Mansco

Dear Natasha,
Our group was elated with our experience in Italy. It was a beautiful pilgrimage. Vanessa was an outstanding tour guide. Thank you so much for all the planning that was put into this trip. Our hotel accommodations were perfect. If there was any concern, it would be regarding our return flight. Our flight ended up being delayed. We did not return to LAX until 3am. However, we all made it home safely. We hope to use 206 Tours in the future.

Blessings,
Michael P. Donaldson
Blessed Oscar Romero Catholic Church

Dear 206 Tours, TG all went well with our Pilgrimage to Lourdes & Rome. I am very satisfied with all the services you provided for our Parish Pilgrimage. The location of our hotels were awesome. Cristina and our local guides were outstanding. In short, I would like to summarize my whole experience with 206Tours in one sentence: You are the best!

Abundant blessings,
Fr. Walter

Thank you for arranging a beautiful, organized and inspiring trip to the Holy Land. Our guide was so thoughtful, well informed, polite, caring and personable. The bus driver was the consummate professional. Our group took care of each and we had fun together. I will always remember this trip with hope and fondness.

God bless you with continued success.
Rosa Maenza

Dear Milanka, Bika, and all at 206 Tours,

On behalf of all of the Pilgrims who traveled with Father Scott Daniels to the Shrines of France (10/5–17), Peter and I would like to express how powerfully impressed we were for the outstanding orchestration of this Pilgrimage down to the last detail. Having been involved in prior Pilgrimages, we had a strong reference point and there is no question that 206 does an absolutely top notch job of literally taking care of every possible thing in the best possible way to provide an optimal, complete, and stress free experience. Special mention goes to Juan Carlos, our Tour Escort. He was absolutely outstanding. In addition to his excellence in overseeing all practical details and guiding us very well through the experience, it is a wonderful thing to navigate all of this with a devout and knowledgeable Catholic. He, as well as all of the on site guides, impressed us in this way. He additionally went out of his way assisting with an accomodating additional requests (eg two seperate lunches with my cousins in France, assisting one of our Pilgrims with her plan to locate her uncle’s grave in Normandy, and more.) I would be grateful for his email address as we would like to fully express our gratitude to him. Mario, our bus driver, also took amazing care of us navigating the terrain of France. Father Scott’s Masses were powerful and inspiring. He was a wonderful spiritual guide for our journey. There is no question that we will be looking to travel with 206 again. Many thanks for your mission in founding 206 Tours and your excellent execution and oversight. You have done a great service for Catholic Pilgrims yearning for an optimal Catholic and cultural experience.

Peace and prayers,
Peggy and Peter Cloress

I had my “baptism by fire” doing my first 206Tour as a chaplain and it was great. To answer your questions: 1. The pilgrimage definitely had an impact on my life in that everyone in the group was wonderful, spiritual and hungering for a deeper faith. Our guide Roberto and our driver Ernesto were terrific. Roberto gave us great insights into the culture and spirituality not only of Catholicism in Mexico but also of the Aztec culture and spirituality. I appreciated the later a lot because I am part Native American – the Ottawa Tribe. Great to see the openness to all things spiritual. I was also impacted by the story of St. Juan de Sanchez del Rio whom I hadn’t heard of before. I purchased a statue of him at the shrine gift store and ordered his holy card on line as they were out of his holy card.. 2. Most of the spiritual activities I experienced on the pilgrimage I already do back home: Liturgy of the Hours, Daily Rosary, Mass and spiritual sharing with others. 3. Everything met my expectations and more so. The hotel was great, meals were great, the van was clean and comfortable. Those of us on the front of the hotel did have a problem with construction work across the street going on until 4am and a night club Thurs-Sat. going on until 4am. But I had brought ear plugs and gave some to others in the group who needed them. I will send you some pictures from my iPad in the next few days. Thanks so much for having me as a spiritual director for the group. I look forward to my next pilgrimage: October 2019 – In the Footsteps of Pope John Paul II – 10 days in Poland.

Sincerely,
Fr. Dennis D. Knight, STD

Alexandra,

I just wanted to let the 206 Tours staff know how pleased I am with your services. Our tour guide Federica was superb! This pilgrimage to Rome was very special for me since St.Paul VI did something wonderful for my son many years ago. Wishing you all God’s choicest blessings!

Cordially,
Chloe

Alexandra,

I just wanted to let the 206 Tours staff know how pleased I am with your services. Our tour guide Federica was superb! This pilgrimage to Rome was very special for me since St.Paul VI did something wonderful for my son many years ago. Wishing you all God’s choicest blessings!

Cordially,
Chloe

Hello Cara, Thank you for your kind words regarding my hip dislocation/ relocation—NOT surgery!!!!(Whew!) Regarding the overall trip, Vanessa, our guide, and Pedro, our driver, were the epitome of caring professionals who thoroughly enjoy what they do. Given the three medical situations encountered by our group, including my own, Vanessa was extremely valuable as a caring, thoughtful and thorough translator—she really thought of everything needed in each time of emergency and was a solace to each of the 3 of us (that became known as the “walking wounded”)—as well as to our very concerned partners’ well being. -206 Tours’ printed itinerary summed up the trip beautifully. One suggestion would be to include the number of miles to each place, along with your “long day” phrasing!!! -The hotels were well appointed and comfortable—most especially, the Fatima and Lourdes hotels were significantly located for easy walking access to the shrines themselves, allowing more time for those who wished to be independent. -The churches, provided for our daily masses, were wonderful opportunities to view local history and architecture, as well as to have the deeply personal religious experience. The local guides were a wealth of information— two were outstanding: the man whom we had in the Prada Museum and the lady who took us around the Basilica Sagrada Familia! -There were a couple of long days on the bus but Vanessa and Pedro broke them into convenient times for all of us to stretch—and for Pedro to get his much deserved breaks! The “whispers”…headsets…. are a wonderful asset and, I personally feel, a necessity for this type of tour. Given the coast to coast road trip in the time span we had, both John and I were very pleased with the opportunities that were presented along the way. Yes, we would have enjoyed later wake-ups and more quiet time in the churches we visited (“so much to see in so little time”), but in the overall scheme, we were more than 100% pleased with our 206 Tours experience and would highly recommend them.. I have already checked to see if I could put a review of 206 Tours on Trip Advisor but I am not finding an area for Tour Groups listed. If you wish to have me add our comments to a public viewing site, please pass on the addresses and I will be more than happy to share our most enthusiastic views!!! From two very enthusiastic clients of 206 Tours:

Jane and John Corrou

206 Tours is more than just a tour operator, they are the group of friends and colleagues who assemble neighbors who become friends to let us have the memories we all seek in this fast paced world. First I would like to thank 206 for a great trip on this classic Italy tour. It was not our first trip with them and it won’t be our last. From our first phone call, to booking our trips, to answering all the questions we had, to the follow up letters it has been a pleasure. If you have a question, ask it, they either know the answer or will get back in a short time. I say trip when I really mean pilgrimage, something to be shared as I did with my wife. If you are looking for a “sign”, you seek and you will find. From our two great tour guides, Leo on the first part and Toni on the last half, to the drivers and staff and Father Jim Garvey, we found our “neighbors” and fellow pilgrims. Classic Italy has it all, saints, sinners, martyrs, Basilicas, Cathedrals, and sights you or we will never forget especially with all the pictures we took. We were able to receive the Eucharist every day and the Rosary on the bus was a community of God’s children. We have memories that that will last a life time, and sore feet that are now doing great after a gondola ride, a plane ride and a night’s sleep. Good wine, good food, new neighbors and conversations with each other and our hearts open to all and our spirituality over the top is a miracle in itself. To enjoy this to the upmost, go with an open heart, good shoes and don’t forget your Rosary. God bless our fellow pilgrims and the ones in who’s foot steps we followed.

God bless,
Mike and Katherine Rock

Hi Dave and Toni, Thank you for a memorial trip to Israel! Our guide was fantastic and it was truly a wonderful experience. I’m finally getting closer to a normal sleep schedule. I hope you have recovered as well. Thank you for changing the time for the meeting on the last night so I could attend. Looking forward to our group getting together. Blessings wished to you both!

Thanks again,
Patty Jones

Thanks so much for preparing these documents, Dave and Toni !!! And thanks again for a truly memorable pilgrimage!!

Love you both,
Susie & Bob Curtis

Dave, I had a great and holy trip!!! Thank you for all your help with me, and thanks to Toni for all her counting and caring. The pilgrimage was well planned and covered so much of what I wanted to visit. I can’t think of anything I’d add to the trip. We had a great group of pilgrims too to make it even more enjoyable. If you would you may pass on my remarks to 206 Tours.

Love you both,
Mary Ann Lang

Thank you so much for the info. Such a grand journey.

Sylvia

I felt the tour was run very smoothly and efficiently. The schedule flowed smoothly, and it appeared that the sites and churches were waiting for us at our appointed time. I truly appreciated the fact that we were able to attend Mass at so many special places, it very much enhanced the pilgrimage experience. Our guide, Usama Salman, was fantastic, the best guide I have ever had on any tour. He had a phenomenal amount of knowledge about the sites, the history of Christianity in the region, the culture, and explanations of the political climate in the region. Although I have traveled internationally quite often, I appreciated the amount of information that was given to us before the tour. It helped to prepare and make sure that I knew details specific for the trip. All the meals were very good. The buffets at the hotels were extensive and had a good selection of foods that allowed me to try many different foods that local to the region. The public areas of the Olive Tree hotel were beautiful, however the sleeping rooms were a bit dated, with very old carpeting, old style hair dryer, and insufficient electrical outlets for our 21st century electronics. This didn’t impact the experience for me, just an observation. Thanks to Tour 206 for the work you do to make pilgrimages like this possible.

Rose Marie Deibel

Hi there, I’ve finally gotten through my pictures. Thank goodness for Fr. Peter’s VLOGs to remind me what we did when we did it, and where we were! What a great resource. I’ve looked at his videos countless times already to help me label my pics and to fill in my journal and am so glad to be able to look at them. Thanks, Fr. Peter!! Also – from his VLOG, I got a screen shot of the blessing he did for George and Sandy Mendes on their anniversary – since I don’t think anyone had captured that at the time, and I got an email back from Sandy this morning and she was glad to have that picture. Anyway — here are some pics that will show you what you already know. Fr. Peter and Juan Carlos were an ideal combo for us. You can see – even in the pictures that Juan isn’t in – that we all listened with rapt attention every time he spoke. His enthusiasm for his subject is so evident in each an every shot no matter if it’s from his front, side, or back!! We had so much fun, learned so much, laughed a lot and made new friends. The local guides and bus drivers were great as well. And Juan’s efforts to include some of our men (including Charlie) in the Rosary procession at Fatima and then two of our Pilgrims in the readings in the Grotto were once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will live with us all forever. Of course, Fr Peter’s inclusion of everyone he could bring into his masses as lectors made each and every mass special for all of us. And his homilies. Each and every one hit home — even for me – or maybe even especially for (the only non-Catholic in the group!!) So with more thanks than we can express to you, your team, and Juan and Fr Peter.
I hope you enjoy glancing through these pics. Charlie and I can’t wait for the Holy Land next year!!

Joanne and Charlie Rivel

Thank you for the opportunity to be able to serve a great group of individuals. We prayed together, celebrated mass together, ate together, laughed together and experienced some amazing locations that are so rich to our Catholic Faith. Our guide, Bart, was fantastic. He kept us on track and was able to share a lot of information without being overbearing. He had a great sense of humor and was patient with our group. Celebrating mass at Our Lady of Czestochowa and in Niepokalonow were two amazing experiences for me. My confirmation name is Maximilian Kolbe. I experienced a closeness to these saints. As pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, my interest in Sr. Faustina was rekindled and renewed. I was reflecting on Divine Providence. Sr. Faustina, died in 1938, was entrusted by Our Lord with the message of Divine Mercy. A message of hope, healing and deep trust in Jesus. This message was planted in the soil of Poland. Nearby her resting place, a young man Karol Woytla would familiarize himself with her message and pray as he worked in the Solvay chemical/mine not far from her monastery. In 1939, Poland was invaded by the Nazis. Less than 20 miles, the most horrible concentration camp was established where the dignity and hatred of the human person were systematically defaced. Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp, was a place of evil and dehumanization. After the end of the war, the Communist Russians took over Poland and continued this atheistic government and evil by attacking the dignity of the human person. Karol Wojtyla lived through this all becoming a priest and bishop. He was nurtured by this Divine Mercy message. Even as her Diary was mistranslated and silenced by the Church. In 1978, Karol Woytla became Bishop of Rome and was able to clarify this powerful message and bring it to the universal Church. He canonized her and introduced into the Universal Calendar by giving the Church Divine Mercy Sunday. Jesus’ mercy is more powerful than any sin. IT is the message of hope for everyone. JESUS I TRUST IN YOU! All of the places we visited came together. I have Polish heritage and was able to meet distant relatives. I was strengthened in my own priestly vocation and am extremely proud of my Polish heritage. It was a real blessing for me and for our group. Once again, thank you for this opportunity, to serve this great group. Thank you for all of the arrangements.

God Bless your good work,
Fr. Keith Laskowski

To the group at 206 tours,Is there a way for me to get some more money to Leo, our tour guide in Lourdes? I misread the paperwork and only gave him 4 Euro for 4 days. It should’ve been 8 Euro for 4 days. We gave him a bonus because he went above and beyond taking care of my husband. We do not want him to think we are ungrateful. We want to give him an additional 48 Euros. Thanks. The Pilgrimage had many memorable moments and the best outcome for us is that we now pray together before each meal. It might be trivial for most people because this is a normal way of life but it wasn’t for us. Here are a few observations that may or may not be incorporated by 206 Tours. I want to share them just in case they are common after-action comments.1. Some people might take these trips as two-fold…a pilgrimage and a vacation. If one goes in totally focused on a Pilgrimage than the Itinerary covers the important details. If a person goes for the purposes of both a Pilgrimage and a vacation, then the schedule is quite tight and tiresome. We would’ve paid more money to have an extra day in both cities (Lourdes and Rome) just so we can could take advantage of some of the offsite places. In Lourdes, we would’ve like to have gone to the Fort and overlooked the valley. In Rome, we would’ve like to have had more time in the Vatican/St. Peter’s Square and also go to the Colosseum. 2. I think an enhanced list of travel tips would’ve been more helpful. The tips given were important but there are some little unknown facts that would’ve gone along ways for some Pilgrims. For example, in Lourdes we were able to get the store to ship some Holy Water back home to us. It was pricey but I knew to ask because some of my friends told me about it. Pilgrims in our group didn’t know about it until I mentioned it to them. In Rome, if someone buys gifts from the Vatican store, the Pope blesses all the items at 4pm each day and the store will send your purchases to your hotel. We wanted to do this but there was little to no time to go that store. We weren’t told which store was the “official” Vatican store. We purchased our souvenirs from stores outside St. Peter’s Square.3. Invite Pilgrims to take empty drinking bottles and fill them with the Holy Water at the Grotto each day and drink the water versus buying bottles each day at the store by the hotel.

We hope to be blessed to go on another trip but if we can’t go, then the one we participated in was extremely satisfying. Thank you.
Phyllis B. Gogue

Dear 206 Tours Staff, My wife unexpectedly was called home to the Lord earlier this year and as you can expect it has been very difficult. This pilgrimage offered me time to get away from home for a while but also helped me to focus on dealing with this loss in a variety of Holy settings. I found tremendous Peace especially in Assisi that I needed to find. As a Catholic Deacon, it was an amazing experience to assist Fr. Mike at Mass each day and to experience the many blessings from the Lord, Fr. Mike and the other pilgrims. Fr. Mike was a wonderful Spiritual Leader (despite the fact that we are friends). His kindness and compassion with us pilgrims and his inspiring homilies were a tremendous benefit. Our guide Tony and driver Mossimo were wonderful as were the local guides. I was truly blessed to have had this experience and look forward to booking another excursion with your company in the future.

My prayers and blessing for continued success.
Deacon John Steiner

Dear Tony Giuliani, I would like everyone at 206 Tours and all of your associates in Italy to know how grateful I am to our guide, Tony Giuliani, for his help in resolving my very serious problem. I LOST MY PASSPORT! He knew what to do and we got it back. But I am most grateful for the extreme kindness and empathy that Tony showed me. He did not roll his eyes and he did not show the slightest annoyance at the big problem that I had just caused him. I had searched for a couple of hours and was mortified to have to tell Tony. He explained to me that this has happened to him many times before, etc… He suggested we wait a few hours to give the finder time to turn it in. After dinner, Tony, our wonderful driver Massimo, and I, walked to the police station in San Giovanni de Rotondo and it had been turned in! Yes, we were all praying hard that God and His angels would persuade the passport finder to turn it in. But our biggest Grace from God was having Tony as our guide. He was a blessing in every category: knowledge, efficiency, kindness, and friendliness. But I tested him in an emergency and Tony came through 1000 percent! I will be recommending 206 every chance I get. This was my second wonderful tour with you, And I hope there will be many more!

Thank You
Joanna M. Becker

Padre Pio 2018

Dear Cara, The pilgrimage to the Holy Land was awesome. Everything was wonderful and I can’t thank 206 enough for all the amenities along the way that surprised the guests. Our guide Usama on this pilgrimage was outstanding. Of all the guides I have encountered with 206 he is the best of the best. WOW. We had just the right amount of touring and a little free time to get to know each other at our “pre-dinner meetings” at the bar. I will be contacting all of the guests on this pilgrimage and requesting feedback which I will pass on to you. Last but by far not least, it was a pleasure dealing with Cara who attended all my needs and questions in a timely manner.

Thank you so very much,
Dave

P.S. We are looking at The Footsteps of St. Paul next time.

Dear Milanka, Toni wanted me to send you his regards… He worked very hard to ensure that everything was perfect and he succeeded!! I wanted to let you know how blessed we were to have Fr. Mike as our Spiritual Director for the pilgrimage to St. Padre Pio’s 50th Anniversary. His wide experience of surviving successfully in this world and his work/career experience plus his deep love for God made him a perfect priest for me to speak with and seek guidance. I can’t help but to feel that the last minute change of Spiritual Director for this pilgrimage was a Divine Providence. Fr. Mike is such a humble priest. As he celebrated Mass we were all drawn into the Lord’s sacrifice for us and our offering to the Lord with true reverence in every word he spoke. As my sister Pia commented, Fr. Mike celebrated every Mass as though it was his very first time. His homilies were so special too. Guided by the Holy Spirit, he touched every one of our hearts in so many ways. Thank you, Milanka… for a very special pilgrimage that touched so many hearts and souls.

With love & prayers,
Theresa

Hello, The pilgrimage was excellent. We became a very close knit ‘family’. Lots of energy and conversation. Alessandro was absolutely excellent. He truly did an outstanding job keep track of everything. He did it heart, not just efficiency. He is a true gem.

Thank you,
Bob and Sue Porter

Dear Milanka, Toni wanted me to send you his regards… He worked very hard to ensure that everything was perfect and he succeeded!! I wanted to let you know how blessed we were to have Fr. Mike as our Spiritual Director for the pilgrimage to St. Padre Pio’s 50th Anniversary. His wide experience of surviving successfully in this world and his work/career experience plus his deep love for God made him a perfect priest for me to speak with and seek guidance. I can’t help but to feel that the last minute change of Spiritual Director for this pilgrimage was a Divine Providence. Fr. Mike is such a humble priest. As he celebrated Mass we were all drawn into the Lord’s sacrifice for us and our offering to the Lord with true reverence in every word he spoke. As my sister Pia commented, Fr. Mike celebrated every Mass as though it was his very first time. His homilies were so special too. Guided by the Holy Spirit, he touched every one of our hearts in so many ways. Thank you, Milanka… for a very special pilgrimage that touched so many hearts and souls. With love & prayers,

With love & prayers,
Theresa

Dear Caterina, This was a wonderful experience. Vanessa, our 206 Tour Guide was terrific. It fulfilled all of my expectations (spiritual and material) And more. Thanks for a first-class job.

Gordon

Dear Linda, Alexandra, Danielle, Katherine, Victoria, Alessandro and Everyone at 206 Tours, Brad and I would like to thank you from the bottom on our hearts for the truly wonderful customized pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Joseph Marello. Today, we return to work, but first we will give thanks to our Lord for the experiences that we had in Italy. Our accommodations and logistics were first class and we are so very grateful for all the work that you did to make our pilgrimage go smoothly and successfully in allowing our group to see the holy places of St. Joseph Marello and many other saints. It was just amazing.We greatly appreciated having Alessandro as our Tour Guide. He did everything to make our pilgrimage special and everyone on the trip just fell in love with him.We are so blessed to have encountered 206 Tours, first in 2016 on our trip to the Holy Land and again with this once in a lifetime trip in the footsteps of St. Joseph Marello. There were so many graces that we received along the way and our lives are forever changed for the better.We are working to gather all of the photos taken by the group and we hope to create a photo book of our pilgrimage. We will send you a copy when it is completed.

God bless you and thank you again and again and again.
Brad and Janet

Danielle,
First thing I have to say is thank you and my heart is so full of gratitude for the time we spent with Fr. Paul and the other pilgrims. I entered this pilgrimage with no real expectation, because I absolutely did not know what to expect. Right from the very beginning there were surprises all along the way for me which often brought me to tears. Here are a few:Thank you and keep up the good work at 206.

Sincerely,
Pam

My mother and I had an incredible experience with 206 Tours in Lourdes and Medjugorje. Juan Carlos was extremely knowledgable and kind. He made certain everyone knew the schedule and was very detail oriented. In Medjugorje, Nik was special. He was patient, kind, thoughtful, and graciously accommodated our requests. I would love to bring my four children to Medjugorje and have Nik as our guide. Such a good guy!

Sincerely,
Michele Detillier

The pilgrimage was absolutely wonderful. Your organization is top notch in the way everything was planned. I was honored and humbled to be able to be a Spiritual Director for a tour. It was a moving experience. From the first Mass and homily on, the group melded together and a feeling of family was formed. The group watched out for each other and genuinely cared for each other. There were many one on one and group sharing on a variety of topics. Everything exceeded any expectations. I will tell anyone considering going on pilgrimage to look up 206 tours. Each day during the intercessions at Mass, we prayed for Milanka and all the 206 Tours family. All of you were remembered specially each day of our pilgrimage. The pilgrimage impacted my life by experiencing Christianity from a whole new perspective by being at so many holy sites. The pilgrimage to these sites and humble prayer at the tombs of so many saints filled the soul with a deeper connection to that greater church we hear and talk about. I was filled with great joy simply in the love and care the pilgrims expressed for each other during our week. The Spirit was alive and well on our trip. When I preached at the Mass we celebrated at Lanciano, I told the group how nervous I was at that Mass. When I genuflected at the altar and looked straight on at the Eucharistic Miracle before me, I was filled with awe. When I sat in the presider’s chair, I could feel the Spirit alive in me and a little nervous. I preach extensively on the real presence in the Eucharist and right behind me was the Eucharist in body and blood form, not simply in the transubstantiated form. What a blessing and joy. There were so many experiences that I will be reflecting on for many days and weeks.

God’s blessings,
Fr. Mike

Dear Danielle, Our pilgrimage was spectacular, from start to finish. While I had reasonable expectations, 206, as represented excellently by our tour guide Alessandro, far exceeded my personal expectations. First, Alessandro was an absolute gem! From the very beginning until our departure, he took care of all of our needs, a total servant. Also, devout, mature practicing Catholic. You have a tremendous asset in Alessandro! Second, the regional experts that joined us in various cities along the way were uniformly outstanding, each unique and extremely knowledgeable. Our trip was customized to Following the Footsteps of Saint Joseph Mariello, new territory for Alessandro. He rolled with it and smoothly integrated new locations and activities – it wasn’t until the end of the tour that he shared with me that some of this was new territory. The Daily Masses in historic, sacred Chapels with our priest were the spiritual high points for me, personally. The final Mass was in St. Peter’s at the chapel of soon to be St. Pope John XXIII, which was a wonderful conclusion to our pilgrimate. If I would have passed on one item, it would have been visiting the Vatican Museum, the Cistine Chapel and the crypts. Not your fault, but it was SO crowded and jam packed. It was like being in Memorial Day traffic going to the beach. Pam and I did a private visit and spent an abundant amount of time there. The hotels were all excellent – as was the food. The only downside is that I probably put on ten pounds! In closing, I highly endorse 206 and if time and money allow, would love to do another trip!

Sincerely,
Mike Flynn

I am overwhelmed with joy as I return home and read your welcome home email!We had an amazing pilgrimage which is engraved in our hearts for all of eternity. Apart from the spectacular places, art, culture, food, organization of events, safety, transportation to and from all hotels and Shrines, expertise in all areas (even emergency procedures!), etc.,etc.,etc.,…we were united with and encountered God and the Communion of Saints daily in prayer, Mass and the Mystical Body of Christ as true Brothers and Sisters. I must thank first and foremost our phenomenal, loving, genuine tour guide, Federica, who lived the Gospel with her whole heart and soul. She was trustworthy, professional, knowledgeable, well rounded in all aspects of the tour industry, thoughtful, kind, generous, …I could go on and on. She will forever be in our thoughts, hearts and prayers. Fr. Piotr was another such individual who cared for us as a Shepherd of souls. He was very attentive to our spiritual needs and was always available for our questions, concerns, and need for all things God as well as a wonderful sound and practical tour aid. He is such an intelligent, well rounded, kind and loving Mentor. He too will forever be part of my spiritual and familial tapestry. I have included a few pictures of our special and truly joyful time in Italy as a testimony that this group became for us a family of faith.Although I was rather reticent initially about embarking on this tour, I am over the top satisfied with your capacity to make our experience the best it could ever have been on all fronts. Thank you for your diligent organization, service, attention to detail, know-how and most of all attentiveness to living the Faith. It was evident that adherence to living the Gospel is the cornerstone of your business. I can honestly say that 206 Tours impacted and restored my faith in “business”. All companies should treat their customers with such grace, love and skill. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!I recently learned what 206 stood for and can see that you have been especially blessed to carry a mission of transmitting so much more than just sightseeing,… so much more than just trustworthy travel. It is a way of living in, with and through Christ.With a humble spirit, again I convey my gratefulness for this powerful experience that is etched in my soul forever. God bless for now and I look forward to more future spiritual endeavors.

Fiorella Sunseri

Dear Ms. Diane Conley,The pilgrimage to All Italian Shrines on September 10-23, 2018 was a powerful spiritual event for everyone who participated. The holy places that we visited in Italy made a great impression on us because of the culture and spirituality that we experienced. We experienced the spirituality of St Francis that inspired the Holy Father. We visited and prayed in Assisi and Gubbio, the town freed by St Francis from a ferocious wolf, and also La Verna, where St Francis received the stigmata. This tour influenced my personal spirituality and enhanced my pastoral works, especially as an inspiration for my teaching, preaching and coming publications. I would like to express my deepest appreciation for the opportunity to be a Spiritual Director for our tour to All Italian Shrines. I would like to address my special appreciation to our Tour Escort Federica, for her kindness and attentiveness to everyone. I would like to also thank all the participants. It is my sincere hope that their experiences on this tour would enhance their spiritual progress in their future life.

Thank you for your efforts in making pilgrimages like this possible and special.
Rev. Piotr M. Paciorek, Ph.D.

Dear Cara, I want to thank you for your services and expert planning of our recent trip to Medugorje. We felt very safe and well looked after. Our guide Niksa Jelavic was exceptional. Our itinerary was well planned and the whole experience would not have been as meaningful, if not for Niksa thoughtfulness and caring. He arranged with five young men from the Cenacolo Community to take me up Apparition Hill. This was indeed a very thoughtful gesture and I greatly appreciate his kindness and that of the five young men. I have come away with good memories and plan to return in the near future.What was particularly impressive was that Niksa always got us ahead of the crowds, so that we had good seats. He was aware of my mobility problem and was very accommodation of this. My husband was not well and on arrival in Medugorje, Niksa arranged for him to see a doctor and drove us to the medical clinic. He waited for my husband to be seen by the doctor, then drove us back to the hotel. This was much more than we expected. He is a “very special” young man. Once again I thank you. God Bless!

Best Regards,
Patricia A. Gill

Our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land was a once in a lifetime wonderful experience we will always remember. Our Spiritual Director, Fr. Ronan Murphy was dynamite. He was simply the best! He not only gave the most powerful homilies during all the Masses, but he also gave us a deep appreciation of our Roman Catholic faith. We will be first in line in the future to join a 206 Tour Pilgrimage with Fr. Ronan. Our Tour Guide, George Stephan was very professional. He took care of our Group with the utmost attention and protection. He is a wealth of biblical knowledge. He was also able to relate all the stories written in the Bible to one cohesive epic narration. As a result, we were able to picture ourselves walking with Jesus during His time in Jerusalem. He was also really attentive to all the needs of our fellow pilgrims. We really appreciate everything he did for us. Our driver, George, kept us safe throughout our journeys inside Israel. We also wish to thank him.Our Hotels were above board and at least 4 Star. The food was a mixed variety which catered to all our different palates. We also were treated with local delicacies which we enjoyed. Our farewell dinner at the Restaurant on the rooftop of Notre Dame Hotel was truly memorable. The view overlooking the entire Jerusalem was a feast for the eyes. The Notre Dame Hotel rooms are dated and had no TVs and refrigerators. The beautiful chapel of Our Lady of Peace on the first floor more than made up for it.We have made lifelong friends during this Pilgrimage. It included not only seniors like ourselves but also young adults as well. We blended so well with all of them. The only sour note was the weather. It was extremely hot, often at 98 degrees. This is our 2nd Pilgrimage with 206 Tours and definitely will not be our last. Please extend our deepest appreciation to Chris for going the extra mile for us.

Sincerely,
Edward and Felna Natividad

Please know how very happy we were with our recently completed Marian Pilgrimage – your Tour 40. From our first meeting with Juan Carlos in the airport, and our meeting with Fr Peter at the hotel, our pilgrimage an amazing and unforgettable experience Your local guides were knowledgeable and provided so much valuable information, that their words have prompted us to come home and learn even more about what we’ve seen. Your bus drivers – especially Pedro – were skilled, polite, and careful – and were always smiling. It’s clear that Juan Carlos loves and his job and knows his details. I’m not at all sure he slept. He was always there with a great amount of patience and a sense of humor which you should value. We never wanted for facts, guidance, or information on what we were seeing; at night and in the morning, we were clearly told what was next. His ready smile and gentle prodding struck just the right note to herd us all along make us feel special for the entire time. Father Peter’s Spiritual Direction, his daily bus prayers, daily rosaries, and added commentary on our travels were icing on the cake. His blogs as posted on both his and your page on Facebook serve as a wonderful reminder of our journey as well as a great way to give our family and friends a small taste of the wonders we experienced. These words don’t nearly capture our pleasure at how much we enjoyed our journey. We look forward to our next 206 Pilgrimage. Thank you for all of your behind the scenes hard work to make our Pilgrimage a holy and wonderful experience. We are pretty excited and looking forward to our next pilgrimage to Greece and the Holy Land in 2019.

Thanks again,

Charles Rivel

I would say that this pilgrimage tour exceeded my expectations. I had joined other tours before but 206 tours is so far the best. It was well planned, coordinated and the accommodations were excellent. I enjoyed every day of the tour with the group, they are all amazing people especially Father Peter and Juan Carlos. Fr Peter is such an inspiration, makes me proud of my faith. I would definitely recommend your company to my friends and coworkers and of course, join your upcoming tours again.

God bless,
Ledecia Sendayen

The pilgrimage has helped to deepen and strengthen our faith by bringing us so close to holy places with wonderful fellow pilgrims. Everything met our expectations. Fr. Peter and Federica were great and took good care of us.

Thank you,
Michelle and Ivan

Good morning,
Please record Vanessa Diaz as a superior employee. She is extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and is a valuable asset to your company. Please give her a bonus if part of your program. She is worth a million $$+.

Janice Yesinko

Thank you so so much for a blessed journey. I thank God I went with 206 Tours I cannot find the words to say, it was a blessing. Carlos was a blessing to be with, he is a great guy, I will keep him in my prayers. Everything was super good, the hotels, the sites, the food, and the bus driver and the other tour guides. Thank you very much for Father Peter Carlos. 206 Tours has changed my life! It brought me closer to God and our Lady the Blessed Mother, and I know it has changed my wife’s life also. We enjoyed everything, thank you, Diane, and thank you to all the Staff of 206 Tours. The pilgrimage will be in our memory for the rest of our lives. God Bless you.

George Mendes

I really enjoyed the people that were on the pilgrimage with us ! The priest that accompanied us was really special and also the fellow pilgrims who were deacons! It is so nice to be able to travel and still have Mass and pray the rosary and other prayers. This is what meant the most to me especially with all the craziness in the Church right now. It was just what I needed. Thanks so much for helping us and for 206 Tours for making this possible.

David and Cheryl Himelright

I am extending my deepest thanks to 206Tours & your staff, to Chris Wright whom I communicated throughout the process. George has a very deep knowledge of Christ’s life & times & all of the Holy Land in general. Our thanks too to Fr. Ronan Murphy for his ministry & religious guidance & add to that his great sense of humor(bus was unusually quiet without him on board). Above all, me touching the very stone where Jesus’ body lay is enough of a lifetime accomplishment for me.

Gerry Sison

Hello, everyone!
My name is Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, and I am a priest with the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. I currently live in Steubenville, Ohio, and serve as the Vicar Provincial and Vocation Director for my religious community. You probably found this website because you are thinking and praying about going on a Catholic pilgrimage. That’s wonderful! You’ve come to the right place! I love pilgrimages, and want to tell you about 206 Tours and the many pilgrimages that I lead every year. As you know, a pilgrimage is a very special and unique journey. It’s a time of prayer that helps a person draw closer to heaven, especially by visiting holy sites associated with Jesus, Mary, and the saints. Whether you are praying about going on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Poland, Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, Rome, or another holy site, a pilgrimage is meant to help you experience a deeper conversion and assure you of God’s merciful love. In a General Audience in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the essence of why we go on pilgrimage. He said: “Pilgrimage is an expression of religious devotion that is nourished by prayer.” Trust me, once you go on pilgrimage, your life – especially your prayer life – will never be the same! For many years now, I have been leading pilgrimages to various holy sites around the world. The pilgrimage agency that I work with is 206 Tours. Founded in 1985, 206 Tours is the best Catholic pilgrimage agency available. Hey, you know you are doing something right when respectable people like Scott Hahn and Jim Caviezel use your company to go on pilgrimage! There are many reasons why I so highly recommend 206 Tours. For starters, they are extremely Catholic. Each pilgrimage is a truly prayerful journey, filled with devotions, daily Mass, and holy experiences. The guides on each pilgrimage are very knowledgeable, the itineraries are exceptional and comprehensive, the hotels are wonderful and centrally located, and every detail of your pilgrimage is well planned out and executed. From airplane flights to bus rides and meals, 206 Tours goes above and beyond to make your pilgrimage one of the best experiences of your life. My own mother only goes on pilgrimage with 206 Tours! Click on the link and take a look at all the wonderful pilgrimages I lead with 206 Tours. Come by yourself, with your spouse, or as a family. Together we will journey toward heaven and experience the joy of conversion!

God bless,
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC

Morning All,
The tour guide was fantastic, extremely knowledgeable about religion and history of the region. The priest had a very good sense of humor, extremely knowledgeable, very impressive and very holy!!

The trip was fantastic.
Jan and Sarah Peiss

We returned from our pilgrimage to Poland on August 22 and haven’t stopped talking about it! My mother in law traditionally takes each of her grandchildren on a religious pilgrimage when they are 12 years old. My son, Peter is her youngest grandchild. Peter’s four older siblings went to Fatima, Lourdes, Italy, and the Holy Land. Peter chose Poland. Peter is a cancer survivor and a transplant recipient. At the age of 8, in 2014, he had a trauma accident to his abdomen that revealed a malignant tumor the size of a grapefruit in his liver. He underwent chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in NYC. After months of treatment, the tumor remained inoperable. His only hope was a transplant. On the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peter received his transplant at NYPS Columbia. We prayed to Pope John Paul II as the Pope needed a miracle for his canonization. We consider Peter’s cure a miracle and thus we went to the birthplace of this holy man in thanksgiving. I want to tell you, as his mother, to see him serve Mass every day was very emotional. I caught myself crying several times a day.

Thank you for offering this once in a lifetime experience!
Susan, Peter and Grandma Grace

Morning All,
I can’t express enough how wonderful my pilgrimage was, and it all is credited to our spiritual leader Father Piotr, our group coordinator Judy Madia, our bus driver Adele, but most of all our tour guide Shafik. Shafik had a way of bringing the old and new testament together, incorporating layman history with christianity, and bringing it all alive. He so moved me I felt called to financially support the christians in Israel. I asked Shafik of legitimate organizations. He suggested I contact 206 tours, specifically Milanka, the founder of 206 tours.Please pass this information on to Milanka so I may fulfill my calling.As a side note, thank you for all your prayers as I did make my connecting flight in Newark departing to Tel Aviv by 5 minutes.

Blessing to you all,
Kalaniwai

Thanks and we arrived safe, sound, happy and very, very satisfied. The service of 206 was high five and from Driver, security and tour guide in Jordan, as well as George and George the tour guide was excellent. Trustworthy, very accommodating and gave us all the friendship and respect. Amazing service is given to a family when their daughter got sick and the head of 206 in Holy Land came and help from the start up to the end. Wonderful experience. Father Ronan Murphy was superb and great Catholic clergy. He gave us the renewal of our 50th wedding vows at the Sacrament Wedding Church in Canna with several other happy couples. This is a place that is in the second mystery of Luminous mysteries. “ WEDDING AT CANNA” this gave us an awesome feeling of HAPPINESS, GREATNESS AND MOST OF ALL HOLINESS. I am 79 years old with my wife, in spite of our age we surpass and successfully overcome the heat, sweating the tremendous walking in bumpy walkways up and down mountains and underground caves and dungeons. Can’t buy money what we have done and accomplish and this is with the help of 206 tours. In return already have sent your 206 tours tel, and email address to 2 if my friends and will encourage more this Saturday in our association meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Happy and very satisfied,
Drs Robin and Flora Torres

Thank you 206 Tours. In short, my wife and I had a wonderful experience. It was a blessed event. The itinerary was surely crowded with many activities but that allowed us to see the many extraordinary sites in Poland. We thought the accommodations were very nice, especially in Krakow being so close to the the extraordinary old town main square. Fr. Calloway and Fr. Dante were top notch, as were Olga (professional, knowledgeable, friendly) and our driver, Jack. (We didn’t have to interact with Bart, the guide for the red bus often, but when we did he was extremely helpful too). In short, just a top notch pilgrimage and we could not have designed a tour which encompassed so many beautiful and meaningful shrines, churches and other venues.

Regards,
Phil Z.

Dear Jen,
The pilgrimage was fruitful and the group was amazing. We are more than friends we are a family united in faith. Roberto did a fantastic job he has a heart for his work and we all admire him. The hotel was great, the food was awesome and most of all the sites were faith evoking places. 206 Tours made a great impact in our lives – kudos and gratitude will always be in our hearts.

Rest assured of my prayers. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
Fr. Noel

The pilgrimage was spectacular!!! From the hotels to the food to the destinations. Good job. My favorite day was the day in Czechoslovakia visiting the queen of Poland and the dinner that night was off the charts. Thank you for a memorable pilgrimage.

Thanks again,
Michele

Dear Milanka,
The pilgrimage was wonderful. Our tour guide Rasa Aleksaite was incredibly informative, enthusiastic, kind and funny! She is a beautiful lady and a walking encyclopedia on all things Lietuva! I agree with dear LaChita Calloway, Poland is a jewel and if I spoke Polish I wouldn’t mind living there. The devotion to our Holy Catholic Church by the Poles was amazing! If only the whole world was like Poland. Again, 206 Tours exceeded our expectations. I am so happy to know you Milanka, you are a blessing in my life and the life of many many people I’m sure!

Love and Prayers,
Mary Joanne Clifton-Wirth

Dear Milanka,
The pilgrimage was wonderful. Our tour guide Rasa Aleksaite was incredibly informative, enthusiastic, kind and funny! She is a beautiful lady and a walking encyclopedia on all things Lietuva! I agree with dear LaChita Calloway, Poland is a jewel and if I spoke Polish I wouldn’t mind living there. The devotion to our Holy Catholic Church by the Poles was amazing! If only the whole world was like Poland. Again, 206 Tours exceeded our expectations. I am so happy to know you Milanka, you are a blessing in my life and the life of many many people I’m sure!

Love and Prayers,
Mary Joanne Clifton-Wirth

Dear 206 Tours:
I just wanted to send a note to tell you how absolutely wonderful this Pilgrimage was. Our tour guide Sa’id was FABULOUS!!!!!!!! We have taken him into our hearts and will NEVER forget him. He is now my Christian brother, and I keep him, his family, and his people, in my prayers. He was so kind, generous and patient with our group not to mention how knowledgeable he is – he was like a walking encyclopedia!! Incredible! He was AMAZING and we were blessed to have him with us. And our driver Dayseer, was fabulous too! Excellent driving! Both were very professional and respectful to all of us.

My fondest regards to them both.
Marie Langone

Our experience in the Holy Land was incredible and no words can’t really express it. Throughout the stay I kept telling the Spiritual Director Fr. Eric Bowman that I couldn’t describe my feelings; he replied to me many times that he can see an indescribable Joy at me and my wife faces. Yes, it was real! We have felt Jesus’ love and presence; and therefore feel more missionaries. We are praying that our spiritual gifts flourish abundantly so that we can proclaim the Gospel by our life. With regard to the second question, we can tell without hesitation that the pilgrimage provided us with good understanding of the Gospel starting with the Old Testament. We have keep experiencing joy and peace reading the Holy Scriptures and going to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Overall, every single activity during the pilgrimage was incredible; additionally the guide Rami was very knowledgeable and humble; the driver also was super! The only thing that was missed was the visit of the Ascension church.
By the Grace of the Lord, we will book our next pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal next year with 206 Tours.

Pierrick Nbessa

Thanks for your patience. Jet lag is a terrible thing! I will be writing a three-part story for the Diocese of Joliet about my experience. It is planned for next summer. I haven’t started drafting yet, but will keep you posted. Our group had a phenomenal experience with 206 Tours. Our guide, Quiko, was amazing and thoughtful at every stage. He took great care of all of us and got to know our particular needs right away, and he always worked each day to make our walk wonderful. We had many beautiful spiritual experiences along the Way, especially stopping at so many holy churches along the route to pray, visiting the site of a Eucharistic Miracle, staring out over vistas so astonishingly beautiful there were just no words except praise and thanks to God, and of course walking with Jesus and with each other on that amazing road! The food and company were just bonuses to our spiritual journey. We took hundreds of prayer requests with us and have already heard of many healings that have taken place since coming home. We are thankful to 206Tours for such an amazing journey of faith!

Beth Crouch

Dear Milanka, We enjoyed our pilgrimage very much. It provided much needed spiritual blessings. Our priest Father Carlos Rodrigues gave moving homilies. Our tour guide Juan Carlos exceeded our expectations. We had the misfortune of a delayed flight which caused us to miss our connecting flight and then had our luggage lost for 3 days. Juan Carlos was very helpful in assisting us with finding the necessities we needed in the interim, as well as helping us to get the airline to hold our bags when they were finally found in Paris.We appreciated all of his patience and help in assisting us as well as making himself available to all of our fellow pilgrims for whatever they needed. He is a great asset to your company.

Thank you,
Anthony and Santina Staveris

Good Afternoon Danielle,
Our Jordan – Holy Land Pilgrimage in June was so much more than we could have expected. It was a beautiful experience with a wonderful faith-filled priest (Fr. Sean Connolly) and warm bonding with all the pilgrims , including the beautifully spiritual, spirited and inspiring youngsters and young adults who made the journey with us. There was such a wonderful connection made, and the proof of that is that one particular evening, and into the night, Fr. Sean generously answered a ton of questions from young and “older”, seemingly with no regard of his need to prepare and to sleep before next day, He made it quite apparent that he truly enjoyed the questions, the ensuing conversation and the opportunity to teach the faith. What a joy! The early mornings trips to the Holy Sepulcher arranged by Father were most memorable – What a gift! Our guides, both in Jordan (Yousef) and in Israel (Majd) were extremely knowledgeable, generously sharing their thoughts, insights and learnings. They, and our tour drivers, were totally self-giving for us. We hope our paths will cross again someday. The Angelus and the Rosary are two of the practices I am trying to keep up …and the experience of finally being invested into the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular was a true gift. We looked forward to the daily Masses and were always appreciative and amazed at our kind young priest’s words and manifested reverence. The renewal of our vows at Cana was extremely touching and unforgettable – Thank you Father. (Everyone on the pilgrimage, everyone we met was very kind and giving – how nice to openly and joyfully share with like-minded brothers and sisters). Crossing the Sea of Galilee had an unexpected effect, it certainly counts among my favorites. My husband was taken from the start by the history, the architecture, the innovation, the issues, battles, catastrophes of each periods. He can talk about it for hours. We cannot thank 206 Tours enough for their thoughtful and caring agents, for their providence and anticipation of our every need..before and during our pilgrimage. (Do they sleep ???) You know we have been and will continue to tell everyone of their attention to detail and friendliness… and yes we are: Recommending 206 Tours to friends and family for their potential pilgrimages.Our hearts are filled with gratitude and we ask God to bless each and everyone of them, their families and their work. Added notes:* While we kept notes, it was difficult at times…with information overload setting in. We have a suggestion. Since we all had the whispers, we thought an additional component could be added – The guides could record their explanations, turning off the recorder when they or the priest were not speaking to teach or give direction. The recording could be put on memory keys for purchase by those who would like them. It would help us as we review our pictures and trying to recall a specific fact that had touched us or where exactly we were. (It is hard to determine, at times, which picture was taken where…especially with the slight changes to our itineraries.) Thank you all once again, organisers, guides, pilgrims for making this the very best 2 weeks that went far beyond our expectations.

Blessings,
Lionel and Yvette

Dear Jen,
This was our 7th pilgrimage with 206 Tours! We are always impressed with the quality and spirituality of it all! This tour to Poland and Rome was deeply spiritual for both my husband and myself. We were particularly touched by the history and the faith of the Polish people….what an example for us all. Rome was equally as touching. The location of the hotel, just a block from St. Peter’s Basilica was fabulous. One issue we had was with the Papal Audience. There seemed to be a communication mishap. The tour booklet led us to believe the audience was included with our tour guide. We received an updated agenda the day we arrived in Rome. Our tour guide did not meet us for dinner the day of arrival (as is typical for 206)….we had no idea that we were to make arrangements for the Papal Audience on our own. Didn’t know we needed tickets, didn’t know the time, etc. Needless to say….we missed it. Now, John and I were at Mass and Eucharistic Adoration in St. Peter’s….so being with Jesus tops being with the Pope! But for future reference, clearer communication on this would be important! Our tour guides (Poland and Rome) were outstanding, our spiritual advisor in Poland (Fr. Michel) was perfect. The hotels, food, tours, etc. were fantastic. We came home energized in our faith and deeply touched. Thank you for all the work 206 does with these pilgrimages. We wouldn’t use any other group! Looking forward to another pilgrimage in 2019!

Thanks again!

Blessings,
Nancy Woods

Good Afternoon Danielle,
I am writing this email to let you know that we are back safe. Thanks be to God. It was a powerful experience, a spiritual journey and we received a lot of Graces and Blessing.The hotels and accommodations were perfect.Our Guide Julien was very professional, patient, courteous. I really enjoyed my pilgrimage. Thank you very much. Of course the most important is to keep preciously The Graces received not to lose them.

Cordially,
Marie Laurence Boisette

Hi Diane,
The trip was wonderful it surpassed all of our expectations. This started even before the trip as Vanessa took care of all our arrangements in very short amount of time. Thanks. I want to mention Pedro our driver courteous, kind and drove with great care and skill.I want to mention Leopoldo (Leo) Jimenez our tour guide, always had a smile on his face, what a knowledgeable, talented, courteous, and professional tour guide.Kudos to both Leo and Pedro. The independent tour guides were wonderful as well. Going to Fatima and Lourdes and praying the Holy Rosary with all the other pilgrims has a great impact in our minds, hearts, and souls. One thing is to read about Fatima and Lourdes, another is to go and walk, pray, and go to Mass with other pilgrims there. I encourage anyone who has not gone to Fatima and Lourdes to go and of course to go using 206 Tours.Not to mention all the other great places we visited, like the birthplace of Saint Anthony of Padua, the birthplace and place of death of Saint Teresa of Avila, the birthplace of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, etc. We went to The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at each of these places, what a blessing.Getting to know the Saints and their lives firsthand has a big impact on our own walk trying to become Saints.We did The Way of the Cross in Fatima and in Lourdes. We usually do The Way of the Cross during Holy Week or every Friday in Lent. This really hits home, meditating on the Passion and Death of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ using The Way of the Cross can be done anytime of the year.Thanks 206. Will have to start planning our next pilgrimage.

God bless you, Ms. Conley and all the staff at 206.
Marcos

Just returned last evening from your tour to Italy with Fr. Fernando Molina Restrepo and Fr. Eric Hill. It was a fantastic trip and we loved the itinerary and hotels chosen. But most of all we loved our guide, Frederica Pontesilli. She went above and beyond in her duties, caring for those who got hurt and those who requested menu changes! She never showed irritation nor weariness. She showed total kindness to all. We are so thankful for her gentle ways. Please share this with those in your company who do the planning and hiring. Frederica is a very valuable employee!

Sincerely,
Arlene Wilson

We had a wonderful beautiful spiritual experience. Our spiritual guide father Michael was excellent. Our guide Quicko and the pilgrims were wonderful; in fact we are missing them. The pilgrimage has impacted my life but with the stresses of daily life were sliding right back to the old way. We have incorporated daily prayer in our lives though. We will send you pictures soon.

Sincerely,
Brian and Carmen Cooper.

Patricia and I finished Aug 7th, arrived home Aug 8th. I want to make a few comments. Our airport greeter and his driver in Jordan, guide Katia and her driver in Jordan and Israel guide Shafiq and driver George are each terrific. The sites, masses, experiences were all we could have asked for and far more.Our Century Park hotel in Amman was very comfortable and the swimming pool was a plus. Their location in problematic since there is no day-use cafe either in the hotel nor in walking area. That area of the city is really an embassy compound area. A corner sign is evidence of a former nearby grocery store up the hill two and two blocks left but sadly that is now a cleared lot. One convenient thing is to use Uber. The hotel staff would far prefer to call Uber than a taxi which had higher rates.In Jerusalem, Notre Dame, the Pontifical Center is poorly maintained but comfortable and yes beautiful. In our room we were in the former residence area (room 137) for religious. Here are some indicator problems. While it was not a problem, the toilets show full and lesser flush options but for ours and others the lesser flush option was not functional (my California drought sensitization for sure). To its credit the Center has a Cafe open after dinner hours to 10:30 and for lunch. That was a gathering point for 2 to 10 of us at times. A great feature with lovely service. Our restaurant lunches were good to excellent but was too much in quantity. Some of us commented to Shafiq to that effect. That may be a culture thing we can’t change.Father Francis and I hit it off famously. What a great treat. We all helped him with masses and in keeping him up with the group – he is easily distracted by this and that – but always in a joyful engaging manner.

Blessings to you, your family and the 206 group for getting us closer to the Lord.
John (Bart) Miaullis

As expected, the Pilgrimage was indeed a much needed spiritual growth and life-changing experience. Being with other pilgrims in search of God, we learned patience and understanding of our differences and shared our mission to love God and others. The excellent Tour Guide and Spiritual Director added to the smoothness of the trip, and the expertness of the driver made us safe and relax in every way. All the holy places of destinations are all soul-touching experience. I am so happy that I chose again 206 Tour to do this pilgrimage. Hopefully, I am still physically able to do the next Pilgrimage in my bucket list with 206 Tour again.

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Sincerely, –>
Ludy Lane

The overall pilgrimage to the shrines of France is awesome and met all our expectations. My friends and I really enjoyed the trip and find it quite educational and helpful in strengthening our faith. I consider our visit to Rocamadour as the highlight of our trip. To be honest, I have never heard of this pilgrimage site and seeing it for the first time really made an impact. We plan to join more pilgrimage tours with 206 tours.

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God Bless!! –>
Elen

What can we say?? The pilgrimage was incredible. Just as incredible — if not more so — than our pilgrimage to Poland with 206 Tours last year. We loved the sites that you planned for us. Our tour guide Shafik, was an amazing wealth of knowledge and Fr. Sean Connolly was an OUTSTANDING spiritual director. The hotels were first class and the restaurants throughout the pilgrimage were great. Even our bus driver was a special blessing. Every part of the trip was over the top. We will always recall the places we visited and we can’t stop talking about our trip to people who ask and we always recommend your tour company. We returned with a greater love of and appreciation of scripture. Monday was the Feast of the Transfiguration and, while we were unable to attend Mass that morning as we were travelling, we recalled our visit to Mt. Tabor and walking in the footsteps of Jesus and his apostles. We were there!!! It’s been like that since our return, especially when we read or hear the gospel. We have been drawn into scripture in a deeper, more real and spiritual way. Among our favorite sites: Pilate’s palace at Caesarea, the Sea of Galilee, Magdala, Qumran, the home of Caiaphas, the Via Delarosa. Cheryl was especially intrigued by our visit to the Jordan River and its proximity to Jordan (the country). Our lunch in Jericho was especially special as Cheryl had eaten at that very same restaurant during a previous trip to Israel; it brought back some wonderful memories for her. We’ll be looking at another pilgrimage next year with 206 Tours, probably this time to Italy. Thanks and God Bless for a most wonderful, spirit-filled experience. 206 Tours is a real blessing!!

God Bless!!
Marvin & Cheryl Spychaj

Hi there!
My husband Jim and I have returned from the above tour and wish to compliment and commend our priest, Father Peter Dugandzic, for his heart-felt ministry to us, his excellent messages in his sermons and overall pleasant camaraderieAnd as for our tour guide, Karolina, we cannot offer enough praise! Karolina was absolutely the best escort one could have had…in her explanations of plans for the day, or history of places or people, spontaneously changing plans as needed. She was always accommodating, with a smile on her face; excelling in her concern and care for her pilgrims. What a warm and fun personality! Please commend and thank her again for us.

Sincerely,
Kathy and Jim Mccall

Good evening Milanka,
I just returned from an absolutely wonderful 206 tour of Greece (In the Footsteps of St. Paul) July 20-July 30, 2018 with Father Johnny. This was my first experience with your company. I thought it important to write directly to you as Founder and President of such a wonderful organization. From the time I registered on line, to receiving my materials in preparation for the trip and accommodations during my travel, please know the experience was excellent! * Most importantly, please know that with my heartfelt admiration, Alexandra was truly the best tour guide I’ve ever encountered. She warmly welcomed me (I travelled alone) immediately upon my arrival at the first hotel, and I instantly felt comfortable with her leadership and professionalism. Her love of her Country was genuine throughout the trip and her knowledge of history was extraordinary. She was on time, on schedule and all preparations for our tours were well prepared, and the guides in Turkey, Patmos and Crete were superb (I believe she recommended them). Again, thank you, for leading this great company, I will definitely seek to travel again with 206. God Bless you and Alexandra!

Sincerely,
Jane Kunka

*Please note that on the cruise with Celestyal, I requested a cabin change because my cabin (Room 3215) was located just above the boat’s engine room and evidenced by fumes. There were three others on the trip that were in the same area that also changed cabins for this reason. It is not a fault of 206 but just simply mentioning to suggest that future travelers on this cruise ship be placed nearer to the front of the block of cabins versus the rear.

Good Afternoon Danielle,
Tour 55 to Portugal , Spain and France was dynamic, busy and fun. So great to pray together on the bus, in Mass, and in so many holy sites in Europe. I have a very extroverted personality and stay involved in the experience of each individual pilgrim. Our 206 Tours tour guides were likewise dynamic, patient and loving offering us so much information: they were Vanessa, Juan Carlos and Quico. They showed that truly loved their job as a ministry. They were happy! As we are on pilgrimage we go go go to see as much as we could. All the scheduling was on time and nothing was missed that was on our itinerary and even more was added. As a former United States Air Force Chaplain it was an honor to visit the Normandy Beaches and American Cemetary in France honoring all the men and women whom have their lives to free Europe from the Nazis during WWII. It was a sacred place and great that 206 Tours adds this to our itinerary. 206 Tours connected with me asking that I add an extra three days to add to the tour in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I was glad to help. And little did I know that we were there for the feast of St James! We experienced a huge procession, the Mass with many bishops, priests and deacons and pilgrims from El Camino and all over the world. It made us proud to be Christian and Catholic. The largest censor with incense in the world was celebrated with a huge sense of praise in the basilica offered to our Lord. It brought a smile and tears to my eyes. I have led many pilgrimages in the last 20+ years but none has measured to the value and care I’ve experienced with 206 Tours. The careful planning, safe travels, prayer, devotion and so many sites to see is indeed remarkable! I heard over and over from our fellow travelers that they can’t wait for their next 206 Tours pilgrimage. They love 206 and so do I! May our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our prayer warrior, our Blessed Mother Mary, continue to bless 206 Tours. May the Name of Christ be magnified! I look forward to more ministries with 206 Tours!

Fr. Jose L. Del Toro

To 206 Tours,
We could not have had a more pleasant and fulfilling pilgrimage ! All guides, transportation, dining, accommodations, shrines, spiritual direction, and pre-trip information was TOP NOTCH! Please let our Tour Escort Allessandro G. know how much we enjoyed his knowledge, care and kindness. And we highly recommend our Spiritual Director, Fr. Robert McElwee!Thank you! Thank you! We will be recommending 206 Tours to everyone!

God Bless you all,
Mr and Mrs Thomas Walz

The pilgrimage went very well. The group came together from the beginning, and Alexandra, the guide, was very good. It was great to have Fr. Carlos Melocoton along. All three of us worked very well together. Given that the group was 30 people, there was a very good spirit during the whole pilgrimage. The hotels were very good, especially the Marriott. The ship, too, was great, and the staff, especially the Philippian staff was most gracious. One bartender on the upper deck even asked for a blessing from me after he served me my cappuccino coffee. What touches me always is the faith of the pilgrims themselves. They are such good people and it strengthens my faith in return. Also being in the places where St. Paul had been preaching and talking to the people moved me as well. It was wonderful to be there and the other places.

God bless,
Fr. Joe Moons, C.P.

Tim and I both had walking issues but we were both able to make it to the top of Cross Mountain. Well we made it all the way to station seven and it got to be too much for us so here we sit on rocks waiting for his wife Phyllis and my twin sister Martha, both good walkers, to pick us up on their way down. Reflecting on the journey that I made last week to Medjugorje . It opened my spiritual mind as I just shook my head in utter amazement as our lady, the mother of Jesus, continuing to touch us in different ways each day there is no doubt in my mind that she was present there with us. Medjugorje Has truly been a mystical experience. Everyone in our tour group talks about their future return trips. It has made me reflect on things with in my own life and I too want to be there next year, June 25,2019. Same tour company, same hotel and same guide. WOW! Please 206 tours add my email address to your list so that I will receive updates on your tours.

Sincerely,
Mary Bender

Hello Vanessa, Thanks for your email. I only recently returned from Europe, after a wonderful trip, the highlights of course were the Camino walk to Santiago de Compostela with 206, and then independent travel to Lourdes and Geneva to attend Pope Francis’ Mass. I’m attaching a few photos from the Camino, which feature your backpack! The pilgrimage was a wonderful experience, thanks to the organization of 206 and our guide, Juan Carlos. The daily route maps were well planned, which made it easy for us to follow and do the walks in our own time, rather than making sure we clustered in a group. Periods of solitude in beautiful countryside were good for the soul! The spiritual direction of Fr Charles Coury was truly inspirational. So, thank you once again for another very successful pilgrimage with 206.

Regards,
Jeanette

Vanessa,I had a wonderful journey with 206 Tours and the pilgrims were outstanding. I have sent along to you a photo of me at Mass at Lanciano, the Eucharistic miracle. It was a wonderful, spirit-filled journey. As with each of my pilgrimages, I have to come home to process all the spiritual experiences. The same here. I came down with a cold and am just staying in my room today and my mind keeps going back to La Verna or Assisi or Lancing or to Mount Gargano. So many amazing experiences!!! Federica was OUTSTANDING on this journey and our people loved her. Massimo was a wonderful driver. Tatiana was a brilliant guide in Rome and all the others were great, except the Siena guide. She was just not up to par. But that is minor compared to all the wonderful, powerful spiritual experiences we all had. Thank you!

Blessings,
Father Tim Farrell

My pilgrimage was absolutely incredible! Everything was perfect! Fr. Connolly was superb (an expert on the Holy Land, funny, welcoming, kind, compassionate, and truly a very Holy Priest)! I will most probably go only with him on future pilgrimages! Our Tour guides and drivers were also incredible, both in Jordan and Israel. The entire group especially bonded with Majd (tour guide) and Hammad (driver) in Israel. Many of us discussed the possibility of returning to the Holy Land and we would request Fr. Connolly, Majd and Hammad. They went above and beyond to make our journey through the Holy Land an unforgettable experience. I can’t say enough about their attention to us and to all the details they needed to deal with. Everything went so smoothly but shuffling 34 pilgrims (from 12 – 74 years old) is no easy task…yet Madj and Hammad were experts!!! This pilgrimage has changed my life forever and has taught me so much about our Catholic faith. I am still digesting all that I have seen and experienced, and I am certain that my renewed spirit will last until next year…when I hope to join Fr. Connolly on another adventure!

God bless all 206 Tour employees for their hard work and dedication to providing life changing spiritual journeys!
Cheri Lian

Hi there!
The pilgrimage the Great Shrines of France was really incredible! The tour guide, Javier Valdivieso, was one of the best I have encountered – combining great charisma, humor, genuine care for the pilgrims, Catholic devotion, and excellent organizational skills in an exceptional way. Give him a raise! 😀 The group was wonderful and very devout, and as always Fr. Calloway enhanced the trip with thoughtful reflections, time getting to know the pilgrims, and even daily contests to win his books! Thanks for taking such good care of us on our tour!!!!

God Bless,
Lindsay Brennan

Hi there!
The pilgrimage the Great Shrines of France was really incredible! The tour guide, Javier Valdivieso, was one of the best I have encountered – combining great charisma, humor, genuine care for the pilgrims, Catholic devotion, and excellent organizational skills in an exceptional way. Give him a raise! 😀 The group was wonderful and very devout, and as always Fr. Calloway enhanced the trip with thoughtful reflections, time getting to know the pilgrims, and even daily contests to win his books! Thanks for taking such good care of us on our tour!!!!

God Bless,
Lindsay Brennan

I wanted to tell you how much my husband and I enjoyed the pilgrimage to Rome on May 21-30, 2018. I also want to commend 206 Tours on the guidance we received and on the services provided. Our main tour guide, Federicka, was phenomenal, as was Tatiana in Rome. The others were good as well, but Federicka and Tatiana really made an impression. I should also mention our bus driver, Mauro as well. He is very skilled and was so pleasant. We so enjoyed this trip and look forward to additional opportunities to travel with you.

Thank you for taking such good care of us!
Jack and Judity Hearn

The whole trip was amazing! You need to give Juan Carlos a raise! He is awesome, so full of information and details and so nice to my mother. He took great care of all of us!

Tammy

I attended the pilgrimage at Ivan’s last week. I didn’t know what to expect as it was my first pilgrimage, it was a fabulous week! The accommodations and food were excellent, but what made the trip so special was Ivan and Ivanka. Ivan was so welcoming he even say us off at 4am for our journey home. Ivanka was amazing and truly has a gift of speaking and praying from her heart. I can not say enough good things about her. I want to mention the couple that left, James and Elizabeth. The first night a group of us were sitting on the porch talking I invited Elizabeth to join us. She did and told us her husband wasn’t feeling well and that his grandfather had given them the trip. Elizabeth was very friendly but James was not engaged at all. I only saw him at meals and they chose to sit alone even though there was room at many tables. Ivanka handled their leaving with so much class, she asked us to pray for them. She is such a good example of Christs love!

Thank you,
Therese Pekelder

The pilgrimage exceeded our expectations. Your guide, Juan Carlos Tejeda Perez, is one of the best guides we have had in all our vacations. He was very spiritual, knew almost all aspects of the tour and the saints and places we visited. We will seek him in our succeeding pilgrimages. Our priests, Fr Benedict Croell and Fr Jim Parker, are very good priests. Likewise, we will seek them in our succeeding pilgrimages. The only thing I did not like was the cooling systems of all the hotels we visited. This may be typical of Europe and may be beyond your control but they kept temperatures too high for our comfort and we had no way to control our air conditioners. Spiritually, we are totally satisfied and blessed. We will definitely use your company in succeeding pilgrimages. “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Pedro D. Tandoc Jr.

First and foremost, I must state this was seriously the absolute best time of my life to date. I have honestly never been happier and 206 Tours has definitely exceeded any and all expectations I had for my spiritual pilgrimage. I couldn’t give a better review!!! I’m Chaldean Catholic and have had a very strong relationship with God ever since I can remember. This trip literally meant so much to me, it’s actually quite hard to put my feelings into words. Funny part is, I’m a writer, too! I’m almost never at a loss for words! 🙂 This trip definitely impacted my life for the better and walking the path where Jesus walked made me feel even closer to Him when I didn’t even think it was possible. The Lord has been in my heart and mind each day of my entire life, yet I still couldn’t get enough of my time in Israel and I cannot wait to go back in January 2019. I’ve been wanting to go to visit the Holy Land since I was a small child, but after I lost my dad due to a massive heart attack 4 years ago, it felt fitting that now was the right time for me. The spiritual/Christian mission trips I’ve taken aboard since his passing were to help others so this trip was more about helping myself. It has been quite a difficult road since his death given it was out of nowhere and unexpected. He was only 58-years-old and coming from a family of four daughters, we were all daddy’s little girls. I was just fine in life after his passing, but it was my heart that hurt day in and day out. It still feels like yesterday to be honest. I miss him terribly. In fact, this last fall/winter was the most difficult time for me during my mourning. It’s weird, but I think this past Christmas I was finally able to find comfort and get some closure. 2018 is the year for healing, hence my reasoning for booking this trip as a present to myself for my 33rd birthday – the age of Christ in honor of what He’s done for me. As you can notice, I was very close with my dad and loved him very much so without rambling too much further, this trip just meant so much. Without Jesus in my heart, I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through it all. With His strength and love, I was able to continue forward and be there to support my sisters and mother during our darkest hours. No matter how hard life can be (especially in private moments), a friend once told me, it takes a strong person to get through it all, but an even stronger person to smile while doing it. That stuck with me as I never failed to smile every day since. In fact, God taught me through this sad time, and through the people He sent in my life, that no matter what life will throw at us, we’ll always be okay with Him in ours hearts and we never have to feel alone again. My heart is so full that my only wish now is for everyone to have a life as lucky as mine. Where they can wake up one day and say, “I really don’t need anything more,” and actually mean it. This is exactly how I feel. Booking this spiritual journey was also meant to show my gratitude and appreciation for what the Lord has given me and to thank Him in a different way for filling me up with all the love He has given us before our even existence. Most importantly, I wanted to thank Him for mending my broken heart and never leaving my side. I made so many long-lasting relationships on this pilgrimage, whether it was the folks on the tour or the people I met along the way. Everyone felt like family to me. Especially our tour guide, Shafik Khbeis. He was absolutely amazing! I’ve done quite a lot of traveling for such a young person and been on many tours before, but never had a guide as great as Shafik. Please continue to use him as his hard work and knowledge is the main reason why I’ll be using 206 Tours again. Folks like him deserve all the credit in the world as I listened and overheard some of the other tour guides at places we visited and they didn’t even come close to being as wonderful as Shafik. Of course, the food and amenities were nothing shy of first class, the hotels were amazing, we visited everywhere we were supposed to (and had time to do even more), but what made it perfect was having a such a strong, spiritual, knowledgable and kind tour guide like him. Father Joseph was also an amazing person. So glad he joined us. We’ve actually made plans to visit one another when I go to New York towards the end of July. I already made plans to visit my friend and it just so happens Father Joe is only 10 minutes away. My friend and I will be treating him to brunch after that Sunday’s late morning mass. Given I went on this tour alone, I really bonded with Father Joe and Shafik and felt privileged to be at their side. I learned so much from them. I couldn’t rate their friendship and service high enough!You made my trip an experience of a lifetime and I’ll never forget one moment of it. I wanted to write more about our day to day travels on what we did, but it’s better for someone to simply experience it all on their own. 206 Tours truly deepened my faith as you folks really know how to give a pilgrim the best understanding when traveling to the Holy Land. Even though I was far far away, I never felt closer to home. 5 stars 100% and I’ll definitely be booking more 206 Tours in the near future! May God Bless you and yours today, forever and always. Thank you so much!!!

Stephanie Boji

I do want to say the rosary more. I enjoyed everything. When you are there you so busy trying to take it all in. Once at home I realize the trip was so amazing. I wonder did I really see it all or did I dream that I was there. My pictures help to know that I was there. Thanks for everything.

Mary Goff

We wanted to tell you what a wonderful a guide Juan Carlos was. He is knowledgeable, kind, accommodating, and a pleasure to be with. He did many kindnesses for us, as the oldest members of the tour group. He is an actual treasure and you should be sure to compensate him well. We have been on many tours and he is the best tour guide we ever had. Above all, Juan Carlos is a wonderful and holy man.

Ed Mannino

Hi Vanessa,
There are SO many things that made the pilgrimage to Medjugorje wonderful!!! I really liked that it was a small intimate group! The two pilgrimages I had been on before were around 60-80 people! But I loved them as well!! I loved Medjugorje, the way people who live there have a sense of peace and joy that radiate from them, their devotion to Jesus through Our Lady, the love for the Church! They live it all! They care about their fellow man! It was very difficult to leave on that last day but I had this thought to come back and I do plan to return! Ivan and Slevenka were awesome! The knowledge that Ivan has is just amazing! He was more than a guide, he was very kind! My husband and I usually pray the rosary a few times a week but since we have returned home we try to pray this daily! We are working toward fasting during the week and to attend daily Mass as much as possible! This is what our Lady wants for us to become closer to her Son and we want that! We already do Adoration twice a week and have received many blessings from that! Since we have returned home we have been able to share what Our Lady is requesting to become closer to her Son and others have stated some day they would like to go there! I have always said 206 Tours is the only company and best way to go on a pilgrimage as you truly take care of your pilgrims leaving nothing out! We are totally satisfied and like the fact that there is a priest with each group! We have met wonderful people on each pilgrimage that we still continue to keep up with! We all share the same faith and love for Our Lord!! We have met Fr. Donald Calloway and his mother, LaChita and now Fr.Jason! Great people!! Please thank Milanka for saying “yes” to her call to begin her company! Many are closer to Our Lord and Our Lady because of her!! I have shared pictures on Facebook so others can get a glimpse of where we have been.

In Christ love and peace,
David and Gayle Christine

This pilgrimage was absolutely wonderful! Everything about it was outstanding. From the logistics to the spiritual leader to the tour guide. Somehow, you even got the weather to cooperate! We were extremely impressed with the locations of the masses. You exceeded my wildest dreams! Who would have thought we would celebrate mass in the tomb of our Lord! Absolutely awe-inspiring! Spiritual leader: Fr Joe Gibino was outstanding. I would definitely join any pilgrimage he is leading. We could not have asked for a better celebrant. Tour Guide: Shafiq was extraordinary. My recommendation to you is make him your full-time tour guide. I am used to 101-level tours. Shafiq upped his discussion and analysis to that of 300-level and even 400-level graduate dialogues. He is extremely knowledge of the Bible and Catholic theology and doctrine. He had the entire tour group mesmerized!

Thanks again for turning our dreams into reality.
Jim and Shelley Otto

Vanessa,Thank you for the warm welcome home! The pilgrims and Ivan with whom I was with in Medjugore were exceptional! It was a prayerful and enjoyable pilgrimage, one that I would do again! I know in the coming days and weeks a head, the graces and blessings from Medjugore will unfold clearly to me. Thank you 206 Tours for another exceptional pilgrimage!

With prayer,
Fr. Jason Brilhante

Dear 206 Tours, Returned today from Canada and a wonderful experience. I want to thank you for Nicole our charming and most helpful tour guide. She was a delight. Nicole and our bus operator Henri took care of us. Thanks again for making my trip so smooth and rewarding.

God bless you,
Patricia

Cara:Sorry it’s taken me a couple of weeks to send this, but after our Rome/Assisi trip we headed to London to visit friends for 2 weeks and just got back.I wanted to thank you and 206 Tours for the amazing tour of Rome/Assisi. Everything you planned on our “custom” tour was exceptional. Our tour guide, Marina, was excellent. She was fun and her knowledge was phenomenal. Other than the one time when we called you because we couldn’t get through to our driving company, everything went off without a hitch. Even that turned out fine. They were very apologetic, explained their phone issue and were early on the next two pick-ups. The drivers were not only courteous, but also pointed out highlights along the trip. We had a wonderful and memorable time. Thank you so much again.

God bless,
Mary Ulery

Every journey has a path that lies not only within it, but also comes before it. The specific path that led us to France was a long time coming. In early 2017, Tim suffered an injury that did not allow him to work. In airline lingo the injury “grounded him” for some time. The road of his injury had its ebbs and flows like so many do. Our first course of treatment was to relax, spend time together and heal. As time went on and the extent of his injury became clearer, the challenges also became more difficult. The bright side waned. But at some point we returned to discussing our dreams. What would we do when he began to feel better? What would life look like if he weren’t flying? Of course, the first answer was, we still wanted to TRAVEL. But where would we go?

Why We Decided on A Pilgrimage
We felt very called to Lourdes at so many times during those two years of harder days. Once we were able we followed through with that conviction for our “re-entry” into long flights and far away destinations. If you are not aware, Lourdes is a place of miraculous healing, prayer and contemplation. This bucolic foothill town is the site of one of the most well-known and publicized Marian apparitions in history. Our first return to what Tim’s life “looked like before” was a 206 Tours pilgrimage to the “Best Shrines of France”. Lourdes was the main reason for the trip, but we wanted to see and do more than just one place and this tour is expansive. It’s interesting; Tim learned so much about himself during the process of his injury. He doesn’t only love his job, he also loves what his job allows him to do and to see. So if we were going to “get back out there” we were going to see as much as possible. Because neither of us have been through the central part of France, this specific trip seemed right up our alley. It’s funny. Nearly everyone we spoke to about our trip was confused about the fact that it’s a called pilgrimage. Were we walking? Hiking? While the popularity of walking pilgrimages seems to becoming more mainstream, a pilgrimage does not have to be walking. Simply, a pilgrimage is visiting religious sites central to ones faith and beliefs. If you have never taken one, whether you are religious or not, you should! It is truly amazing to contemplate the way that people centuries before us revered and expressed their religion through the creation of sacred spaces. It is an experience not to be missed.

The Importance of a Pre-Tour Vacation
Tim and I decided to begin our trip by staying the night near the airport we were flying out of. This allowed us to be up and ready to go without the stress of an early morning drive. We found an amazing rate on kayak.com and had a fabulous room at the Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront. It was the perfect way to start off our vacation. When we go on tours we often like to “bookend” the trip. Meaning, if we are going on a trip with an itinerary, we like to get to the location a day or more ahead. This allows us to adapt to any time change and to be certain delays won’t affect us. For this particular trip, we looked for destination that would allow us to visit somewhere different from the tour but also get us there with relative ease. We decided on Bordeaux.

Traveling Between European Cities
As you probably know, the train system in Europe is incredible. At the same time, it can also be fairly pricey and oftentimes a flight is both cheaper and easier. Our flight from Paris to Bordeaux on Air France was half the cost of the train and much easier to do after flying all night. Once in Bordeaux we also opted to use Uber to get to our hotel. It was is just as quick, convenient and inexpensive overseas as it is at home. It’s important to keep in mind that there are many different ways to get to your destinations. On this trip it would have been less expensive to take the bus or train from the Bordeaux airport to our hotel but both also would have meant a decent hike from the stop and a lot more time. These are all important things to weigh in on when making transportation decisions. I usually always opt for the least expensive way to get anywhere but boy let me tell you, after flying all night and then waiting for 4 hours to catch our 90 minute flight that uber drive and curbside hotel drop off was AWESOME. (Well-done honey!)

Should I Sleep When I Get to My Destination?
Since we are both used to traveling overseas we have a plan that we always stick to. Get to the hotel, unpack, eat, drink tons of water, walk and then go to sleep NO EARLIER than 8:30 pm. While this doesn’t cure the dreaded jet lag, it absolutely helps to get on the local schedule as quickly as you possibly can. And even though we followed this exclusively on this trip, we spent a good 3 nights tossing and turning before we could acclimate. Another thing we love to do when we get anywhere is start off by finding a market. We stock up on fruit, snacks, drinks and other local items that don’t necessarily need refrigeration. It’s cheap, tasty and ready for when you invariably wake up at 2am and your body is sure it’s dinnertime!

Visiting A Foreign City “On Your Own”
We had spent a while researching Bordeaux before we went and boy I’m glad we did. We purchased a few online guidebooks and a paperback copy of Rick Steves France but mainly relied on blogs. (Hand Luggage Only had the best info for us) For our few bookend days we decided to walk the city of Boudreaux to get its feel and flavor. We also chose to take a popular side trip to Saint-Émilion for one of those days. Our short “pre-trip” allowed us to get a midmorning train to Lourdes and arrive there in ample time to meet our tour travel guide and companions and begin our actual pilgrimage.

Why do we love tours?
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of tour companies online to choose from. If you have never taken a tour rely on word of mouth and carefully read reviews to see what tours fit your personality and travel wants. There is truly something for everyone these days and tours are wonderful for a variety of reasons. While we are both adventurous and love getting off the beaten path, neither one of us have time to fully study an area and then recount what exactly it is we are seeing while we are there. From navigating lines and tickets for sites to driving from place to place to ordering off a menu, tours help with the little and the large things and make traveling SO easy. Also when you only English it is certainly limiting to your travel. It feels almost respectful to be traveling with someone who knows the language, understands the culture and can help you navigate being in a totally different place. During this trip Tim and I made a simple credit card purchase at a convenience store. The clerk ran our card twice and the first time we could decipher that the machine did not work. The second time the machine actually spit out a receipt asking for a signature. However, the clerk told us (all in French mind you) that neither credit card transaction went through. He then asked for payment in cash. As we acquiesced we also told Vanessa what was going on. Because she spoke French (not one person at the convenience store spoke English) we got our money back. While it was only $7 – this little scenario (and so many others) make taking a tour in a foreign country a win win!

Why 206?
As I said before, if you have never taken a pilgrimage, we highly recommend it. We had both been on 206 tours before this trip and loved them. Also we had a chance to meet the owner at Philadelphia’s World Meeting of Families when we worked at that event. She is passionate about her tours, her staff and her pilgrims and it shows. 206 goes to great lengths to give everyone the best experience possible and from the service to the experts they hire it is evident how hard they work for you. Our Spiritual Director, Father Kevin; myself and Tim and Vanessa While tours can seem pricier than doing it all on your own, considering what you get – I think the pricing is even if not even a little less expensive for a tour. On this trip, we had a dedicated and incredibly knowledgeable guide, Vanessa, who speaks 5 languages. Vanessa not only took care of all tour logistics but is a virtual historian of the areas we traveled. We also had a tour bus company that has an incredible relationship with 206 and drives their pilgrims all over. Never once were we alarmed on the bus (even on the narrowest streets). Everyone I have ever met on a 206 tour is professional, knowledgeable, passionate and kind. Somehow they hire people who feel more like friends than guides, which makes the experience that much better. At each destination we had one or more local guides. They gave us the history of the area and the destination we were seeing. These guides all spoke English and directed us to anything we wanted to do on our free time. What is unique to these tours (and incredibly special) is that each tour has a spiritual director. Often a church will put together a trip with their own Priest but on our trip the group of us were coming from all over the US and we had a Priest unknown to all of us. Part of these particular tours is a daily celebration of mass. Getting to share that experience in beautiful chapels around the world is unforgettable. On this particular trip we started singing at our second mass – tentatively and quietly at first. By our second to last day, as we finished a song and our voices echoed in the cavernous chapel our tour guide turned and said in her beautifully accented English…“and now… you are a choir.” Stunning moments with the loveliest people.

Where do you stay on tours?
206 makes sure their pilgrims have the most comfortable (and often high end accommodations) available. Each hotel was perfectly appointed, comfortable, clean and full of amenities. As well, we never had to worry about our bags. (It’s quite nice to never have to think about luggage besides packing it.) I have a bad allergy and had asked for rooms without feather bedding. At nearly all of our stops I didn’t have to wait for room service to come change the bed because this was pre-arranged. Since this is something that takes time away from our vacations, it was wonderful that 206 took care of it. I would be totally remiss talking about tours if I did not mention the travelers. The thing about tours in general is the wonderful people you meet. . No matter cruise or tour everyone is there to see and experience these very special places with the same excitement. There is an instant bonding in that shared love. It is something that makes traveling with strangers an incredibly powerful experience.

Not Everything About a Tour is Rosy
Of course, there are some negatives to touring and for us those would be food and flexibility. On our tour both breakfast and dinner were provided for. While they were always good and the staff at each spot did an amazing job the options were limited. Good but certainly not how we would eat on our own. On this trip, I think we had three of the same exact dinners at different destinations. At the same time I did get the best croissant I have EVER tasted at one of the spots and our last hotel had the best breakfast buffet I’ve ever been to so there is balance in all things. All in all, the good outweighs the “bad” for us and we are tour devotees. From getting information you cannot get out of a guidebook – having all of the guides set up for you – getting to and from with incredible ease – to feeling safe and secure as you travel in foreign locations, the benefits of tours are immense.

Where did the tour go???
This tour was so busy that there is no way I could write about all the locations in this piece!! So come back and join us to see what where we went. Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion, Lourdes, Toulouse, Rocamadour, Paray-le-Monial, Nevers, Chartres, Liseux, the US cemetery at Normandy, Mont Saint-Michel and of course, Paris. Check out the other posts on our blog and follow us on social media to find more about each place.

God Bless!
Stephanie Bosse

Cara:Sorry it’s taken me a couple of weeks to send this, but after our Rome/Assisi trip we headed to London to visit friends for 2 weeks and just got back.I wanted to thank you and 206 Tours for the amazing tour of Rome/Assisi. Everything you planned on our “custom” tour was exceptional. Our tour guide, Marina, was excellent. She was fun and her knowledge was phenomenal. Other than the one time when we called you because we couldn’t get through to our driving company, everything went off without a hitch. Even that turned out fine. They were very apologetic, explained their phone issue and were early on the next two pick-ups. The drivers were not only courteous, but also pointed out highlights along the trip. We had a wonderful and memorable time. Thank you so much again.

God bless,
Mary Ulery

Dear Vanessa,, Now that I have been back home for a couple of weeks, my pilgrimage trip seems like it was a dream. I honestly couldn’t have hoped for a better experience. 206 Tours exceeded my every expectation. The accommodations and meals were amazing. The hotels were lovely and the meals were outstanding. The holy sites we visited were inspiring and moving. Our religious and tour guides were incredible! Kiko was truly outstanding and went above and beyond especially when the flight home was cancelled. I truly felt like I was safe and in great hands the entire time. The defining moment of the trip for me was when my son surprised me at Lourdes. I was finally able to fulfill a promise I had made 35 years ago! This was truly a miracle for me. The entire 206 Tours group was so welcoming and happy for me. They dedicated an entire mass for him and prayed for his healing. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I was nervous about traveling alone instead I was welcomed by a new family that provided me with an unforgettable experience and an opportunity to fortify my faith and feel closer to God. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,
Therese Hanna

Thank you for your ‘Welcome Home’ message. The All Italian Shrines Pilgrimage was a truly unique experience. A strong leadership team is a necessary requirement for a successful pilgrimage and in Fr. Dawson C.Ss.R. Venessa and Massimo we were blessed with such a team. Fr. Dawson’s leadership was inspirational and challenging. His thought provoking sermons were both powerful and profound and were delivered with eloquence. Individual and group sessions were conducted in a gentle and compassionate manner. At each of the shrines his personal reflections gave us a greater insight into the spiritual lives of each saint. He shared his passion, love and joy for the Church and in his priesthood, and made this pilgrimage a blessed and faith filled experience. Vanessa our guide was excellent. From our first meeting she became a friend. Her care and concern for the well being of each of us and her knowledge of every shrine, town, city and village was greatly appreciated and no one was ever in danger of getting lost! Vanessa is a true professional. She ensured that the pilgrimage timetable went very smoothly. Massimo our driver took great care for the safety of his passengers. He was always there to help us on and off the coach with a ready and welcoming smile. He too became a friend very soon after our first meeting. He was able to exercise his excellent driving skills on roads which could best be described as dangerous but we always returned safely to our destination. This pilgrimage with its catholic focus was meticulously planned. It has been a blessed and spiritually enriching pilgrimage; a ‘Pilgrimage of a Lifetime’ and never to be forgotten. A Mass of Thanksgiving for a successful, safe and happy pilgrimage and for the many blessings received by all will be said by Fr. Dawson in St. Joseph’s Church, Hull on Monday June 11th at 9 o’clock G.M.T.

God Bless,
Mary Lavin

The entire tour was way beyond what I could have imagined!!! I feel so blessed and grateful that all those at your agency made it effortless for us. 206 Tours Is Above The Rest On All Levels!!!

Shalom,
Sharon M. Stevens

I coordinated a special FIT for a man named Gar Ferguson. He walked the whole el calmino trail from France to Spain. He departed April 16 and returned back to the US on May 25th. When I spoke to him he was so happy and had so many positive things to say about how everything was organized. He forwarded me some pictures and I think it would be really great if we could make a facebook post about his amazing journey. Gar was an absolute pleasure to work with and hopefully more clients would be interested in doing the whole calmino trail. He is such a nice man!

Gar Ferguson

Staff of 206 Tours,This is my second pilgrimage with 206 Tours. I would like to thank the staff for making all the arrangements that made my trip to Portugal, Spain and France so smooth and blessed experience. Meals were good and hotels were excellent. Bus ride from Lisbon to Lourdes was pleasant with an excellent driver, Mario. Our Tour Escort, Juan Carlos is outstanding, very knowledgeable and well organized. Fr. Terry O’Connell, our Spiritual Adviser is wonderful, funny and his homilies are great and inspiring. I was not asking for any personal favor but wanted to experience a life in Lourdes. However, I felt a touching experience when I immersed myself in the healing bath.

I will definitely recommend 206 Tours to my friends.
Cesar Gentallan

Dear Vanessa, This is Kimberly Esguerra. I went on the May 2018 tour to the Holy Land with my parents Gloria and Antonio Esguerra. You emailed my mom Gloria to ask for feedback, and I wanted to respond on behalf of all of us. My family and I want to express a heartfelt thank you to 206 Tours for making our pilgrimage the absolute best it could be. It truly couldn’t have been more perfect. Being in the Holy Land, I was really inspired by seeing the places Jesus Himself walked. Our Lord knows and understands everything about us, including where we grew up, our childhood, and the places we’ve walked in our lifetime. Now we can say that we know and have experienced some of these things about Him! Coming back home to New Jersey, my experience with reading Scripture and meditating on the mysteries of the rosary are truly not the same as it was before. I was on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus ministered, had Mass right in front of the rock where Jesus prayed with such agony that His sweat became drops of blood, I walked the path He walked to be crucified, and not only witnessed but received communion with Him in His empty tomb. How could my faith ever be the same? Currently I am working full time as a Catholic Missionary for a college ministry called Saint Paul’s Outreach at the State University of New Jersey, Rutgers University. I will definitely be able to share my experiences and all I’ve learned in the Holy Land with the college students I minister to on campus. What was given to me on this pilgrimage won’t just be kept for myself, but will be eagerly shared and spread to family, friends, and the youth who are desperately in need of knowing more about their faith. In fact, it has already been done! After talking to just a few of the students I care for and showing them photos of places in Scripture I’ve been to, they themselves are inspired! I am convinced that if anyone is going to go to the Holy Land, they should go with 206 Tours! They did an outstanding job taking us around Israel. We went to many spots in Scripture, and it was great to revel in the truth that this is where our faith happened and began. Our tour guide Shafiq and driver Hamed were top of the line. We always felt safe and secure, and never was there a moment where they were not extremely friendly and patient with us. We all felt like family during our pilgrimage. Shafiq and Hamed were like shepherds guiding us sheep along the way. We had nothing to worry about because we knew we were always in good hands and well taken care of. They both attended to individual needs and went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience. What was very impressive to all of us was their ability to get us to a site just before all of the other groups and crowds arrived. This made the sites feel much more private, quiet, and sacred as they are supposed to be. I especially want to highlight our tour guide Shafiq. Shafiq was very knowledgeable not just about the sites, dates, and historical facts and figures, but he really knew our faith and the Scriptures. All of the pilgrims were impressed by his wisdom. He connected what we could read in Scripture with little details in the places we were walking through or could see from a distance. All of the insights and connections he made within Scripture while were in the city of Jerusalem particularly struck me, and will stay with me for the rest of my life. Shafiq was able to explain details that made all of us deeply reflect on how Jesus, the Word made flesh, truly did fulfill every prophecy in the Old Testament. Not only did he share this knowledge with us, but he did so with such genuineness and passion. It was evident that what he knew in his head he also knew and was convicted of in his heart. We truly got more than just a average tour guide. Shafiq made the tour for me and my family. I know much more about our Lord Jesus because of him, and that wisdom is priceless. One of my highlights was hearing him speak the 7 last words of Jesus during his Passion in Aramaic, the spoken language of our Lord, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. What an unforgettable experience.My family and I are extremely grateful for all of the ways we were cared for by 206 Tours throughout our pilgrimage. From little gifts like a Jerusalem cross pin and a large photo magnet of the group to wine at every dinner and a comfortable tour bus, 206 Tours had truly enhanced our pilgrimage in the Holy Land. God bless all of you who work to make this pilgrimage such an experience so that we can grow deeper in friendship with our Lord Jesus Christ, the true treasure of our life here on earth.

Much joy and gratitude in Christ,
Kimberly, Gloria, and Antonio Esguerra

We consider ourselves fortunate to have chosen 206 tours this summer, as we picked this only because we wanted to travel in May and we also wanted to go with a Catholic tour. My wife and I went to the Holy Land and Medugorje this past May 2018 (from May 6 to May 19). 206 made our visits to the holy sites unforgettable, from the excellent tour guides, Shafiq and Dragan; the gentle guiding hand of our spiritual director Father John Cavanaugh; the able maneuvering and helpful hand of tour driver Ahmed; the 4 to 5 star accommodations at the Dan in Tel Aviv, the Leonardo in Tiberias, the Pontifical Institute of Notre Dame in Jerusalem (which was an easy walk to the church of the Holy Sepulchre), and the Grace Hotel in Medugorje (which we highly recommend not only for its food and congenial staff but also for its close proximity, just one minute’s walk to St. James Church); scrumptious and delicious food at the hotels; unforgettable taste of the local cuisine for our lunches in Israel. It was great that all three meals were taken care of there. Apart from the appetizing food, the dinners and the lunches contributed to the camaraderie among us in the tour. We found ourselves fortunate to have holy masses held in at the sites where Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist, St. Elizabeth once were. The scriptural and historical dimensions were clearly explained to us by Shafiq. We cannot say enough about Shafiq. He is outstanding. That he carefully planned our itinerary for each day, and also made sure that those who had physical disabilities could still enjoy and catch up at each site while dealing with the crowds at the Church of the Nativity or the steep climb up Ein Karem to the Church of St. John the Baptist were not lost to us. Another unique touch by Shafiq was when we were at the Israel Museum where we viewed the model of the ancient city of Jerusalem. While other tour groups were being shown the model from ground level, Shafiq had us take a flight up the steps view the 1:50 model, unhindered, while he expounded on each section (NSEW) via Whisper from below. Shafiq and Fr. Cavanaugh also arranged for us to have a dawn visit to the church of the Holy Sepulchre so that we could venerate Christ’s fragrant burial slab and the Golgotha to ourselves, culminating in a private mass inside Christ’s tomb. There were only 25 of us, so each of us were able to take turns kissing the Lord’s tomb. The same private mass in Gethsemane was accorded to us, enabling us in the tour to take our time kissing and venerating the rock of agony where Jesus spent his final hours of prayer before his arrest. The wine and cheese welcome proffered by Shafiq and Ahmed while enjoying the panoramic view of Jerusalem and the seated dinner at the top of the Notre Dame hotel were nice, heartfelt touches. Personal highlights for us: the sailing on the sea of Galilee on a calm, cool morning; visiting the house of Caiaphas where the Lord was lowered by tethers to his dungeon; the renewal of our marriage vows at Cana. Speaking of which, we are still waiting for our marriage certificate from there because we were among those who did not get the marriage renewal certificate on our last day. Medugorje was a peaceful, spiritually rejuvenating and filling experience. We arrived via Split and left via Dubrovnik, and took our 2 hour drive up the mountains on a rainy night on our first night. Instead of Slavenka who was tied up with an ongoing 206 group as our tour guide, we got Slava on our first half day, who gave us a brief background of Medugorje and its surrounding villages and took us to the church, the statue of the Risen Christ and the burial place of Fr. Slavko Barbaric. Our official tour guide for the rest of our stay was Dragan. On our first night, Dragan met us at 9:30 in the evening. None of the visionaries were present but one could feel the presence of Our Blessed Mother here. Of note was Grace Hotel’s close proximity to the Church of St. James, the Statue of the Risen Christ and Adoration Chapel so that we could walk there without the need for a cab daily and get there in less than two minutes. The food there was great, as well as, the staff. Request booking at the Grace Hotel instead of the Pension. Dragan was congenial and very knowledgeable about the history of the area, which tied in with the visions, the difficulties encountered by the visionaries and the town, and the eventual growth of the town. He also took us to a nearby town where we saw the most spectacular cascading waterfalls, the Mother’s Village and St. Francis Garden founded by Fr. Slavko where mothers and their children fled during the war, the Cenacolo, a must-visit, and the castle of Patrick and Nancy Latta where we listened to Patrick’s indelible testimony of conversion.All this being said, a few minor glitches regarding our Medugorje trip: at the airport in Rome we were charged $88 by Croatian Airlines for both of our suitcases which were certainly within weight limits. We know this to be a fact because they were weighed at the airport in Tel Aviv.

We will be repeat customers in the future, for sure!
Christopher Klotz and Antoinette Falk-Klotz

Thank you for the opportunity to go back to the Holy Land. It always fills me with awe when I walk in the land of our Lord. First, both the guide and driver on each side of the Jordan river (Israel/Jordan) were excellent. Both drivers’ ability to navigate through very congested streets and get us safely to our destination, is itself, a minor miracle. Both of the guides knew their stuff, I was amazed at how they could explain where and what happened at various sites. Our safety passing through this trouble land was paramount to them. I never felt vulnerable, especially being there on the 70th anniversary of the state of Israel, and an unexpected military confrontation right over our heads. To me I got a deeper understanding of the arguments from both sides.As far as accommodations, I enjoyed them all. We had two people with canes and walking issues. I would recommend a statement about the length of walking, even if it is already in the information, I would recommend the statement be posted more graphically. There were some issues with this problem, but the guides were on top of the situation and were able to get us all together for the next adventure.

I hope that I will be able to travel with 206 Tours in the future, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience.
Father John Cavanaugh

Good afternoon, everyone!I just wanted to express my deep appreciation for the recent trip to the Holy Land with Father Patrick Keane. The trip was truly amazing and wonderful!! This trip will always be etched in me and my husband’s mind as a paramount event in our lives. Jack, the tour guide, went beyond his obligations to ensure our enjoyment on this trip. We often encourage others to place this trip as a top priority on their bucket list. Father Kean performed the most relevant and moving masses. His sermons were always so profound and meaningful. I felt truly blessed having him as our spiritual director.Thanks again for this unbelievable pilgrimage. Congratulations to all of you for a job well done!!May God Bless all of you!

Sincerely,
Patrice Koscheski

Just yesterday I returned from Spain where – thanks to 206 Tours – I had a wonderful experience walking the Camino, unencumbered by material worries. 206 Tours as always had it beautifully organized. The walk of the Camino was for me a wonderful life experience and confrontation with myself in the light of the Lord “how is the Way”. I experienced his nearness and companionship in those who went with me on the Camino. The experience will surely be reflected in my ministry as I preach God’s Word.

God bless!

Fr. Guido

(Posted on FaceBook, while on the last day of pilgrimage to the Holy Land)

Well, we made it home safe and sound from the holiest place on earth! We would just like to thank Milanka Lachman, the founder of 206 tours, for a truly unforgettable and awesome experience. So much goes into planning a pilgrimage..206 meticulously cared for every detail with so much professionalism, thoughtfulness and love. I normally don’t promote things very often but 206 tours has their pilgrimages dialed in on every level. All of us recognized very early on how blessed we were to be with 206. So if you’re considering making a pilgrimage to the holy land or any of the other Catholic sites, give yourself the best and go with 206 tours! Check out their upcoming pilgrimages on their link below!www.206tours.com

May Jesus and Mary be forever praised!
Michael and Christy Vaissade

Hi Vanessa, Thanks a lot for putting together this pilgrimage. I enjoyed it a lot, and so did the group I joined. All the visits to the shrines were done on schedule, and the masses couldn’t be more beautiful in those blessed shrines. The tour guide and driver in Poland are real professional people. The bus was always on time to pick up or drop us from or to the hotel. The hotels were cleaned and of good quality. All the personnel treated us well. Also, I loved the location of the hotels, always close to the main attractions. We were blessed to have in our group Msgr. Leslie Ivers and two deacons. On top of all these blessings, the weather was perfect, always sunny and warm. I would like to give a special thanks to Chris at 206 Tours, for helping me with all the changes that made it possible to join this pilgrimage.

God bless you,
Lizbeth Contreras

Dear 206 Tours,I just wanted to let you know that this Pilgrimage was a trip of a lifetime for me and my husband. Our tour guide Jack was absolutely outstanding. He was the best guide and we learned so much from him. He is a true asset to your company. In addition, Raed our driver was outstanding as well. He was an amazing driver and I felt like I was in great hands with him. Both Jack and Raed made this a trip of a lifetime for me. I will never forget my trip and thank you for having such great employees.Jack was calm, patient and kind to everyone. He took us to great places for lunch and taught us so much about our faith and Israel. Raed was also patient and kind to all of us and always had water for us. They were the best.

All the best,
Sissy and Ron

Dear Caterina and Staff at 206 Tours, I would like to thank you so much for all the arrangements 206 Tours provided that made our trip to Rome, Assisi, Siena and Florence (April 8-17) such a blessed and wonderful experience. The pilgrimage was excellent. Father McBrien and Father Tom Pettei provided a very special spiritual dimension to our trip with daily Mass and additional spiritual and travel guidance in Rome, Assisi and Florence. The hotels were excellent. All the rooms I had were a good size and well appointed. The staff every place was courteous and helpful. The Michelangelo was a perfect spot, so close to the Vatican that it made exploring that area of Rome very easy. The breakfasts at the hotel were spectacular, as were the breakfasts at all the hotels. Dinners were very good. The bus ride the first night in Rome to dinner seemed a long trip to go for a meal, but it was an elegant and excellent dinner. At the second’s night’s dinner, the restaurant was a bit noisy and crowded, but the dinner was OK. The third night’s meal in Rome (a walk from the hotel to the Papa Rex), was an excellent meal.The Giotto in Assisi was very nice, and convenient for sightseeing in Assisi, but the room numberings were a little crazy. Also the hotel only gave out one room key so if two were sharing a room, that presented a problem if one got back early and had to wait until the roommate returned to enter the room. The breakfasts and dinners at the Giotto were excellent, very nice feasts for both meals each day.The Adler Cavalieri was another fine hotel. The breakfasts were excellent and they even gave us a box meal for the early morning bus ride back to the airport. The only problem there was that the internet connection was a little sketchy. The two restaurants in Florence that we walked to and ate at, were very good. It was very convenient to only have to walk right across the street for our meal that first night in Florence when we were all tired after a long day. All the tour guides (in Rome, Assisi, Siena and Florence) were excellent. I can’t believe all the spectacular sites and art I saw in each city. The guides gave fine explanations and insights every place we went. Paola also did a fine job taking care of us and keeping us on track. She was friendly and pleasant to be with, and answered all our questions.This is the first time I have ever been on a pilgrimage or a tour. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and I’m so glad I was able to go, and that you provided a first class, exceptional experience all the way.

Thank you very much.
Jean Power

Dear 206, This was my 13th time in Medjugorje and 206 has never disappointed me in any of the pilgrimages I’ve had the blessing to go on. Ivan is a marvelous host and Ivanka is the best guide, bar none. I attended with my daughter, Sister Teresa, and she spread her message of peace and love just by being there. It seemed people were drawn to her for some reason. I’ll include a few pics.

Blessings,
Mary Anne Condit

Hello! I wanted to take a moment to write and thank 206 Tours for arranging a phenomenal pilgrimage to Medjugorje for my mother and I! And especially I want to thank you for placing us under the care of Slavenka who really is amazing! We were so blessed by our time there and everything was perfect! Thank you again and may God continue to bless everyone there at 206. Thank you for doing what you do!

God Bless,
Elizabeth

Hi Diane,My mom and I are happy and blessed that we signed up for this pilgrimage. Everything went well and beyond our expectations. This pilgrimage helped us know and understand more about the lives of the saints that we encountered. Stefanie, Piernha, and Jon were very helpful in answering all our questions, and in making arrangements and bookings. Massimo (not sure if I spelled his name right) was a great driver and always greets us with a smile. Federica, our tour escort, is outstanding. We appreciate all her hard work. She is very approachable, well organized and took great care of us, especially my mom. Fr. Jose Del Toro, our Spiritual Director, is wonderful. He is funny, intelligent and easy to be with. We were very touched by his personal testimony and inspired by his homilies. Moreover, he says mass from the heart and has great reverence in celebrating the Eucharist. The local guides were also great and we also enjoyed the company of the pilgrims who were with us. We also highly appreciate the birthday surprise for mom on the first day of our pilgrimage. Thank you to 206 Tours and looking forward to traveling with you again in the future.

God Bless.
Wendy

Vanessa,Sorry for the delayed response. Wow – this pilgrimage was SO much more than I ever expected and I believe the reason primarily was our tour guide Shafik K. His ability to weave together the biblical, historical, theological, archaeological, and political strands of knowledge was most impressive. When I say biblical, I don’t mean just giving us the right scripture for the right excursion, but he was able to show how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament time and time again by comparing and contrasting the new with the old and did it with passion. We had an incredible time. As you know I am an ordained Deacon in our Parish, Holy Name of Jesus, and I believe this pilgrimage will greatly enhance my Proclamation of the Gospel and especially preaching on the Gospel message at our Sunday and weekday Mass Celebrations. I was deeply touched at several of the sites we visited. When we crossed the Sea of Galilee in the boat, the visit to Caparnaum with Mass, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre with Mass, the Church of Transfiguration with Mass were just a few that were most memorable.

Everything was top notch and absolutely incredible.
Deacon Gary McBride

I wanted you to know how much we appreciate having Jack as our guide. He is exceedingly considerate, conscientious, punctual, extremely knowledgeable, faithful and spiritual, giving 110%, always trying to do his best for the group. I cannot imagine our trip without him. His years of experience clearly show through in his dedication for his work. Thanks so much for having him available for us.

Thanks so much for having him available for us.
Paul

I am back home after staying in France few days visiting family after the Fatima, Lourdes, Lisieux, pilgrimage. I enjoyed it very much with the exception of the weather. Sometimes being the “spiritual leader’ of an activity makes the participation to that activity a bit difficult. Fortunately, this pilgrimage was for me a positive spiritual time in ways that I did not expect.For example, I realized that St Theresa of the child Jesus had to overcome quite a few “psychological’ difficulties before becoming a saint, and that will help me in my ministry as hospital chaplain I was very happy to be with Quico as a guide, he did a very good job, making my work easier, being very attentive to the needs of the people and very helpful. The material aspects, transportation accommodation, meals; were very good.It was my first experience of being a spiritual leader with a 206 Tours Pilgrimage, and I’ll volunteer my services next year for another pilgrimage, possibly the “El Camino”. I did not realize the challenge posed by pilgrims leaving after Lourdes, some being in the group only for Lourdes, and some others arriving only in Paris.Congratulations to the people behind the scene who organize the “logistics’ of the pilgrimage.

An excellent job.
Fr Pierre Deglaire

Dear Catherine,I had a beautiful, inspiring trip. Everything went smooth, did not have any problem in our travel. The group was awesome so as Fr John and our guides. My most part was Medgugorje ‘s Mass when I have to do the reading in St James Church and the last Mass we had at Medg. Fr. John prayed for us to receive the Holy Spirit and give us Sacrament of Healing. It was very touching and very inspiring. Thank you so much for letting us go even so we were a small group. It was easy to know each other personally, caring for other and been patient May God Bless you and keep up the good work. You are Loved.

Christ is Risen, He is Truly Risen.
Mona

I wish to thank all of you at 206 tours for enabling me to see and do wonderful things and meet marvelous people in the last four years. 206 tours has greatly increased my spiritual life, and I am grateful. When I stop to think about the beautiful and holy places where I have been honored to say at Holy Mass, I am overwhelmed with awe and gratitude. All of you at 206 tours have made those experiences possible. The tour guides, like the tours they guide are amazing. Thank you again for all that you have done for me and my family over the last several years.

Love and prayers,
Fr. Bob McElwee

My husband and I just returned from the Shrines of Italy tour, April 16-25, 2018. What an amazing trip with so many wonderful sacred sights we saw in this journey. This tour surpassed our expectations. It was a life changing experience that deepened our faith. 206 tours you are the best pilgrimage tour company with very knowledgeable personnel and great customer service. Our tour guide Federica was magnificent, very knowledgeable and organized. She made sure to meet all our needs. We want to thank Federica for helping us get our luggage that was lost in transit to Rome. We enjoyed every minute of our trip even though we got our luggage two days before the end of our trip. Thank you Federica.. Our spiritual director Fr. Jose Del Toro was wonderful, his homilies were very inspirational as were all his personal stories and insights. He made this trip very enjoyable, we can’t wait to travel with him again. To our fellow pilgrims whose personal stories and journeys helped us grow in our faith, thank you for a wonderful time.

This is our second trip with 206 tours and planning on the next one.
Marie Blain

Greetings in the Lord!Our pilgrimage to Shrines of Italy was fantastic and a true blessing! I have been spiritual leader in many pilgrimages and by far 206 was the best! Our tour guide, Federica, was excellent, organized and kept everything on time. You must keep her! I cannot think of a single thing that went wrong. The trip was well organized and flawless. They even added a quick side trip when we had extra time. For my part it was a privilege to minister in many shrines to such fine pilgrims we had. We are already emailing each other since we miss each other and hoping we travel together soon. Thank you 206 Tours and I hope to travel again with you soon.

Blessings in the Lord,
Fr. Jose L. Del Toro

Chris,I am home now and just want to thank you for our 206 Tour. Everything went very well.Father Carroll is fantastic and his tours are the best. He puts so much effort into the planning and while we are gone with his Spiritual Direction. We all love Alessandro. He is the very best. We had him on our trip to France. He goes above and beyond to make it all run smoothly. My 5 days alone in Rome went very well also. The Best Western I selected was so convenient to Metro couple blocks and also a very nice church I could stop in any time. Vatican was 10 -15 minute walk max. My arranged driver was there way ahead and I made the connection in Paris with no time to spare. That was the scariest part.

Thank you for your efforts.
Marie Blain

We all had a good time. Everyone was so happy, our happiness and satisfaction must be almost 100%. Many even commented that they need to spread the words of happiness to everyone in their parishes and that they would regret if they missed this trip (their Hesitations: conflict in Israel shown on TV, afraid of not being able to walk.) Interestingly, those who worried for not being able to walk (aging) were those who always walked in front of the group)We all love this pilgrimage for so many reasons: nice hotel, good food, transportation, scheduling, but the most pleasant factor is our Tour Guide. Thanks so much for finding this angel for us; She has everything we need: faith, knowledge, friendship, love, patience, kindness, understanding. We can name all that made the trip so lovely, so touching. Thanks God that we all love it so much

Thank you for all you have done.
Fr. Duc

Dear Danielle,We returned from our first pilgrimage with a whole new attitude about what it takes to make a very special event. We were all so impressed with the organization to put something like this together but also the resources available to us. Our guides were so knowledgable about the history of the church and the area. As we were on the bus and our guide was providing all the information to us, I had to look to see if she had a script she was reading. She wasn’t, so I asked how she knew all the history and her response was: “over 20 years of experience”. We were so thankful for them sharing their knowledge with us. I don’t know how you could do what we did without the professionals that guided us through the tour. Father John was wonderful as a spiritual leader. He kept our focus on the things that mattered but also put a lighter side to the tour that was comforting to us all. As a small group we bonded early in the tour and were very compatible with one another. We all grew spiritually as well as personally by adding new life long friends. I didn’t hear one negative comment within our group. Our time was filled with conversation, laughter, prayer and we truly enjoyed out time together, I know we all came away with a broader understanding of the origin of our faith and the Saints whom made it all possible. We were so impressed with the art and the architecture we saw. I will always be amazed at what happened as many as 2000 years ago and we are still enjoying it today. It is truly a part of history we will always cherish. We will never understand what goes into preparing a pilgrimage like this. We all came away with a new appreciation for all the effort the 206 group put in. It would be impossible to do what we did on our own. Out compliments to the 206 Tours and the people such as the guides, bus drivers, 206 staff and Father John who made this a memory we will never forget.

Thank You,
Wayne and Joan Berglund

I’m home! Thank you 206 Tours and all the awesome, prayerful, and devout pilgrims I journeyed with for your most generous hospitality and especially your friendship! This was a life changing pilgrimage for many and I’m privileged to have been apart of it.

Thank you God for your generous blessings!
Fr. Jason Brilhante

Thank you for giving me the possibility to be a spiritual leader for the pilgrimage to Jordan & The Holy Land Apr 5 – 20, 2018. This was my message to all who take a part in this pilgrimage. I have a great appreciation for all who made this pilgrimage possible, our outstanding tour guides in Jordan and Israel and for all who participated. I have seen their joy and willingness to learn more about the Life of Jesus Christ, and experience the deep spiritual insight.

Have a Blessed Day!
Fr. Piotr M. Paciorek, Ph.D. in Theology

Hello, The pilgrimage was good and refreshing since it gave us the opportunity to share time and experiences with other catholics that share your views and beliefs.The group was very cohesive and happy. Vic ( tour director) and Peter( driver) were attentive and courteous and went out of their way to answer questions. Vic made sure that our needs were taken care of and that the schedule was followed. The negative experience – Hotels air conditioners not working ( Mercure and Occidental Praha) which is usually not bad since we opened the windows. However, the rooms were next to noisy busy streets which made sleeping a challenge. * 206 Tours is truly sorry for this inconvenience. We are pleading with all hotels to turn on their A/C’s earlier in season. (FYI: most wait till Mid May)

God bless,
Diana

*Note from 206 Tours: Most Hotels in Eastern Europe, culturally, do not on their HVAC systems until the end of April, if not through the end of May.
We understand the comfort temperate varies from person to person, and 206 Tours is continuing to do voice our/your concerns in an effort to have it implemented earlier.

Dear 206 Tours,
We so very much appreciated our pilgrimage. The two priests, Father Dariusz and Father Peter were both deeply inspiring and radiated holiness. The guides were very knowledgeable and accommodating! The drivers were great and kind and cheerful. The arrangement of the tour was outstanding. We appreciated what seemed some attempt to make it a chronological tour in terms of beginning with the old testament in Jordan then moving to Israel and our Lords birth and baptism and then agony and death and Resurrection. The accommodations were perfect. Thank you for providing not a TOUR but a HOLY Pilgrimage to the HOLY Land, including masses daily, rosaries daily, morning and evening prayer with the Magnificat! The site of the masses were incredible…all on holy ground. Thank you so much.

God Bless You and 206!
Carmen and Joe Van Zutphen

I am VERY happy & supportive of 206 Tours. The Mexican-Calloway tour was REMARKABLE! Just sublime! My experience in Mexico & at Guadalupe this past week were nothing-less than another incredible blessing & encounter with Our Lady in my life. I enjoyed EVERY MOMENT on the pilgrimage: the eclectic ORNATE churches were breathtaking; rich in art & statuary of all things: Saints-galore! I took 1,200 photos! I only wish I could have spoken better to communicate effectively. I am SO glad I went!I truly loved all the locations; the hotel was well selected; SAFE, cleanly & comfortable; the food was particularly appealing; the bus, bus-routes & destinations were accommodating with no road issues (no bus wifi or chargers, but there WAS an on-deck commode); everyone got along & was friendly; no fuss/no-problems & a capable group. Guide Roberto was professional & did his best; well-versed & you know that he cares. Francesca was a beacon of grace & hospitality. It was another trip in 206 Tours-style! About 1/3 of the pilgrims were repeat customers & I publicly mentioned their decision & selection of 206 was money well-spent!

God bless,
Christopher S

Dear Vanessa,
I could hardly wait to tell you how much we LOVED our Pilgrimage to Lourdes, Lisieux and Paris. The tour definitely gave us a new outlook at the world of Christianity. The candlelight procession at Lourdes showed us that we are just tiny grains of sand in Jesus’s plan. We looked around and thought – this all started with just TWELVE and now we are among millions. It taught us to trust in God, as Jesus trusted his twelve Apostles.The travel, the hotels, the meals…What can we say – we came home refreshed instead of harried. There is not one thing that did not meet our expectations. In fact, the entire tour exceeded our expectations so vastly, that it is hard for us to believe that we were part of this pilgrimage.One solid thought – You know the old saying, “don’t leave home without it’? Well, we will NEVER leave home again without our Quico! Oh my goodness – this man came straight from God. We know it for sure – he has certainly found his calling. His sense of humor and attention to every single tiny detail was astonishing. You have one amazing man on your staff. And, I am sure your entire staff probably emulates every thing that Quico represents for 206 Tours.If it is at all possible, could you send us a few of your Tour Catalogs – we have several couples who are quite interested in taking this spiritual journey.

Thank you so much Vanessa, for your kindness and generosity in helping us to travel with your tour group.
Janet Depaoli

Dear 206 Tours,
What an amazing tour with Father Donald Calloway, his parents, and fellow pilgrims. I have never been to Mexico City but it was truly inspiring. Thank you for making it possible by your amazing company and all it does to make travelers happy. Thank you also for the fruit basket. What an amazing surprise. I told his mom, Mrs. Calloway, that I definitely plan to go to Rome and Malta with them next year. The Mexico City trip will be the third one with your company that my cousin Adella and I have taken. She is also interested in going with me next year to Rome and Malta. She’s already started putting away money for the 2020 Oberammergau Passion Play. We both want to go there as well. Special thanks to our tour guide, Roberto, who was so kind and helpful. He really went out of his way to make sure to leave it taken care of. Also to our amazing driver Ricardo, who was always helping us get off the bus safely and getting to and from where we need it to be. Roberto always had a nice smile and was very respectful.Again thank you for being an amazing tour company. We will definitely let others know about it.

Jocelyn Clarkson

What a tour. We were truly blessed in finding 206. We are much more spiritual after the tour and read the Magnificat daily. We have also incorporated the rosary into our daily prayers. We also met wonderful people from across the USA and Canada. But the tour would not have been as good without our tour guide Shafiq. He was super. Spiritual, historical, cultural, he brought the Holy Land alive. I can’t say enough about him. We have been on many tours throughout Europe but he was THE BEST. Fr. Peter was another highlight of the tour. At first I thought he was too serious, but after warming up to him I found him very knowledgeable and holy. Loved praying with him. We found the tour to be very inspiring and worthwhile. Dan Panorama – OKLeonardo Plaza – OKNotre Dame – needs work. Rooms were subpar. But the chapel is beautiful and if I had to do it again, I’d choose Notre Dame.

Bob and Alberta Walsh

A Spirit-filled Experience:The Pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain and Lourdes was one of the best I have had. It goes beyond presenting historical narratives to the pilgrims. It gives the pilgrims the opportunity to be more absorbed in the spiritual devotion the different sites represent. I was deeply touched with the various Marian devotions that take place continuously at the different sites. In my view, this Pilgrimage is not merely passive learning of the histories behind the events. It is more active and involving in the devotions that characterize and put into practice the messages of our Lady in the various apparitions. I found the daily rosary and Eucharistic processions particularly remarkable and spiritually enriching. I believe it’s something I will like to incorporate in my ministry with parishioners on a regular basis. How can one not notice the love and care shown to the sick and the weak in Lourdes. A true example of how to make the word of God come alive in the lives of the people. Overall, the Pilgrimage, the extra sites, the selection of hotels and the professionalism of the 206 tour guides exceeded my expectations. Looking forward to the next. God bless you.

Fr. Jacob Dankasa

We enjoyed our tour very much. I especially liked our priest (Fr. Paciorek) and our tour guides (Yousef H. in Jordan and Shafiq K. in Israel). Fr. Paciorek and Shafiq especially impressed me with their spirituality and made me want to try to change and be more like them.I also especially appreciated Shafiq’s suggestions for where to buy gifts and what things to be careful about. We have no experience with how and where to purchase gifts, and he helped us a great deal in this area too.I really appreciated being met at the airport very late on our arrival even though our flight from Paris was delayed more than an hour. And I was glad you arranged for us to stay at such nice hotels with wonderful meals after each day.I especially liked your focus on the spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage, and I liked not having to worry about anything. We are not experienced travelers and your program was just right for us.My wife also especially liked the camels (see pic attached).

Thank you!!
Elmer

Good Morning Alexandra,
I want to take a moment to express my satisfaction with the 206 tours to Mexico with Fr Richard Beuther; it was a positive experience in every way. The scheduling, accommodation, places we visited, restaurants etc. Hope I can travel again with this company in the near future.

Thanks again for your services.
Pastora Gomez

This was our first pilgrimage and we thank God for this great blessing! Thank you for your excellent organization! With Fr. Neil Bakker celebrating mass inside the Holy Tomb was an awe-filled experience that we will treasure forever. Thankful too for our excellent and courteous driver, Mahmoud and our tour guide, Madj who’s professionalism and absolute mastery of Biblical knowledge, history and geography was phenomenal! We have shared our experience with our friends and recommended 206 Tours. With God’s grace, we will be able to go on another pilgrimage in the near future.

Sincerly,
Ramon and Nina Navarro

This was our first pilgrimage and we thank God for this great blessing! Thank you for your excellent organization! With Fr. Neil Bakker celebrating mass inside the Holy Tomb was an awe-filled experience that we will treasure forever. Thankful too for our excellent and courteous driver, Mahmoud and our tour guide, Madj who’s professionalism and absolute mastery of Biblical knowledge, history and geography was phenomenal! We have shared our experience with our friends and recommended 206 Tours. With God’s grace, we will be able to go on another pilgrimage in the near future.

Sincerly,
Ramon and Nina Navarro

Elise, In response to Matthew’s request for feedback – all I can say is THANK YOU 206 for a pilgrimage I will never forget! All of the arrangements – flights, hotels, restaurants, bus (gold), driver (George), guide (George is outstanding), priest (Fr. Johnny is an amazing spiritual guide), schedules and shrines – were perfect. Your hard work made it possible for us to focus on the reason we were all there – to encounter Him – and forget about everything else. I’m already considering my next pilgrimage with 206. Although I will not be going to Italy with Matthew in March of 2019, I am definitely interested in a future pilgrimage with St. Paul Center to Poland. Thank you again for everything! God bless everyone at 206 Tours.

Joanne Summers

Dear Elise, Patrick, and All:
Jim and I have been meaning to send a note of thanks for the outstanding pilgrimage we took recently to Jordan and Israel with Matthew Leonard. From beginning to end it was everything we could have hoped for. As this was our fourth trip with 206 Tours, we were able to relax completely trusting that every detail was covered. Being met by a guide at the airport in Amman was reassuring and set the tone for the whole trip indcating the care we would receive. I know that flights are not always the easiest part of the trip to manage but just so you know, after a long day of travel arriving in the early evening made for a perfect transition to our new time zone.The Hotels in both countries were quite comfortable and the meals we enjoyed including the lunch restaurants were mostly delicious. If I had to pick my favorite lunch place in Israel it would have to be our St. Patrick day meal at Pasha’s. Their specialty dish was beautifully presented and the cake they made for the occasion was unique and full of flavor. Although the St. Peter’s fish restaurant in Galilee was delicious as well. I can’t honestly say which hotel restaurant we enjoyed more, the variety of our culinary experiences left us delighted.The Jordan portion of the trip was fascinating and educational as I know less about Jordan’s history, landscape, religion and political concerns than I do about Israel. The contrast between the two countries was dramatic in my eyes. The guide we had in Jordan, Yousef, was enlightening, hospitable and he had a pleasant, unique way of presenting information to us. He may have missed his calling in drama or as a poet. He was passionate, entertaining at times, and did quite a good job of remembering our names! Many people have asked, upon our return, our favorite memory or if we had an “aha” moment. I cannot say that I have any one favorite moment. The joy and adventure associated with travel is always exciting but the moments that have meant the most to me as I reflect on the trip are those times spent in Mass at the chapels/altars built upon the grounds where Jesus walked, preached, healed, and died. The exquisite beauty of the churches and the remembrance of Jesus’ work at each location made for several very Holy moments. To pray with new friends, brothers and sisters in the faith, at Mass in such places, to name few, as Mt. Nebo, the Church of the Annunciation, the Mt. of Transfiguration, the Rock of Agony in Gethsemane and most amazing of all the Church of the Holy Sepluchre (where Jesus was actually buried and rose again!!!) was such an incredible gift. It makes my heart swell with joy even now as I consider it. Also impactful were the times we could simply wander a bit and contemplate the history of the grounds upon which we walked and those that walked before us. Of course I would be negligent if I did not mention the truly beautiful experience of making new friends, getting to know their stories, laughing with and praying with them as we shared this momentous journey together.Many of those Holy moments mentioned above would have been impossible without the wonderful priests who accompanied us on the tour. Fathers Peter and Johnny were such a blessing. These Holy men of God gave freely, and generously, of themselves. In their own unique styles they preached with impassioned hearts, they prayed with us the Rosary and the Divine Mercy prayers, they heard our heart-felt confessions, they challenged us with the scriptures and they took time to answer many questions concerning Catholic theology and the Word of God. We were drawn to them as moths to a flame, seeking their instruction and hoping to glean a little bit of their Holiness and joy of the Lord.Now if it all sounds too good to be true I am not quite done yet, I have two more people I must commend: Matthew Leonard and George our guide in Israel. First Matthew, our “Lay” spiritual director for this trip . . . he has a heart on fire for the Lord, a deep understanding of scripture and the ability to clarify and simplify it. His lectures were enthusiastic and deeply grounded in the Word and the additional information he shared at many of the sites, enriched our comprehension of the people and places we were visiting. He is a flame that burns so bright for our Lord that one just wants to stand next to him to catch his warmth that we too might pass it along to others. His contribution to the trip was much appreciated! “Family,” what a treasure.Finally, George, our guide, I cannot say enough about the depth of knowledge he shared with us, his diplomatic personality, his kindness and patience, and his fabulous ability to keep us on schedule, on task and safe as we navigated the sites, sounds and scents of Israel. With grace he shared much about the “5th Gospel” (the gospel of the land), which was enhanced by his theological studies, biblical history degree, and archaeological experience. For us, the “story of the land” enriched the New Testament and opened the scriptures to new understanding and insights of Jesus’ work. In addition, he shared many other items of interest to us concerning Israel’s politics, economics and religions. What a wonderful human being doing godly work! Rami was the guide for the other bus and although we did not spend as much time with him, he too seemed to be an excellent, well-informed and approachable guide.Before I conclude, I must say how much it meant to both of us that 206 Tours remembered my husband’s birthday (and others on the trip) as well as a couple’s anniversary. A cake and recognition of their special days was a lovely touch. It reflects very well the thoughtful, personal care of your agency. It may seem like a minor thing but I assure you it is not. To have birthdays and anniversaries remembered lifted the spirits of all of us on the tour as we celebrated each other as “family.”

Thank you again!
Sharon and Jim Pierson

Dear 206 Tours,
Elise, everything was awesome! It was well run, very inspiring, and with great priests and tour guides.

God Bless,
Thom Arends

Hi Caterina & Colleagues,
Alan and I would like to thank you and 206 Tours for having arranged for us such an amazing pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The timing was perfect as we walked where Jesus walked during the Lenten season. The Tour took us to places where it all happened: from the Annunciation to the birth of Our Lord, through His Ministry, His Passion and finally, His crucifixion and glorious Resurrection. We spent time with other wonderful pilgrims and felt so blessed. We appreciate the kind and inspirational lectures by Matthew and really value the guidance and spiritual presence of Fr. Peter Dugandzic and Fr. Johnny Mendonca. Indeed, we felt like a very happy and inspired family! The Holy Land with Matthew Leonard is our second pilgrimage with 206 Tours. Everything ran smoothly. I would like to thank Catherina and Patrick especially for ensuring that we could check in as early as 9am at Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv after an overnight flight from Hong Kong. Now, We are ready to join another pilgrimage and are considering the tour to Poland and Medjugorje. Please let us know the upcoming schedule for the rest of 2018 and 2019.God Bless.

Love & prayers,
May & Alan Koon

Dear Alexandra,
Thank you very much for your immediate response. I had a very good experience with your tour company. Our tour guide is very accommodating. It was a great moving spiritual experience to be in the shrine. Overall it was excellent. I hope to be in one of your tours in the future. God bless.

Sincerely,
Ofelia P. Santos

Dear Alexandra,
Had a great time, 206 tours is the best I’ve travelled with. Roberto our tour guide is knowedgeable and so patient with us. I’ll travel with 206 tours again and will highly recommend it to my friends. From the moment we arrived at the airport, to the hotel, and every day schedule was perfect. Enjoyed the trip very much. Thank you so much for reimbursing our baggage feed.

Thanks,
Rosario Tolentino

Dear Alexandra,
Thank you very much for your immediate response. I had a very good experience with your tour company. Our tour guide is very accommodating. It was a great moving spiritual experience to be in the shrine. Overall it was excellent. I hope to be in one of your tours in the future. God bless.

Sincerely,
Ofelia P. Santos

Hi Caterina,
I wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had on our pilgrimage. It was a transformative experience that I will never forget. Thank you for all your effort in making it such a success for us. Your hard work and enthusiasm is much appreciated.

God keep you.
Monica

I would like to thank you and your team for a great experience on our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Everyone did an amazing job pulling the tour together. I don’t think it could have been any better. Thanks again.

Joe Hugh

Hi Caterina,
Thank you for your note. My husband and I are so grateful for our 206 Tour we completed to the Holy Land with Matthew Leonard. I am now thinking of coordinating a trip next year for my local Catholic Community.

Thanks!
Emily Jaminet

Hi 206 Tours Staff,
I offer you all a most Blessed Easter Season. God Bless you all and your families!I also wish to thank you all for the greatest and most inspiring trip I have ever taken. Well organized, knowledgeable guides, great accommodations in all ways, very informative, and well planned. Thank You!!!P.S. Best Wishes for your future! God Bless your work!!!

Doug Paffel

Hi Caterina,
I just wanted to say thank you… Thank you for everything 206 Tours has done for that amazing pilgrimage. I, myself, could not have imagined how well it went. Not only spiritually, but everything that your Tour company did to make it so smooth, it was just beyond anything I could’ve dreamed up.The company was fantastic, Father Peter and Father Johnny – Wow, what amazing men, not to mention our Guides: Rami and George so full of information. And, very personable all of them to be surrounded by those men was beyond, very good choices! As for the pilgrims, Wow – I met some amazing people, and will stay in touch forever. Last but not least, thank you to you Caterina – you were always there to answer any questions I had and I appreciate that – as too Robert and Monica. We wish you and your families a very blessed Easter. Take care, God bless.

Laureen Barber

I wanted to thank you for a great trip to Israel. It was much better than I had anticipated and the organization was awesome. It is safe and I want to thank you for your help in the trip. There were times that I felt a bit uneasy but that comes with the different culture and people. I have many great memories.

Thank you,
Jeff Petrillo

Hi Vanessa!
The trip was fantastic! Slavanka was fun, nice, welcoming & understanding. I love Mary and her messages and love what is going on in Medjugore. I hesitated going because I am not Catholic & feared what others on the trip would think. I am so glad I put my fears aside and went with 206. Everyone was kind and understanding. I’ve had so many people ask me about this trip and I urge them to go see for themselves. I will recommend 206 as a team who supports the thought that Mother Mary is for all. Thank you again.

Have a blessed day.
Diane

Good Morning Linda,
I wanted to write to you and all the wonderful people at 206 to applaud you. This pilgrimage was our first with 206 and it certainly won’t be our last. Anthony and I had the most wonderful time – where do I begin… we were blessed to be with Father Peter and Father Johnny, Rami and George and, of course, Matthew Leonard. We were thankful to our bus drivers who kept us all safe and got us from point to point. And our fellow pilgrims were a joy and blessing to be with! The itinerary and our access to churches and shrines was amazing – the timing was impeccable and our guides were obviously well connected and couldn’t have been more accommodating. Linda – 206 Tours is a very special, dedicated and wonderful company. You should all be proud to be such an integral part of this beautiful business.Anthony and I look forward to having dinner together with you and Pat. Wishing you and your family a blessed Easter!

With love and thanks,
Anne Capasso

Dear 206 Tours,
Thank you so much. I am so very happy with 206 Tours. Our Tour Escort Federika is the best Tour Escort ever. Also very good Tour guides. Very good Spiritual Director. The driver Mauricio was also very professional. I have travelled with different tour companies for many years and I am recommending 206 Tours to others.

Margie S. Ongkeko

Dear Caterina,
There are no words to express how I am feeling at the end of such an amazing tour in the Holy Land! Everything here is so beautiful. 206 Tours is absolutely amazing! They have gone above and beyond all of our expectations. You have thought of everything that added to the experience for us. From group pictures, rosaries, crosses, the best hotels, lunches around the Holy Land. The tour guides, Remi and George, were second to none and amazing. The knowledge they have on everything is beyond incredible, they are so friendly and helpful. We just loved them both. Our two priests Father Johnny and Father Peter were sent just for us, they were great! Having Matthew Leonard with us brought it altogether. His talks, presence, and his visits were amazing and tied everything together. 206 Tours will be the only tour company I will use for my tours. I will tell everyone I know that they are the best. Thank you once again 206 for everything, what a great experience!

Denise Hagg

Dear 206 Tours,
Another 206 Tours pilgrimage has exceeded our expectations! This was our second pilgrimage to the Holy Land with 206 Tours. Carol and I both agree this was exceptional because our tour escort, Majd Barham, related well to everyone in the group and Fr. Neil Bakker provided spiritually uplifting homilies. We were very impressed with Majd and his knowledge of all the sites we visited. We have participated in other 206 Tours pilgrimages and believe Majd met the high standards we have observed in all other tour escorts. He did an outstanding job and it was obvious he was well prepared to share his knowledge with us. We look foreword to our next pilgrimage with 206 Tours.

David and Carol Legg

Dear 206 Tours,
I would like to thank you. It was a most blessed and wonderful pilgrimage. The experience is one I will always remember. Your consideration of the places to visit and the comfort of your pilgrims was outstanding. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Majd as our guide was the best. I can”t say enough good things about him. I have added him and his family to my daily prayer list. He is a very special young man and most knowledgeable. He was always there for us to answer our questions or to help us with any need we had. I hope our good God blesses him always. Our driver for this pilgrimage was great, always helpful and extremely pleasant. It seems you hire very special people. If I ever have the good fortune of going on another pilgrimage you may be assured I will call 206. I will recommend your services to everybody. God bless all of you and thank you again.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Nasso

Dear 206 Tours,
Juanita and I were surprised that Mexico had so much to offer. We enjoyed the religious sites the daily mass and the prayers on the bus. The bus driver was a very good driver and the tour guide and his son were excellent. We were brought to the best restaurants with beautiful views. All in all, my wife and I were very pleased with the pilgrimage and in the future we will plan other trips with you.

Sincerely,
Dr. Frank and Juanita Gentile

Dear 206 Tours,
This was our third 206 Pilgrimage. All were inspiring, but the Holy Land contains the heart of Catholicism. The Tour Escort, Majd, enriched our Pilgrimage with much information and spiritual attention to the many sites. His knowledge of Scripture is extensive. Fr. Neil celebrated Mass with homilies that encouraged us. The accommodations in all the hotels were very good. The farewell dinner was excellent. 206 Tours has helped us in our spiritual journey.

Blessings to all the lovely people at 206 Tours!
John and Felice Stein

I had a great spiritual journey.
Our spiritual guide Father Mendonca was great. We never wasted time and taking all the opportunities to say the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. We offered Mass everyday. I also had great pilgrims in the group. Our Tour Guide Javier and his son Javier were also great, very accommodating and always was looking out for us. Assisting us even to our last day. They made sure we were safe even assisted us at the airport. Over all knowing Our Lady of Guadalupe is a great opportunity.

From,
Maria Socorro Catalan

Dear 206 Tours,
We just finished our pilgrimage and still in Tel Aviv relaxing and reflecting our experience. I can tell you right now that it has been a life changing perspective for me and my husband. We thank God for allowing us to discover your website and inviting us to know him and our faith better. It was the best gift for our 30th wedding anniversary. We were put into this tour with strangers and we came out of it with many special friends. Thank you dearly.

God Bless your company.
Adela and Michael Polin

Dear Milanka and Bika,
Again, we had a blessed and wonderful pilgrimage, thanks to 206 Tours! Everyone was in awe at the blessings that flowed! Jack Halis, as always, was a gift to us pilgrims! He is a good and holy man and he gives his all! All of the pilgrims loved Jack! What is not to love?!!!! He radiates the love of the Lord in all he does! Our driver, Gassan, was a joy too! I have never seen such a talented driver! He truly is an expert driver. And, he is so much fun! He too was loved by all!We are hoping to go again next year with Father Brian. When the decision is made I will contact you.Thank you for all you do!

Love,
Julie

Thank you and your team for making the pilgrimage to Guadalupe a blessing and a great success. It was a spiritual and prayerful experience. I enjoyed every moment of the journey. The group of 17 pilgrims were a delight to be with and the tour guide Javier is an experienced and a very gentle kind person. He was very good to the group, EXCELLENT. Everyone in the group had a blessed pilgrimage, thanks to you and all at 206 for making it possible.

God bless you all.
Fr. Johnny

Chris,
So many things to tell you about the trip. We loved having Sa’id and Nazeeh. They were fabulous! So glad we didn’t run into the Holy Sepulchre closing. That would have devastated us. I’m sure that’s been a problem for 206. We had the two trips to the ER in Jerusalem and 206 did an outstanding job in making sure everything was handled. It was quite an experience. Tamara went on the first one and came to see how Fr. Don was doing on the second trip there. It was good to know we were in good hands all the way around. Sa’id made sure we got to and from the ER and appreciated his efforts so much. He went above and beyond!!!! He drove us in his car to Saint Joseph’s Hospital. More to tell you at a later time on that.Jordan was spectacular too! We would like to do that again. This morning was a funeral for an employee here at All Saints. She’d been with us about 10 years. I just got back from the luncheon. So much to say and have to get caught up. Thanks for replacing the battery. I was so shocked to see that they had taken it in Germany. So much for Frankfort. Beautiful airport, by the way.

Grace and Peace,
Diane

Dear 206 Tours,
It was my first time on a pilgrimage with 206 Tours and I am very impressed. You must work hard on putting a pilgrimage together and scheduling all the activities, hotels and transportation from airport to hotels, to shrines and viewing sites of a region. This past week I have nothing but praise for our trip to Guadalupe. From the driver to the guide who was very well informed of the area and shrines that we visited, it was very well scheduled and we really enjoyed our tour. I would recommend 206 Tours to anybody who wants to go on a pilgrimage. Thank you for the fine job that you do. If I have the chance to go on another pilgrimage in the near future, I know where I can find the right company and the right people to organize my trip. Thank you again and God bless you for the fine work that you do.

A satisfied pilgrim,
Armand Pinard

Dear 206 Tours,
Thank you very much for inviting me to be the Spiritual Director, this week, of your Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Everything went very well because of our preparations. The flights on United Airlines, all left a little ahead of time and arrived early at the destinations. I am glad that you had asked for a seat with space for my knees. I was always in the 10th row on the aisle, which was perfect. The hotel Galeria (only one “l”) Plaza, where I stayed last time, was very comfortable and their meals were great. The personnel were very kind and helpful. I appreciated that they gave us two 1/4 liter bottles of water each day. The guide, Javier G. greeted us at the airport, assisted by his son, Jr. They were both with us all the time during our tours, They were both helping us on and off the bus. His explanations and suggestions were very good. They were not assigned to bring our group of five, to airport. We arrived at the airport and they were there. They assisted us to the registration and to our gates. The one who came with the van disappeared. The pilgrims were all wonderful. friendly and religious. One, Michael Powel, is a priest from the diocese of Joliette, He concelebrate with me and I offered him to be the main celebrant the last day and he did so very reverently and gave a good homely . He even taught us to sing a hymn in Spanish, and had copies for everyone. I appreciate the itinerary of the pilgrimage and the locations of the Masses. Every place was ready for us. A change had to be made because the new Archbishop of Mexico City was being installed, on our last day, in the new shrine, in Guadalupe. We could not have Mass next door. We were taken to the church of the fifth apparition, where Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego’s sick uncle. That is a most beautiful church, however the acoustics are not good. There is a bad echo. The sacristan showed us historic photos. I had never been there and think it should be included.We were able to return to the main Shrine to visit the areas we had not had time on our first day. We were also there to see the clock in the bell tower with animators of the four apparitions, after the bells had rung noon. We could also hear the beautiful choir for the Archbishop’s installation which was aired outside. As we were ready to leave for lunch, we witnessed the recessional procession with priests, dozens of bishops and finally the new Archbishop Carlos.The van we had for our visits, was perfect for a small group. It enough seats and very large windows. The driver was also very helpful and always smiling.I enjoyed celebrating Mass at the Holy Family church, where the remains, of Blessed Miguel Augutin Pro, are venerated. It was September 3rd, the feast of St. Blais. I asked for the sacristan for two candles. He said he did not have any. At the end of Mass, he brought me two. I was able to bless the throats, including other people who were praying at the shrine. There is a small museum next door to the church. It has the whole story of Fr. Pro with photos of his execution and the relics of what he was wearing and we could see the bullet holes in his coat. They even have the large banner with flew in front of St.Peter’s, in Rome, when he was beatified. Again, I am very grateful to all of you for inviting me to be the chaplain of this pilgrimage. I was afraid I could not make it because of my new artificial knee. But I was able to go everywhere. except climbing the Pyramid of the Sun, which I did in 1970. I also thank you for your most generous stipend. I feel this is not necessary, because to be able to go to visit such special places is a great gift in itself. However, this past year, I have had to replace my television , stove and automobile. The stipend will help me pay part of those bills. Muchissimas gracias.

I shall remember you and your pilgrimages, in my prayers and Masses.
Msgr. Charles Desruiseaux

Dear 206 Tours,
We wanted to express our gratitude to your team for the fantastic trip to the Holy Land with Scott Hahn. Your staff was very efficient and always helpful. Your team worked so well together and enabled everyone to have a memorable experience.Our guide for the blue bus, Saffiq, provided insightful information to properly visit the sites of such religious and historical importance. He kept our large group together and always prepared us for what we were about to see. I appreciated his sharing personal experiences of growing up near our Lord’s tomb. We could sense his genuine pride for the State of Israel as well as his strong commitment to sharing the Catholic faith. His ability to offer comparison between the Aramaic and Hebrew language was amazing! Lastly, we appreciated his time in looking out for our daughter with food allergies. Despite being allergic to several items commonly found in Israeli cuisine, we were able to enjoy the trip without a reaction.Thank you again for such an impactful and unforgettable experience. We are sharing your company information with many friends who have expressed interest in this pilgrimage. We would highly recommend your tour company and will look forward to our next trip with 206.

Gina and Mark Berman

South Florida Pilgrims

Dear 206 Tours,
Still getting over some jet lag here, but wanted to write as soon as I could. Our trip to the Holy Land was amazing. I had hoped to see churches, relics, and to have all those places in the Bible become real to me. And so it happened. One of my most memorable times was walking the Via Dolorosa at 6 AM. It was still dark, and raining a little…and as we walked we could hear the Muslim call to prayer. What a sacred moment! I could go on and on about so many more. But I am also writing to commend our tour guide, Shafiq. I have been part of several tour groups – it is my preferred way to travel because you can learn so much. Our tour guide, Shafiq, was by far the best tour guide I have ever had. Not only did he get us from place to place comfortably and take us to great lunch places, he was incredibly knowledgeable. I have taken several classes in Biblical studies, and he taught me so many things I did not know. When we visited the model of Jerusalem at the museum, I was amazed as I listened to Shafiq tell us all about what life was like then. All those places in the Bible, laid out in front of me! Shafiq answered every one of my questions, and I had quite a few! He even recommended some books when I asked where I could get some additional resources. He kept a sense of humor, even when one of our group decided to go off exploring a cave. Shafiq was in charge, and we just sat back and enjoyed the bus ride. That’s how I love to vacation! He was also very nice when people complained about what I considered stupid little things – He made sure everyone was comfortable. If I or any friends ever return to the Holy Land, I will recommend 206 Tours and Shafiq. I wouldn’t do it any other way.

Thanks so much!
Marina Parise

Dear Diane,
Robert & I have been back from our amazing, wonderful pilgrimage a week now. Words truly are insufficient to describe the beauty & depth of this experience! When one is given the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Jesus & hear the scriptures from the Bible while being in the place where they took place is incredibly moving & life changing. The daily mass readings come so much more alive & real. Robert & I have continued saying the rosary together as we did on this journey with our fellow pilgrims. Fr. Liam Quinlan was wonderful as was our amazing guide Rizak Nazi. Thank you 206 for the great job you all do to make it possible for people like us to have such a spirit filled journey enhancing our Catholic faith. We are already looking at Classical Italy as our next journey with you. Rome, Assisi & the other sights of Italy are places we’ve wanted to go, also the opportunities for daily mass & the rosary make help to make this a pilgrimage not just a tour. This is what we love about this company.

Evelyne L. Dodson

Dear Liz,
The pilgrimage changed my life. Very emotional and spiritual times, especially on the Sea of Gallilee and at Gethsemane. Sister Magdalit shared some of her deeply moving experiences, making herself vulnerable to feeling them again. It was so powerful. I find myself saying the rosary as I walk along, or humming one of the songs we sang as we walked or rode from place to place, feeling the very emotions I felt in Israel.Since being home I have experienced two (so far) very powerful things. One, my skin condition has improved beyond belief. I saw my dermatologist, who prescribed a simple ointment, and I am healing! I have been plagued by this for many, many years, and it is healing.Second, a volunteer position in the NICU (neonatal ICU) at Doernbecher Hospital for Children (part of Oregon Health Sciences University) has been offered to me. Last fall I was told the wait list was over two years, and to pursue another avenue. I knew I wanted to cuddle and hold the babies born drug addicted and with other congenital problems. I was called to it, and now here it is.There will be more revealed, I know, but I wanted to share these with you. I know they are a result of my experiences in the Holy Land, of becoming closer to Jesus and Mother Mary, of doing my best to walk the walk.I’ve been blessed.

Thank you and everyone at 206, which allowed me to walk in the path of Jesus.
Jan Routt

Dear Liz,
In reflecting upon my experience of the Holy Land with 206 Tours, I remain in absolute awe of how exceptionally executed the whole tour was! Everything from time management, to all the details regarding transportation, hotels, meals, the detailed pre-tour advice and instructions (which I am very glad I paid attention to- especially the advice to carry a full change of clothes in carry-on; I actually carried 2 days worth and extra undies- which got me through my luggage glitch! ??) The tour guides were incredible-not only so very knowledgeable of the land and the holy sites but also POWERFUL witnesses to their faith. It was an added benefit to the tour to have guides from the Christian quarter of Jerusalem and such strong Catholic men of faith. I will remember Shafiq and his compadres with great fondness. I credit Nadi and Sam for their diligence and insistence in getting my luggage to me on day 3 of the tour when the Israeli baggage claim people told me I would have to wait yet another day because of the Sabbath. I gave Nadi the phone number of the driver who was to deliver my luggage, and, voila-I had my baggage that night. So kudos to him and Sam! They all were wondrously polite, compassionate, cheerful, and gracious to all of us pilgrims. If ever they were tired, frustrated or in any way humanly vulnerable to any negative demonstration, they certainly didn’t show it! Everyone seemed 100% dedicated to giving us a positive and exceptional experience. The 206 backpack and the pouch were so helpful in keeping materials organized. I am also grateful for the books, pamphlets, the olive wood rosary, the Jerusalem cross pin, the little olivewood chalice, the pictures-such beautiful mementos of the trip! And such gifts! I love the priests who accompanied us, especially Fr. Nowak, on my own Blue Bus. What a beautiful, gentle soul- he emanates such holiness! I loved his lead in our prayers on the bus! EVERY day and evening brought me such powerful spiritual, intellectual, and emotional experiences- along with such wonderful social connections that I hope to continue. I was SO impressed to have been welcomed by such dignitaries at the evening at the Pontifical Institute , Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center and to be treated to the lovely concert. Hearing the Our Father and so many traditional Christmas carols sung in Our Lord’s language of Aramaic was profoundly moving. What a beautiful, talented soloist! The rooftop send-off was the icing on the cake of a most memorable tour! And, of course, there is Dr. Hahn and Kimberly- the primary reason I signed up. As a convert to the faith, it has largely been through many of Dr. Hahn’s books that I have gained the most insights into the beauty, wisdom and truth of the Catholic faith. It was a complete joy to witness first-hand his fervor for scriptural studies as well as his and Kimberly’s own witness of faith. Liz, you are so privileged to work with folks who DELIVER such excellence! It must be wonderful to work with such a beautiful soul as Milanka Lachman. She is gracious, charming yet diligent in ensuring a memorable, powerful experience for her pilgrims. I am amazed at how few issues there seemed to be-given the magnitude of the tour. Thank YOU for your part in the tour, Liz. I will remember your smiling face- you never seemed to be without a smile, the entire tour! And, that, too is witness to a beautiful faith. Blessings to you, your family and all of your 206 Tours family.

Love and prayers,
Karen Donnelly

Hi Liz,
Thank you very much to 206 Tour office staff, Milanka, Dr. Scott and Kimberly Hahn, all the guides, drivers, priests and fellow Pilgrims who made this trip a very memorable one. It is truly a blessing to be able to experience the words in the Bible come alive and to walk where jesus walked. Without 206 tours and everyone, it will not be the same. Thank you for your prayers. We will pray for everyone and may God bless everyone for the rest of our lives.

Thank God for all the Blessings,
Belen and Ailene

Thanks Liz,
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip – one of the best pilgrimages that we experienced. Just wish my retention was better. There was so much to see and soak in but my memory seemed to fail me; now that I look back. Guess it means I just need to plan another trip in the future. Job well done!

Thanks again and God bless,
Robert Rebholtz

Dear Liz,
It was a superlative experience. What struck me most was the search of spirituality and prayer from all the participants. It was my first experience as a Spiritual Director; the very many previous ones were as a biblical guide. I couldn’t express myself fully but I understand the pilgrims were pleased with the inputs. As for the pilgrimages I prefer, Holy Land is the pilgrimage that electrifies me.

Wishing you and your colleagues blessing,
Fr. Ferruccio

Dear Liz,
It was such a great pilgrimage. I am so glad you were with us.

Thanks,
Rose Hall

Dear Liz,
WOW!! What an experience ! I was so moved by each day’s events. I had been struggling with forgiveness and through this pilgrimage and prayer I have found peace. For this I thank God for all his graces. Nadi was exceptional. What knowledge and patience he exhibited. Father Scott was a gift! His humor and faith we’re powerful! I have been a fan of Scott Hahan since early on in my conversion. I have been a Catholic for 6 years and they have been the happiest days of my life . God is truly good. I pray that I am worthy of his mercies.

God bless all of you for doing His Good work. Thank you.
Wanda Stanzel

Thanks Liz!
It was awesome! I am telling everyone to book!!!

Love to you all,
Erin

Dear Liz,
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know what a wonderful time I had on the pilgrimage last week. It was so lovely to meet you and I hope we will see each other soon. I am sure you are happy to get back home to your family – I know how much work must go on behind the scenes and both you and Patrick executed everything with such grace.

Thank you again!
Kelly DeGennaro

Hi 206 Tours,
Our pilgrimage to the Holy Land with 206 Tours was a wonderful experience and an outstanding tour. Our spiritual leader, Father Johnny Mendonca, was superb. He was warm and knowledgeable and he took an interest in each individual pilgrim. He brought great insight to the Scriptures and related their true meanings to the pilgrimage. He made all the difference in making this trip into a true pilgrimage for me and my family. Our tour guide, Rami, had a great attitude, was engaging, patient and interested in leading our tour. His historical knowledge was just phenomenal. He took time to explain as much as possible at each site and answered all of our questions. Hearing about the Samaritans and the Dead Sea Scrolls and why people were buried around the walls of the old city of Jerusalem – all of these and more nuggets of information – were just so interesting. I just wish we could remember everything he had to say! The itinerary was very comprehensive and we feel we were taken to all of the Holy Sites, as well as fascinating historical places. Jerusalem was fantastic! We especially enjoyed the peace and beauty of Galilee. The sites were wonderful and the drive through the countryside relaxing, informative and so enjoyable. The accommodations were excellent. Starting with being met at the airport in Tel Aviv; the Dan Panorama right on the Mediterranean; our wonderful driver, John, and his comfortable bus; the hotel on the banks of the Sea of Galilee – the Leonardo Plaza – the boat ride and the fabulous Notre Dame in Jerusalem. Great attention to detail was evident everywhere we went. All the arrangements were made and executed with such professionalism. We had good food everywhere we went, the brochures provided were helpful and informative and the ‘whisperers’ were absolutely essential.

Thank you so much for Father Johnny and Rami and our wonderful tour.
Karin & William Key

206 Tours,
I just returned from a Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fatima and Lourdes, along with our Pastor Fr. Piotr. This trip was most inspiring/rewarding! Our escort, Ivan, was wonderful – very informative of not only the sites and people involved in the apparitions, but also of the Catholic faith. Our hotel accommodations and meals were very good, the pilgrimage was packed with a spiritual agenda. If there was any negative, it would be returning to Florida via Houston! That made for a long flight back and of course we were unable to return to Fl. for two additional days.

Thank you for placing great detail into the tour.
Pat Crowder

To 206 Tours and/or Whom It May Concern,
I have been a world traveler for over a decade. My experience with many travel agencies have been good and bad. 206 Tours travel agency has been one of the most appropriate and/or perfect accommodators on every trip that I have used them. With everything from the flight to the limo pick up to the hotel accommodations. On this particular trip through 206 Tours, The inn keepers at La Infinita Rural Boutique, Fernando and Lucia, were the most hospitable I’ve ever had and gave my stay with them a warmth I’ve never received before. Fernando and Lucia, the inn keepers, received me at the front door with the most quaint, historical, cottage like atmosphere. When I stepped out of my vehicle, I was greeted as with a spiritual energy that the inn keepers possessed. When I went through the front door, it was breathtaking. The age of the building, the walls, ceiling, and floor, arrangements of the furniture: it was like walking into the past. The rooms are up a staircase lit by candlelight. Going into my room, it was clean and accommodating. Setting my luggage down, I was shown the bathroom and the balcony off my bedroom. The landscape and visual from my balcony was so beautiful and breathtaking. I could view the mountain sides, it was like walking back in time. After settling in, I was asked if I was hungry and of course I was accommodated. The food was exquisite and fresh, if you are into grass fed meats, a non GMO meal is what you get. The crockery was so suitable to the meal that was served. Attached is 2 pictures of the table setting and crockery that I was blessed to enjoy each and every meal. They then showed me around the inn and I was taken out to the back into a courtyard where I experienced the most indescribable feeling of contentment. Seeing all the old buildings from the courtyard, I realized right next door was this most beautiful Catholic Church that is a definite must see. Attached is a picture of the inside Altar and golden Tabernacle. After waking up the next morning, I couldn’t get over how clean the air there is and I live out in the country in the Midwest. I’ve never felt so refreshed. I was immediately greeted by the inn keeper with this most incredible breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the day. I was visited often by the inn keepers. I toured the village of Carmona and it is something I will never forget. Right now I am dictating this letter to my secretary and I am holding back the tears. La Infinita Rural Boutique attached itself giving me an ability to find my inner self and walk back in time. I went there specifically to visit Garabandal to visit the pines and explore the history of the Virgin Mary’s apparitions from the 60’s. The Catholic spiritual make up of Carmona was almost stronger than Garabandal. Garabandal is 17 minutes away comfortably in an easy to get cab and/or a ride from the inn keeper. The view on the way is worth it. I have to say I’m glad I did not stay in Garabandal, it’s just too congested. I realized if I went to Garabandal without staying in Carmona, my trip would have not been fulfilled with a complete spiritual cleansing as I fully intended from the beginning. As I have been to Medjugorje 4 times to seek the same spiritual cleansing and my feeling in the spiritual sense is “I can’t wait to go back to La Infinita Rural Boutique to visit the inn keepers and stay and enjoy the surrounding areas of the village of Carmona” Which I am planning to go back once a year in which I will be contacting 206 tours each and every time. Attached is a photo of me enjoying the beauty Carmona has to offer. Because of 206 tours, going to Carmona and Garabandal was so accommodating. My deepest regard and thanks to your perfect accommodations for the air flight, hotel accommodations, and tour guide which was also part of my pilgrimage in Garabandal. I would highly recommend if anyone wants to visit Garabandal, you must stay at La Infinita Rural Boutique. You will never experience anything like it. 206 Tours, La Infinita Rural Boutique, Fernando and Lucia, I love you all.

Sincerly,
Raymond Luke Louis Abraham Kush