Client Letters

Testimonials, Pilgrimage Experiences, What our clients say about 206 Tours

We’re blessed with incredible Pilgrims and Priests! Since 1985, we have proudly served them with quality Pilgrimages. Our stellar Spiritual Directors, detailed planning, dedicated certified guides, and first class accommodations are what make us one of the most respected Catholic Tour Operators in the world. We take care of everything so all you have to do is focus on connecting more deeply to your faith. Read testimonials and our Pilgrim’s experiences below.

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  • From: Sandy B.
  • Sent: Monday, June 30, 2025
  • Subject: Fr. Reuben / Fr. Josh Medjugorje June 2025 Sandy Barnes
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello, Cara and Milanka!

Now that our group is safely home and settled back in, I wanted to offer a bit of feedback of your handling of our group and our guide, Ivana.

I have been in the travel industry for 10 years and have traveled on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje with a different tour group in that past. The experience working with your team has been exceptional. Everyone at your company that I had the pleasure of speaking with has been so kind, knowledgeable, and quick in their responses. Cara and Milanka, you are such kind spirits, and I can’t express my gratitude for your care of my group. The quick response and coordination of our priests’ flight when there was an unavoidable change was amazing. You have both made this planning and travel experience so easy and happy. You truly valued me as the travel advisor, and I could tell. I absolutely cannot wait to work with you again as I reach to neighboring parishes to offer my guidance to them as well.

Our transfer over to Dubrovnik was seamless and stress-free, and our accommodations at Royal Ariston were perfect. Every member of the group loved the hotel. Sylvia, our tour guide, was a wealth of knowledge and great to recognize that our group was lagging and needed a shorter tour.

There really aren’t enough words to praise Ivana. She was definitely a highlight for our pilgrims. I know there was a distressing change when Dragan and Marko were pulled from our tour, but God had a hand in this. God knew who our group needed, and that was certainly Ivana. She brought a personal experience and insight that enhanced our journey. We learned so much from her. She is a beautiful light in this world, and we felt like we were leaving a friend when we left her. The way she spoke about her aunt and humanized her family drew us in and made us feel worthy of hearing their experiences.

Again, I just thank you enough for such kind care of our group, and I can’t wait to work with you again. May God Bless you both abundantly!

-Sandy B.

  • From: Fr. Lito C.
  • Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2025
  • Subject: Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Fr. Lito Capeding
  • Tour 96: Shrines of Italy
“It’s so nice to be part of the 206 Tours family. As Chaplain and Spiritual Director, I feel so blessed to lead the pilgrimage and offer Mass on the “Shrines of Italy” tour which evokes a sense of awe and wonder and truly appreciates the values of our Catholic tradition. Kudos to Milanka Lachman and family of 206 Tours for giving me this opportunity. Looking forward to more pilgrimages to come. God bless you all, together with the pilgrims!”
-Fr. Lito C.
  • From: Steve D.
  • Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2025
  • Subject: Jubilee Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi with Fr. Francis Pizzarelli Steve De Gore
  • Tour 92: Rome & Assisi

Hi Cara,

Our tour guide Slavica Jerkic  was extremely organized, helpful, patient and knowledgeable. She was a great problem solver. We had knowledgeable “specialist” tour guides in each of the areas that we visited Vatican, and Assisi who were also great.

Busses were new and clean. The drivers knew their stuff winding through the narrow roads of Rome and Assisi .  Very pleased with our tour guide and the bus driver.

-Steve D.

  • From: Annette and John S.
  • Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2025
  • Subject: Poland with Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR and Franciscan University John Shaughnessy
  • Tour 168: Poland

Hi Cara, Silvia, and Sophie,

We had an amazing pilgrimage to Poland!  Once again 206 Tours did an incredible job.  Both tour guides, Sabina and Bart were top notch.  Their hospitality, attention to detail, and ability to adapt to situations on the fly was incredible.  As always, the team from Franciscan, including Tim Delaney tying up loose ends, Liam Brown leading music, Noelle Mering’s reflections, and of course Father Dave’s wonderful spiritual leadership made the week so special.

I will offer one suggestion for future pilgrimages. It would be helpful to provide prior guidance on the severity of walking/stair climbing at some of the sites.  This was certainly true at the Salt Mine in Krakow where several of the “older” folks had a difficult time.

All in all, we had an incredible experience and look forward to another pilgrimage in the future.

Best regards and God bless,

Annette & John S.

This was a great pilgrimage. Our guide Jorge was great and attentive to our needs. Can’t say enough about Jorge. I was really impressed with Fr Albert. After my wife passed away three years ago I never felt like I had anyone that I could share my loss with. Fr Albert listened and was understanding. We were able to spend quality time together while walking and had great conversations. The accommodations were first class as well as the meals. Being able to experience the cuisine of Spain was a plus.

Best wishes,

Bob A.

  • From: John and Kathleen M.
  • Sent: Friday, June 27, 2025
  • Subject: Poland with Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR and Franciscan University John and Kathleen Mosier
  • Tour 168: Poland

Cara,

We had a fantastic time in Poland.  It was our first pilgrimage, and we were not disappointed.  Transportation and hotels exceeded our expectations.  I cannot say enough good things about our guide, Bart.  We would go anywhere with that guy again.  Overall a great experience, and should we do this again it will be with 206 Tours.

Also a big thanks to you and your team.  Your pre-travel communication was great, and made our trip completely stress free.

John and Kathleen M.

  • From: Fr. Bogumil M.
  • Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2025
  • Subject: Thank you very much! Fr. Bogumil Misiuk
  • Tour 57: Spain and Fatima

Hi Natasha,

Thank you very much for putting together for Seton Hall Prep the pilgrimage to Spain & Portugal. It was amazing.

I especially appreciate you making it a reality for us on extremely short notice.

I look forward to working with you in the future.

God bless you,

Fr. Bogumil

  • From: Fr. Michal C.
  • Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2025
  • Subject: In the Footsteps of St. John Paul II & St. Faustina Fr. Michal Czyzewski
  • Tour 168: Poland

Dear Rinda,

I am grateful to God for the opportunity to serve as a spiritual director during the recent pilgrimage to Poland, organized by 206 Tours. It was a truly blessed time, walking in the footsteps of Saint John Paul II and Saint Faustina.

I would like to sincerely thank all the pilgrims for their mature, beautiful witness of faith, prayer, and devotion—especially meaningful during this Jubilee Year.

I’m sending along a few photos from the pilgrimage as a small reflection of the joy we shared.

During the trip, I also mentioned some of the new pilgrimage destinations being considered, particularly Japan. A few participants expressed interest. I wanted to ask if there are any updates regarding that trip, and whether a spiritual director might be needed.

Wishing you a blessed and peaceful day,

Fr. Michal C.

  • From: Fr. Joe M.
  • Sent: Monday, June 23, 2025
  • Subject: Milanka Lachman, Congratulations on receiving the St. Paul Center’s Lydia Award! Fr. Joe Moons, C.P.
  • Tour 37: Fatima, Spain, and Lourdes

Dear Milanka,

Congratulations on receiving the St. Paul Center’s Lydia Award! I was truly delighted to hear this wonderful news. While I won’t be able to attend the GALA festivities, please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers as you receive this well-deserved honor.

Without 206 Tours, I would never have had the chance to visit such beautiful and spiritually rich places like Lourdes, Fatima, and so many others. Those sacred sites touched my heart deeply, and being with fellow Catholic pilgrims was a true blessing. I know those journeys brought spiritual renewal not just to me, but to many pilgrims as well.

Thank you for your incredible leadership and dedication to the faith. May God continue to bless you and your work for many years to come!

Warm regards and prayers,

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Joe M., C.P.

  • From: Nick O.
  • Sent: Monday, June 23, 2025
  • Subject: Chris Stefanick Poland & Prague tour - THANK YOU! Nick Oliver
  • Tour 169: Poland & Prague

Cara,

The tour to Poland and Prague was fantastic!!!  We are so thrilled to have gone.  Thank you for everything you and your team did to make it happen!  

In Christ,

Nick

  • From: Maria S.
  • Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025
  • Subject: Mexico Experience Maria Soto
  • Tour 206: Mexico

Traveling to Mexico with 206 Tours was a wonderful experience. This is the first time we had booked a tour overall and I could not be happier that I did. 

We received the information on a timely manner like I was informed. The package was complete, it gave detailed information, answered any questions.

The arrival was just as described, Panchito was waiting for us at the entrance of the airport. He was very attentive, made sure everyone was taken care off. 

There was an itinerary and it was followed to the T, very well organized. We had the pleasure of having three tour guides. Panchito, Guillermo and Alan. 

On the professional side all three are very efficient, professional, helpful and very knowledgeable in the history of the different places we visited. 

On the personal side I am very grateful we got to meet wonderful, attentive, Christian,  human beings. I will forever cherish the great company, pleasant conversations and warm smiles they shared with us, along with an enormous heartfelt kindness. 
Obviously as expected in most of Latin America there is a lot of walking but, loved every bit of it. 

On the religious aspect, it is a wonderful experience to grow your faith and what a better way than to visit our Mother La Virgen de Guadalupe. As well as learning of other Saints and saints to be beatified, as well as being able to see relics. 

Loved every bit of it!! Looking forward to booking a new trip with 206. I hope the rest of the staff is as wonderful as our three tour guides. 

Thank you again,

Maria

The experience was beyond expectation. Attributed to locations, but more importantly to fellow Pilgrims that were caring, kind, respectful, and loved the Holy Scriptures. 

Dr. Bergsma was the Rabbi we had hoped to have. 

Fr. Edwin was a creative shepherd who, like Moses, could set up an altar anywhere and with what ever was available for worship.

The guide, Voula Kalapoda, was so detailed in explaining the vast ancient history of Greece as well as the impact the culture had on the Christian Church.

With much love, thanksgiving, and appreciation for this life-changing experience,

God Bless,

Glennell M.

Hi Olivia,

All went very well for our Pilgrimage.  We hit a couple of days of rain, but no one can help that.  Our guide and bus driver were very kind and helpful.  Our full time guide especially went out of her way to make sure all of our needs were taken care of.  I think all really enjoyed our pilgrimage.  Again – Pope Leo was not yet receiving any of the public, so we missed him – but who knew that Pope Francis would pass away.  couldn’t be helped.

That’s about it for now.  Shortly, we will be pleased to put our names on another of your Pilgrimages for next year.

God Bless and Enjoy the Summer,

Fr. Phil 

Dear Milanka and Rinda,

       I wish to thank you most sincerely for allowing me to accompany another 206Tours pilgrimage as a Spiritual Director. During April 28th-May 14th, 2025, I accompanied pilgrims through Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Typically, I would not know any of the pilgrims, but this year was different. Four pilgrims from a parish where I had previously served joined us. Two of the pilgrims invited a non-Catholic friend to travel with them. On the last evening when pilgrims shared their experiences, this friend thanked the group for making her feel so welcome. Also, five pilgrims who had traveled on previous pilgrimages with me also joined me once again for the trip in the Footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II and St. Faustina.

      The first leg of my flight from Minneapolis to Paris CDG was delayed at departure. The pilot announced that due to heavy air traffic we would be taking off later than scheduled. Then they discovered that there were not enough meals onboard so that delayed us further. Originally, I had more than a two-hour layover, but because of the delays it was shortened. I was nonetheless able to catch my connecting Air France flight to Warsaw. The return flights were all on time.

      Our tour guide, Sabina, did a fantastic job. She spent a good part of her first day at the airport as the pilgrims arrived on various flights. One couple had problems with lost luggage, so Sabina helped them to resolve that issue. I heard many pilgrims say what a fantastic job Sabina did. They said she was the kindest, most competent tour escort they ever had the privilege of traveling with. Knowledgeable, funny, detail oriented. When one couple had to leave for a family medical emergency she got up in the middle of the night to see them off. That was not a unique experience. When several of us needed to leave the hotel at 3 A.M. to go to the Budapest airport for our return flights, she once again got up to make sure everything was perfectly arranged. Once I had returned home, I shared my experience of this pilgrimage with some parishioners who are natives of Poland, and they have made arrangements to make a pilgrimage in the Fall with 206Tours through Poland. I said I hope they would be fortunate enough to have Sabina as their guide.

      Stanisław was our bus driver. He was a consummate professional. We were all impressed with his safety and skill, including his ability to parallel park the bus between two cars. The bus was always clean and ready for us to travel in comfort.

      The 206Tours Series staff and others were very helpful and they worked to assure everything was ready for our pilgrimage. When I did not have a seat assignment on the Air France flight from CDG, I thought it may have been an oversight, but your staff explained that Air France would make the seat assignment later.

       The choice of the hotels was superb – all of them clean, comfortable, and centrally located. At our first hotel while in Warsaw we were able to see activities associated with the Leaders of the European Union taking place right across the street. 

        Prior to the pilgrimage I informed 206Tours that I would be celebrating the 40th anniversary of my ordination to the Priesthood while we were in Krakow. I am most grateful that Sabina arranged a cake for me and our pilgrim group. It was even decorated with some sort of sparkler. Very festive. I also received the gift of a portable Mass kit, for which I am most grateful.

        I wish to thank you, Milanka and Rinda, and your Series staff for all your hard work to prepare for this pilgrimage and I am grateful to Sabina and Stanisław for accompanying us with such care. I will cherish these memories for many years to come.

Cordially,

Fr. Jay H., O.P.

Good-afternoon:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to accompany pilgrims and to be their spiritual guide during this most recent pilgrimage to Garabandal, Covadonga, Santiago de Compostela, Fatima & Lourdes from May 1-14, 2025. It was a fantastic trip!

Such devout and joyous pilgrims are a great source of edification to me as priest; I am most grateful to meet them and to share their ardent faith.

We were particularly blessed to have a most capable and interactive tour guide in the person of Leopold Jimenez. He is most knowledgeable in his craft, caring in his duties, and desirous of going over and beyond to fulfil the needs of the pilgrims and the expectations of 206 Tours which he serves.

As spiritual director I like to prepare myself whenever possible before the start of the pilgrimage. Any special requests of my ministry, therefore, such as wedding anniversary blessings, etc., may be sent to me before departure to ensure that I have the requisite rite/prayers in hand.

Many thanks to the staff of 206 Tours for your excellent planning, preparation of documents and of their timely transmission, and for your rapid responses to my enquiries when needed. 206 Tours is a pleasure to work with.

May God shower you with many blessings as you continue to enrich pilgrims on their journey of faith and discovery.

Fr. Don O.

  • From: Ray K.
  • Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025
  • Subject: Pilgrimage to Medjugorje, with Fr. Donald Calloway Ray Klimbal
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

The trip was awesome.  Our guide Dado was very patient with me….

I was a little slow walking with the cane, but I made it everywhere except climbing the Apparition Hill and the Cross Mountain. Everyone in the blue group was fantastic and many of them said they will keep in touch.  All the priests were very spiritual and engaging and are now on my favorite priests list.  I loved the talks they gave including Fr. Leon at the daily English mass at St. James.

I fell in love with the Croatian Rosary, Mass and Adoration…

The hotel staff was great.  The meals they had prepared were terrific.  The two brother servers were the best and they were very helpful.  The capuccino was great!!!  It was nice to have a gift shop in Hotel Grace and the lady there was very helpful.  Having a money changer outside the hotel was a big help too.

I have to say the Hotel Grace Cafe food for lunch and other times was terrific.  The waiters were “Johnny On The Spot”.

I loved the pizza, burgers and Ice coffee they made – delicious…

The travel arrangements you made were very good.  It went very smoothly.  The stewardesses, service and meals on Luftwansa were excellent.  The arrangements with wheelchair service was very helpful and the elevators used to get on and off airplanes were nice and efficient.

Could not have been a better travel experience!

The religious experience was heartfelt….

We said some rosaries and some prayers and saw Maria when she had her apparition…

I want to especially thank a lady near and dear to my heart; a redhead named Slavenka.  She was constantly looking out for me and helped me in many ways.

She is my favorite person now!  Dado was also a great help; his tour knowledge was very large and interesting. He did a fantastic job as a guide and helped make this trip very worthwhile.

I also want to thank the priests that were on tour with us.  They were fantastic and enjoyed talking with them.  They heard a lot of confessions and did masses at St. James Catholic Church.   They had great homilies.  Fr. Leon’s talks at the beginning of mass while everyone was being seated were very informative.  He is an extremely  knowledgeable priest.

Last thing I need to tell you  is that I got home to Travelers Rest SC about 7:30 PM  and it was a long day.  When I woke up on Tuesday. “May 13” all my back pain was gone.  It’s now May 30th and the back pain is still all gone.  I was healed and daily thank the Blessed Mother for the healing.  I’m sorry I talk too much but thanks for all you did to make this the best trip I ever had.  (Many Smiley Faces)

Again, I can’t thank you enough for this trip you all put together!

Ray K.

  • From: Fr. Freddie D.
  • Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2025
  • Subject: Poland: In the Footsteps of St. John Paul II & St. Faustina Fr. Freddie Decal
  • Tour 168: Poland

Grace and Peace!

I am deeply grateful to 206tours for giving me an opportunity to be the chaplain of the pilgrimage to Poland: in the Footsteps of Pope John Paul II and Sr Faustina. 

Members of our group have established camaraderie and have continued to communicate through our group chat in WhatsApps. I have observed the spirit of being a pilgrim and not just a tourist in our group. Our daily morning prayers, rosaries and active participation in our daily Masses have become an important part of our pilgrimage experience. 

Viola, our tour leader, was very accommodating and had shown knowledge of the significance of the places we visited. Our driver was a hospitable and pleasant man, always ready to offer us water for our convenience. The local guides were very knowledgeable and had enriched us in appreciating the significance of the places we visited. Our participation in the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet in the Shrine of the Divine Mercy was an experience that left a deep imprint in my pilgrimage. 

May the Lord continue to bless you in your ministry and service to Church through the pilgrimages!

In our Lord,

Rev. Wilfredo ( Freddie) D.

  • From: Julia B.
  • Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje with Lori Hawes & Nives Jelich Julia Brummitt
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello Olivia,

I apologize for the delay replying to your email.  I travelled to Ohio from Medjugorje for graduations from High School for a Grandson and Granddaughter, a week apart.  

To answer your inquiry, our Pilgrimage was wonderful as always.  Lori organized the Pilgrimage working with Blazenka, our Guide.  We are blessed to be able to stay with the Dabo family each year and once again the experience was filled with spotless accommodations and first-class food displaying the incredible recipes passed down in the family.  Individual needs are always quickly met with assurance they will be provided as needed. 

Our guide Blaza is pure joy.  She greets us with plans for the events we have requested and always has some to add.  In the past as well as this year, we have had pilgrims of all ages who want to experience Apparition Hill, Blue Cross, Surmanci, the Risen Christ, and Siroki Bireg.  They have been blessed to hear the history of the Croatian people who settled the villages which make up Medjugorje from Blaza.  All have returned to Bijakovici each night after the evening program filled with the joy you can only receive from Adoring Our Lord in Medjugorje’s Evening Program.

My feedback on the flights is that this year proved United, although they have improved the classes of service, they are still a long way from equally Lufthansa and Austrian Air.  It appeared their pricing was very close to what we paid on the other two airlines.  On the plus side, it was wonderful to fly direct to Dubrovnik instead of changing planes in Europe.

Thank you for providing these incredible Pilgrimages to Medjugorje.  We look forward to next year.

Julie B.

I returned home a week ago from three consecutive tours via 206 Tours. All tours were flawless even when there was a pilot strike and beyond-anyone’s-control situations. The guides were knowledgeable, kind, gave individual attention making everything comfortable the entire time.

Iris C.

Dear ALL

My husband and I wanted to reach out and let you know how much we appreciated being able to talk to and work with Jarred Hicks on our upcoming trip to Italy.  He has worked tirelessly with us and answered all our questions. He helped us with a Pre and Post tour and so much more!!! It is so nice to be able to talk to and work with someone that clearly likes what he’s doing.

We traveled with 206 Tours for the first time last Sept and have recommended you to others.

Again, thank you Jarred and Thank You 206 Tours!

Donna and Dave B.

  • From: Lori H.
  • Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025
  • Subject: Review of Medjugorje Pilgrimage Lori Hawes
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello Olivia!

Cannot thank you enough for the professional, friendly, and amazing quickness (with responses & communications) of your staff and 206 tours—both in TN and in Bosnia/Croatia.

From our initial inquiries — through bookings, travel, excursions, accommodations and guides we had an incredible experience!

Your assistance, patience, thoroughness and follow through made the process so much easier than anticipated for me and my fellow pilgrims.  Accommodations both in Dubrovnik and Medjugorje exceeded our expectations.  Hosts were extremely eager to meet all needs: dietary, scheduling, Transportation, contacting guide, facilitating options if changes were made….Jelka’s and Drazen’s care and attention to details & individual needs of guests are unmatched (as I remember them nearly 20 yrs ago!)

Rooms were extremely clean, beds comfortable, bathrooms very modern and well provisioned. Meals were always delicious with many options, amazing variety, fresh fruits and vegetables and always a home made dessert! The location of Jelka’s is private and quiet but also easily accessible by taxi or walking to church, Bijakovici, and Apparition hill. View of cross mountain is stunning from the gardens and most rooms.

All flights and connections were as booked (or better) several of us received upgrades –  we all agreed the prices of pilgrimage were extremely fair given all that was included.

Our small group (6) was able to join another group from 206 (Slovenka’s) to experience Surmanci, and Sroki Brijeg with English speaking pilgrims. We also were thrilled to have Blazenka as our guide and hope to have her again in 2026!  She was always promptly on time (or early), ever patient reviewing scheduling (& many changes to that!)

Blaza’s knowledge of the history of Medjugorje, communist Yugoslavia, surrounding countries, religious sites etc. were so valuable. Her relationships with: other guides, the visionaries, local drivers, & Jelka and Drazen Dabo made this trip more personal from the several I’ve experienced before. She and Slovenka both do amazing jobs for 206 pilgrims and for representing your company!

I cannot tell you how initially nervous I was, to return to Medjugorje, after many years—but 206 delivered the same or a BETTER experience.  I’m so grateful!

Eternally grateful to 206 and amazing employees for seamless pilgrimage!

Lori H.

Dear Rinda,

I just returned the other day from a wonderful pilgrimage to France.  Thanks for the opportunity to serve.  Everything was great.  Our guide, Leo Jimenez, was terrific. He was very kind and friendly.  When we had to shift from taking a plane (due to a strike) to a train from Lourdes to Paris, he accomplished the shift flawlessly.  Our driver, Juan, was also incredible.  We had a great group of pilgrims.  

A few weeks back I sent the below message which I now copy for you.  Thanks for your consideration and all you have done for me.

God Bless,

Fr. Rick G., CSC

Alexandra,

This was my first trip with 206 Tours and my first trip to Italy.  Reflecting on the trip in its entirety, I don’t know how I could have had a better experience; everything exceeded my expectations.  We (myself, my son, and daughter), after my wife and their mother passed away, booked a trip to the Holy Lands, however, October 7th put a damper on that trip.   While we were waiting to see if the Holy Lands tours would resume, I saw Father Hughes’ trip advertised in the parish bulletin.  After checking if the dates worked for everyone, we transferred our credits to Father Hughes’ trip.  The transfer was handled swiftly and without any question by the efficient staff at 206 Tours. Any question that I emailed 206 Tours and got an answer back quickly.  My son looked over the itinerary and noticed our last day was in Assisi, which was about 45 minutes from where my great-grandfather was from, and wondered if we could get an add-on day to visit the area.  Again, the staff at 206 Tours understood our request and was able to book a driver and guide for a day trip to Gualdo Tadino.   Our trip guide Slavica, was very knowledgeable; she answered any question we asked.  She was patient and understanding of the needs of the people on the tour – a true professional. The driver, local guides, and even the two Holy Land guides who tagged along on the trip were professional and helpful. Lastly, Meritxell (Sp?) the 206 Tours guide that we had for the add-on trip to Gualdo Tadino was excellent.  She made the add-on day one of the highlights of the trip when she was able to connect us with the Gualdo Tadino genealogist, who provided our family tree back to the 1500’s and asked us to provide him the family tree from 1907 when my great-grandfather arrived in America up to today. Both Slavica and Meritxell are exceptional ambassadors of 206 Tours and are the reason that when I plan my next pilgrimage, it will be with 206 Tours.   We had no issues with the accommodations or the airline selection.  Breakfast and dinners were as expected – we have no complaints.  Also, a big thank you to 206 Tours for the lunch and winery tour at Orvieto.

Bob M.

  • From: Suzanne B.
  • Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Subject: My beautiful pilgrimage to Medjugorje Suzanne Burkett – Boes
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Thank you 206 Tours for another holy and beautiful pilgrimage to Medjugorje.  This was my third trip to Medjugorje, and I’m already counting the days until I can go back.  I would like to say a very special thank you to Andrej, my tour guide this trip and to Ivana and Svetlana, my tour guides on previous trips.  These people work so hard to make every pilgrim comfortable.  They make sure that everyone experiences the holiness of Medjugorje, by being perfect examples of someone who lives their life by following Our Lady’s messages.  Recently I found out that I have Stage 4 Cancer and your team of guides did some special things for me to make sure that I had some very special things happen for me while I was on my pilgrimage.  I am forever grateful.  I’m hoping to return to Medjugorje next April, but I have to wait and see if my health will allow it.  Who knows, I may have received a miracle and not even know it yet!

I also want to thank Chris in your office for working hard to get me a direct flight from St. Louis to Frankfurt.  Avoiding the Chicago airport makes travel so much easier.  Everything about your organization is so wonderful.  I thank you so much.

Suzanne B.

  • From: Betty K.
  • Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Subject: Survey on Fr. Calloway Pilgrimage Betty Kucera
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello Alexandra,

I don’t normally utilize Facebook or other social media platforms and so I’m submitting an email response to your survey request.

You and the 206 Tour Staff (in phone calls & text or email messages) were very attentive and helpful at all stages and in every aspect of my Pilgrimage experience. Despite the unexpected cancellation & rescheduling of my initial United Airlines flight (due to inclement weather), the airline personnel were extremely accommodating and helpful in ensuring continuity in making connections to Munich via Lufthansa Airlines. I  and my roommate’s late arrival to Split plus luggage issues, was not surprising in view of reported nationwide issues being reported by the Airline. Under these unusual &  difficult circumstances, 206 Tours and local (Medjugorje staff) went above and beyond their normal duties.

The 206 local tour guides (Andrej and others) were thorough in explaining and preparing for each day’s activities. They were thoughtful and did everything possible to ensure our safety and comfort in bus transports and walking tours.

The Hotel Sulac staff (the lobby manager, cook, maid) performed their duties in an excellent and professional manner). I especially commend the cook (Irene) for working so diligently to ensure that I received gluten-free meals, including a special type of bread.

I will certainly consider 206 Tours for any future Pilgrimage!  Thank you All again for your assistance and hospitality!

Sincerely,

Betty K.

  • From: Jared B.
  • Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Subject: Thank you Jared Birchfield
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Greetings Olivia,

My wife and I just wanted to express our gratitude to you for all that you did to make our pilgrimage to Medjugorie a blessed experience.

You helped so much to coordinate our extended travel airlines plans and organize a ride from our hotel to the airport. It all went so smoothly and it’s so nice to have that dependability.

Also, the fact that you were so very responsive to all my emails means a lot to us. We hope God blesses you greatly!

Jared and Andrea

Hello, I wish I had gone with your Pilgrimages before. I love everything! Itinerary, tour guides, location of hotel. In short, I love everything! Fr Calloway was wonderful, Slavica was not our guide, but I really like her. Next year I want to take my husband in one of your Pilgrimages, with Fr Calloway. I feel the love of the Blessed Mother when I left Medjugorje.

God Bless 206 Tours! 

Marilou P.

  • From: Regina B.
  • Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje with Fr. Charles Dussouy Regina Bertolino
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello Cara,

 I absolutely enjoyed my pilgrimage to Medjugorje, all due to the hospitality of the owner and the wonderful Irene, who prepared our breakfast and dinner at Boutique Hotel Sulic.  They were most accommodating to all their guests.  It was obvious our comfort and expectations were top of their lists.  If I return, and I hope that I do, there is no place else I’d rather stay.

Our guide, Dragana, is top notch.  She is a “keeper”.  She explained everything superbly.  Her providing the history, culture, religious beliefs, traditions, and people of the region were excellent.  I always enjoy learning more about the human side of the places I visit.  Every day a copy of that day’s activities was posted, and it was very helpful in scheduling our personal time for the day. 

The side trips and visits were special.  It was a treat learning about the other significant and historical organizations in the area and all the good work they do. Medjugorje is a peaceful and holy place where you will experience what this world should be.  There are no strangers there.

A closing note, all of our connections and special travel arrangements went without a problem.  Thank you Cara.

Blessed beyond words,

Regina B.

Hello Alexandra,

I hope you’re doing well today.

My husband and I had an amazing time on our Fr. Calloway 206 Tour to Medjugorje! Honestly, we have zero complaints about the entire experience. My husband, who wasn’t quite sure about going on a pilgrimage with a tour company asked me as soon as we got home when are we going on our next pilgrimage!

Our tour guide, Dragan, was phenomenal! He put his heart, soul and many hours into giving us a beautiful experience. He and the other tour guides spent the evenings going over everything planned for the next day. They arranged excursions for us beyond that which were listed on the itinerary, which very much enhanced our pilgrimage. We even had the blessing of being present for one of Maria’s daily private apparitions, which was most likely the highlight of most pilgrims time spent there. Dragan said he was speaking with Maria all week about letting us be present, and his persistency and charm paid off big for us. Bless his soul!

Fr Calloway and the three other spiritual directors were amazing too. It was so refreshing to be in their presence throughout the pilgrimage. Each of them added so much to the experience whether it was by their presence, sharing their stories, celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, offering Confession, accompanying us on the excursions, and so forth. It truly was a blessing to have these four priests with us while we were on pilgrimage!

Villa Grace, its staff, the meals were all top notch. I’ve heard from friends who have visited Medjugorje how when you visit it’s roughing it in comparison to traveling elsewhere. I imagine those folks weren’t on a 206 Tours of Medjugorje because there was nothing roughing it about our accommodations. It was lovely also to stay in a hotel that had beautiful religious artwork and statues, which was a first for us – and we’ve traveled fairly extensively.

One priest who spoke to us in Mostar suggested we take home Medjugorje. It was such a deeply rich spiritual experience that that is exactly what we’ve done, and hopefully will continue to do. That’s the sign of a fruitful pilgrimage. Thanks and God bless everyone at 206 Tours who made this pilgrimage possible for us.

Blessings,

Rebecca on behalf of Rebecca & Ralph F.

  • From: Pat Collins
  • Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
  • Subject: Diocese of Grand Rapids: Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Shrines of Italy with Pattie Reynolds Pat Collins
  • Tour 96: Shrines of Italy

Good morning Alexandra,

My trip was amazing!

Our guide in Rome was wonderful, full of spirit and life. (Sorry I can’t remember her name).

Usama (our guide for the entire trip) was GREAT! He was full of knowledge and very approachable if we needed anything.

The bus driver was phenomenal!

Thanks for a great experience!

Pat C.

  • From: Mike & Patricia S.
  • Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
  • Subject: Tour 162 Comments Mike & Patricia Sweeney
  • Tour 162: Greece

We just returned from the Tour 162 to Greece.

We have been on several Catholic tours but this one was clearly the best. 

The primary reason was our tour guide, Chryssanthi Tasiouary.

Her command of languages, especially Greek and English, was superb.  She was a joy to have as our Guide.  She took excellent care of all of us.

You have a real jewel there.  I would make sure she stays in your employment!

We are available to embellish this critique at this email address.

Mike and Patricia S.

  • From: Annie C.
  • Sent: Monday, May 19, 2025
  • Subject: With Gratitude Annie Callaghan Dorgan
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hi Natasha!

I cannot thank you enough for making this most recent pilgrimage a breeze for our pilgrims and for me.  I could NOT have done it without your guidance.

I am planning next pilgrimage for this November with a couple of us leaving early again.

Thank you, thank you, for all you did and continue to do for Our Lady and Our Lord.

Annie C.

  • From: Annie C
  • Sent: Monday, May 19, 2025
  • Subject: With Gratitude Annie C
  • Medjugorje 1

Hi Natasha!

I cannot thank you enough for making this most recent pilgrimage a breeze for our pilgrims and for me. I could NOT have done it without your guidance.

I am planning next pilgrimage for this November with a couple of us leaving early again.

Thank you, thank you, for all you did and continue to do for Our Lady and Our Lord.

Annie C

  • From: Ileana Fajardo
  • Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2025
  • Subject: Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi with Fr. Dan Hennessey and Jodi Sampson Ileana Fajardo
  • Tour 92: Rome & Assisi

Dear Olivia,

My husband, Peter Cross, and I found the journey very spiritual and beautiful and it certainly met all our expectations. The weather certainly cooperated. Needless to say this was a very busy and congested time in Rome, but the visits were well planned and entries were very favorable due to 206 arrangements. Our location specific tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly too. What can we say about Raffy!! She was super, friendly and fun. And what a joy it was to see and hug Said in Assisi! Said was our fabulous guide in the Holy Land in 2023!

Dinners were more than superb!

We look forward to another 206 pilgrimage in the future. 

Thanks for all your planning, excellent guides and arrangements for Masses in magnificent churches/chapels. 

With blessings,

Ileana and Peter

We are home! What a great pilgrimage!!

Eleni was a fantastic guide!

All went so well. And we had perfect weather. 

Thanks for everything!

Fr. Brian P.

  • From: Barbara C.
  • Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2025
  • Subject: Review- Poland: In the Footsteps of St. John Paul II & St. Faustina Apr 28, 2025 Barbara Connor
  • Tour 168: Poland

Tour was well planned and Sabrina was an excellent guide!

Barbara C.

I want to thank 206 Tours for an amazing 10 days of discovery. Traveling with Tim and our guide Sonia along with Fr. Dillon was so informative and FUN! I learned so much from Sonia. She’s so easy going but managed to corral us to get going to next stop. We all considered her as our new friend. She had us laughing and we were having a good time making her laugh. It was a spiritual journey which filled me with so many blessings.

And we can’t forget to thank Francesco our bus driver. He’s an incredible driver and kept us on time once Sonia corralled us to meet up with him. Loved the comfort of the bus too.

The accommodations were good and most of the food was good as well.

Thank you,

Peggy B.

Natasha,

The pilgrimage was wonderful.  A great group of people, a wonderful Tour Director on a spectacular trip.  I know no one was ready to go home when the time came.

Even though we had to make some last-minute changes due to Pope Francis’ death on the day we departed for Rome, everything went on without a hitch.  We even added St. Paul Outside the Walls since many of our pilgrims wanted to go through the Holy Doors at all 4 Major Basilicas.

And lastly, but by no means least, our tour director, Giovanna, was spectacular.  She made sure everything went smoothly and always looked out for everyone to make sure they were happy.  We could not have asked for a better director.

Finally, I do hope to convince our Priests to continue leading pilgrimages to different areas and if I am successful, will be in contact with you.

Thanks for all of your help!!!

Robert Riviere

  • From: Sally Furness
  • Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2025
  • Subject: Our Camino de Santiago Portuguese Route trip Sally Furness
  • Tour 78: Portuguese Camino

Dear 206 Tours, 

My son, sister, cousin, and I returned last Friday from our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela along the Portuguese route.  It was the most wonderful experience!  The booking process through the website was easy, as the website is very user-friendly.  206 Tours was exceptionally responsive to any inquiries I made before and during the trip.  I love having a real person to talk to!  Our tour guide, Jorge, was fantastic.  Friendly, funny, calm, knowledgeable.  He was attentive to everyone’s needs, and we all became a cohesive unit.  I know it takes an amazing amount of organization to arrange every little detail, and Jorge accomplished this with ease and good humor.

Father Joel, our spiritual leader, and Antonio, our bus driver, were just as wonderful as Jorge!  We just loved every minute.  Even though my sister, son, and I are not Catholic, attending Mass daily added so much to our pilgrimage and spiritual journey.  

The route itself is so pretty.  I wasn’t expecting so much green.  The bucolic countryside and the lovely little towns are beautiful.   Every aspect of the trip exceeded expectations.  Thank you, 206 Tours.

Warm regards,

Sally A. Dawson (Furness)

  • From: Lea Ramos
  • Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje Pilgrimage 4/2025 feedback Lea Ramos
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello:

Good day!!! Thank you for the opportunity to share my feedback on my Medjugorje Pilgrimage. The air travel was well put together. We saw the 206 red backpacks at Vienna Austria, and we met a few of our pilgrim group before we arrived in Croatia. We bonded right away because we recognized the red backpacks…brilliant idea!!! Our tour guide Andrej met us at the airport once we arrived in Croatia and took us in the bus ride to Medjugorje. Andrej is an excellent story teller…he gave us the history of Medjugorje and its significant events like he’s telling a story. I was impressed with his knowledge,  warmth, compassion, concise and to the point information. He was very helpful with our needs, and he was good in leading our station of the cross up the Cross Mountain. He spent time with us during our dinner, and updated us on the plan the following day. I can tell that he likes what he does as our tour guide. He highly spoke positively of our bus/van drivers throughout the tour. Our tour drivers were amazing and kept us safe in those narrow roads. They were truly professional drivers. Foods and hotel accommodations were wonderful. I liked my private room and we all enjoyed the foods that they served us. I will use this agency again now that I know this agency also do other pilgrimage worldwide. I started recommending it to my friends that are interested in going to Medjugorje. Sharing some of the fun pictures…

With gratitude, 

Lea Ramos

What a remarkable time to be on tour in Italy!  Thank you to 206 Tours for making this possible for me.  Turrin was one of my favorite places and Mass at St. Francis Basilica the most inspirational.  Our tour guide, Sonya, was very knowledgeable with a great love for her country and her faith.  Getting to meet new friends 

Wonderful and I appreciate all their kindnesses shown to me.  I do think that at times were trying to do too much without much time for breaks.  Taking in consideration the special time we were there with the death of Pope Francis and election of new pope, may not been avoidable.  Thanks also to Tim Kockler and Fr. Dillion.

-Mary Grimes

  • From: Kevin Horgan
  • Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
  • Subject: Ireland Tour April 25 to May 3, 2025 Kevin Horgan
  • Tour 202: Ireland

This was our 5th 206 Tour and they just keep getting better!

Karen, our guide, was friendly, approachable, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun.  My wife and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary in Knock and Karen arranged, with Fr. Arnie, for us to have a special renewal at mass at the shrine (no dry eyes here!) and a cake with our dinner that night.  Very very very special for us.  A+       

GO REV MA AGOS  (phonetic Gaelic meaning “thank you”)

Fr Arnie was a real rip!  He was such a positive and easy-going influence and we really connected.  A+

Our driver, Theo, has great skill and is quick-witted.  Another A+

Again, 206 Tours is the best… The best itineraries, the best guides and priests, the best accommodations.  We will travel with you again, God willing, and will continue to recommend your business and sing its praises!

Semper fi,

Kevin Horgan

In October 2024, I went on a pilgrimage titled Walking in the Steps of St. Paul. We traveled to all the cities and islands where Saint Paul preached. It was outstanding! 206 tours was easy to work with and responsive to any email or phone call. From the minute, we landed in Greece and began our tour, everything was superb! The Hotels, the transportation, the food, and of course, all of the tours to many,  many sites. But the best part of the trip was our guide Nena! She is from Thessaloniki and has been doing tours for 30+ years. She loves her country and is so proud of it’s history. She enjoyed and was excited about every place we went. Her enthusiasm about telling us the history of Greece, the stories of St. Paul, the meanings of traditions, the culture of the ancient times and current times was inspiring and always delightful! The job of a tour guide is not easy, but she always had a smile on her face and was closely looking out for each one of us. She made sure to take us to different stops on the road that had the best food, products, souvenirs, books and prices. She patiently allowed us to ask many questions and she knew her job so well that when we were going to sites where there would be many people and buses she always knew the best time to go so it wouldn’t be as crowded and take us too  long. She truly cared and wanted us to have the best experience we could have. Some tour guides just do a job, but Nena wants to give everyone the tour of a lifetime! I thank 206 tours and I give many thanks to Nena for the tour of a lifetime and memories that I will never forget!

Jaye

  • From: Paul Blanchette
  • Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
  • Subject: Pilgrimage to Medjugorje with Optional Post Tour to Dubrovnik and Split with Paul Blanchette Paul Blanchette
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Alex,

You are such a professional at your trade.  I love working with you to plan and execute beautiful, often life-altering, pilgrimage itineraries and unforgettable experiences around the world. 

206 Tours is a wonderful company and we love traveling with you. The recent journey was an excellent example. We enjoyed the opportunity for our group to share faith, food & fellowship while growing in our love for Our Lady of Medjugorje. 

The extension did not disappoint as we enjoyed Dubrovnik, Split & Kotor and Our Lady if the Rocks in Montenegro. 

Ivan was the consummate professional throughout, always keeping us informed and engaged with a active schedule that allotted time to rest, recharge and participate in all the events at St. James Church & grounds. 

I would give this one an A+ for sure!

We are moving forward w/France this October , Spain 2026, Italy again 2027, Footsteps of St. Paul again 2028, Holy Land 2029 $ Oberammergau 2030. 

Thank very, very much for all you do. 

Paul & Christine Blanchette

  • From: Paul Blanchette
  • Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
  • Subject: Pilgrimage to Medjugorje with Optional Post Tour to Dubrovnik and Split with Paul Blanchette Paul Blanchette 2025
  • Medjugorje 1

Alex,

You are such a professional at your trade. I love working with you to plan and execute beautiful, often life-altering, pilgrimage itineraries and unforgettable experiences around the world.

206 Tours is a wonderful company and we love traveling with you. The recent journey was an excellent example. We enjoyed the opportunity for our group to share faith, food & fellowship while growing in our love for Our Lady of Medjugorje.

The extension did not disappoint as we enjoyed Dubrovnik, Split & Kotor and Our Lady if the Rocks in Montenegro.

Ivan was the consummate professional throughout, always keeping us informed and engaged with a active schedule that allotted time to rest, recharge and participate in all the events at St. James Church & grounds.

I would give this one an A+ for sure!

Thank very, very much for all you do.

Paul & Christine Blanchette

Arlene and I have been blessed to have had many ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences. But aside from Marriage, Baptism and Confirmation, Birth of Children and Grandchildren, being in St. Peter’s Square to see white smoke, witness the revealing of a new Pope and receiving a Papal blessing from Pope Leo XIV definitely tops the list.

Our journey to be in Rome on the day the Pope was elected dates back two years on a Pilgrimage to Medjugorje.  On our way out of Medjugorje at 2:30 in the morning I heard a voice telling me I wasn’t supposed to leave.  The voice insisted I get out of the van immediately, before the next roundabout.  I said I had a flight to catch.  The voice was persistent. I finally said, ‘if I promise to return, can I go now?’  The voice accepted my offer. 

So last year we began to plan a return pilgrimage to Medjugorje and added an overlapping pilgrimage to Italy beginning May 14. This year is a Jubilee year and pilgrims walk through the holy doors of the four major basilicas in Rome.  Unfortunately, the Italy portion got cancelled in early February, and 206 Tours (who I cannot recommend enough) helped us with a similar itinerary beginning early May.  So in mid-February we had our flights and rooms booked for early May.  Of course, at that time we had no idea what was in store for us. 

When Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, we started searching information on the Conclave. Our excitement rose when we discovered the Conclave would start May 7, as the only two days the Pilgrimage was scheduled in Rome were May 7 and 8.  We discovered there would be one vote Wednesday afternoon.   On subsequent days, a maximum of two votes in morning and two in the afternoon.  If both were negative, either morning or afternoon, you would only see black smoke once.  If they elected a Pope, you would see white smoke after the vote. 

We left Sunday May 4 to arrive in Rome a day before the Pilgrimage was to start.  When we arrived Monday, we entered the Holy Door of St. Peter’s and attended 5 pm Mass behind the main altar.  Tuesday morning, we were able to visit the other three Basilica’s in Rome and complete the passing through the four Holy Doors.  Since this was to be part of the Pilgrimage, we were comfortable abandoning the Pilgrimage on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Wednesday afternoon we walked 0.8 miles to the Vatican and arrived around 2 to begin waiting.  In order to get into St. Peter’s Square you had to go through a metal detector.  On Wednesday, there was an extra level of security a half block from the square and they made a quick check of your backpack.  Security was very visible.

When we arrived Wednesday, there was a small crowd, but it continued to build throughout the day.  We were able to watch on the outdoor screens as the Cardinals made their way into the Sistine Chapel. One that struck me happened watching the Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel while praying the litany of saints.  We also got to watch each cardinal place his hand on the gospel and take the oath.  It helped me to understand how solemn and spiritual this moment is, how much they were asking for the Holy Spirit and the Saints to guide them  their decision in choosing the next leader of the Catholic church.

The screens stayed on while the Cardinals took their oath. Then at 5:45, we watched the doors of the Sistine Chapel close and the video feed was turned off.  We waited.  We didn’t feel the need to get close, so we sat on the steps by the Bernini colonnade.  As the sun set the 70F temp dropped a little and it became cool.  We had already missed our dinner with the group and kept debating how long to stay, since it was a good bet we would see black smoke.  At around 8:45, you couldn’t easily see the smokestack with the naked eye.  The camera picture trained on the stack had to adjust of the increasing darkness.  We decided to exit the square and walked down the street outside the Vatican to the first tv screen to wait for the black smoke, which eventually came at 9:00 pm.  Our 7 hours of waiting Wednesday were done.

Thursday morning we again advised our tour guide that we were going to the Vatican again and wait, hopefully seeing them at dinner.  We arrived around 9:15 and settled into the area directly in front of St. Peter’s. The crowd grew during the morning, but when the black smoke appeared again around 11:50, there was a moan in the crowd and a good portion of the crowd dispersed.

But we were committed to staying. Our pilgrimage was leaving Rome Friday morning, so the afternoon votes would be our last chance.  But security made us clear out of the area closest to the Basilica.  So we sat again on the steps near the Bernini columns where we had spent most of Wednesday.  We did bring a small snack so we didn’t have to leave the square. 

Close to 1 pm we decided to get in line and wait to get into the first barricaded area in front. We stood for 2 hours until they let us back in the area at 3 pm. It was sunny and 70F, but in the shade it was cool, so it was good weather for waiting.  Actually, we got more use of our umbrella for shade than for rain!

Once we got into the barricaded area, for the next 3 hours we sat or stood, waiting. The waiting was an experience itself.  The crowd was orderly and patient.  Flags from different counties were draped over the barricades. A group of Nuns were praying the Rosary in Italian.  Occasionally, a group would shout “we want a Pope” – in Italian of course.  I have never looked at a smokestack for that long in my life.

Around 5 pm the all the screens switched to the view of the smokestack. Once in a while a seagull would appear on near the stack.  The crowd laughed and cheered a little when two seagulls, then a baby appeared around the stack.  Around 2 minutes later, the white smoke appeared at 6:07pm. 

A loud cheer went up from the crowd.  We began crying.  The bells of St. Peter started ringing.  The joy at seeing the smoke is one I will never forget. The cheering was unique, different from any cheering at a sporting event.  Something we dreamed we might see became a reality.  

We knew the new Pope would come out in about an hour. But we didn’t know what else to expect.  23 minutes after the smoke began to appear, a band marched out followed by the Swiss guards. You realized they were on standby since late Wednesday afternoon.

Our text messages to friends were delayed in getting sent, not surprisingly the phone system was overloaded, but before the Pope came out, we received a text from a friend in the US telling us the Pope is from America!   We were thrilled that we would get to see the new Pope, but even more surprised that he is the first American Pope.  

The entire experience was amazing and something we will never forget. 

-Ed and Arlene Borkowski

 

  • From: Natalia León Cava
  • Sent: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje April 24-May 2, 2025 Natalia León Cava
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello,

Thank you so much for a wonderful beyond wonderful trip to Medjugorje. Everything about it was perfect, the drivers, the stay at Villa Grace, the staff there, the food, the group, our spiritual guide, Fr. Guido, especially our guide Andrej Zovko.

On our first day, as we were getting ready to go up Apparition Hill, we wanted to take a picture of the group and we asked 2 men who were coming down if they could take our picture. One of them took the phones to take the pictures and the other man crouched in front of us and photo bombed our picture, and it was JIM CAVIEZEL!!!

I have told everyone about my experience with 206Tours and I hope many people are as lucky as me and go to Medjugorje with you guys. I will surely do it again (hopefully soon) and with my family next time!!

I’m beyond grateful.  Thank you and God bless you!

-Natalia 

We absolutely loved this tour. Our priest in Portugal and Spain was wonderful. The guide was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor.  The city guide in Salamanca was the best. This was the 2nd time in 6 months that we took this tour. 

The hotels were very comfortable and in nice locations. Our driver to and from the Rome airport was very professional. In Rome, while touring the Vatican, skipping the long lines was great. Due to the Pope’s illness, our schedule was modified. As luck would have it, we visited the Basilica where the Pope was to be buried. What a joy. The tour of the Vatican Museum was awesome. Seeing the burial sights of numerous Popes in the catacombs was so interesting. Visiting the Sistine Chapel, not knowing that we would be there 2 weeks prior to Conclave was the highlight. We were afforded entry into areas where others were denied. We had access to areas where the Swiss Guard were present and guarding, only a few feet from where we walked.

The trip was awesome. We are planning on a re-do in April 2026.

David and Connie Martin 

  • From: Fr. Joel Andre Minsi Endomo
  • Sent: Friday, May 9, 2025
  • Subject: Tour # 78: Portuguese Camino - April 2025 Fr. Joel Andre Minsi Endomo
  • Tour 78: Portuguese Camino

Good morning Rinda, 

I hope that you are fine, especially at this particular time when the USA is delighted about the first US’s pope of history. 

We joyfully ended the pilgrimage yesterday with the solemn mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, during which we had the chance to celebrate with the 206 group which did the Francis Camino. We therefore thank God for the success of this pilgrimage. 

Furthermore, I would like to thank you for the renewed trust on the one hand and all the 206 team for the meticulous organization on the other. It has truly been a rich experience shared with very prepared people (physically and spiritually).

Thank you again and have a nice weekend.

Fr. Joel

  • From: Fr. Guido Gockel
  • Sent: Friday, May 9, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje - April 24 Fr. Guido Gockel
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Dear Rinda,

Greetings!

By the way, the Medjugorje pilgrimage went very well. Andre was a fantastic, knowledgable and very friendly guide. I enjoyed him – like all the other 206tour guides – very much. I’m looking forward for what else you have in store for me.

Please, please give my love to Charlie and Milanka and tell them that i have missed them for a long time.

Much love to you and God bless!

Fr. Guido 

Dear Rinda,

Good Morning! I returned from “All Italian Shrines” Pilgrimage ( Apr.21-May04) on Sunday night. It was an amazing one in many ways. That’s the time of the wake and the funeral of Pope Francis. You can only imagine the amount of activities going on during that time. 

We were blessed with wonderful guide Federica and the driver Claudio. Federica was more than a guide and staff. She treated everyone like her own family members and was so helpful. All the pilgrims were able to get along with each other and no one was ready to leave for home. All in all it was a wonderful spiritual and social experience. Please let the administration know how grateful I am for offering this opportunity to serve as the Spiritual Guide. 

Fr. Selvam Gerald

Dear Milanka, Dominic, Cara and Natasha,

My words alone cannot express my gratitude, as well as the thanks from our pilgrims, for all of your work on making our “Walking in the Footsteps of Carlo Acutis” pilgrimage so wonderful.  The trip was well planned by all of you!  Thank you!

I have nothing but the highest of praise for Ana, our 206 tour guide in Italy.  She was a pure joy!  Ana looked after us perfectly from the airport arrival to airport departure with joy, skill and expertise.  She was on top of every last detail and was very accommodating.  

Thank you from the depth of our hearts for ensuring a tremendous experience.

I look forward to working with you again for future pilgrimages and please let me know if you ever need a spiritual director for one of your own pilgrimages. 

God bless you all!

Fr. Leon

  • From: Fr. Leon B
  • Sent: Monday, May 5, 2025
  • Subject: Walking in the Footsteps of Bl. Carlo Acutis Fr. Leon B
  • Shrines of Italy 96

Dear Milanka, Dominic, Cara and Natasha,

My words alone cannot express my gratitude, as well as the thanks from our pilgrims, for all of your work on making our “Walking in the Footsteps of Carlo Acutis” pilgrimage so wonderful. The trip was well planned by all of you! Thank you!

I have nothing but the highest of praise for Ana, our 206 tour guide in Italy. She was a pure joy! Ana looked after us perfectly from the airport arrival to airport departure with joy, skill and expertise. She was on top of every last detail and was very accommodating.

Thank you from the depth of our hearts for ensuring a tremendous experience.

I look forward to working with you again for future pilgrimages and please let me know if you ever need a spiritual director for one of your own pilgrimages.

God bless you all!

Fr. Leon

Thanks to the entire 206 Tours team, this was yet another delightful and awe-inspiring Pilgrimage. What a blessing to be able to participate in a tour with so many other wonderful pilgrims  to pray together in such sacred places.  It was truly unbelievable to have the opportunity — in one tour—to visit several sites where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared with Her messages, and to participate in evening candlelight processions; visit crypts of relics of saints, and even walk on the El Camino. Fantastic itinerary!! Although we participated in daily Mass and other prayers, there was a good balance with sightseeing city tours and enjoying the many beautiful Cathedrals and Basilicas, Monasteries, and other places of worship. The hotels were wonderful, and meals well chosen, however, what really stood out with this particular tour was our tour guide and our spiritual guide— and of course our very talented bus drivers. Our guide Leo, although he always called us “friends”, he made us all feel like family. That’s not very easy to do with so many different personalities and personal needs. Kudos Leo!!!

And Fr. Thom held very touching masses with us every single day at special places- for example at a Monastery where the left arm of Jesus cross is actually kept, and we had the opportunity to venerate it. So, we know- as Leo kept saying- it takes an entire team to have made this such a successful pilgrimage, so THANK YOU team 206tours and God Bless every single one of you!!

Patty & Charles

  • From: Fr. Andrew Wellmann
  • Sent: Sunday, May 4, 2025
  • Subject: THANK YOU! Fr. Andrew Wellmann
  • Tour 97: Rome

Hello!

Thank you all so much for an excellent pilgrimage to Rome!

Everything went very well.

I am so grateful for all of the work that you did to make this pilgrimage so beautiful.

God bless,

Fr. Andrew

I want to thank the privilege of acting as Spiritual Director on the Marian Shrines.  It was spiritually rewarding for me and I hope for the pilgrims! 

Again Thank You,

Father Ed Lamp

This was the best trip ever.  Best tour guide ever.  Thank you so much.  I will be a returning customer 

God Bless You!

Travis

  • From: Rob and Kathy Hand
  • Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2025
  • Subject: All Italian Shrines of Italy - Tour 103 Rob and Kathy Hand
  • Tour 103: All Italian Shrines

We just recently returned home from the “All Italian Shrines of Italy” tour. It was an amazing experience in every way. Daily Mass with the wonderful priest (Father Henry) who traveled with us was great and his homilies inspirational. We had frequent group rosaries on our bus rides along with some of the daily prayers from the Magnificat.  We sang hymns on the bus as we went.  Father Henry usually opened the ride with “This is the Day the Lord Has Made.”  We still sing it at home on several occasions which reminds of the pilgrimage and all the joy we had.  

Our tour guide (Federica) was so kind, thoughtful, caring, compassionate and knowledgeable also. She went above and beyond in so many ways to ensure that everyone’s needs and concerns were taken care of.  We were blessed to have her with us.  She was really an angel who looked out for everyone.  Our bus driver, Amos, did a wonderful job of driving, parking, taking care of our luggage, stocking water and keeping the bus in good working order.

Our accommodations were great… especially the Giotto hotel in Assisi.  The local tour guides that we had in each location were extremely knowledgeable and helpful.  We were blessed to have the local guides and Federica to ensure our tours and activities went well.

This was our first pilgrimage and we were so blessed to have selected 206 tours and this tour.  We met some wonderful people and have developed friendships whom we cherish.  We hope to continue to see and stay in contact with some of our fellow pilgrims.   

We saw so many amazing sites and places.  It is difficult to believe all that we experienced.  We also gained a plenary indulgence by passing through all four Holy Doors in Rome in the Jubilee Year. Our sweet guide Federica and 206 Tours even provided us with a certificate showing we went through the Holy Doors with our individual names on them. What a meaningful generous thing to do! 

If you are not sure about taking a pilgrimage, just trust in the Good Lord.  It will be a meaningful adventure in so many ways. This pilgrimage was well worth the money and the experience of a lifetime.  We hope to take another pilgrimage and it will definitely be with 206 Tours.

We also had some medical issues at the end of our tour.  Federica was incredible with the all the help, guidance and compassion she provided to us.  Chris is still working with us to help get some reimbursement from the trip insurance for the things we missed and the medical bills.

Thank you to 206 Tours, Federica, Father Henry, Amos and all our local guides.  You have all been a blessing to us in so many ways.

Blessings,

Rob & Kathy Hand

Our tour guide Quico Prado was outstanding. He knew each destination very well and was very attentive to everyone’s needs. I highly recommend him for 206 Tours in the future.

Our bus driver was also outstanding. He drove the large bus through some very tight spots. No incidents. I highly recommend him.

Our spiritual guide Father Jerry Gauvreau was outstanding. He was very attentive to our spiritual needs. Mass every day at shrines was a blessing.

John Baloga

My wife & I returned recently from a tour ‘In The Footsteps of St Paul’ and we had an incredible time.  Our guide, Eleni Maousidou-Vozika, was outstanding.  Her knowledge of the places we visited was tremendous, and her warmth and friendliness to our group made the experience even better.  She took care of every detail and even helped members of our group when we forgot things (billfolds, rosaries, etc).  We were also fortunate to include several days in Medjugorje after the tour of Greece.

We’ve traveled with 206 Tours multiple times now and will not hesitate to travel with you again.  Your company never disappoints!

Aaron & Jean Randolph

Christy,

I recently returned from my second 206 tour (El Camino de Santiago 4.4.25-4.14.25).  Once again, I was beyond impressed with the way 206Tours organizes their tours. Our tour guide Jorge Sandalia, from the Canary Islands, was superb!! 5 stars plus rating!  He was so knowledgeable, kind, polite, accommodating and provided a wealth of knowledge about everywhere we went and everything we saw.

Our Spiritual Leader, Fr. Cesar Jaramillo, was beyond amazing!  It was the first time Fr. Cesar Jaramillo was on a 206 Tour and spiritual Leader. I told him I did not believe he was just randomly selected by 206 Tours, but rather Divine intervention in which the Holy Spirit only seeks out the best!

Having Mass celebrated every day by Fr. Cesar was a highlight of the trip. HIs humility is commendable and his knowledge of history (Cananical, World, American and European is outstanding. We were nourished spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically having him in our presence as we walk the Camino. He was our “pace setter” in so many ways!

I have Morgan to thank for giving me the nudge to become an ambassador for Dynamic Catholic. Thank you to all at Dynamic Catholic and 206Tours for all you do…and you do it so well.  Word of mouth is our best means of advertisement.  Be assured that I am mentioning Dynamic Catholic and 206Tours in every story I tell of my recent trips!

Sincerely,

Joyce Wirtz

I cannot say enough good things about our tour with this great company.  My wife and I enjoyed every single day of this awesome adventure.  Everything from top to bottom was nothing but first class. Hotels, airline travel, bus comfort, Jose our driver, food, restaurants were the best,  Especially important to us and which made this pilgrimage so remarkable was our spiritual leader, Fr; Thomas Miller and guide Leopoldo Jimenez. These two men are a treasure to 206 Tours! Their knowledge, kindness, and wonderful personality were key to making this trip so special to the 20 people that accompanied us.  I look forward to future trips with 206 Tours and have already recommended you to many of our friends.. You are the best!

Respectfully,

Larry & Nancy E.

  • From: Alfred Carbuto
  • Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
  • Subject: Feedback on Fundraising Pilgrimage to Italy and Medjugorge (St. Pius X Residence) March 10-21, 2025 Alfred Carbuto
  • Tour 97-A: Shrines of Italy & Medjugorje

Hello Oivia,

I would like to thank you and the staff of 206 Tours for the fabulous job of organizing this wonderful pilgrimage.  It was my first time to Italy (the country of both grandparents!) and Medjugorje.

Since it was my first time to Europe, it was very helpful that you covered all bases for preparing me for the trip –  flights, hotels, luggage, and many other items. 

The flights and layovers were smooth, the hotels were top notch, food delicious, and the tour guides and bus drivers were professional and friendly.

The choice of shrines was inspired and the experience very prayerful, especially Medjugorje.  Fr. Steve was a wonderful spiritual director.  I enjoyed the company of my fellow pilgrims.

I can’t say enough in praise of your tour organization!

Thank you,

Best regards,

Al Carbuto

Chris, I want to personally thank you for your assistance from start to finish. As you know we ask for certain accommodation because of our son. It was not, perfect be worked out just fine.  Thanks for answering all our phone calls and emails. You are a true professional at what you do. I will definitely be using 206 TOURS again.  Until next time God Bless.  

John Prado

  • From: David & Susan Lydzinski
  • Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
  • Subject: Poland & Rome | Mar 31, 2025 David & Susan Lydzinski
  • Tour 168-R: Poland & Rome

Dear 206 Tours,

We recently returned from our Poland and Rome pilgrimage in early April. Overall, we had an excellent trip that was full of spiritual moments and learning. Below is some specific feedback on our trip and we look forward to our next pilgrimage in 2026, if the good Lord allows it.

Poland:

– Really an amazing place and it was very moving for us. Beside the spiritual sites we visited – Jasna Gora/Czestochowa, Divine Mercy sites, JP2 hometown, Zakopane, Maximillian Kolbe, etc. the incredibly strong faith of the Polish people will be our lasting memory. Very inspiring and a role model for the Catholic world.

– Our tour guide, Sabine Balos, was excellent (5 stars*****). Sabine was caring and listened to our needs. She is a very spiritual person and we loved having her throughout the trip.Sabine kept our priest, Father Robert, busy on the bus in between stops with rosaries and divine mercies when possible – excellent!!

– A couple of suggestions from our experience: In our opinion, this trip should be stretched to one more day. We felt hurried at times to get everything in. Especially noted was the short time we spent in Jasna Gora at Our Lady Of Czestochowa. An extra half or full day (maybe 2 nights?) there would have been much better. A little more free time in the basilicas and Krakow would also have been appreciated for quiet prayer and adoration.

Rome:

– We wanted to return after doing Classic Italy in 2024 to see the four major basilicas again and walk through the holy doors. The crowds were ridiculous but we managed to see what we came to see. Mission accomplished!

– Our guide, Federica Pontesilli, was great but to be honest, most of the two days were handled by local guides. However, Federica was well-organized and met us at the hotel when we arrived. It is clear she is an excellent guide – very professional and on top of things. Wish we had more time to get to know her. 

Best Regards,

David & Susan Lydzinski

  • From: Fr. Emmanuel Isidore Umanah
  • Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025
  • Subject: Appreciation Fr. Emmanuel Isidore Umanah
  • Tour 98: Classic Italy

Dear Sir/Madam,

Happy Easter!

I am writing to thank you for the opportunity granted me to participate in the pilgrimage within Italy (Classic Italy) from 7/8 – 16 April 2024. This was my second pilgrimage with 206 Tours. Thank you for offering me this moment of grace.

The pilgrimage was a very significant one: falling within the Eastertide of the Jubilee year of hope! As fellow “pilgrims of hope” we considered our pilgrimage as an “Exodus” from “Egypt” to the “promised land”; from sin to grace; and from slavery to freedom.  We prayed and offered the Holy Mass in various Basilicas of Italy. We reminded ourselves of the significance of the plenary indulgence, and we fulfilled the conditions for obtaining them. 

Our 206-tour guide, Federica, is a gospel to be preached! Her availability is outstanding; her devotion and spirituality created an atmosphere of a pilgrimage; her patience is immeasurable, and her calmness is truly exceptional. Similarly, Federico, our driver, was at his best: exceptionally patient, diligent, and devoted. The hotels and meals were super! Thank you!

We prayed for the board and Management of 206 Tours. We also prayed for peace in the world, among other intentions. My group members were special. Our moments of prayers, sharing, trips, etc. were filled with joy and profound spirituality. We began our pilgrimage as disciples and we returned as apostles! Thanks for everything you do.

May I use this occasion to thank you for the assistance that you offer to priests, while praying for the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on you all.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Emmanuel Isidore Umanah

Thank you for your email!

It is always an honor to travel with 206 Tours as a spiritual director. It is a privilege to meet faith-filled people who share a common pilgrimage together and become family.

Overall, the pilgrimage was exceptional. It was very well organized. Riccardo Mateo is a fantastic guide. He speaks English very well. Riccardo was exceptional when a group of pilgrims could not walk the steep hills of the route for several days. To accommodate them, Riccardo came up with alternative routes. For them. They were very appreciative of this and were very happy to participate in the walk. I highly recommend Riccardo to lead other pilgrimages.

Thank you again for the opportunity to travel with 206 Tours!

May you have a blessed Easter Season!
Fr. Jason Brilhante

  • From: Stephen Benisch
  • Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2025
  • Subject: Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Rome with Bishop Robert Hennessey Stephen Benisch
  • Tour 97: Rome

Happy Easter Liz,

My feedback is simple … my 206 Tours Pilgrimage was nourishing and exceptional in every way.  Thank you so very much.

Our guide Raffy was more than outstanding.  She was human.  She helped everyone with individual personal needs, especially me, and did so seemingly without effort, and always with warmth.  I can’t imagine a more perfect, more human guide.  She was a blessing.

Bishop Hennessy’s insights, homilies, blessings, and humanity made the tour a pilgrimage.  He too was a blessing.

Thanks to 206 Tours for being an important part of our Catholic community.

Blessings,

Steve Benisch

I finally got a moment to tell you that my first experience with 206 Tours surpassed my expectations.   I felt very cared for and comfortable and not rushed through my journey following the footsteps of St. Paul.   From meeting us at the airport and arriving in Greece our guide Eleni took excellent care of us and saw to every detail with professionalism but yet in a very loving and kind manner.   We could not have gotten a better guide as her background was in archeology and she was able to guide us through the ruins with her expertise.   She saw us through each day adjusting the schedule when she knew the weather or crowds were not going to cooperate so that we would get the most out of our time there.  From beginning to the end, she waited for us at the airport to ensure every one of us was at the right gate and on our way home safely.   If she is anything like your other tour guides, then I cannot wait to go on another 206 pilgrimages.   I felt very blessed and grateful that I was on this particular tour as the other pilgrims were easy to get along with and very friendly and our spiritual director Fr. Bill was compassionate and caring and also very easy to have walking along side of us.  The whole experience was educational yet very spiritual.   So many precious memories were made and I cannot thank God enough for my spiritual encounter.   I feel so much closer to St. Paul than before I began my tour and his struggles with spreading Our Lord’s message of love and mercy.    Happy Easter to everyone there and may God bless all of you. 

God Bless,

Margie Velez

Thanks Alexandra for reaching out. The trip was a complete success. Father Hughes and Bishop Sullivan were profoundly wonderful. Slovica is a true blessing. What a great guide. So hard working and easy to have fun with. The 2 helper’s from the Holy Land Giovanni and Gregorio , just terrific and so helpful to one and all. The various hotels…all top notch! Thank you for thinking of every detail! All the Churches, each one a miracle. We would gladly use 206 services again.

-Teri and Dennis Bossmeyer

Back from a fantastic pilgrimage to Rome.

A huge thank you to the BEST tour company there is. Everything went well.

Only a couple of glitches. One person got lost for a few hours and one had his wallet stolen by a pick pocket only to have it recovered.  

Other than that. FANTASTIC PILGRIMAGE.

Also, I have to say Rafaella went above and beyond the call of duty. SHE IS A TOP NOTCH TOUR GUIDE.  Everyone spoke very highly of her including the Bishop. 

Thank you again to my 206 family. The BEST of the BEST. 

Now off to Ireland. 

God Bless,

Deacon John Hunt

Dear 206 Tours,

I want to give a few words of appreciation for the wonderful tour that I just completed in Spain, and Fatima and Lourdes.

Our tour directors–Cristina and Quico–were both fabulous! I don’t think we could have had better guides. I hope to have someone like them for any other tour I take. The priests–Father Gordon and Father Edward–were also very inspiring in their guidance and leadership. I think all of us benefited greatly from them. 

The itinerary was fast-paced, but we were still able to enter into the world of St. Teresa, St. John of the Cross, and Saint Ignatius Loyola, and it was very, very inspiring. I was also thrilled to be able to walk just a small part of the Camino and experience a tiny bit of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. But experiencing that wonderful and powerful Basilica was, I think, the highlight for me. 

Thank you for making this trip possible for me and others.

With best wishes,

Cecile Guenther

  • From: Richard and Christina Macias
  • Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025
  • Subject: Review of Trip Richard and Christina Macias
  • Tour 206: Mexico

First, we want to send out a big THANK YOU!  We had an amazing trip!  Everything went smoothly and perfectly from the beginning to the end.  Our tour guide, Roberto, was the best.  He took care of us, was knowledgeable, friendly, and went out of his way to make this the best trip ever.  Our bus driver, Cesar, was amazing!  The way he maneuvered that bus around Mexico City was unbelievable. The hotel was top notched and all the restaurants we were taken to had the most delicious food.  Loved the mole!  

We have been telling all our friends to use 206 tours for their pilgrimage. They will not be disappointed.  We will definitely use this tour company again.

Thank you so much for a beautiful and spiritual trip.

Richard and Christina Macias

We are writing to let you know that we had a spectacular time on our pilgrimage.  Our tour guide was Leopoldo “Leo” JImenez.  He met our every need and went above and beyond. My husband ended up needing a wheelchair (he needs a hip replacement) before leaving for our tour.  We didn’t want to cancel so just hoped for the best.  It was beyond our expectations. 206 had a wheelchair at every leg of our air travel and a wheel chair on the bus during our tour.  Leo made sure that we knew when we needed to take the wheel chair (if the walk was going to be a challenge).  He also paired things down for us so that we could still experience the tour but just not go as far on the walk! (Such as the walk at Santiago de Compostela)   When we needed more medication for my husband’s pain, he took me to the pharmacy and spoke to the pharmacists.  The tour itself was exceptional.  We saw so much and Leo was so knowledgeable! Our spiritual director Fr. Tom Miller was also wonderful.  Offering daily Mass, Confession, Sacrament of the Healing and Daily rosary.  Everyone on the tour became like family.  Thank you so much for all the work that goes into planning these tours behind the scenes.  Making sure that we were able to experience so much.  Some of our group was able to carry Mary in the procession at Fatima.  We were able to see the big incense burner swing in Santiago de Compostela.  Every detail was taken care of so that we didn’t have to do anything, except show up on time!  We hope to take another 206 tour in the future.  Oh and our two bus drivers, their expert driving skills came in with the narrow roads and parking.  Again, thank you so much.  We have nothing but good things to say about our tour.  

Blessings and Peace,

Lynn and Mike Momboisse      

  • From: George & Karen Hanosh
  • Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2025
  • Subject: Welcome Home! | Shrines of Italy with Fr. Jeffrey Kirby George & Karen Hanosh

Our pilgrimage with Father Kirby was a wonderful experience.  The weather was very cooperative adding to the glory and when it wasn’ we were still warm and in awe of our Lord Jesus Christ and His many saints.  And that speaks to the exceptional planning and execution by 206 Tours.  Our flight was perfect out and back with no issues whatsoever.   Our driver Frederico was awesome; he knows Italy, how to drive, and how to serve others.  Even when one of our two tour busses broke down in the late evening out in the Italian countryside, Frederico worked tiresly over a 24 hour shift to get our bus safely to our next destination then return to other bus and get those pilgrims and their gear safely to same hotel.  The places we stayed were four star plus.  Our guide Anna was brilliant every step of the way – and we walked a lot and Anna was out front leading the experience from the heart or in the back as a sweep to ensure those of us in the rear were never left behind and on the path moving forward.  While the food was not as good as some were expecting, our real food was all the Holy Doors we walked through, the Eucharistic Miracles we saw, the great Saints we saw, the beautiful and overwhelming country and sites, Father Kirby’s Masses in some of the most beautiful churches ever built on earth, and our Holy Fellowship at the meals we shared together which bonded many of us pilgrims from all over the country.  The ten days flew right by and the experience was transformative.  About half of our fairly small group of pilgrims continued on another three days with the extension.

206 and Fr. Kirby did a great service to us all with this pilgrimage and I will not hesitate to tour with them again.

-George & Karen Hanosh

  • From: Sandi & Ken Giacobbe
  • Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2025
  • Subject: Franciscan Parent Week Sandi & Ken Giacobbe

Hi Cara,

We can’t thank you enough for an amazing trip to Austria for Franciscan University parent week.  It was absolutely wonderful in every way.  The events were perfect and enriching everyday!  The evening events were so fun especially the Austrian Ball with our children and the Austrian dancers, and the Mozart Dinner concert in Salzburg was authentic and delightful.  We loved the bus rides every day on the big comfortable double decker buses.  There was room for everyone and more.  We enjoyed the Rosary on the bus everyday with Sister Sophia Grace and we loved daily Mass at all of the different spectacular churches and cathedrals.  The prayer and hymn booklet was so helpful. The Franciscan University crew who was there to help (Tim, Choley, John, Father Nathan, Father Matt, Father Jim, Father Dave, sister Sophia Grace, Sister Isabell, the other TOR sisters and the administrative team) were all wonderful, helpful and such upbeat joyful people!  Everything was perfectly organized!  Oh and The Kartause is just beautiful, spiritual and Holy!  The trip was special, spiritual and beautiful!  It far exceeded our expectations! 

Thank you for all of your help Cara.  We hope to enjoy another 206 Tours Pilgrimage one day.

God Bless!  Have a beautiful Holy Week and Easter!
Sandi & Ken Giacobbe

  • From: Lydia Jasso
  • Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2025
  • Subject: Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage: 3/23/25-4/1/25 Lydia Jasso
  • Tour 96: Shrines of Italy

Olivia thank you for your email. This tour was magnificent! I am so blessed to have been able to experience this.  I traveled with one of my sisters. We both enjoyed it very much. Our tour guides, bus driver and of course, Father Kirby, were wonderful. It was nice visiting so many wonderful places.  Meeting and getting to know fellow catholics was amazing.

Our hotel accommodations were very nice. My only regret is that we couldn’t spend more time at the Vatican.  It was so busy and crowded the day we were there. It was hard to take pictures with so many people. 

Walking through the 4 Holy Doors was great. I can’t think of anything that that I could suggest. All went well with our flights coming and returning home. A long flight coming home…12 hours! I loved seeing the Italian country with its beautiful mountains. Thank you for all the work you do for 206 Tours! God bless you. 

-Lydia Jasso

  • From: Rev. Gerard Gordon
  • Sent: Friday, April 11, 2025
  • Subject: Shrines of Spain 2025 Requested Review Rev. Gerard Gordon
  • Tour 56: Shrines of Spain

I have been asked to review our March, 2025 “Tours of Spain”. 

This is about the 5th pilgrimage I have participated in with 206 as Spiritual Advisor.  Every 206 tour has always been most accommodating in every regard.  It is obvious that 206 has done its advance-work by checking out all the locations, in particular the hotels and restaurants.  There is rarely a glitch, aside from the unpredictable event such as a flood, which is always maneuvered around.  One can never anticipate what the pilgrims will be like, but 206 has always been helpful to every one’s requests.

I believe what makes the pilgrimage successful is the assigned guide, and every single guide has been exceptional: Raffaella, Anna, Christina; even the bus drivers are most pleasant and helpful.  I always sit next to them on the bus for at least a week and observe the detail and diligence they pay to every detail of the visit.  The guide constantly anticipates the needs of the pilgrims as the guide calls ahead to make sure everything is in order, everything is ready and every accommodation is made. At the end of the trip the guides will remain with each and every pilgrim until they are at the airport departure check-in; they are exhaustive in their attention to the pilgrims.  Oftentimes we will cross paths with other pilgrimages of either 206 or another company and I have never heard a negative complaint about a 206 Tour but consistent praise for 206.  Thank you 206, and in particular my friend Chris Wright who is always available back home to assist us from the US.

-Father Gerard Gordon

Dear Milanka,

This is Fr. Thomas Miller from Pittsburgh,  Pa completing Tour # 48 with Leonardo as our guide.

Everything about the tour, was marvelous, inspiring, and Catholic.

 I can’t say enough about how good all your agents provided for us individually and as good shepherd. 

Leo would buy people’s coffee and beer. Carry my bag, help with wheelchairs and really was a man of service, joy and faith.

 I want to thank you for the opportunity of being a part of this pilgrimage as Spiritual Director. 

I am still grateful for how kind you were to me when I got to COVID and was not able to be the Spiritual Director with the Camino last fall.

These 13 days have prepared me for Holy Week. 

Blessings upon you and your loved ones!

Fr. Miller

  • From: Rosanne Sullivan
  • Sent: Friday, April 11, 2025
  • Subject: Awesome experience. Rosanne Sullivan
  • Tour 206: Mexico

Tour guide very knowledgeable. Bus driver very safe. Well organized daily outings. Highly recommend this pilgrimage!

God Bless,

Rosanne Sullivan

Good morning Rinda,

Our Italy pilgrimage was fantastic. We visited so many sites and had such a wonderful, holy experience. Everything worked out well. All the tour guides were outstanding. Federica was wonderful. She always made sure things ran according to schedule, was always one step ahead of everything, took care of any little problem that came up, and was really interested and concerned about our best interests. She and the driver and all the tour guides are a credit to 206 tours.

Father Henry was his usual holy self. He led us in prayer and singing every morning and Rosary every day. His homilies were always inspiring with a lot of faith-filled meaning.

God bless!

Greg Terrebonne

  • From: Steve and Betty Daniel
  • Sent: Sunday, April 6, 2025
  • Subject: Shrines of Italy Review Steve and Betty Daniel
  • Tour 96: Shrines of Italy

We just returned from our “Holy Shrines of Italy” tour. It was perfect in every way. Daily Mass with the wonderful priest who traveled with us…. frequent group rosaries..and we sang hymns on the bus as we went….much fun! Our guide (Federica) was so sweet and kind and knowledgeable also.
The accomodations were great too… especially the Giotto hotel in Assisi…but all hotels were superb. And the best part? We made some wonderful friends we’re still in touch with. If you’re unsure about doing this….just do it. Trust God and… just do it. Oh ..I almost forgot…we gained a plenary indulgence by passing through all four Holy Doors in Rome. Our sweet guide Federica even provided us with a certificate for having done so…on her own. What a meaningful generous thing to do!
This pilgrimage was well worth the money….and it was the experience of a lifetime. And we’re already planning our next 206 trip!
Kudos to 206 Tours. Very well done.
Steve and Betty Daniel

With complete confidence in traveling to Italy, or the Holy Land there is ONLY ONE company that consistently & uniquely cares from the office planning to the ground guides & bus drivers… THANK YOU to 206 Tours for making ANOTHER memorable & blessed pilgrimage abroad… from churches GRAND & small, the historic Vatican & Roman hills, the Adriatic shoreline, the endless vineyards & olive tree groves, the Apennine mountains, Venetian canals & gelato & pizza parlors: visiting the Franciscan trilogy in this land of Saints: Francis, Pio & (finally) Anthony was my highlight of the Jubilee Holy Year 🤎🤎🤎💚🤍❤️2️⃣0️⃣6️⃣

-Christopher Simonetti

We both talk about our Footsteps of St. Paul Pilgrimage all the time.  We had a wonderful, wonderful trip and we were speaking last night about how great you all are to work with and how seamless you all make traveling with 206!

Happy Easter to all of our friends at 206 and God Bless You All!

Kathleen

  • From: Margret Kingrey
  • Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje Pilgrimage Margret Kingrey
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Dear Natasha:  Our pilgrimage to Medjugorje was wonderful.  Doing the Rosary several times a day and praying for those who were out climbing the mountains was a blessing for me and my husband, too. 

Your help with the return trip was a real blessing!  The delay of our flight and rerouting was your challenge which you handled beautifully!!!! Our hats are off to you! Thank you for all your help with that.

Fr. Damien was a wonderful spiritual leader, and our guide and driver were all loving and supportive as well as knowledgeable. 

The place where we stayed had great food and the cooks and servers were incredible!

God bless you and all the work you do,

Sincerely,

Margret Kingrey

  • From: Doreen & Anthony Pagnotta
  • Sent: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
  • Subject: Pilgrimage to Italy/Medjugorje with Fr. Pietrowski 3/10-3/21/2025 Doreen & Anthony Pagnotta
  • Tour 97-A: Shrines of Italy & Medjugorje

Hi Olivia,

Just wanted to respond to your email requesting a review of our recent 206 Tours pilgrimage.

I am thrilled  to say that from the beginning to the end it was a most wonderful experience. This was our first pilgrimage/booking with 206 Tours and I know it will not be the last. We enjoyed everything about the trip.  ALL of the tour guides were wonderful, very knowledgeable, personable and professional. Same goes for the tour bus drivers. They drove carefully and prayerfully!  The hotels and accommodations for the most part were comfortable and clean. Only once was the bed a bit “hard” but it was okay for the short one night stay.  The meals were always satisfying and we enjoyed the variety of cuisine.

The tour itinerary was AMAZING. I’m still in awe of how many places and how much  we were able to see in the amount of time that we had. No doubt 206 Tours has it down to a science!  I am still pondering and trying to sort out all the beautiful sites and  things we saw along the way.  This pilgrimage was perfect in every aspect and exceeded any expectations we had. Thank you, Olivia for all your assistance and I will certainly look forward to using 206 Tours when planning our next trip. We had a wonderful time!!

Sincerely,

Doreen & Anthony Pagnotta

  • From: Martha Perkins
  • Sent: Monday, March 31, 2025
  • Subject: Fundraising Pilgrimage to Benefit the St. Pius Residence for Retired Priests’ to Italy and Medjugorje Martha Perkins
  • Tour 97-A: Shrines of Italy & Medjugorje

The trip was fabulous!  Fr Steve was a fantastic spiritual leader. The group was wonderful. I liked that the trip ended in Medjugorje with an extended stay. It was a time to catch our breath, reflect and just be.

-Martha Perkins

  • From: Giovanna Buitrago
  • Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje with Christy Villas Giovanna Buitrago
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

I want to thank you again for working so hard to get me.on this trip within 24 hours I found myself going to Medjugorje.  Cat you are awesome.

The hotel staff was nice  and the service was good. The hotel was very comfortable and clean.

I totally enjoyed my trip.

God bless you for making this trip possible for me.

As a travel agent you are excellent!!!

God bless you and i will continue to schedule Tours with 206 Tours because of people like you that care about the clients and do an excellent job.

Sincerely, 
Giovanna Buitrago

  • From: Rev. Patrick J. Henry
  • Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
  • Subject: Mexico - Our Lady of Guadalupe Rev. Patrick J. Henry
  • Tour 206: Mexico

Many thanks for having given me another opportunity to serve the pilgrims traveling with 206Tours.

The pilgrimage to Mexico City lived up to expectations. Our bus driver was excellent in that he possesses the skills to deal with ease the challenges posed by the traffic all over the City of Mexico. Francisco, our guide, spoke quality English, dealt with questions patiently and, not least, employed flexibility with dexterity.

The hotel was outstanding. Meals were tasty and substantial all over the six days of our pilgrimage. So, too, were the meals at locations outside of Mexico City.

More importantly, and this goes to the purpose of any pilgrimage, we grew in faith together as a group, inspired by Juan Diego, Blessed Miguel Pro, to name but a few. It’s the inspiration that we receive from our forebears in the Faith that guides us to a deeper faith in Christ.

Once again, many thanks, have a blessed Easter.

Rev. Patrick J. Henry 

  • From: Marcella Chandler
  • Sent: Monday, March 24, 2025
  • Subject: Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage with Rob Corzine & the St. Paul Center Marcella Chandler
  • Shrines of Italy with Rob Corzine

I wanted to tell you that our recent 206 tour was wonderful. The accommodations were lovely, the food was very good. The tour guides and our bus driver Claudio were very nice. The people on the tour were very kind and friendly.
I have been on religious tours before but the 206 tour was by far the best.

Thank you,

Marcella Chandler

  • From: Cheryl Sarkisian
  • Sent: Monday, March 24, 2025
  • Subject: Feedback | Medjugorje with Christy Villas and Fr. Richard Wendel Cheryl Sarkisian
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Thank you Cat! The trip was wonderful and can’t think of anything that was less  than well done!. The hotel accommodations were excellent, the staff exceptional and the overall experience was great. Ivan was a great tour guide, very informative and always willing to be of help.   i would definitely use 206 Tours again and will look forward to my next trip with you…. Many blessings to you all… You are exceptional at what you do! 

Peace,

Cheryl Sarkisian 

  • From: Sandra Mascio
  • Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2025
  • Subject: Guadalupe Pilgrimage March 6-11, 2025 Sandra Mascio
  • Tour 206: Mexico

This was our first 206 pilgrimage and it was the best experience. From the moment we left the plane to the time our guide , Francisco, helped us through the departure area we were safe and well cared for. The hotel and meals were excellent and the entire trip was so well organized. Even with a local protest popping up events were quickly rearranged and we were able to fit everything in. We were blessed to have Fr. Patrick Henry as our spiritual guide. He helped us to not only deepen our faith with morning prayer, the Rosary, and daily Mass but spent time with us discussing our faith and answering questions. Our guide, Francisco, was so patient and knowledgeable. He even found time to indulge us ladies with a little shopping.  What an experience to visit the Shrine of Guadalupe and view the Tilma and  to have mass in many other holy churches. We got to know the stories of many lesser known saints like Blessed Fr. Miguel Pro, Blessed Conchita and Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio as well seeing Puebla and the Pyramids of Teotihuacán.

-Sandra Mascio

Dear 206 Tours,

My Pilgrimage to Paris & Lisieux marks the climax of overseas trrips I have made.  I give thanks to 206Tours for making it so memorable, so spiritually uplifting, so rich in sacred knowledge and moments, so safe, and remarkably well organized. Thank you, your local and overseas coordinators, for creating such experiences for pilgrims.  Many blessings!

Mavis Aldridge

  • From: Fr. Angelo Casimiro, MIC
  • Sent: Friday, March 21, 2025
  • Subject: Thank you! Fr. Angelo Casimiro, MIC
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Thank you, Natasha, for all your help! I appreciate it very much. You were my guardian angel in my time of need. I’m just a few hours away from boarding the flight back home. I had a very restful night here at wonderful Medjugorje pilgrimage. 

God bless you and 206 Tours.

Fr. Angelo

Hello Olivia and Piernha,

Our pilgrimage was awesome!!! The accommodations at Hotel Grace, our meals and the waitstaff were top notch. Our guides Andrej and Ivan were exceptional. I could not be happier  with all of the arrangements. 

Our trip to Dubrovnik was also memorable. We had a lovely day in Dubrovnik’s Old City Center. I give five stars to our guide Silvia!

Thank you for all the work you did putting all of this together. 

Sincerely,

Linda Collins

You asked for a review of my trip to Italy. All went quite well, and I was delighted that I neither fell nor got sick!  

The agenda occurred as outlined. We were of course, unable to have the papal audience, but I was glad we got a tour of the pantheon and saw Trevi fountain and some other sites during that time period. 

I had continued to be disappointed that I could not get Venice into my itinerary. I really just wanted to see the canals. 15 minutes in Venice, probably would have done it! But I stopped whining about it when I found what had been added included the towns of Gubbio and La Verna, which turned out to be my favorites!

The hotels were all very nice and the food wonderful. The last two evenings we walked to nearby restaurants for dinner, but I actually liked the hotel food better.

I was glad that the size of the group was only 24. It made navigating the sites much easier than having a larger group.

Father Joe Fitzgerald was a wonderful pastoral leader for our group. He was very spiritual and friendly and well rounded. Definitely an asset.

Also, Vanessa T. did an outstanding job. She never lost her patience with all of us!  She was informative and well organized. She prepared us for things in advance. 

The bus drivers were all good – careful drivers, and very polite.

The guides we had for various attractions also were good and knowledgeable. It got a little tight for me with money as I had budgeted $10 per day for the guide which I had for Vanessa. But then we had other guides several days. I was able to get some money from an ATM and it all worked out fine. Plus, there was the donation daily for the church that we were in. I had learned that from an earlier trip to Israel, so I was prepared for that money. 

Our flights were disrupted slightly both ways. We sat at the gate in Chicago for an hour, which made us miss our connection in Munich. We were able to work with the airlines and after a five hour delay, made a connection to Naples. 206 Tours upgraded us to first class which was a very nice gesture. 

The communication prior to the trip was thorough and informative. The people we talked with on the phone were also courteous and helpful. Emails were promptly answered.

I am appreciative of your careful planning and the expertise of your staff that enabled us to have a wonderful experience.

Fran Hatfield

Hi Cara

It is easier for me to just provide my review in an email to you

206 Tours made the whole process of booking this trip very easy.  Questions (of which I had many)  were promptly and adequately answered. 

The trip was fantastic! Both Fr. Joe and Kate Walsh were extremely well prepared for the spiritual journeys we experienced & adventures we embarked upon.  The Masses were highly spiritual & provided me with immense personal insight (as I know it did for others).

The destination points were well planned for both content and set up for ease of travel routes.

The hotels were top notch.

The buses and the drivers were polite, friendly & highly skilled professionals!

Last but not least, Vanessa (our 206 Guide) who I affectionately believe is a real life Mary Poppins —  Friendly; Intelligent; Respectful; Prepared for any & all contingencies; Ability to Adapt; Caring; Always Professional & Has a Good Sense of Humor…

The local tour guides had were also highly competent.

Thank you!!

Eileen Ford

Dear Rinda

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as spiritual guide on this trip. It was a wonderful pilgrimage with many grace filled moments for all of us.

Roberto is wonderful and it was great to connect with him again.

Fr. Clancy 

  • From: Melissa Winn
  • Sent: Monday, March 10, 2025
  • Subject: Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Classic Italy with Father Joe Fitzgerald Melissa Winn
  • Tour 98: Classic Italy Pilgrimage

Hello Cara,

I’m still kind of getting out of travel mode. It was a wonderful trip. We were blessed with wonderful weather and the guides we had were informative and helpful, Vanesa was wonderful. She anticipated any issues. We had a few glitches and she helped everyone.  There was never enough time at the different sites but I think that was because there was so much to absorb. I thought it was perfect for a first tier like me, and I will definitely travel with 206 Tours again. 

You, by the way, were patient and very helpful…thank you again!

Melissa Winn

  • From: Thomas Schreck
  • Sent: Monday, March 10, 2025
  • Subject: Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Classic Italy with Father Joe Fitzgerald Thomas Schreck
  • Tour 98: Classic Italy Pilgrimage

Dear Cara,

Thank you for arranging our pilgrimage it exceeded my expectation the itinerary was well planned out.

Vernessa our tour guide was exceptional, probably the best we ever had. The hotels were located near the churches we visited.

Hadn’t heard of 206 Tours before this trip, but I would highly recommend it to someone looking into taking a pilgrimage.

God Bless,

Thomas Schreck

  • From: Fr. John Anthony Boughton, CFR
  • Sent: Friday, March 7, 2025
  • Subject: Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Mexico City with Sr. Anne Marie Elizabeth, SV Fr. John Anthony Boughton, CFR
  • Tour 206: Mexico

I couldn’t have been more pleased. Again, I will continue to sing the praises of 206.

-Fr. John Anthony Boughton, CFR

  • From: Marie Mancuso
  • Sent: Friday, March 7, 2025
  • Subject: Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe Marie Mancuso
  • Tour 206: Mexico

Hi Cat,

Sorry, I thought I sent you a quick note last week when we returned home;  this was one of the best Pilgrimages I have been on.  I’ve only been on a few, but 206 Tours was the best one by far.  From the moment we got to the airport to check in, and landed in Mexico to the hotel, tour guide, Roberto, Emerson, tour driver, hotel, and food ~ it was  wonderful!  Room was very clean & spacious, breakfast staff was very accommodating, Roberto and Emerson made sure there was plenty of bottled water and pesos for the public restrooms!  The restaurants were a nice touch, too!  I hope my Pilgrimage to Italy with 206 Tours will be as pleasant! 

Thanks for a great experience,

Marie

  • From: Sr. Anne Marie Elizabeth, S.V.
  • Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
  • Subject: Feedback - Pilgrimage to Mexico Sr. Anne Marie Elizabeth, S.V.
  • Tour 206: Mexico

Dear Milanka,

Christ’s peace! We are so grateful to 206 Tours for all the planning and coordination of our pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was a very grace-filled time for everyone who attended. Many thanks especially to Alexandra, Cat, and Jacob for all their work with us and our pilgrims, and to Roberto for his presence with us in Mexico!

God bless,

Sr. Anne Marie

  • From: Sr. Anne Marie Elizabeth, S.V.
  • Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
  • Subject: Feedback - Pilgrimage to Mexico Sr. Anne Marie Elizabeth, S.V. Sr. Anne Marie Elizabeth, S.V. 2025
  • Mexico – Our Lady of Guadalupe 206

Dear Milanka,

Christ’s peace! We are so grateful to 206 Tours for all the planning and coordination of our pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was a very grace-filled time for everyone who attended. Many thanks especially to Alexandra, Cat, and Jacob for all their work with us and our pilgrims, and to Roberto for his presence with us in Mexico!

God bless,

Sr. Anne Marie

Hi Cara,

I arrived home safely.  

I am very grateful to you and everyone who were behind the scenes to put this pilgrimage together, work out all the logistics and help with stressful situations.  I am amazed at how well this trip went.  Fr. Joe and our tour guide, Vanessa, made the trip so interesting.  Vanessa was outstanding with her knowledge and communication.  Very professional.  The local tour guides and bus drivers were also incredible. If anyone ever asks me about 206Tours, I will gladly and enthusiastically recommend you!

Many, many thanks! 

Janice Duffy

Hi!

Just a short note to say thank you for a great Pilgrimage!  From the moment we stepped off the plane meeting our tour guide, Roberto and tour driver, Emerson to the hotel and everything in between was first class all the way.  I’ve been on other Pilgrimages and, none of them came close to 206 Tours!  Looking forward to my Pilgrimage to Italy in October with 206 Tours.
Again, thank you!
Marie Mancuso

Hi Natasha: 

Your France Tour was excellent – wonderful Guide Julien and driver Fawis were so good an accommodating.  

Julien knew of how much I want to go to the Holy Face Oratory and adjust our leaving time to see the Oratory at 8:30am, still make it to the next destination, with a detour to our much wanted Marian apparition site: Pontmain. (Please add this to your future destination, it is so peaceful and worth going).

Hotel Le Pricure at Paray-le-Monial was great. Surprise Lunch at Versailles  “la Flottille restaurant” was amazing.

Overall it was such a blessed trip.  Thank you for designing a 3 person tour for us.

We had such a great time and had already recommended you to our Pastor and will post on my Facebook.
Hope we can join your Rome trip in August.
 

Thank you Natasha!!!!

Winnie Koch

Good afternoon Natasha and Liz,

I’m finally getting around to providing some feedback from our Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage in early January.

The whole trip was wonderful!  I am especially pleased with the work of Ana!  She really set a great tone, describing our group as a family and that she was like a mother, making sure everything was taken care of!  And that is exactly how it felt!  She even help me retrieve my iPad which I had left at San Giovanni Rotondo.  I could not be happier that Ana was part of our pilgrimage.  And Antonio, our bus driver, also did a great job!

The guides at each of the locations did a wonderful job.  I especially appreciate the extra effort to get Daniela while we were in Rome.  She was part of my first pilgrimage 17 years ago, and it meant a lot to me to work with her again!  Her connections helped us secure tickets to the Epiphany Mass with Pope Francis!  I hope 206 Tours works with her again in the future. 

Even though she was not with us in person, Mary Johnston’s spirit was with us!  Her good work to organize things right from the start enabled the trip to go so well.  We missed her and prayed and said Masses for her in the holy places!

Thank you for your great work, and the work of your team at 206 Tours!  It was a wonderful, powerful experience for me, and for everyone else that I have spoken with!

+Peace,

Fr. Sean

Dear 206 Tours Team,

I hope this email finds you well.

I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to lead the recent pilgrimage to Egypt as a spiritual director. It was a truly enriching experience for all of us.

We were blessed with a knowledgeable and professional guide, Ahmed Fayed, who greatly enhanced our journey with his insights and expertise. The accommodations were comfortable, and everything was well-organized. I was also able to celebrate Mass daily for the pilgrims, which was a great spiritual blessing.

Thank you very much for all your support and assistance in making this pilgrimage a memorable and faith-filled experience. I look forward to future collaborations.

Blessings,
Fr. Robert Ambalathingal

  • From: Judy
  • Sent: Friday, February 14, 2025
  • Subject: Feedback | Poland, In the Footsteps of St. John Paul II & St. Faustina with Fr. Bobby LeBlanc Judy
  • Tour 168: Poland Pilgrimage

I am writing this note to express my sincere gratitude and compliments to 206 Tours for providing our outstanding Tour Guide in Poland and Prague, Sabina Balos.

From the first moment we met Sabina until we departed ways nine days later, Sabina has been a gracious, generous and outstanding guide.  One of the BEST.  My cousin’s wife had just been to Israel on a Pilgrimage and said that she came to Poland with very high expectations of a tour guide.  The bar was set very high in her eyes and during our good-byes at the airport she said that to Sabina that her bar was set so high on her arrival in Poland but Sabina met every expectation and far exceed all of them!

From the first hotel we checked into in Warsaw until the last hotel we checked out of in Prague, Sabina demonstrated her competent management and organizational skills.  She quickly assembled us in the lobby and passed out our room keys, had our luggage already off the bus for us to take and instructed us on the location for dinner.  While we were settling in our rooms, Sabina was busy organizing the next day and posted the itinerary with all the pertinent information for the next day’s events.  After all of this, she even joined us for dinner!  We NEVER had an issue with any of our needs at the hotels and if we had any questions, Sabina would not only answer them but would take action to resolve them herself.  She relieved our worries right from the outset by witnessing her take charge attitude and abilities to resolve any and all questions.  We were immediately reassured, relaxed and so happy that we had such a competent and caring tour guide.  It left us with great confidence in her abilities.

What impressed me about Sabina along with many other things is her knowledge of the sites we were visiting each day.  She would tell us so many relevant and interesting historical information of the location both before we arrived and on our journey back to the hotel.  I wish I could have recorded all that she said so that I could remember.  She was just as impressive with her knowledge of the site when we were walking around visiting it.  It so valuable and so much appreciated that she knew so much about every site we visited.

I was most grateful for her faithfulness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  She knows all about our faith and demonstrated it daily.  I appreciated that she would not forget to say the Rosary each day and the Chaplet on the bus.  It made for a great start to each day!

She organized daily Mass at each of the locations that we went which was not an easy task.  When the group was splitting up as some were departing for home and others were continuing on to Prague the group decided at the last moment they wanted to go to Holy Mass.  Sabina jumped into action and found a Church that the Fathers could say daily Holy Mass before the group had an early morning departure!  There was nothing that Sabina couldn’t do.  She is very reliable and resourceful and we were so grateful for her abilities to get things done.

Sabina provided such “special touches” along our journey.  She would bring us local treats from the town we were in to enjoy on the bus ride which everyone loved!  She was so caring and thoughtful, too.  When one of us had gotten sick or just needed some extra sleep and missed dinner, she was sure to call us and check to make sure we were doing okay.  When we were at the Salt Mine, one of the group members was not feeling well and again Sabina immediately jumped into action and found us a way out.  She didn’t end there.  She also found us a nice, comfortable restaurant to relax while waiting for the group.  It’s these little extra special Sabina touches that made us so grateful and held her in such high esteem for our wonderful, precious tour guide.  

She anticipated our every need.  We never went without anything!  We could ask her anything and she even put her personal cell on the itinerary in case we needed anything during the night.  When I was walking with my cousin’s wife, Joyce, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy and out of nowhere Sabina appeared and handed Joyce a bottle of orange juice because earlier Joyce mentioned that she wished she had some juice.  We never expected Sabina to show up with a bottle of juice!  Joyce was so grateful.  We couldn’t stop talking about her thoughtfulness and care the rest of that day!

I can’t recommend Sabina enough to 206 Tours.  I think she made a very valuable contribution to your organization.  We all have such high regard for Sabina.  She has the knowledge and history of Poland and loves both her country and her faith very much.  She is caring and concerned that everyone was happy and satisfied.  She is a beautiful example of how a follower of Jesus Christ is supposed to comport themselves in this life.  She has again set the bar very high for the next pilgrimage. 

I can’t wait to return to Poland one day and I truly believe it is due to the knowledge and passion for her country and her faithfulness as a Catholic that she showed us.  I keep telling everyone about my pilgrimage and recommending that they should visit Poland one day soon!

-Judy

Dear Rinda,

Greetings in Christ Jesus and may his peace reign with you always.

We have come to the end of our eight day pilgrimage; a pilgrimage of Hope indeed because, “hope does not disappoint” ( Rm 5:5). At the start of our pilgrimage during the very first holy mass we celebrated,  l exhorted to pilgrims that in every pilgrimage we are invited to walk in the footsteps of Christ and the saints, to invoke the Lord and to give thanks for whatever blessings we receive. Moreover l told them that we were to meet God in the Pope, the Vicar of Christ on earth, in nature, in history,  in art and in one another, created in the image and likeness of God. In crossing the Holy doors, we reminded ourselves that Christ himself is the gate to the sheepfold and whoever enters through him is saved. ( cf. Jn 10:9). Entering the Holy door is an entrance into the presence of Christ.  It is a passage from sin to grace. We were to bear this in mind throughout our pilgrimage, aware also of the fact that we were not alone but accompanied by the Blessed Mother,  Mother of Hope. At San Giovanni, we reflected on the saying of Saint Padre Pio: ” Pray, hope and don’t worry. Worry is useless.  God is merciful and will hear your prayers.  Have courage and do not be afraid of the assaults of the devil.”

As a whole, the pilgrimage was wonderful  as all the pilgrims participated actively in the liturgy and in leading the rosary and praying the psalms. We felt like a family.

Our Leader, Ivan  was wonderful and very available. I would say, it was a good pilgrimage. I am grateful to have been a Spiritual Director in the pilgrimage and would happily take any opportunity to be Spiritual Director with 206 Tours. I am available. 

Thank You and remain blessed. 

Fr. Marcel Kofon Sang

Dear Rinda,

I want to express my gratitude and joy to 206 Tours for the recent pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain, and Lourdes. The group was small but mighty—a wonderful collection of people, and it was a pleasure to travel with them.

With prayers, 

Fr. Mateusz 

  • From: Dean Bittner
  • Sent: Tuesday, February 4, 2025
  • Subject: Feedback | Jubilee Year pilgrimage to Shrines of Italy with Fr. Wilhelm and Dean Bittne Dean Bittner
  • Tour 96: Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage

Silvia,

Once again 206 Tours did an outstanding job at setting up the Pilgrimage for the Mary Makers to visit Italy! Our guides, Federica and Anna were awesome! The bus was very comfortable and piloted by Amos perfectly. The hotels and restaurants were top notch with great locations to allow walking to visit the sites again in our free time. I love traveling this time of year because the Holy Sites are not crowded at all so we don’t spend a bunch of time standing in line and we get some really great Chapels to have daily Mass in 🙂

I will attach a few pictures of our group.

Again thank you for all your help!

God Bless,

Dean

Dear Cara,

Thanks so much for the arrangements you made for Fr. Samson’s pilgrimage to Greece and Rome.  The accommodations and tour guides were excellent.  We are grateful for your professional assistance and I hope we can travel with 206 Tours again. 

God bless,

Fr. Shane Deman

When we signed up for this trip, we had never taken a trip with 206 tours. After we had received our confirmation, there were a number of times we had questions concerning the trip. Every email we sent was answered quickly and completely. The weekend before our Monday departure, we were very excited. On Saturday afternoon, we discovered our Monday morning flight had been canceled due to weather. Our trip was rebooked for Monday afternoon. We were scheduled to arrive in Mexico City late Monday evening. We were told by 206 that someone would meet us at the airport and there would be food waiting for us in our hotel room. Because of problems with connections, we missed our flight in Dallas. We spent the night in Dallas and left early Tuesday morning. We were met by a representative from 206 at the airport in Mexico City, and were delivered to the shrine to meet with our tour group. 

Francisco was an excellent guide and provided a wonderful tour experience. Cara helped us change our return flight to go through phoenix instead of Dallas, again due to weather. Transportation was provided to the airport and Francisco met us there to make sure we found security before returning to the US.
We would gladly use 206 tours for another trip in the future. They are very organized and efficient. We appreciate being so well cared for, and prefer to travel where the arrangements have been made for us.
Thanks to all,
Jim and Teri Marks

206 Tours outdid itself again, with my recent pilgrimage to Greece and Rome, in the Footsteps of Sts. Paul and Peter! My group made, in September, the decision to opt for these destinations instead of the Holy Land, for which we had planned, and 206tours was able to rearrange everything, securing for us all the logistics that we needed for our January trip—what a quick, efficient, and effective turnaround! The staff was always immediately responsive to my inquiries, requests, and directives, and they accommodated readily and handily our particular needs (dietary, lodging, and itinerary). There is NO WAY that I could have made these arrangements on my own! But with 206tours, all it took was a quick message and, when our rep (Cara Camden) would tell us: “I’m on it!”, I knew that it would be immediately taken care-of. The lodging was always comfortable, secure, clean, and classily environed, and they always had excellent breakfast and dinners, often with amazing, sweeping views, being often located in the heart of the cities. For my group (of seminarians studying to be priests), the lodgings were a little on the luxurious side, but it was never egregiously over the top, and it was, moreover, a miracle that we found any hotels at all, that late into the planning game. Airline experience was exceptional! 206tours allowed me to pick for our group a flight-plan that met our needs, masterfully navigating between different airline companies to make our journeying a clear, organized, relaxing, and stress-free experience. In terms of our daily itinerary of touring, 206tours allowed me to choose which major religious and archaeological sites to experience, and which to bypass. In this way, 206tours allowed me to shape our pilgrimage according to the group’s dynamic, which was a graduate-level theology capstone course. The guides and bus drivers accommodated our desires, even taking us to a few places that they do not normally, if ever, frequent, such as a Jesuit retreat house (Manresa) outside of Athens, for a Day of Recollection, to share graces from the trip. Moreover, the tour escort was incredibly helpful in arranging meals on-the-fly, especially when we made a few changes to the roster, due to minor illnesses and special meetings, etc. Quicho, our escort, was particularly exuberant and sincere, and it really impressed me that he attended our daily Masses, as did our guide in Greece, Kalliope. I don’t always have tour guides that pray with the group; their presence was most welcome. So, indeed, it was a phenomenal experience. Overall positives would be: 206tours let me shape the daily experiences to be ones of study and extended prayer at particular sites; and 206tours made all the last minute and on the fly arrangements without a hitch. One area for improvement, but which was not a damper on our experience, would be that, occasionally, our guides would occupy moments of silence on the bus or on sites by telling us facts about modern Greece/Rome that were not immediately relevant to the meditation-pilgrimage/theology-course dynamic that I wanted to establish. For most tours/pilgrimages, that information would be most fitting and quite good; but, our group had studied history, theology, and the faith, and so they were hoping for more quiet and independent time to explore and prayerfully read over Paul’s letters on site, and also Peter’s letters and preaching on site. Still, we learned a lot from our guides, who had very important things to say about the places that we visited. Moreover, once we started asking them about their faith and their prayer, they opened up and started sharing what they love about how devotion to Jesus has been expressed over the centuries by art and culture. Their witness was great! I hope that more guides can have that sense of mission and intentional discipleship, because such touring moments can be crucial opportunities to share and receive the Gospel!

Fr. Charles Samson

  • From: Melissa Maraist
  • Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2025
  • Subject: 206 Tours / Fatima/Lourdes January 2025 Melissa Maraist
  • Tour 34: Fatima & Lourdes

Dear Cara,

206 Tours is amazing! Foremost I’m thankful for our spiritual leaders, Fr. Miles Walsh and Fr. David Dawson who led our group beautifully.

The hotel stays were 5 Star and as I told my dear friend who I traveled with, 206 Tours is “bougie!” Thank you for our comfort and meals, but most importantly daily Mass, spiritual growth and the beautiful shrines at Fatima and Lourdes as well as all our wonderful sights. One of my favorite locations, other than the two main highlights, was visiting St. Teresa of Avila. I had previously traveled to all the sites on this trip in 2016, except for St. Teresa.

I was blessed to travel with one of my best friends and we truly relished our time together visiting all the holy sites!!!

I forgot to mention LEO … our tour guide … everyone loved LEO!  Please send him our love from Louisiana and let him know how much we appreciated his knowledge and care for us!

I highly recommend 206 Tours and am grateful I was able to travel with your tour group!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Your sister in Christ,
Melissa Maraist

Our experience with the recent pilgrimage led by Fr Calloway was very uplifting and my family and I were very blessed.  The guides, driver, priests, and deacons were very welcoming and fun to be with.  The Holy Masses, tours, and food were magnificent.  More importantly we were in community with the pilgrims and clergy who attended and with our Lord and His mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I highly recommend this pilgrimage to anyone.

God bless,

Ted De Guzman

I had always wanted to go to England. I was delighted to see that Fr. Calloway was leading a pilgrimage there. I soon signed up for the trip. The flights were great. I was pleased to have an aisle seat both ways. After my transfer I met my fellow pilgrims at the hotel. They were all warm and friendly; and We soon had our first Holy Mass at Westminster Cathedral with Fr. Calloway. Every day thereafter we celebrated Mass at lovely and historic Chapels, Priories, and Cathedrals.. Besides the Catholic sites, we were treated to non-stop sight seeing; such as the British Art Museum which included Van Gogh (my favorite) paintings and afterward visited a Christmas market. Among the sites were Windsor Castle, where afterwards I found a cozy tea shop for my tea and biscuit. The tour guide, Gearoid, was fantastic. When we were at Westminster Abbey, I had the misfortune of fainting. I awoke with Father Calloway at my side and was assisted by Abbey staff as well as Gearoid.

The hotel was excellent and breakfast was superb! We also had many nice dinners throughout the week and stopped at Greg’s Truck Stop which was a treat. Father Calloway was accessible to everyone and gave daily powerful homilies. Please send him on the Alaskan cruise. He told me he would love to do it!

-Elaine Stoudt

206 Tours is unmatched. Every detail is taken care of and they have the best of everything from those in the office scheduling the trip to the tour guide on the ground.

206 Tours est vraiment le meilleur!

Fr. David Dawson

Phil:

Hello!  My name is Joe Werner.  My wife and I just completed a 5 day pilgrimage to Mexico City and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The tour was a fantastic, even life-changing event!!  Everything went great!

Cara got all of our documents and plans handled smoothly.

The spiritual guide, Fr. Dave Pivonka was Awesome! 

The bus driver maneuvered an enormous bus through the crowded Mexico City streets like a pro!

Most of all though, I wanted to pass on praise for our tour guide Francisco.  He was absolutely incredible.  He kept us on schedule, was able to modify the plans smoothly on the fly when necessary, was very well versed in the subject matter (in flawless English), and never ever seemed even the slightest bit flustered!  Always calm, always cheerful!  Please pass this note on to his supervisor.

My wife and I look forward to our next tour with 206 Tours & Franciscan Pilgrimages!!

Best regards,

Joseph Werner

To Whom it May Concern,

We traveled on the November 14th pilgrimage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it was absolutely fabulous!  Roberto is a fantastic tour guide; very knowledgable and personable and very capable to handle any situation.  All the sights we went to were very interesting and fed our souls.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to see the tilma in person, and I was not disappointed!  It was wonderful to have our last day be somewhat flexible and to be able to visit the tilma and other sites in the square that we wanted to revisit.  

Everything about the tour was great!  The hotel we stayed at was wonderful, all our meals were delicious, and the service was beyond compare.

We would highly recommend this pilgrimage, and are looking forward to our next one with 206 tours.

God’s blessings,

Mike and Cindy Sigg

  • From: Michele and Gary Preisser
  • Sent: Thursday, January 2, 2025
  • Subject: Medjugorje Pilgrimage Review Michele and Gary Preisser
  • Tour 1: Medjugorje

Hello,

We took the November 1-11, 2024 Medjugorje Pilgrimage Tour.  Our tour guide was Andrej Zovko and our Spiritual Director was Fr. Ivan Dawson.  Everything about our Pilgrimage was perfect.  

We can’t imagine having a better tour guide than Andrej!  He was so knowledgeable and personable.  He was patient and helpful when times called for it!  It was so great to have a tour guide who grew up in the area and clearly loved the town of Medjugorje!  One of the best things was all he taught us about the history of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Medjugorje!

Fr. Ivan was a great Spiritual Leader and took time individually with all of us in our group to hear confession, or to let us confide in him any troubles we might have.  Dinnertime was a time when we had the opportunity to have group discussions with Fr. Ivan, and he was very patient with all of us through our many questions we had about our faith and things we might not have fully understood!  The last night at dinner was special as we were able to bring all the articles we wanted blessed.  We laid them all out on a table and Fr. Ivan gave them a blessing, touching each and every article!

The pilgrimage itself was awe inspiring!  The hike up  Apparition Hill, stopping along the way to say the Rosary, and hiking up Cross Mountain, saying the Stations of the Cross, were a time of inner peace, reflection and finding a sense of renewal within ourselves!  The additional trips that were planned to the Sacred Heart Retreat House, Siroki Brijeg, the Community of Cenacolo, Immaculate Conception Church in Tihaljina and Divine Mercy Chapel in Sumanci were wonderful!  The private Masses we had at Immaculate Conception Church and Divine Mercy Chapel were extra special!  Also, all the testimonies we heard during our outings were so personal and most brought tears to our eyes!

The Hotel Grace was the perfect accommodations.  We were within walking distance of St. James Church!  The most amazing thing was to see how all the Masses were overflowing.  Not only the Masses, but the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Adoration of Blessed Virgin Mary, the saying of the Rosary and the Croatian evening Mass!!  It took our breath away to experience all that!

Thank you 206  Tours for an amazing spiritual experience!  This was our first time abroad and we are so happy we did it with 206 Tours!  We have attached a few pictures from our Pilgrimage! 

Sincerely,

Michele and Gary Preisser