Four times I have asked 206 to help me get the most memorable experience for my time and money. Once again, you did a splendid job. We had the best guides available. Our hotels were all clean and comfortable. The best food, I thought, was at the kibbutz near Tiberius and the lunch we had in Bethlehem. We thank Father Anthony for doing such a good job of keeping us on the Pilgrimage path.

I might mention, this is no trip for the sick or marginally mobile. We had some real troopers in our group. God bless them and God bless all of us!

Thank you 206!!

Chuck Yanacheak

Thank you so much for making my pilgrimage a great one. The Israel visit was really good. I was planning to join a baptist group a couple of years ago but somehow, I changed my mind. I was glad I had found your website. It was really a memorable visit. Attending Mass in the holy sites make it very special. When I hear Christmas carols, it brings me back to the holy land and how lucky I am to have been there and walk through the places were Jesus had been.

All our guides were good and the our asccommodations were great/including the buffet breakfast and dinner. If ever I plan of going on another pilgrimage I definitely will check 206 Tours.

Thank you again and have a blessed new year.

Evita Viajar

We just got back from The HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE with the OSMM: and me, my mom and my 11 yrs. old daughter had a most wonderful and spiritual experience. Thank you 206tours for making our dream come true. Our tourguide GEORGE, and driver ADEL, were awesome. They both treated us like their own family. We felt really safe with them.

Thank you once again and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May GOD continue to pour his blessings on the 206TOURS.

Sincerely,

Audrey C. Cambronero

Hi Milanka,

Oh, my gosh! You really sent those backpacks! Thank you so much.They will surely make good conversational pieces about 206 Tours.

Thanks again, and wishing you and your staff a blessed Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

Best wishes,

Percy Dumlao

Dear Rinda,

Thanks for your interest about our experience on the trip. You truly care about your pilgrims even after the fact. Overall, it was beyond our expectations; an extensive coverage of the New Testament. It was especially planned that we were able to get the best schedule, ( always ahead of other groups), and  to celebrate unforgettable Masses in major Holy sites, like, the Church of Annunciation on the feast of Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8th, Mt Calvary, Church of Nativity, Primacy of Peter, etc. Having Fr. Anthony and his mother on board was just like having Jesus and His mother in our midst. His homilies were moving. The group was a blessing of wonderful and beautiful people. I learned a lot from our knowledgeable and spiritual tour guide Yousef, and inspired me to get more serious about the bible. I thought he was a biblical scholar. Each day, we were greeted smilingly by the driver Rami and always attentive and caring. It was indeed a REAL pilgrimage. We went through cold, wind, rain, and sandstorm, but never missed an itinerary. The stormy Dead Sea did not stop my 80-year old mother from getting into the water. She thought, how many get to see the Dead Sea come alive as this? Having seen her “agility”, we should have extended our trip to Jordan and Egypt. My sister finally got to ride a camel, which she failed to do while living in Saudi Arabia. It was my second, and first for my sister and mother to be with 206 Tours. Thanks for the trip of a lifetime. God bless you and your service to pilgrims.

Sincerely,
Percy Dumlao (w/ my sister Estee & Mom Petra)

Dear Milanka,

In the year 2000 my wife Brenda and i were on a 206 pilgrimage to Medjugorje with our two children, Sean and Lee-anne. We flew from Newark to Frankfurt and after a short layover, we boarded Croatian Airline for the next leg to Split. My daughter was sound asleep in the seat beside me (as she had worked as nurse on the night shift). We had just leveled off at 25,000 feet when a commotion took place in the front of the plane. The stewardess came on the microphone and asked for medical assistance to the front. I woke Lee and she rushed forward. I watched her place a man on the floor and administer first aid. Penny Abbruzzese (a beautiful and charismatic 206 group leader) came back to me and told me that the man in trouble was Father Moyna (he lived with Penny and her family in New York and were very close). She, with tears in her eyes asked me to get Father Ed from the back of the plane and have him bring his anointing oils. After bringing Father Ed to the front, I then went through the plane with hands clasped together to ask all on board to pray for the stricken priest. I sat back in my seat and prayed like never before. The tension was unbelievable. I saw the pilot come out of his cockpit and bend down to speak with Lee. She told the pilot Father Moyna was in cardiac arrhythmia, and in imminent danger of dying and he should get the plane down quickly. The pilot diverted the plane to Zagreb and proceeded to land away from the terminal. The front door of the plane was opened and in rushed a doctor. The doctor put her hand towards the priest’s mouth (who was now cradled in Lee’s arms) Lee stopped her. The doctor was giving him nitro. Which Lee had already given him and the second dose would have been deadly. Penny, Father Moyna and the doctor got in the waiting ambulance and rushed away. Lee got up and walked back to her seat to the loud applause of all on board, including the stewardess and pilot. Father Moyna recovered and rejoined us in Medjugorje three days later. When he met Lee, he embraced her and called her his special angel. Our lives would never be the same. Father Moyna would live another 5 years saving countless souls. Our daughter was so profoundly impacted that she decided to go on to medical school and is now practicing as a second year internal doctor at Baltimore Harbor Hospital. Brenda and I decided the best way to thank God for the two miracles at 25,000 feet (a holy man’s life was saved and our daughter went on to become a doctor) was to run a pilgrimage every November with 206 Tours to Medjugorje. We will travel only with 206 and I will tell you why… we have had life changing experiences in our 10 trips with 206. The entire staff pray for you and prayerfully and professionally look after your needs.

Your brother in Christ,

Brian Flannery

Dear Amanda,

First, your office did a most commendable job of accommodating a number of requests I made, with absolutely no foul-ups. Since I was traveling in Europe just prior to the Pilgrimage, it was most critical that I would receive the final package at our second home in California. The arrangement struck was carried out perfectly by your staff. The flight arrangements and bus support worked well, which relieved a headache usually encountered in group travel. The accommodations at the Dragan Bevanda were very comfortable and the food was outstanding. All in all, the Pilgrimage package was a real bargain!

The program of events made the pilgrimage a life changing experience for me. I tried to take advantage of every activity offered, including the evening program at St. James. With Wayne leading the program, it was bound to be most effective and informative. But a most important contribution was that provided by Slavenka. Her insight into the culture, the personalities (visionaries, priests, bishops), the activities, the chronicle of the apparitions and the local people really made the Pilgrimage alive and full of anecdotes. Her humor and leadership made it a joy to be around her. We were also blessed to have Mary, Wayne’s assistant with us as she added considerably to the administration and execution of the myriad details involved in handling our group.

I was most impressed with Arthur Mc Closkey’s story and he and Wayne’s efforts with the orphanages. Visiting the local women’s Cenacola was also a highlight of the trip. Be sure to include these elements in future pilgrimages.

The experience could have been made even more indelible if we had more exposure to the visionaries. But I certainly understand the difficulty in making that happen.

All in all, it was a fabulous experience. Meeting you at breakfast one day was hard evidence to me that you are involved and interested in improving the Medjugorje Pilgrimage for future clients. Congratulations and thank you for your Company’s professional efforts in making this a life changing pilgrimage for me!

Hopefully, I will be able to return to Medjugorje and if so, it will be with 206 Tours.

Blessed regards,

Greg De Lucca

Dear Amanda,

The November 2010 206 Tours pilgrimage, my 6th with Wayne Weible, was by far the most memorable. Our group was small so I was able to have closer contact with these wonderful people. I had the opportunity to get to know Wayne better because we all stayed together at the Santa Maria, my favorite place to stay.

My daughter Suzanne, who had been away from the church since 1984, accompanied her sister Elizabeth

and me. She had an amazing experience in the church and also bonded with the people in our group. It could be a beginning conversion for her so we shall see. I learned one thing on this trip and that is to never stop praying for your children.

Since my first pilgrimage in 1990, the travel arrangements and connections were the best. We left from Charlotte and returned via Philadelphia, thereby avoiding the hassle of the larger airports such as New York, Washington and Chicago, which we used on previous trips. The travel from beginning to end can be arduous but this one went so smoothly, it had to be an answer to prayer. In addition, Liz Shea was very patient and extremely helpful in handling our requests.

Sincerely,

Judy Fillback

Dear Mike and All those who made the Holy Land and Jordan tour available,

Thank you for the planning and great coordination that goes into making one of these tours work so well.
I found every part of the Pilgrimage a blessings and a great experience. I am especially grateful that you were able to work out the Jordan tour.
Our Guide and Driver were most knowledgeable and gracious. We came to a deeper appreciation of both ancient and modern Jordan through their guidance. The Holy Land pilgrimage was also very good. We appreciated having a priest present so that we were able to celebrate Mass at the Holy Sites and have that additional spiritual aspect. Again, our guide was well-versed in scripture and the history and culture of the land and the people and provided a fine overview of both the areas of Galilee and Jerusalem. Our hotels and the hospitality, buses, drivers all made the journey pleasant and comfortable. Thank you once again and blessings on those who travel with you in the future.

Sister Kathleen Wood

Thank you for all your help in preparing for this pilgrimmage!

I appreciated the Catholic Bible Study that gave an outline to what we were about to see.  The experience was beyond my hopes and imaginings!  Our tour guide and bus driver went out of their way to make the trip successful for everyone…Sam even collected us, several times, when we “went astray” and always in good humor!  Now I can truely say that the gospels and rosary are living and breathing and so much more alive to me now that I have been to the Holy Land.  We truly traveled with and met so many AMAZING people…God is Good!

Tamara Splonskowski
Fargo, North Dakota

Hi Rinda,

I am a little late on replying to your e-mail but wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time on the Holy Land & Cairo trip which ended last Saturday. I wanted to mention that the 2 tour guides that we had in Jerusalem (Sami) & Cairo (Maget) made the trip really special for us. Their knowledge about the various sites and organization skills helped us to see all the Holy Land & Epyptian sites and it made it a very special pilgrimage. I need to mention our Administrative person in Egypt- Mr. Ahqmad (sp?). I don’t know how we would have managed Cairo without his help: getting to sites, organizing the details and especially helping us at the airport. Also our pilgrimage priest, Fr. Argano, made each of our Masses so special with his heartful homilies. Kudos to all of them! I would definitely take another pilgrimage with 206 Tours.

Kathy Tupper

Dear Billy,

We have just returned from Jordan this morning, feeling tired but happy to be safely back home.

We are all agreed that our trip to Israel was enjoyable and memorable. Things were organized and went smoothly according to schedule. Our tour guide, Tony Azraz, was a big factor in our enjoyment of the tour. He was well versed in the religions and cultures of the Holy Land, and his fluency in English made it easier for us to appreciate the history of the place.

We got spoiled in Israel and expectations were high for the Jordan tour guide. He tried his best to accommodate us. It is just that he is not as seasoned or as organized as Tony, so we had some difficulty understanding some of his explanations.

Overall the pilgrimage was a wonderful experience because it deepened our faith and it allowed us to enjoy each other’s company. And the shopping!

Thank you and regards,

Lilia Cortes

Hello Rinda,

Thank you and your staff so much for putting this together for us. All was great, from the moment we landed in Amman, our transfer to Israel, and our trip through Sinai and into Cairo and our departure to the U.S. All was handled with precision and expertise by all persons involved. Rinda, thank you for arranging Mass for us in Jordan at Mt Nebo and at Our Lady of Peace Center (bilingual in Arabic and English) on Sunday.

Our guides,Nassar in Jordan, Sami in Israel, and Maged inEgypt, were very well informed. They made their perspective countries come alive with their knowledge of the bible, culture, geography,and history.Our thanks toall of them! Thedriversproved their capability, especially Ashad in Israel, takingthat huge busin and out of tight situations without difficulty. He knows how to drive a bus!!!

Socorro and I came back from our Pilgrimage glowing! This was definitely a dream come true and we thank God for giving us the opportunity to have gone on this most beautiful pilgrimage. Everything we saw and experienced was spectacular, and breathtaking. There was many a moment when we were left speechless and with tears in our eyes.One highlightwas walking through Old Jerusalem before dawn and experiencing the Stations of the Cross. Our group was the onlygroup there, and this made it exceptional forall of us as it became a private, peaceful experience. Another highlight was seeing the panorama of Jerusalem from the Mt of Olives.Now when we teach our Catechism classes and read from the Bible, in our minds we can visualize the Biblical sites and teach with more enthusiasm.

On our trip, we met so many nice people, who we will not forget. Our thanks to Fr. Chris Argano. He is on fire for the Lord and the Catholic Church! His homilies were wonderful, and he is a great guy too.

Again many thanks, and we look forward to traveling again with 206 Tours.

Socorro and Patricia Varela

I recently retired from teaching and intend to do more traveling.  I know that this tour will be the highlight of any other trips that I may take in the future. Everything was so organized and the fact that we had a priest to say Mass at the various biblical sites will forever be with me.  Our guide, Youseph, was a Catholic and he gave us so much information and tied all of the sites together. Catholics should go to Israel with a Catholic tour such as 206 to benefit more spiritually.  I am amazed at how many sites we were able to see and experience while there. I came home renewed and with a deeper appreciation and love of God. I am recommending 206 Tours to some friends who want to take a pilgrimage next year.

Thank you and God bless!
Terri Tedeschi
Blairsville, PA

I have been on many “pilgrimages” but this was the only real one.  The three priests were inspiring, especially Fr. Tino.
The entire group including Usama our guide was so caring and helped each other constantly.
I would like to thank 206 for the complimentary lunch at Abu Shanab Restaurant……… the food was excellent and the staff outdid themselves with service.

Gloria Hannafin

I have NEVER had a better experience in my life!!! Our tour guide Usama was the most amazing & knowledgeable person & went out of his way to provide us w/ daily Mass & filled our days w/ incredible sights & never w/out a beaming smile on his face. God bless Fr. Tino, Fr. Stirnamun, Fr. Michael & all my pilgrimage cohorts. I HAVE to go back!

Sincerely,
Madonna Fitzgerald

Dear Amanda,

We had an amazing pilgrimage, I felt blessed for having gone to Medjugorje, our tour guide Slavenka did a wonderful job.

I would love to have her as our guide when we return, as I most defintely plan to. Father Billy Lewis was wonderful as our spiritual

leader, and Wayne Weible I plan to come back next year. I hope you have the same tour available next year as I plan to bring a few of my friends and hopefully one of my children. Thank You for the wonderful and Blessed experience

Frances

Thank you for your email.

I have joined several pilgrimages and this was the first time I went with a group organized outside the Filipino Community in Vienna and I don’t regret my decision. The pilgrimage was truly an enriching experience. Priceless! It was just amazing, especially when we visited the Nativity and the Crucifixion sites, the feeling’s so intense. I could feel God’s presence which brought me to tears.

Your itinerary was perfect, I guess it covered everything. The group was fantastic. It was indeed an honor to meet them. It’s just a pity we didn’t have enough time to know each other more. Our guide Sami is the best I’ve known so far. He is perfect for the job. Impressive! Same thing with Rashad. They were so pleasant and accomodating. They’re the team to beat.

Our Spiritual Director, Fr. Chris Argano is such a blessing. His homilies were relevant and moving.

I will cherish this pilgrimage for the rest of my life. Thank you. Keep up the good work. More Power. God Bless.

Angelina

Hello Rinda,

Our pilgrimage went very well! We were blessed with exceptionally warm weather with only one day of rain.Yannis was very good. He is very knowledgeable and a first rate guide. His background in classical studies gave us an insight into the culture in the time of Saint Paul. His partner, Yanni, was very good in making sure of all the details during the cruise were worked out. He went out of his way to make sure everything was handled very well.The hotels were very good. The bus was a full size bus and gave us plenty of room to spread out. Nico, our driver, was top rate. Our group was pleased with everything. Out of a group of ten people from Omaha, six of us lost our check in luggage on the way to Omaha from Athens.  The bags arrived the next afternoon.With the cruise ship schedule, we kept meeting four or five other pilgrimage groups going with the Footsteps of Saint Paul. They quickly noticed that we were doing more than they were. For example, at Ephesus, some of the groups chose not to go to the House of Mary. Those groups, who went to Ephesus, were surprised to hear that we had celebrated Mass near the House of Mary while they did not.I visited with some of the members of the other pilgrimage groups. Their priests were along for the ride and did not offer much spiritual leadership in their pilgrimages. I could tell the difference with our 206 group much more satisfied with what we were doing. Our Mass at Philippi, by the stream where Saint Paul baptized Lydia, was especially meaningful.I am grateful for all that was arranged by your office and personnel. It made for a very satisfying pilgrimage. I was glad to help with the pilgrimage and found it very meaningful in learning about Saint Paul. The biggest challenge was keeping track of the people so we could leave on time. I joke that is what a shepherd does in keeping track of his sheep!

May God bless you and your office for offering these pilgrimages!
Fr. Dan

Wow, Milanka, I just want to say that I think 206 is fantastic. I had a great group of pilgrims travelling together in Egypt and the Holy Land. I could not have asked for me or expected more in terms of our visits, our prayers and Masses togther, the shrines, the people we met (guides and drivers), the hotels we stayed at, the food, visits…. 206 is the BEST! You put together something of a miracle!

Fr. David Bellusci via FacebookFriday at 8:03pm

Dear Mike,

Thank you for the opportunity to let you know how wonderful our recent Pilgrimage to the Holy land was for both of us.  As you may know, our son Fr. Chris Argano was the Spirtual Director of the pilgrimage, and that only made our experience much more satisfactory.Obviously, we are not going to comment on Fr. Chris’ performance, however we are certain that you will be hearing from some of the other pilgrims, and based upon their comments to us you will be pleased.Our guide Sami was top notch.  He was informative, helpful, and most especially he looked out for all of us.  We would recommend 206 Tours without hesisitation, but wewould tell whomever we make such a recommendation to ask for Sami as the tour guide for the Holy Land Pilgrimage.Our driver Rashad was also excellent.  He is a very skillful driver, and was also very informative as well.  He and Sami are a great team.206 Tours clearly is first rate, and that was proven by how happy and joyous we came away from the Pilgrimage.We wish you continued success, and would not hesitate to recommend you to our friends and family.

With every good wish and God’s Blessing,
Catherine & Frank Argano

Mike Alessi:

This Pilgrimage exceeded our expectations.
Our tour guide was excellent – out of this world.
Our Chaplin was wonderful – fulfilled all of our needs and then some.These two would make going on a pilgrimage with another duo very challenging.

Frank & Winnie Easton PA

Cara,

It’s been a tremendous experience this whole week and all 39 of us are getting along like one family. We just finished our Holy Hour in the Garden of Gethseminie Church and you could actually feel the healings that were taking place. Fr. Tino had everyone spellbound by his prayers. I couldn’t say enough about Usama -THE BEST GUIDE EVER!

I can’t thank you enough for putting us all together and working everything out sooooooooooooo beautifully and gracefully.

With Love and Prayers and a great and blessed weekend,

Penny

Dear Milanka,

I sincerely appreciate you and your kindness.

My testimony:

As a lone pilgrim who did not join the 206 Tours in Međugorje, I am afforded the luxury of writing my testimony in favor of 206’s guided tour completely objectively and free of bias. The 206 Tours’ team of professionals anticipates and is poised to respond to any and all issues of pilgrimage travel. From my calculations I spent $2,540 more as a lone pilgrim than if I had joined the 206 Tours, but that is only the fiscal component. Because I did not book a guided tour, I lost twelve hours—traveling by bus from Split, Croatia to Međugorje. As a result of my lone travel and loss in time, I was not able to witness several of the “cornerstone” sites/experiences which the 206 Tours’ pilgrims toured. Moreover, the significance of many of the sites that I did visit was lost or not understood because I did not have a guide. On that note, 206 Tours’ Catholic guide, Slavenka, was like The Bible and an encyclopedia—brought to life in a majestic and remarkable land. Though my time with the 206 Tours’ pilgrims was limited, I felt privileged in gaining knowledge from Slavenka’s presentations. I feel blessed to have met the generous pilgrims of the early November 2010 tour. These priests, deacon, and beautiful children of God created such a peaceful environment in which enlightenment with the Holy Spirit was effortless created and sustained throughout this path in their journey to Jesus Christ. I regret that I did not use 206 Tours for my pilgrimage. Booking your pilgrimage with 206 Tours will save you time and money; comfort and peace of mind are intangibles which are provided at no extra cost. Experiences are enhanced with 206 Tours. God bless you on your journey.

Sincerely and respectfully,
David V. Silverman
Denham Springs, Louisiana

Dear Mike:
If I had to summarize in one word how my wife and I enjoyed the tour, the word would be
Fantastic.  It was a real religious experience, as we visited the various sites.  Our guide was Sammi and he was really great and possed an uncanny knowledge of the Holy Land. My wife and I are happy we took the 206 tour.

James Cooper 
Silver Spring, Maryland

Mike,

Our trip was wonderful. Fr.Chris along with his parents was such a blessing for us. Wish we could have recorded his sermons. Sami, our guide could not have been any better. He knew so much about the area and the Bible. Our driver,Rashad got us in and out of impossible places and kept us safe. Our group had the nicest people ever. The trip was life changing. Thanks for organizing everything so perfectly.

Linda and Dale

Dear Mike,

We are so impressed with 206 Tours.. A truly professional job! Well Done! Fr. Argano, was a wonderful spiritual leader, Sami, an amazing guide, beyond a doubt, the best of the best. He left no stone unturned, no question unanswered, no opportunity missed. His network of contacts and his amazing logistical ability allowed us to celebrate Mass in the most sacred of places. An added bonus was our stop to see the site of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery which he substituted, following a group vote, rather than waste time at a site of minor importance that had a huge lineup….so glad we were able to see it. Rashad, our driver, whose skill got us in and out of spaces even a car would have had trouble with, left us all cheering him on many occasions.

The following describes our most memorable experience which you are welcome to share with your future clients.

Sami, our exception guide, is about to give us an amazing gift…

We arise before dawn. The old city of Jerusalem is still sleeping as we, in near silence, enter her gates. Our hurried footsteps echo through the darkness of the narrow winding streets like those of soldiers on the march. A tiny beam of light from Sami`s flashlight guides us over the series of steps and uneven paving stones. We make our way into the pre dawn of 2000 years ago. Suddenly, we stop. We are here at our first station of the cross. Fr. Argano leads us in prayer. From the darkness we look up to see the first pink glow of dawn touch the rooftops and in the distance we hear a rooster crow. A chill goes up our spines and tears begin to flow. Our journey along the Way of the Cross begins…

God Bless,
Gord and Nancy,
Petawawa Ontario,Canada

Hi Ms. Fortunato,

I have returned from my pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Yes, my life is richer for taking this pilgrimage. It has been life changing and a strengthening of my faith in God. Our Blessed Mother truly does bring all of us closer to her Son, Jesus. This is my 4th trip to Medjugorje and one of the most inspirational. Our tour guide, Ivan, is one of the best! He made the trip most informative and certainly spiritual. We were honored to have Wayne Weible come to our house to speak. What a joy and blessing!! Our spiritual director, Fr. Bernie Evanoski is truly a special priest. We attended Mass, prayed the rosary, climbed Apparition Hill, Cross Mountain, prayed stations of the cross and so much more together as a group. So, yes, my life is richer in knowing of God’s love and His Mercy. I have a closer relationship with His Mom!!! I will, consider another trip with 206 tours in the future.

Thank You, and God bless you now and always,

Ilene Lackey-Miller

Dear Milanka,

During Oct. 2007 Sister Jean Lind,  and ourselves went on a 206 pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Jordan.  Almost immediately we discussed making another pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This time we were fortunate to also our friend, Sister Kathleen Wood, accompany us.  We were pleased with the special arrangements and efforts Mike, Rinda, and Stephanie made to assure we traveled together and have rooms close to each other. Whenever we contacted any  them, we received courteous and prompt responses to our questions and concerns.

The guidance Cara gave to us on the procedures involved in crossing from Jordan to Jerusalem was clear and extremely helpful and made what could have been a complicated process simple.The short time we  spent in Jordan was truly enriching. Upon our departure from the airport we received a welcoming telephone call and a gift of cookies from Vicki. We were the only four who were part of the Jordan portion of our pilgrimage. The time we spent at Petra, Mt.
Nebo, Madaba and Jerash were truly once in a life time experiences.   Thank you for accommodating our small group.  Our guide, Nasser, and  driver, Issam, were truly exceptional and very competent individuals who took a personal interest in each of us.  We each benefited immensely from their insights and reverence for the places we visited.  We left for Tel A Viv with a deep respect and fondness for Jordan and its people.Experiencing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the second time allowed us to appreciate the experience in a more reflective manner.  We thank 206 for the gift of wine at each dinner and the truly delicious multi- course lunch at the Abu Shanab restaurant in Bethlehem.  We enjoyed the friendships we made with each member of our group, our driver, Rami and our guide, Sami.  Sami had the unique gift of being able to recall and utilize biblical passages relating to the sites and geography of the Holy Land. He also expertly helped us to integrate our experiences into the events of Christ’s life and mission.Once again we extend our thanks to you and your staff.  You conduct your business as a true ministry which allows 206 pilgrims to benefit spiritually from your efforts.

Sincerely,
Marcia and Nick Lorang

Hi Stephanie,

The pilgrimage was one of the very best we have taken.  Frano, our guide, was wonderful helping the new travellers and sharing information on the early days in Medjugorje that only someone who was there would know.  He kept everyone centered on prayer and providing the opportunity to experience the true presence of the Living God.  Being with Nives and Frank Jelich is always a treat and treasure.  Both are such caring  individuals who have become close friends over the years.   Staying with Jelka in Medjugorje is like coming home each time.  She and her husband, Dragon and Mom, Katica take care of us so well – we are truly pampered.  We are already planning next year and look forward to the dates for early October again.  Medjugorje has become a place of peace and retreat from the world for me each year.  I am able to concentrate on Our Lord through the gifts Our Lady has given us there.  The quiet and even the noise of the building boom in the center of Medjugorje still provide an opportunity that the world refuses to permit back home.  Walking the fields, attending outdoor Mass or Adoration and Veneration of the Cross with thousands of people speaking every language under the sun is an experience quite beyond words.  Two weeks is never enough.  God willing we may find a way to stay longer one of these years.God Bless You for all that you do to bring Christ back to the people of the US.  We had excellent accomodations in Dubrovnik and despite the rain, had a good evening at the hotel.  Our plan was to get into Old Town but the rain made that somewhat difficult.  Our drivers to Dubrovnik and to the airport were excellent.  In all, it was the perfect pilgrimage.  I appreciated you arranging a direct flight to Dallas from Frankfurt.  For the very first time in 16 years, I returned in  under 30 hours after leaving Medjugorje.

May Our Lady continue to light your way,
Julie Brummitt

Hi Mike,
I really enjoyed my pilgrimage.  What made it so special and so memorable is the tour guide you assigned to us, Sami Tawil.  He was great!  He did an outstanding job bringing the history as well as scripture into the sights we saw.  It is a trip I will always remember.  My life is much richer spiritually after this trip.  It is a trip everyone should make at least once in their lifetime.  I do hope to do this again someday.

Thank you so much!
Monica

Dear Mike,
My apologies for not writing this feedback sooner. My family and I had the most rewarding spiritual experience during this Pilgrimage Tour…our very first and I know will not be the last. 206 Tours made such an excellent impression on us that we just had the best time of our lives. All the places we visited, the itineraries, hotel accommodations, food, bus rides best of all our tour guide Jesus ( how funny is that ) was just the best. We were overcome with emotions on the Feast of Fatima having experienced the power in peoples faith. Truly an enriching moment. In addition, the churches we visited were such an architectural beauty. Furthermore, we met some of the most coolest and kindest folks on this tour.This pilgrimage tour ….more like a spiritual boot camp warmed our hearts, cleansed our soul and renewed our faith.Thanks 206 Tours.

Adele Maxie

I wanted to tell you that our recent 206 tour was absolutely wonderful! Everything was taken care of by 206, and all the arrangements were excellently done. I have to give special attention and a very special thanks to our tour guide, Jesus Garcia, who worked tirelessly to make sure every aspect of our tour went smoothly. Even when a French workers’ strike canceled our plane flight from Lourdes to Never, he and Javier worked out an alternate solution that not only got us to Never but lost us no time or sightseeing in the process. My Dad and I give top praise and credit to Jesus for being such an outstanding tour guide!

I would also like to thank you, Rinda, for your help in setting up our tour, including some of the special travel arrangements we made with you. I give great thanks to 206 Tours for a job well done, and I’ll always give it the highest recommendation to others looking to make pilgrimages overseas. I look forward to traveling with 206 Tours again. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Kevin Capps

Hi Bill,

I saw Fr. Walter yesterday; he came back very enthusiastic, and told me that everyone had a great time.
206TOURS handled all aspects of the pilgrimage with professionalism and excellence!
The hotels were great, the tour guides pleasant and knowledgeable, excellent food, travel arrangements on time, etc ….all precise to detail from departure to return. Our pilgrims had a wonderful spiritual experience.
Compliments for the exceptional job!!!!

Thank you,
Maria Victoria Paolantonio
RADIO MARIA

Dear Mike,

Words cannot express the wonder of our pilgrimage to the Holy Land and to the Shrines of Italy that we just completed.  It was truly a trip of a lifetime.

I cannot say enough good things about our guide in the Holy Land, Sami Tawil.  He must be a theologian.  He knows the Old Testament and New Testament and could quote chapter and verse as it pertained to what we were seeing and experiencing. This enriched our experiences immensely. We had a very moving experience when we celebrated Holy Mass in Our Lord’s Tomb at the Holy Sepulchre. I was among others in our group who were moved to tears at the enormity of Our Lord’s sacrifice and love for us. I truly understood how Christ was still with us through the Eucharist, even though we stood at His tomb. It was an overwhelming emotion which produced tears. Our spiritual director, Fr. Carlos Rodrigues, was equally prepared to enlighten and educate us.  He also presided at the renewal of vows at Cana with my husband of 30 years. What a privilege that was!Thank you to 206 tours for the delicious lunch and, more importantly, such excellent planning which enabled my husband and I along with our fellow pilgrims to have such an enriching experience.

Sincerely,
Sonia Quintana

Hi Amanda,

I just want to say that our trip to Spain was just wonderfully spiritual and educational, our guide gloria is very informative and had allot of patience with our group. I’m looking forward to another trip with 206 tours. So far I’ve been to Italy, France, Greece, and now to Spain.

Best Regards,

Helen Daily

Dear Stefanie,

We want to thank you & 206 tours for a great Pilgrimage to Medjugorje. We have been to Medjugorje many times with 206 tours and each trip has had its special blessings. We want to especially thank Franjo our guide in Medjugorje for his sharing and guidance provided to our group of pilgrims. We felt especially blessed to have Franjo’s insights about Medjugorje and his spirituality. We would also like to compliment Jelka and her family for her accommodations and especially the food. Exceptional.

Thank you, 206 Tours, for all assistance in Medjugorje. It was great.

Bob & Cyndy Young

To all 206tours staff,

I want to express my great appreciation for all your services. The selection of your hotels was great. The itinerary was excellent. The guide that accompanied us is the nicest, professional person I have met.

I would highly recommend your tours to any of my friends and acqueintants.

I hope to see you again soon.

Maria

Dear Amanda,

On behalf of my wife and I, we want to say that we had a wonderful time our guide Gloria and the driver Mario were great. There was nothing that they wouldn’t do for us. In every city that we went to the guides were great. If there was a question that was needed to answered they were willing to explain to us the background of the area. We will be sure to book with 206 on our next trip. Thank you so much.

Lou and Joan Strugalla

Dear Milanka,

Please forward this picture to Sami for me. It is our group picture with Bishop Kamal. Sami was a terrific guide and I will always remember him for his kindness and knowledge. Wish him well for me. I did not want to add this picture to my email for the company as I have not contacted all the pilgrims for their approve to place the picture on the internet.

Again, many thanks for a wonderful experience.

Peace,

Diane Deegan, LGCHS

Dear Mike and Milanka,

I just want to say Thank You for such a wonderful experience. 206 Tours did an exceptional job planning our Pilgrimage. Our tour guide Sami was extremely knowledgeable and concerned for our well being. Fr. Carlos was phenomenal. I made this pilgrimage with my 11 year old son Tommy. Both Sami and Fr. Carlos were tremendous with him, taking the time to answer any questions he had. Our whole group became his adopted parents watching out for him. During the trip we all became very close, exchanging contact information and hoping to tour again as a group in the future.

I am a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem I had an appointment to see the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to receive a pilgrim’s shell. For the Day of the appointment, our entire group voted to delay the start of our day and accompany me to see Bishop Kamal. It was a very special moment for me to be able to share that with my fellow pilgrims. Sami made sure that we would not miss out on any of the itinerary. I was so pleased at the flexibility and kindness of everyone.

While all of the places we visited were very special, the one that stands out most was the early morning Mass in our Lords Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Being a small group we could all fit inside the Tomb. My son described it as “a very important step in my life” and of the whole trip he said “That was my life changing pilgrimage”. To be able to bring a child along and experience the path of Jesus at such a young age is truly a wonderful gift. He will carry with him the memories of this pilgrimage for the rest of his life.

Thank you to Sami, Fr. Carlos and the whole 206 team that made this trip memorable.

Diane Deegan, LGCHS

Dear Milanka,

I have to say that you and your staff are the only agency that is so sweet and polite.All your agents have the same disposition when they speak to us on the telephone or send us emails.It’s such a pleasure to work with you and your staff………..just wanted you to know this.We all have a good disposition with all our agents but your office is one of the best with have worked with. It’s always a pleasure………….

Amelia (Emily) Wojnicz

Dear Milanka,

I want to thank you from the deepest recesses of my heart for allowing me to be the spiritual director for the recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, 10th to 19th October. It was for me a profound an indelible experience. On October 16th your company had arranged Mass for us at 5:00A.M at the burial and resurrection tomb of Our Lord at the Holy Sepulcher Church where we offered the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was so moving that some pilgrims had tears in their eyes. Everyone said that that was the highlight of their pilgrimage.

I also want to thank you very much for the lunch you sponsored us in Bethlehem. Sami, our guide was very knowledgeable and correct in regards to the information he imparted to us.Before the trip I did some extensive research and reading, and needless to say, Sami was right on target. We were very fortunate to have him.He was very impressive.

I would also like to share with you another experience we had in the hotel in Jerusalem. In that hotel there were many other visitors to the Holy Land. They saw us with our 206 ids around our necks and inquired about our tour. What was very outstanding was they were on a tour we were on a pilgrimage. What do I mean by that? They did not have a priest with them to offer daily the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to instruct and direct them in spiritual matters. 206 does not offer tours but pilgrimages. I think they were envious of us, but that is the difference between 206 tours and other tour groups. My pilgrims all had a very positive and memorable pilgrimage.

Milanka, this is the fourth time that I have traveled with 206 and was pleased at all times. It was a privilege and a great honor to be the priest and spiritual director, for 206 tour and I sincerely thank you for this.

Pax et bonum,

Fr.Carlos Rodrigue

Dear Mike,

I justed wanted to comment on how well 206 Tours handled all aspects of our pilgrimage.  Reservations, necessary documents, wonderful hotels chosen for our stay, itinerary and activities, etc. were all so organized. I was very impressed!   Everything went very smoothly!  And our tour guide, Yousef in Israel, was beyond informative – he was also very prompt, helpful and patient with us!  Being my first pilgrimage, it was a wonderful and unique experience.

Laurie Forster

Dear Mike,

It was indeed a very well organized tour and appreciate the excellent help of the tour guide. Jesus did a very exceptional job. All of our expectations were met and had a very happy spiritual renewal while we were there. Father Peter Zorjan also did a very good job as spiritual guide.

Most importantly, thank you very much for getting us out of France in time before the strike. We are glad to be back home safe and sound. We ask that God and the Blessed Mother help those pilgrims who are in predicament now with the strike.

We thank God and the Blessed Mother again for bringing us home safe and sound. And thanks to you all for your kind assistance.

Sincerely,
Abelardo and Sandra Lacano

Dear Mike,

First of all I would like to say – Happy 25th Anniversary to 206 Tours and a big thank you for having us in that awesome 14 days of spiritual journey of the Holy Land and Cairo. It was a life changing spiritual experience for me and 206 Tour completely exceeded my expectation. It was very organized, well planned and the pilgrims were all taken cared off in every step of the way. The hotel accommodation was great; the guides – Joseph and Max are very professional and expert in their field. Thank you also to Father Peter for sharing his most precious time to be with us in that journey, he gave us the spiritual guidance and wisdom to better understand our faith.

I wish 206 Tours more power in their endeavour and may God continue to use you as His instrument in spreading the spiritual blessings to all your future pilgrims. I will surely recommend 206 to my friends and family and I hope with God’s grace that I could come back again and join some other pilgrimages in the near future. The memories of that journey will be forever cherished.

Peace and love,
Ellen Subia

Dear Mike,

Rex and I thoroughly enjoyed our tour (tour 40). We were particularly pleased with our tour guide, Jesus Villa. He was phenomenal !!–very caring, responsible and knowledgeable. We also thought that both of our bus drivers, Miguel and Jean Pierre, were excellent. Of the individual site guides, the one we had in Liseux was also exceptional. All of our accommodations, except for the hotel in Liseux, were good.

Food was also good. We especially liked having choices in Spain and Paris.

I have been recommending your tours to everyone we meet.

Sincerely,

Mariann Helfant

Our spiritual journey was a success! You could see (our sweet smiles) from our group pictures that we are one big family. We became one great family through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual director, Fr. Peter Dugandzic was a superb, intellectual, and very excellent speaker. We all listened to his homilies.

Our tour guides Heidi (Germany), Joseph (Israel) and Max (Egypt) did a good job, kind and helpful to us. They became our good brothers and sister to us.

Our accommodations were fine. The food in Germany was excellent. In Israel, was average because of buffet style ( the same selections were there everyday). In Egypt, some of us was tired of seeing the Mediterranean food, but as the old saying goes “when in Rome….”. Maybe it would be nice to have other nations’ food (lunch time)?

Thank you, and on this pilgrimage, the scenery was beautiful and the people were wonderful. I’m lucky to be a part of this journey, walking the path of Jesus Christ.

Cynthia S. Kramer

Dear Sir:

The whole trip was excellent. It was truly a pleasure to be in Lourdes to enjoy seeing what a young woman with Faith can accomplish for our World. To see her incorrupt body at Nevers was very special. God must truly love that beautiful young girl. We had been to Chartre and Lisieux before but we did enjoy the tour at Chartres Cathedral. At Lisieux, we enjoyed learning much more bout St. Therese, another young woman who has given us such great example to all of us of how to do a perfect job doing little things in life. We enjoyed the very nice tour of Rouen, seeing the lovely old Cathedral, the area where St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake and also the old Clock that was hanging there since the 1500’s. The guide there was a nice person who loved his City and being able to tell us Americans how much he enjoyed his job as a guide in Rouen.

My wife and I have gone on many pilgrimages, cruises, bike tours and hiking tours in Europe, Africa, Holy Land, China, Russia, South America including a cruise through the Panama Canal and a tour to Boliviam Macho Pichu in Peru, United States etc. This was the first tour that we did not have an opportunity to meet our fellow travelers in our group and have a welcoming meeting – if only for 1 or 2 hours – on the first night. We were thrown in with many people who had been together for 5-6 days and they knew each other. We felt we were "outsiders". After we left Lourdes, and were with a small group, we felt much better and as if we were "wanted". We then had the opportunity to meet and visit with more of the people in our group and also get to know who our guide and Priest was to be for our tour.

In my opinion, it is very important to get your customers to feel welcome the first day rather than the 4th or 5th day. It might be a good deal for your Company to throw everyone together, such as was done in Lourdes, but I am sure that there were others who may have had the same feeling. Also, on most other tours, we were given a written sheet of the times of each event for each day so we would know what to expect the each day. At Lourdes, we were told at dinner that the times would be on the black board for the next day. However, the writing on the black board did not occur unitl after dinner- sometime- after we had gone to our rooms. I think this confusion was a result of Jesus working with 3 different groups going in different directions, and also Jesus having been with many of the group for 4 or 5 days, it was easier for those guests to understand and communicate with him.

We will apreciate your thoughts.

Don & Dee Traxler, St. Paul, MN

Dear Mike:

I was very pleased with the pilgrimage. We had a wonderful group. Our tour guide, Slavica, was outstanding. Slavenka came over to meet us one night. The place where we stayed was wonderful. The weather was good – we had some rain. Everyone felt that they had received many graces. The arrangements were all worked out for us. It was wonderful that you gave each person – Magnificat. What a thoughtful touch. We offered Mass in the Divine Mercy Chapel near the river yesterday and one day we had Mass at Tihaljina. Thank you also for the song books that you prepared! They made our Masses very prayerful! On other pilgrimages, I have prepared song books like that myself. It was wonderful to receive them from you. I must say that 206 Tours does an outstanding, thorough job.

I look forward to my next pilgrimage with 206 Tours! You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC

We had a wonderful trip. It was a very spiritual experience for my husband and myself. Visiting the Holy Land and Cairo was memorable. The hotels and dinners were excellent. Father Dugandzic was wonderful. Our tour director was very informative. Thank you for arranging a spectacular trip.

Sincerely,

Maria and Nat Antonacci

“Donald Calloway To all my fb friends, Milanka Lachman is the Founder & President of 206 Tours , a Catholic Pilgrimage group that organizes and leads pilgrimages around the world. If you are ever wanting to make a pilgrimage, I highly recommend going with 206 Tours.”

Fr. Donald Calloway wrote this on his FaceBook

My Pilgrimage to France last week was a wonderful experience. First of all I must let you know how great Jesus was as our Tour Guide for this trip. He was organized, dependable, kind and he made sure we had the necessary tools to get the most out ot our experience. I would definitely request Jesus as a guide for future trips…..He was absolutely the BEST!.

I found 206 to be very organized in all logistics involved in going so many different places in 9 days.
Our transportation (Jean-Pierre) was always on time and very considerate. The hotels were clean and very nice. All the local guides in Lourdes, Never, Chartres, Lilsieux and Rouen were knowledgable and accommodating. We had a great group of people and the size was surely manageable.

Overall, I give 206 a 5 star rating…I hope you continue to be successful in providing these wonderful trips of a lifetime. I appreciate all the effort and details you manage and will definitely recommend your company.
Thanks so much to you, Mike, and everyone at 206

God Bless,
Kate Kurimay

Dear Mike,

Thanks for the fun pilgrimage. I had a wonderful time. Accommodations were beautiful, food was delicious and all of our guides were great. Jesus Vivas was our guide, Jean-Pierre our bus driver. They were both helpful, kind and considerate of everyone’s needs. Fr. John Struzzo did a good job with Masses and homilies. Dominique drove us to the airport early October 11 and was so delightful.

The only thing we found to be less: We arrived in Lourdes on October 2. Another group which had been together for about a week joined us. They all knew each other and had bonded as a group and were having a riotous time. Those first three days I felt rather out of place. It wasn’t until that group left after the Lourdes visit that the rest of us got to know each other. Perhaps there could be a get-to-know-you gathering for the newcomers. Or maybe not such a large group.

However, overall, I would recommend 206 Tours to anyone. Thank you for all your last minute changes and your accommodating.

Enjoy the wonderful day. Blessings!

Mary

I would like to thank 206 Tours and all the staff specially you for the great service offered to the group starting with the bookings and finishing with the amazing last dinner celebration in Lourdes arranged by our dear brother Javier. I was really impressed by the hotels services which couldn’t be better. Our spiritual advisor Father Ray Orama was wonderful in offering us help and advice through the Mass, Homilies, and personal company. Javier our guide was fantastic in all aspects; he is a well experienced guide, spiritual, and I learned lots from his personal experience which was high lighted by meeting his wonderful family. Even the driver was well selected and we never felt once that we are unsecure on the roads. Last and not the least, every person in the tour was great and nice, we spent unforgettable time together, and everyone became a true friend. Finally I wish 206 tours all the best.

God bless,

Johnny Burjony

Dear Rinda,

We took you Oberammergau, Lourdes, Fatima tour last week. We had a wonderful time. The tour guides were outstanding. We had Jesus after Germany. He is great. The Priests were understanding, funny, and a little Mystic. We had a good flight with Lufthansa and the weather was wonderful. Rosemary said that it was one of the best experiences she ever had on a trip. Please forward any info about your “In the footstep of Paul” tour for next year.

Thanks again,
Howard S. Koontz, RN, BSN

USNR/RET

Dear Milanka and Amanda,

Thank you for all you did to make this a wonderful pilgrimage! We just returned last night from such a blessed pilgrimage!

Jasna was wonderful and could not have done more to make us feel "at home" in her home! She is a loving person and the witness she shows in caring for Ivan, her special needs son, is so beautiful. We also met her son, Luka, who was a delight and a very fine and talented young man. The food was wonderful too! We enjoyed staying at her home very much!

Dragan was great too! He was fun besides being a great guide! And, he shared a wealth of history with us. He gave his all in making this a blessed pilgrimage!

And, we were very happy that Slavenka visited with us so often. We love her!

God was so good in bringing this group together and our Holy Mother took each one of us by the hand and led us to a deeper relationship with Her Son!

It truly was a blessed pilgrimage!

God bless you! Love,

Julie

I want to thank you for the amazing trip that was organized by 206 tours. Our host family was so welcoming and accomodating to our needs and handled all of the pilgrims with ease and grace. The meals were delicious and the rooms were clean and comfortable. I especially enjoyed our group leader Karen Sharfenburg who was always available and so helpful to all of us. Slevenka ,our tour guide was very knowledgable and facilitated many experiences for us. It truly was a dream come true to go to Medjugorge with such a great group of people. I thank you for al your work behind the scenes and will highly recommend you to all.

Anne Laverty

Thank you so much for all that you do. I truly appreciated your help and your time god bless you. What a blessing this pilgrimage was for all of us. We were truly blessed to have Fr. Mario, karen scharfenberg as our group leader in medjugorje and our guide slavenka was wonderful. Medjugorje, holy ground a glimpse of heaven on earth. A grace and gift given by jesus and the blessed mother our lady queen of peace. I am so grateful for it all..

peace and prayers,Linda Pietraszek

Just a note to say thank you for allowing me to be spiritual director for the tour.

Everythign went well and the people participated with the prayers throughout the tour.
Thank you for all the special places we celebrated Mass. I think every one had a spiritual experience.

Peace,
Msgr. Sabia

Thank You!

Our pilgrimage to Medjugorje was outstanding. Karen Scharfenberg was a wonderful leader.

Our host family was delightful and could not have done more to make us feel welcome and at home.

Our Croatian guide, Slavenka was the best!! But the prayers and peaceful feeling that abound in this holy place cannot be put into words. Our group meshed well together and everyone was very thoughtful and helpful to one another. I can hardly wait to return to this incredible place. I prayed to the Blessed Virgin when I left to please invite me back another time and also pray that I returned a better person for being there.

Thank you so much for helping to make this trip possible.
Maryann Dellinger

Hi Amanda,

We had an absolutely wonderful time! The family who housed us was so incredibly beautiful! The accommodations were very comfortable, and the food was absolutely out of this world. I am surprised I did not gain 10 lbs! Slavenka, our guide was very informative. She was kind and considerate of our wishes. But the best part of the trip was are privilege to witness to the lives of the people of this beautiful place! How holy! How Catholic! My son and I were saying, “If only the whole world was like this!”. Upon our return, both Ryan and I are determined to please God even more. My desire to fast twice weekly has been greatly enriched, and with God’s good grace, He will see it fit to assist me to be successful.

Yes! We will certainly consider using 206 tours again.

Thank you for an exceptional experience!
Sharon Best

Hello Amanda,

Traveling to Medjugorje with 206 Tours was probably the best trip I have ever gone on.

Medjugorje is truly the most peaceful and one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Thank you for all you did to make my experience so memorable!

God bless you abundantly,

–Julie Bergman : )

Hello Milanka,

Father Leo and myself would like to say "THANK YOU!" This pilgrimage was so special. I feel and Father Leo, also expressed this has been the BEST pilgrimage yet. Our guides were wonderful. Gloria, our main guide, was GREAT! She is so young, but so organized, so together. I don’t know how to spell Javier’s name, the young man that met us at the Carmelite Monastry of St. Theresa of Avila. I felt there is something so special about him. Everyone in our group felt that special something about him. Everything was so wonderful. Slavenka, was so "Spiritual." She is a very prayerful woman. The accommodations were just wonderful. Our meals were Great! People in our group would comment on how they had never stayed in such nice hotels and been fed so good on a pilgrimage. When I heard those comments, I felt so proud for having 206 Tours as our Travel Agency. I can never thank you enough.

Again, THANK YOU!

Love and Prayers,

Elaine

Dear Milanka,

I just wanted to share with you how awesome our pilgrimage to Lourdes was. As you know, traveling for so many years to Medjugorje, my heart has always been there. Since traveling to Lourdes, I have come to love it just as much as Medjugorje. Two shrines of Our Lady, each special in their own way and in each one I have left my heart.

What touched me the most in Lourdes is seeing so many of the sick in procession. They go to Lourdes in stretchers and wheelchairs depending on the wonderful volunteers to take care of them and always with a smile. Volunteers do such a great job. The pay for their own trip and humbly commit themselves to service at the Shrine.

The Sanctuary in Lourdes is the most magnificent I have ever seen. The place is huge. The grounds are just beautiful and kept so well. The Grotto where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette is my favorite place. I was drawn there everyday wanting to just sit there and pray. My sister and I also enjoyed touring the little town of Lourdes and taking the Funiculaire up the mountain and see the most awesome view of Lourdes. That was so much fun.

From beginning to end the trip was perfect. The weather was wonderful; the accommodation at The Grand Moderne Hotel were beautiful; the food was excellent; and, even though our group left a few days before and my sister and I did, everyone at the hotel and restaurant were very helpful and accommodating to my sister and I.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience thanks to 206 Tours and it’s staff for planning such a wonderful trip. May God continue to bless you and your staff in your mission.

Love,

Chris

Dear 206 Tours:

Your faith, dedication, and expertise in Catholic Pilgrimages is quite accurate. My second tour with you was to Santiago de Compostela and it was just as powerful as the first pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It is wonderful to walk, talk, and worship with people from around the country who have the spirit one expects to see in Christians. These pilgrimages have put me on the “camino” in the direction of a born again Catholic.

Thank you,
Veronica T. Rodriguez

PS Your spiritual tour guides, (Jacque in the Holy Land and Javier in Santiago) are well informed and spiritual professionals. What good choices!

Hi Rinda and Mike,

The Israel and Rome pilgrimage tour was one of the most powerful and awe-inspiring experiences we have ever had. From the very moment we flew out of Vancouver to the moment we flew back home, we felt God’s hand guiding and protecting us along the way. This was a calling for the two of us (my wife and I) and with our interactions with our beloved pilgrims, we also knew that God was calling them to this pilgrimage as well. To be able to see and touch the very places where Jesus and Mary walked and lived was so very powerful. It’s so true that if you go to the Holy Land, you will never come back the same. Everything in our spiritual lives has come alive because we have walked in the footsteps of Christ. Fr. Tim was not only an inspiring spiritual leader but also a faithful companion. We were blessed to share our faith together with our new friends in our group with whom was hand picked by God and we are very thankful to have met them. Sami is truly a gifted person and a wealth of information. He was an instrument of God to bring the Bible to life and allowed us to visualize the scriptures as we visited the Holy sites. Rami, our driver, was an excellent driver in bringing all of us safely to and from our destinations.

Although our Rome tour was short and a whirlwind of activity, we enjoyed it just as much especially seeing the Pope during the Papal Audience!

206 Tours has a wonderful ministry in providing these pilgrimages to everyone around the world and we will surely be booking with you again in our future pilgrimages.

Thank you so much and God bless,

Les and Lori Zalamea

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(PS – The only thing that was a negative was our transfer to the airport from Rome on our last day which did not show even though our tour guide, Vincenzio, mentioned to us that it was all arranged for us and not to worry about it. The hotel was kindly able to arrange one for us.)

Rinda,

Our trip was wonderful! Since this was the first time we had traveled with 206 Tours we were not sure what to expect. What I had found out through the internet was positive but 206 Tours exceeded our expectations. The arrangements, accommodations, hotels, food etc were great and the information provided by our local guides added a lot to the trip.

Fr. Ray was a wonderful addition to our pilgrimage. He was so open in sharing himself, always being available – and he was a lot of fun with his great sense of humor.

We also want to acknowledge our Tour Escort, Javier. He was outstanding! Javier is a wonderful guide who worked very hard to accommodate everyone and make sure that the pilgrimage was faith filled and stress free. When the general strike in France presented some logistical problems he worked very hard and made adjustments so that we continued with virtually no impact to our schedule. In addition, he was able to make sure that the arrangements for our Masses and our own participation at Fatima & Lourdes was truly unique. Javier is such a wonderful person who unselfishly shared his own faith with us – he certainly has a place now in our hearts.

Again thank you for such a wonderful experience. We look forward to traveling again with you again and will recommend 206 Tours to our friends.

Sincerely ,

Tom & Patti Collart

Dear Mike,

We wanted to write to tell you what a wonderful trip we had to Poland on September 19th. Everything was perfect due to our Spiritual Director, Father Eric Bowman and our wonderful Guide Krystyna Witek-Wakely. They were outstanding. We saw all the sites we dreamed about seeing for many years. We want to thank 206 Tours.

Thank you,

God Bless
Joan and John Yancigay
Jacksonville, Florida

Stefanie,

We returned from the Poland pilgrimage late last night. Thank you, thank you, thank you…… It was so beautiful and beyond description. There were times they had to tie me down because of my excitement. …..I have been on many pilgrimages and have had many tour guides, but Krystina (tour guide) was by far the best I have ever had. She was easy to work with, very flexible, always on time, very knowledgeable, and a sheer delight. I cannot recommend her continued use highly enough….

Fr. Eric

I had a wonderful time in Israel. The people were very kind and were taking a good care to make sure that we would have everything that we need. Seeing all these wonderful places where Jesus once walked allowed me to see His life and the lives of His disciples in a bit different light. I loved all places and hopefully one day I will be able to return back to Israel. Thank you for organizing this wonderful trip.

Fr. Mariusz Olbrys

Got back this morning! It was a fantastic experience! Krystyna Witek-Wakely was our guide in Poland and she was outstanding! She bent over backwards to accommodate everything our group requested and constantly adjusted her planned schedule to meet our requests. Fr. Eric Bowman was a fantastic spiritual director! Couldn’t have been better!

Mary Ellen Kreutzer

Dear Rinda,

After a week back I can now process the pilgrimage. We had an outstanding group of people. Many of our experiences are ones we will always carry in our hearts. The location of our rooms was so right, and such a welcoming Hostess. She provided info and meal that were delicious and shared her family with us.

Our guide was so wonderful and such a prayerful man. He also shared several experiences with us , and was beyond compare. He did a great job of translating. The little radio’s helped so much at the evening Masses and prayers. The singing was beautiful.

We did hit a couple of snags in our air flights but Isabel was able to work out our arrival without problems.

Isabel is simply a wonderful leader. I have traveled with her before and feel she is my friend.

Thankfully,

Helene

Amanda,

The pilgrimage was wonderful. It far exceeded anything I had hoped for. I am so glad to have this opportunity to thank you for all you and your staff did in arranging it. All flights, connections etc. etc. etc. went well! Of course, the ultimate joy was in staying with Ivan and experiencing So much of what Our Lord is doing there thru Our Blessed Mother. Thanks, again, for all you have done, and I hope that we will be given the opportunity to use your services again.

sharon bergman

Dear Amanda,

I just want you to know how much I enjoyed my tour. There is nothing I would change. For me, it was perfect and I look forward to another .

Sincerely,

Mary Anne Huminski

Dear Rinda:

We were so pleased with our recent pilgrimage!!! I had never used 206 Tours before and did not know what to expect. Your company exceeded my expectations and this comes from a couple who has traveled to every continent.

Monsignor Sabia was wonderful as well as Jesus, our group leader. The small group only enhanced the experience. The hotels and their locations were superior. Having dinner supplied for every day of the pilgrimage was wonderful.

We have a wonderful picture of my husband carrying the Blessed Mother in the rosary procession at Fatima and a picture of me lectoring during our Mass at the Chapel of Apparations. These are two things we never thought we would ever get to do.

Also, the places we celebrated Mass were so very special; e.g St. Ignatius of Loyola’s room where he had his conversion experience. We used our Magnificat for morning prayer, Mass and night prayer so it was a great book to have on pilgrimage.

We are planning on going to the Holy Land next year so we will be in contact with you to book this trip.

Thank you for the service you provide to people looking for an authentic Catholic pilgrimage experience.

Joseph and Christine Perkowski

Dear Rinda,

My husband and I were very pleased with our Holy Land Tour that concluded today. Our guide Sammi Taweel and driver Rami were excellent! There could not have been any better Tour Guide and driver in my opinion because of their expertise in their respective fields. Sammi gave a lot of explanation about the sites that we visited and made their connection with the passages in the bible. Our Spiritual Director, Father Tim, was equally good as he guided us spiritually and read verses in the bible that pertained to the sites we visited.

Again, thank you for making all the arrangements for us even if we took only Land Tour. The memory of that Pilgrimage where we also met good pilgrims will forever linger in our hearts. We were very lucky and thankful to be in that particular group.

Our gratitude goes also to Milanka who initially suggested the September 12 Tour 111 for us and to Mike Alessi for all the assistance he provided during our preparation.

Sincerely,

Bel and Nonito Z.

Dear Amanda,

Just want to let you know how much I enjoyed my pilgrimage to Oberammergau with Pat Verhelle and other pilgrims. I can’t think of a thing to change, and I look forward to taking another tour.

Thank you,

Mary Anne Huminski

Dear Rinda,

Our Pilgrimage to Fatima, Lisbon, Spain and Lourdes (#37–August 29-September 7, 2010) FAR surpassed our expectations. Our guide Javier Gomez Has to be one of 206’s best guides, if not "THE BEST". All the information he shared with us was much more detailed than we have experienced on any other tours we have taken. He was so deeply spiritual, and respectful of every single person on the tour. Javier went "far and above" seeing that his "little family" was comfortable, and happy at all times. He was not only our guide, but quickly became our dear friend.

Our Spiritual Director, Fr. Ray Orama, was excellent, and his homilies at daily Mass were soul touching. He, too, became a true friend to all.

The accommodations were beautiful, much more than we expected.

Visiting the holy sites of Mary (Fatima and Lourdes) were life changing for us. We want you to know that this tour has brought us closer to God and His Blessed Mother, Mary.

We are already looking forward to another 206 tour in the near future.

Love and God bless,

Patricia and Paul SeveningMagnolia Springs, Alabama

Dear Mike,

I had a wonderful and very spiritual pilgrimage. The places we visited were awesome and magnificent. The hotels were beautiful and food outstanding. Father Christopher Pliauplis was, of course, inspiring in his daily homilies and led a very spiritually uplifting pilgrimage. We prayed daily, did the rosary daily, to name just a few. He was prepared and gave out numerous prayers and prayer cards; he is a thoughtful humble and knowledgeable priest – that’s why I have gone on 3 pilgrimages with him. He stresses to his group that the “tour” is in fact a pilgrimage and not a tour and he demands our participation, be it lector, Eucharistic minister, or singing. Our guide, Jesus, was also knowledgeable, fantastic, very intelligent and made sure we had a spiritual yet fun experience. Our driver, Juan, although he did not speak English, was an excellent driver and became much more friendly as time went on.

My only complaint was with Oberammergau – although the bed and breakfast was really quite lovely, (a beautiful home and Inga was wonderful), it was a little too far from the center of town. It was a 20 minute walk back and forth, especially since in the beginning we did not know where to get the bus back to the BB. Additionally, the meals were in the same restaurant, which meant you had to get back to the area of the BB to have your meals. My roommate and I opted to have lunch in town one day rather than go back for the lunch meal. However, the breakfasts at the BB and the dinners at the restaurant (La Grappa) were delicious. The ideal of a food voucher for a restaurant in town would have been a good idea for this trip – suggest it be done in 10 years.

All in all it was a greatly moving, spiritual, exciting and fun adventure/pilgrimage/tour/trip. I am so glad I experienced all that I did, especially the Passion Play which was phenomenal. I have always wanted to see it and would not have missed it for the world. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I would encourage anyone to see it and go through 206 Tours. Lourdes and Fatima were also unbelievably beautiful and faith inspiring.

Sincerely,

Amelia Marr, Esq.

Rinda,

we had a terrific time!!!! What a fantastic tour!!! Father Diaz was superb!!!! Cladia was also great and certainly knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour to anyone!!!! The group attending was also superb, that rounded out the complete picture!!!! Great Job!!!!!!

If you have any Fatima tours on your future agenda, please let me know!!!!

Again, Thanks!!!!
John

Hello Amanda,

I had a wonderful trip to Medjugorge. Thank you to 206 Tours for putting together this trip. The fact that we were able to stay at the home of Ivan, one of the visionaries, and pray with him every evening, was one of the highlights. The home where we stayed was comfortable: the rooms were adequate and the food was outstanding. Ivan’s sister-in-law was wonderful and made us feel at home.THANK YOU!

Elizabeth

Dear Mike,

Just to let you know that my pilgrimage to Oberammergau over Labor Day weekend was absolutely beautiful! I loved the gorgeous alpine region where the town is located and spent some time exploring on my two days there. I was able to attend Mass on both days in the beautiful church in Oberammergau. On Sunday, the choir and orchestra were a wonderful addition, but I liked the simple setting for the Saturday evening Mass as well. Unfortunately, I was not able to see the light show in the church because I was not at a hotel in the village itself.

Accomodations in Murnau were fine, the food and service excellent, as was also the case in Oberammergau. The transfers worked out just great, and I really enjoyed meeting and mixing with the group when it finally arrived from the Holy Land. They had so much to share! Having a precise itinerary for the group as well as for myself really helped me in terms of planning how to spend my time during this weekend. Thank you!

Last but not least, I found the passion play really awesome, a spectacular portrayal on a grand scale of the most important event in human history. It is very well done; the villagers truly put their heart and soul in it. I met some of the locals who were in the play and saw how much it meant to them to participate. The music is also profoundly moving and enhances the action on the stage. Fr. Diaz felt that the connection to our biblical roots as shown in the play added much to the understanding of Christ’s ministry and passion, and I agree. The use of Hebrew at key moments, especially the first Consecration, I found most moving and impressive. There is so much more I could say ….

You have provided great spiritual directors on my two tours this summer, and I deeply appreciate that.

If I could have changed anything about this trip, it would have been the length. But wonderful things also come in small packages, and this was certainly the case here!

Thank you again for another superb experience in visiting a site that has helped me to appreciate and grow in my Catholic faith.

God bless,

Anneliese

Dear Rinda,

Thought 206 Holy Land absolutely marvelous to me it was the daily Masses in incredible locations that made it so wonderful. Everything first class.

One small thing got beautiful certificate but as backpacking impossible not to mangle should have been presented in cardboard cylinder for safe travel home.

Best wishes and thx all 206,
Dawn Bentley

Dear Javier,

This is just a quick note to let you know Mike and I found each other in Chicago and made it home safe and sound. We cannot send enough thanks your way, first for all the help that you gave Michael and secondly for turning a mere trip into a true pilgrimage. From start to finish the trip was filled with the love of our Mother Mary. You had a lot to do with all of that. I look forward to reliving it over and over and to following Her requests. Thank you for all you did. Please send me your address so I can send young javier the things I promised him. Blessings on you and your fanily and

Blessinga on future pilgrimages,

Mike and Betty McMillan

Hi Kristin,

Thank you for your efforts to make our pilgrimage to Lourdes truly memorable. We could not have asked for a better guide than Jesus, who did everything possible to make our pilgrimage spiritual. He arranged for Monsignors Bauhoff and Midura to celebrate Masses in various chapels in the Sanctuary and for them to lead the recitation of the Rosary in one of the candlelight processions. This trip went beyond my expectations – thank you very much.

Best regards,

Celine

Milanka,

It will be my honor if my feedback is posted in your website. Please feel free to remove any reference to Linda and the flight delay. I do not want to discourage pilgrims from traveling with 206 Tours to holy and interesting places. 206 Tours offers excellent service and there are few companies that help pilgrims to perform their dreamed spiritual journeys.

As you mentioned, Linda is a rare pilgrim. I know that this situation is out of your control. I can not believe that she wrote 10 e-mails complaining about Jesus Vivas. He is not perfect and may make mistakes, but is this bad enough to deserve 10 e-mails of complaints??!! She must be going through other problems to behave in that manner. We do not have any other way to help her other than keeping her in our prayers.

As I mentioned before, I do not have any complaints about Jesus Vivas. I have to agree with other pilgrims about Jesus loving nature, sharing this love and his time with elderly and sick people. He displayed his character with my roommate at Lourdes, Aurora Travis (who is 82 years old) and with other people in the group. He ensured they performed all the things that they wanted to do during the trip. I remember one incident where Aurora mentioned to Jesus that her next dreamed pilgrim trip is to Fatima, but she may not live long enough to make it. He gave her some information from his previous group about Fatima to provide her hope, motivate her to not give up on her dream, and to look forward to a Fatima pilgrim trip in the near future. It is very unique to find people that respect, care and have lovely details like this one with elderly people. These characteristics are very hard to find these days.

Once again, I want to thank you for the wonderful experience during this trip. I will keep you and Jesus Vivas in my prayers, so that you receive the patience and love to deal with rare pilgrims.

Beatriz Rivera

Hi Rinda,

My pilgrimages to Rome, the Holy Land and Oberammergau were great.

Everyone had a great time. I did not see anything negative to be mentioned.

On the contrary all the tourguides, drivers and hotel personnel were very punctual and organized.

Thank you very much for letting me be part of these pilgrimages.

In Christ & Mary,

Fr. Diaz

Hello Rinda,

What a thoroughly faith-filled experience! I truly enjoyed myself on this pilgrimage. The sites we visited in Portugal, Spain, and France were amazing! I have not only gained a greater devotion to Our Blessed Mother, but I also found myself drawing closer to God by the rosary processions, Stations of the Cross, daily Mass, and the many activities that were offered. I feel blessed. Thank you to my fellow pilgrims for being there for me and a special thanks to our tour guide, Javier, whose deep spirituality, devotion, and kindness made the pilgrimage truly memorable.

Thank you!

Richard Henry

My husband and I went on the Israel segment of the tour (the same group tours Jordan / Petra earlier in the week. It was AMAZING. They take you to many Catholic religious sites: Cesarea by the Sea, a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, Mensa Christi and Nazareth (Annunciation, Visitation) in Galilee, and, of course, Jerusalem and surrounding areas: Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane, Via Dolorosa, Upper Room, Mount of Olives, Ascension Chapel, Bethlehem, Jericho and Lazarus’ tomb in Bethany. There is also time for a float in the Dead Sea, which is not a Catholic site but certainly worth trying! The tour is a great value for the money and it is definitely the trip of a lifetime.

Two things I want to share, though: First, part of what made our particular trip so amazing was our specific guide and spiritual director. From what I understand, the guide and the spiritual director change each tour. Our guide, Rimon Makhlouf, is a local Palestinian Catholic, and incredibly knowledgeable and insightful (he daylights as a university professor). Our spiritual director was Fr. Daniel Kampschneider from Omaha, NE. Both added incredible value to the trip and gave the sites a new dimension by connecting the historical with the spiritual. In each site, we read the Bible passage that mentions that site, which was particularly meaningful to me. I do think 206 Tours chooses their leaders carefully, though, so it’s not exactly “luck of the draw,” either. …. A trip to Israel is the trip of a lifetime, and a must for any Jew, Christian or Muslim at some time in their life. If you are Catholic, 206 Tours will provide a wonderful Catholic perspective on all the holy sites. I highly recommend their Israel tour based on my experience with them. Enjoy the journey!

Jessa Hollett Barniol

Hi Amanda:

I want to thank 206 Tours for doing such a wonderful job of organizing our trip. Our trip to Poland with an add on to Prague in early August was wonderful. Our guide in Poland was wonderful and did all she could to make sure we were happy.I would definitely use 206 Tours again, especially if I help to coordinate a group. Our group coordinator shared how happy he was working with 206 to make this trip happen.

Thanks!
Kelly Nice

My trip to the Holy Land was more than I expected .It was an experience I could never forget. I would be ever grateful to the organizers of 206 tours in the US and abroad. They were wonderful, caring people throughout the tour.

Beryl

Amanda,

Our pilgrimage to Medjugorje was outstanding. 206 Tours did a great job for us. We booked the trip very late, but everything ran smoothly. Thank you Amanda, for answering all my last minute questions.

Ivanka, our tour guide in Medjugorje, was the best. She was knowledgeable, extremely helpful and so much fun to be around. She handled the groups needs, made us feel comfortable in our new surroundings and blended in with the group in an effortless manner.

Should I feel called again to go on another trip like this, 206 Tours will be the company I contact. Thanks again, it was a trip of a lifetime.

Gail

Mike,

The entire pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain, Lourdes and Medjugorje was outstanding.  This is because of a combination of excellent tour guides (Javier in Portugal, Spain and France and Dragan in Medjugorje), an extraordinary spiritual director (Fr. James Zakowicz) and the years of experience that 206 Tours has had in putting together a flawless, well perfected pilgrimage. Furthermore, I feel blessed to have had so many great people accompany me on this journey of faith. I would like to again express my sincere thanks to your highly dedicated tour guides, your spiritual director and your entire staff for making this pilgrimage such a great success.

Many thanks and best wishes,
Joe

Hello Milanka,

I just want to say thank you for doing what you do. You and your company truly provides a very special and beautiful service, bringing each and every one us closer to God. My wife and I went on a Holy Land Pilgrimage with 206 Tours last April.

It was truly one of the most memorable and spiritually moving experiences in our entire lives. Thank you and everyone at 206 for helping experience this. I just wanted to share with you and everyone at your office a collage of videos and pics from our trip.

Thank you and God Bless!

http://www.206tours.com/youtube

Ed Galapon

Dear Slavenka,

Greetings! I pray this finds you and yours well.Thank you for everything you did to make Billy’s and my trip to Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Slovenia so memorable and enjoyable. (We even made it to Italy for Cappuccino and ice cream with Ksenija. She was outstanding and kind.) I had a most wonderful time throughout all of the trip but especially with you and your family, Jasminka and her children in Medjugorje. Your genuine love of people, knowledge of the town, the people and the story that is Medjugorje made my stay there five stars! I shall never forget you and your kindness, your smile and fun loving nature.Please give my warmest regards and love to the Jasminka and her family, Branca, and Gdzenko. Gdzenko Is a wonderful man. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him in the car. He is great!

God bless you and yours with many happy years!

In Christ’s love,+Fr. Ray, a.k.a, Rade Vilenica

Billy,

Jeries and Josef were excellent at their respective roles.

I don’t know if you could find a better combination of information, wit and diplomacy as Jeries.

Thanks,

Rich DiBella

Hi Amanda:

We’re back from Medjugorje almost a week now and I’m still with one foot in heaven! It was the first time for me and it was a life-changing experience.

206 took care of every little detail which left us pilgrims free to make the most use of our time there…I want to say thank you with all my heart for this pilgrimage, one I’ll never forget and hope to repeat as soon as possible.

Ivanka is wonderful and the perfect person for this pilgrimage, prayerful, knowledgable, with a generous spirit. She even taught me the Hail Mary in Croatian!!

God Bless you all at 206 Tours!
Mir, Mir, Mir!

xo Linda Meyer
God is Good…All the Time!

Trip was one of the best I have ever gone on. All support from your office, Rosemary as well as Ivanka (tour guide) was fantastic.No complaints and appreciate all.

God Bless,
Joe Gioello

Hello Amanda!

My son David had such a wonderful trip for the Youth Festival with Ivan. I thank you for all of your help.

I highly recommend this pilgrimage, as my son was present in Ivan’s private chapel during every apparition. He came back a believer, when before he didn’t even believe. He was even there when the BBC was filming a short documentary, and interviewed Ivan. Having the BBC there really made a strong statement about the importance of Medjugorje.

Thank you,

Patricia Coy

Dear Amanda and 206 Tours-

What can I say? The pilgrimage was perfect in every way! The flights were smooth, the accommodations comfortable, and staying with Ivan was a life-changing experience! Our tour guide Ivanka was a pleasure to be around and her wealth of information along with her obvious love for Our Lady and Medjugorje made the trip even more special. This is the second time I have traveled with you and I would not hesitate to book another pilgrimage – just as soon as I can save up!

Thanks again for all you do and may God Bless you in your work and ministry.

Blessings,

Angela Rizzo

Amanda-

First of all on my behalf, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for such a awesome pilgrimage. I appreciate everything that 206 tours planned for us. I did not have to worry about anything on this pilgrimage. It was perfectly planned out. Our tour guide Ivanca, was awesome. She knew everything about Medjugorje. Any questions we had for her, she was able to answer. Thank you again so much for such an awesome trip.

Fondly,Matt Browne

Just thought I’d let you know………… I received a call early this evening from one of the Poland pilgrims.
He couldn’t give enough praise for the trip itself plus he loved the guide.
She was perhaps the most personable and efficient guides he’s ever experienced in his travels.

Dan Silvia
All Star Travel

Dear Amanda,

My wife, Cathy and I – and all our group – want to thank you and all the 206 Tours family – Milanka, Slavenka and Slavica, who really was a wonderful guide – for our recent pilgrimage during the youth Festival…. I have been going to Medjugorje for nearly a quarter of a century (24 years) and never before have I experienced such wonderful care as experienced on this pilgrimage…. We all were treated like kings! Slavica was the best guide!!

– and Ivan like a fatherly presence, really taking pains to care for us all. And while there Slavenka reached out to us in the most helpful way…. I am really grateful for 206 Tours! The whole company – which is really a family – reflects the love and care of Milanka – who I have known for many years – though this was the first time providence allowed me to travel with 206. And I am so grateful. During the whole pilgrimage it was as if we were in Our Lady’s hands…. she had her own plan for bringing MARY TV to Medjugorje just then…. and it was a much, much better plan than the one I had. And I am convinced it was Our Lady herself that put us in your hands.

I know the foundation for 206 Tours is Milanka’s own foundation : Love for Our Lady!

God bless you all. You really are a most beautiful family! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!

Denis Nolan
Mary TV
www.marytv.tv

Hi Rinda,

I want to thank you for an incredible pilgrimage tour to Jordon and Holy Land this July 14 to 27th. The tour guides: Sammy in Jordon, and Raymond in the Holy Land were top notch . The drivers Sam in Jordon and Joey in the Holy Land were excellent drivers. Of the few Pilgrimages I’ve been fortunate to be a part of, 206 Tours, has been the best! I felt that my needs from A to Z (Airline Tickets, Baggage, Drivers, Excursions, Guides, Hotel Accommodations, Information, Leisure, Meals…) were taken care of with TLC and the Spiritual experience was beyond what I imagined. Thank you, I will promote and direct others to 206 Tours because of your care, concern and thought that you put into your tours. I look forward to experiencing you again in the future.

Sincerely, Ann Lazure

Dear Rinda,

THis was my first 206 Tour and I hope not my last. The time with Mateo was excellent. He certainly has a heart for making the best of any situation. I would say he made the time there A++++++. The hospitality of he and his family could not have been better. And I must say the HOLY SPIRIT made the best match for room-mates. Thank You for all you did to make the trip a blessed pilgrimage.

Sister Bernice Pelczar

Ivan each day would tell us it was hard to put into words the experience he had during his encounters with Our Blessed Mother. I find that this is the case when I try to describe the wonderful experience. It’s really hard to come up with adjectives to describe it; they sound so trite. I couldn’t be more pleased with the whole experience. Accommodations and food and the hospitality we felt while in Medjugorje far surpassed my expectations.

Thank you and God Bless you, too!!!

Therese Friederichsen

Dear Mike,

My husband and I were very happy and pleased with the service 206 Tours offered. Javier Gomez, our tour guide, was one of the best guides we’ve had the pleasure of interacting with because of his knowledge and attention to detail. The hotels, meals and tour buses and drivers were are great. We are very much looking forward to planning our next trip with 206!

Sincerely,
Lourdes Guerrero

Dear Milanka,

I am writing at the request of Suzanne to relate to you what happened to me while visiting the Shrine of the Black Madonna. I have a chronic problem with my sciatic nerve. The flight from Philadelphia to Poland left me in severe pain, the worst I have ever experienced. It was so bad, aggravated by the amount of time we spent on the bus, that I became very fearful of the trip home…

At the Shrine I was captivated by what I saw. I was not praying, but looking around. I particularly wanted to see the Pope’s stall, which I couldn’t find, although we were told where to look. I was walking right behind our priest guide when I noticed the pilgrims in front of him were on their knees. I decided to drop to my arthritic knees for as long as I could stand it. I was still focused on the environment, I wasn’t praying – just doing homage to Our Lady by kneeling my way around the Sacred Image. When I reached the spot immediately behind the Image I decided to stand and walk the rest of the way.

As soon as I stood, the sciatic nerve stopped firing. Of course, I noticed it right away. I was still left with the sensation of pain produced by the inflamed tissue at the cite; that pain disappeared in about two days. For the rest of the trip I had no more sciatic pain and the trip home was miraculously pain free. I say it was a miracle because normally I cannot sit in the same position for 15 minutes without the pain starting up again…I am still pain-free, thank God and the intercession of Our Lady…. Praise God!

I should also add that the trip was wonderful. Suzanne and Father made it very special for us and our guide, Christina, should receive a bonus for the services she provided. She was truly outstanding. We found everything to our liking, especially the morning breakfast which I know some have complained about. My husband and I have traveled all over Europe, Australia and the United States and can testify to the fact that the morning meals we were served at every location equaled those served in the finest hotels.

Frances Ross

Rinda,

The trip was great and our tour guide Javier was outstanding!! He really went over and beyond what I would of expected. The trip was grinding in that a lot was packed in and I’m glad it was. Javier realized though we needed to stop and take a break going through Spain and got us to a beach area to just stop and breath for a minute and at Loudres we were waiting to go to the Bathes and he showed up with lunch for us. He was amazingly thoughtful !! i learned so much and being a Secular carmelite, it just made St. Teresa and Sr. Lucia more real to me. Thanks again and now I know a good travel company !! i hope when it gets closer to the anniversary of St. Teresa, that you might do a tour of Carmelite places.

Thanks,

Denise Dugas

Dear Rinda:

Seven years ago, Bernie & I took our first spiritual journey to Fatima, Lourdes & Medjugorje.
All the arrangements made by 206 Tours were superb especially our pilgimage to Medjugorje.
Some members of our group that time continued their pilgrimage to Nevers & Lisieux and the rest went back to the U.S. It was just the two of us who continued to Medjugorje. We were uncertain what was going to happen for the next four days of our journey since we were only two.
It was quite scary but we always believed that the Divine presence is everywhere and with the arrangements we were really surprised with the excellent outcome of the pilgrimage. Our tour guide had other pilgrims from the U.S. to be with us so, this journey lived up to our expectations & had been recommending 206 Tours to our friends.

With the excellent service we decided to go to this long overdue pilgrimage to the Holy Land with 206 Tours inspite of the recommendations of our friends & associates to use other companies.
Our first tour choice was cancelled so, thanx Rinda for recommending other tour options. It was another spiritual experience that will remain in our hearts as long as we live. This was an emotional journey visiting the places of grace & prayer. We loved the holy sites Masses & Fr. John’s daily homily. Since our group was such a small group we were privileged to have Mass inside the 2nd room ( where the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ is located). Fr. John was very nice to give communion also to some of the pilgrims who attended Mass but stayed in the 1st room who were not in our group. For us, this was the highlight of our pilgrimage. We thanked very much our tour guide– Sammy, very knowledgeable & flexible in keeping & prioritizing our important daily activities—-our driver for his patience in keeping us safe throughout—- but most of all Fr. John Larson who always kept watch over us. We also enjoyed our discussions, arguments & reaching to conclusions & answers with Sammy & Fr. John. Our thanks to Gabriel for his inspirational talk during our last day. It brought me to tears. Rest assure we will be praying for our Christian brothers & sisters in the Holy Land especially when we wear the commemorative cross pendant keepsake that you gave us.

We left home from the hurried pace of life & came back with a deepened relationship with God.
On behalf of Bernie & I we thank you Milanka; Rinda and all 206 Tours staff from the bottom of our hearts for a wonderful & amazing “Holy Land” Pilgrimage.

EXCELLENT JOB 206 TOURS!!!!!! GOOD LUCK / GOOD HEALTH & GOD BLESS TO EVERYBODY
Marilyn / Bernie

Dear Rinda,

A thousand apologies for not getting back to you sooner in relation to my experience in Greece. We had the most wonderful experience ever. What a spiritual enriching Faith journey following the footsteps of St.Paul. We were truly Blessed to have the most outstanding Lecturer/Guide John Ventiroso leading us through this most amazing country. He was a walking encyclopedia who shared his love and passion of Greek history and mythology with us. All your local Representatives in Greece were so courteous and helpful. All of my fellow pilgrims were exceptional pleased with the quality and depth of care offered to us by 206tours.

On behalf of all of us who walked (and I mean walked! ) in the foot steps of St.Paul I thank you and all at 206tours and all your local contact in Greece for making this pilgrimage a memoral experience that will truly help us all grow in Faith.

God Bless,

Fr. Fred

Milanka,

Thanks so much for that great lunch last week and for your dedication to the Church and to priests. You are really doing great things for so many by offering all the pilgrimages.

Attached is a group photo from Oberammergau. I still have to see about a group photo from the Holy Land. God bless and enjoy!

-Fr. Nick

Dear Milanka,I am sorry that it took so long for me to send you a “Thank You”. Our pilgrimage to Oberammergau and Turin was another spiritual and faith filled experience. The passion play brought tears to my eyes and left me speechless. It was such an emotional experience. You truly felt Gods presence, especially at the crucifixion of Jesus. At that moment, the skies rumbled with thunder and flashed with lightening. I cannot even explain what I felt at that moment, I just cried.

The Shroud of Turin was another emotional experience. To stand there and take in, what that piece of cloth represents made me weep. It is something that I will never forget.On this Pilgrimage, we also were lucky enough to have a day in Milan. We were able to visit the Santa Maria della Grazie church, and view Leonardo da Vinci’s, The Last Supper, and to visit the Duomo di Milano. Both were breathtaking. From Milan, we took a train through the Swiss Alps to Germany. What a treat! Some other highlights were stops at Lake Cuomo, Stift Melk, an Austrian Benedictine abbey, Neuwachstein Castle, the Mirabell Gardens and Festung Hohensalzburg in Salzburg and Vienna.Our guide Fred was wonderful. He was always very patient and helpful with us, especially to those who had special needs.Our spiritual director, Fr. Mickey Bancroft was our “Good Shepherd” for the first few days. After our first day in Milan, he pulled double duty and acted as our guide as well. (We did not meet up with Fred until the second half of the pilgrimage). Fr. Mickey always had a ready smile on his face (even when some of his sheep wandered off; as sheep tend to do), was available to answer our MANY questions, and always made sure to spend time with all the pilgrims. His daily Masses were wonderful and full of the Holy Spirit (which for me, were the most special moments of the pilgrimage). Fr. Mickey made sure to include as many of the Pilgrims as possible, as Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Server, and Cantor. He made this a truly Blessed experience for us all.Thank you again for everything! I am looking forward to our next 206 pilgrimage in 2011, to Rome Florence & Venice.Warmest Regards and Blessings to all,

Kim“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Rinda,

I had an awesome pilgrimage to Greece. Everthing was great. I would like to note also that Yannie (guide during our pilgrim) is an excellent person with his patient and knowledge.

Thank you,
Theresia

Billy,

There are not enough words to tell you and thank you for the wonderful trip. I am so glad that I know Monsignor because he and a friend got me to make my first trip in 46 years much less to Europe, where I have never been. Everything came to life for me and the people I met were amazing. Javier, who has become a very close friend of mine now, is the most wonderful and caring man I have ever met. I couldn’t have asked for a better guide and 206 tours is the greatest.

I am in the midst of getting my pictures on Facebook and will definitely share them with you.
I only hope that when you have other trips, you will let me know. Don’t ever lose Javier because he was well loved by all on the trip and he and I became very good friends – he even liked my crazy attitude – which is me.
Thanks so much again and please keep me in touch when other trips come up.

Katherine Gonzales

Dear Mr. Alessi,

Thank you and your staff for the gift of the travel bags with all the information about preparing for the pilgrimage.
My husband and I were particularly impressed with “The Magnificat”.
Just yesterday, I was musing about getting over to the Catholic bookstore to purchase the July edition for us.
Within an hour ,there was a knock on our front door. A gentleman handed me your package.
Upon opening it,I found not one, but two editions of the Maghificat!
Nice touch! Thanks so-o much for your efforts on our behalf.

Joanne DiToro

Hello: Both my son and I would like to thank you for a wonderful time in both Rome and

Medjugorje. I dont think that there was one more thing thast would have made it better. In bothy places the tour guide made the trip with their knoweldge and know how in getting around and in getting us to the right spot at the right time. Medjugorje lived up to all my expectations. I would deff. like to go back there at some time and would get in touch with 206 when that happens. I would not hesitate to recomend 206 to my friends.

Sincerely, Dianna Ryan

Dear Billy:

We had a most blessed pilgrimage with OSMM and MSGR Sweatland was a powerful spiritual leader. We experienced a wonderful retreat in our travel. You cannot know the personal mission this afforded me when we visited Lourdes. It was all a religious experience of unexpected heights….After we review our 1200 fotos, we may find 1 or 2 to share. Will recommend OSMM and 206 Tours to anyone for the excellence of service…Our guide Javier is a man of religion and faith, no one could have been better….

Best wishes and God Bless…

Frank & Yoshi Gerner

Hi Milanka,

The pilgrimage to Medj was wonderful. The weather was rainy but cool, which was just fine with me.
Slavenka is a sweetie and I believe the pilgrims were all very pleased. Thanks again for the opportunity.

MIR
helen

Kristin,

I just wanted to say thanks so much for the pilgrimage to Rome and Lourdes. It was a wonderful experience and everything went very smoothly. The accommodations were great as was our spiritual director in Lourdes. It was a blessing to have you used 206 tours and thanks again for everything.

God bless and keep you all.

In Christ,

Fr. Scott Winchel

Billy,

Javier made up for whatever disappointments there were, which weren’t many. He’s a precious Catholic Christian brother in Christ and friend now. Meeting his family in Avila was a very special treat. He was a blessing !Other than weather (rain first 4 days – out of your control) there was only 1 planned stop that did not occur but other “surprises” more than made up for it.

Both the drivers (especially Eric – 2nd one) were excellent and extremely safe. Eric was “Mr. Personality” French style. He was a French Marine veteran. I had a delightful time getting to know him as well as Javier. All the buses were top of the line and late model,especially the latter one with Eric’s company. Pleasantly surprised by upgrade on United flight over. Didn’t request, it just happened. Wondering whether you had anything to do with that Billy? J Moved up to mid-cabin on last 2 seat row in coach. Private, quiet and right next to lav’s which was very convenient.Return on CO was uneventful. First time traveling overseas on CO. The 757 is a bit cramped but it worked okay. They were able to seat us with empty between us. That was very nice. Food was better than average on both airlines.All the hotels and food were very nice, especially the accommodations/meals in Avila. We just did not want to leave there and will probably go again.

First pilgrimage in Europe for us was overall a B+. Fatima topped my wife’s list. For me, it was all overwhelming especially the relic and Benedictine monks in Silos.

Mike & Connie Page

Rinda,

My family and I enjoyed our tour to Lourdes and the other cities earlier this month.

I am glad you sent along this email as it has been on my mind, even during the tour, that I needed to write you about Jesus, our tour guide. He did a terrific job and was very helpful to my family in so many ways. I don’t eat meat and try not to make too much of a big deal about it as I can usually find something to eat without making too much of a fuss. Unfortunately, in France, with meat such an important part of the meal, some nights at our hotels there really wasn’t enough variety for me. I mentioned this to Jesus and he immediately addressed it with the kitchen at each hotel. I always had a complete meal and Jesus made sure to check with me each day to be sure. But this is just one example. My Aunt needed a wheel chair to get around. He not only arranged for the wheel chair, he helped us move it from place to place and he even insisted on pushing my Aunt, which we never expected. My brother also has regular requests of Jesus and he never lost patience with these requests, though I can tell you as a sibling that, as much as I love him, I can see how someone could easily lose patience with him : ) I should also mention that on the tour was my nephew, who is autistic, so we keep a close eye on him and I know that Jesus was among those making sure he was with the group at all times.

I can tell you that I watched the way he worked during our tour, in part because I’m responsible for hiring people at my company and also out of curiosity. I can tell you that this is not a lazy person or someone who spends time sitting around drinking coffee when he is on the job. This man was always on his feet giving attention to his clients, making sure everyone was OK, that their needs were being met and that we were on schedule. I also appreciated that he is Catholic and came across as a spiritual person to whom these places we were visiting had personal significance.

Father Ed was a great spiritual guide for us. His sermons were very helpful to me and I found them to address real issues of daily life. He was very friendly and approachable and, at the request of my Aunt, prayed with me for healing.

Also on our tour were Father Scott (I don’t know his last name but he is with a parish in Georgia), Father Paul Obrimski, Sister Sharon Obrimski and Sister Francis Murphy. It was a treat to have these additional religious people with us. The all were very generous with their time and helped add to the spirituality of the trip.

We appreciate the service of 206 Tours for making this spiritual journey so meaningful to us.

Thanks.

Kathy Pellegrino

Hi Rinda and Milanka,

We just returned from our vacation and the Holy Land. Our Holy Land trip was wonderful to say the least. Fr. David was supper great! A wonderful young priest full of life and joy. He was a gift to the pilgrimage. My husband and I made the same pilgrimage last year but …..we saw more and experienced so much more this time. This was far more spiritual…. The group was amazing and everyone seemed to blend together perfectly. There was truly a same spirit in us and among us. Most of the group experienced a true miracle together… flowers from Our Lady appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground and landed inside a perfect circle inside the church on the Feast of Her Immaculate Heart! Kisses, kisses, kisses from heaven!

We even got Fr. David in the Jordan River to re-baptize us!

Our tour guide, Nabeil and our bus driver, Rashad were knowledgeable and excited right along with us. Rashad was a gift. He was so full of joy! He has completed two years of Theology School and has incredible knowledge of the Bible. You should use him for all of your pilgrimages! He could be both bus driver and guide!

Our family experienced something far greater than rose petals falling from the sky… Our vacation included much more than our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We first went to Croatia to our god-daughter’s graduation. We took her and her mother to the Holy Land with us. Right before she went home she thanked us and said she could not wait to get home and read her Bible! This brought me to tears.

Thank you again. May the Lord reward you for all you do.

Blessings,
Lindarae G. LaRocca

((\0/))
   /\

I slept and dreamt that Life was Joy,
I woke and saw that Life was Service,
I acted and behold Service was Joy! – Tagore

After traveling for the past few weeks, I finally have some time to write about the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Oberammergau, May 23 to June 4. Thanks for being patient with me.

FLIGHTS

All the flights went well and the airlines were very good. Those of us going on to Oberammergau after the Holy Land portion were not looking forward to a 5:00am flight from Tel Aviv because it was so early (we had a wakeup call at our hotel in Jerusalem at 12:00 midnight!). But looking back, it was probably a good idea, because of the long security process at Tel Aviv airport and the time it took to reach Munich (it was about a half-day travel).

GUIDES & DRIVERS

As I mentioned to Milanka, George Said in Jerusalem was a superb guide, perhaps the best I ever worked with. He was very well organized, sensitive to the needs of the 45 pilgrims, and was always on the phone organizing things and making sure we were on schedule. Especially important and appreciated was “coffee out”… George was always pointing out the rest rooms and this was most welcome by our pilgrims as we arrived and departed from the different locations. It was also helpful that he knew so many people at the churches and holy sites (i.e., the Franciscans, the Orthodox priests, etc) so he could get the group through without too much waiting. George was also a man of great faith, which he shared with us, and I think this was also very helpful and important. Salim, our driver in Israel, was also great. He was a true master of driving the huge bus up and down the hills and mountains. I highly recommend him as driver for future pilgrimages!

In Germany, we were warmly greeted by a delightful young lady, Claudia, our guide in Munich and Oberammergau. The smaller group of 17 pilgrims enjoyed our visit to Germany with her and she was helpful in answering our questions and directing us to various locations. She was very patient with all of us, had a calm and peaceful attitude, and we enjoyed spending time with her. I think the only problem we had about the Mass schedule in Oberammergau. Other than that all was well. Our drivers were also very good in Germany.

ACCOMODATIONS

All of the places we stayed at in Israel were quite nice and the pilgrims were comfortable. Initially, there were some problems with rooms at the Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem (some were too small), but the staff were very good there and made some room switches and everyone was happy after that. Netanya and Nazareth had beautiful hotels. All of the hotel meals were great and people seemed happy with the food selections. It was very good to have water and wine at dinner– people liked that very much. The hotel in Oberammergau was wonderful and provided great meals as well.

Personally, I must say that the room I had in Jersualem was extremely nice and I am grateful for this! At the Olive Tree Hotel, I was given the King Hussein Suite, which was “fancy” to say the least. Thanks to whoever set this up!!!! I had a living room and a bedroom, as well as an outside deck! Wow! This was actually very good because there was no place in the hotel that was private enough for confessions, so I was able to have people come to my room and we used the suite for the confessions!!! It was a perfect setup!

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

I think all of the pilgrims both in the Holy Land and Germany had a great time and were spiritually moved by the experiences we had together. Many people cried– including myself– at the Holy Sepulchre Church and at the end of the Passion Play in Oberammergau. I sense that many people also grew in their faith and spirituality, as a number came to me for confession and personal spiritual direction. They also expressed their thanks at the end of the pilgrimage, when we said farewell. I think everyone made many memories that they will be able to take with them and reflect upon in years to come. It was very important for people to see both the situation of the Christians in the Holy Land and witness the uniqueness of the Oberammergau Passion Play. These were very special experiences.

I don’t think there were many problems to mention. The schedule was good and everything seemed to go smoothly. One matter that I should bring up is illness– some of the pilgrims got sick and missed a few days because they had to stay back at the hotel and rest. I also got sick one morning, but was somehow able to persevere with the grace of God and do the Via Crucis with the group.Finally, as with other pilgrimages I have been on, the people were extremely generous to me, their priest and spiritual director. They took good care of me and I was very grateful to them for this. I really enjoyed this group and hope to stay in touch with them. A number of them wanted to have a reunion sometime in the near future and we’ll see if we can make that happen. On this pilgrimage, we had a newly married couple, families, couples, singles, older people, younger people, and me! It was quite diverse, but wonderful and everyone enjoyed each other’s company!

I thank you all for your hard work for making this pilgrimage happen. You have provided us all with an invaluable experience that will be with us forever!!!! God bless you all and I hope to see you soon at the office!

Fr. Nick Zientarski

Eva,

Wendy and I want to take time to thank you for arranging our recent private tour of Lourdes, as well as the travel arrangements to connect with our Silversea Cruise in Rome. As you know, we have utilized 206 Tours on a number of occasions, both private and group arrangements (Medjugorje 3 times, Rome, & Fatima), and our recent Lourdes pilgrimage met or exceeded all of our expectations.

The Hotel Moderne was in a fanatastic location just outside the gates, and provided us with all support required. We enjoyed Breakfast and Dinner daily in the dining room, and the dining staff was very gracious. The support from the front desk staff with some internet connection problems I was having was really above and beyond what could be expected. The local guide that you provided was excellent and gave us an understanding of the who/what/when/where/whys of Lourdes.

Your European tour manager, Javier (whom we had met on a private tour of Fatima that we had arranged with you previously) stopped by our table at dinner to be sure that all was ok, and reconfirmed our airport transfer times for the next day – even though we were not part of the group he was leading. Transportation from Pau to Lourdes and transportation from Lourdes to Toulouse worked flawlessly.

Eva, once again thank you for all of your assistance. You can be sure that there will be more 206 Tours in our future!

Bob and Wendy Dawson

Hello,

My name is Mary Catherine Gustilo, and I want to thank you for an extremely well organized pilgrimage. It was all I could have hoped for and more. In the 9-10 days, I felt that I had seen all of the sites important in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. A lot of credit should be also given to the guide Nabil. He is fantastic! His knowledge is very impressive and he is a lot of fun. I thought the days were well organized. I cannot believe no one else thinks to do the Via Delorosa early in the morning! I do not know if it was originally Nabil’s idea or 206Tours but it is a great idea and experience. I was very happy that Nabil was also able to accommodate some of our group’s interests along the way — specifically bringing us to the Jordan river where half of our group renewed our baptismal vows. I loved having a priest in our group. Father David was a joy to be around. He has a great voice and speaks well in our discussions of a many topics. I, and my fellow pilgrims have asked that he let us know when he does a future tour with 206Tours.

Keep up the wonderful work.

God willing, I will return with the rest of my family.

Sincerely,

Catherine

Our trip was fantastic. our guide Jesus was delightful.

He was very knowledgeable and very nice. Father Serena was wonderful, his sermons are great and meaningful.

I would highly recommend this trip.

Barbara Roberts

We were a small group of 17 people including 2 priests – Father Fred and Father Sig.
It was great to see the pope. Got a good picture of him.
Karen was wonderful. She has a vibrant personality and she was very knowledgeable about everything we saw.
I would say my favorite places were Assisi and Siena – and of course, Medjugorje. I keep going back there, even for a few days.
I’m glad the weather co-operated.
If I was asked if I would do this again, I would say,”Yes, definitely yes.”

God bless you, and thank you.

Marie Hankins
Townsend, Montana

Dear Rinda,

Wow! Moms and my pilgrimage to the holy land and oberammergau was an amazing spiritual experience for me. George was a very knowledgeable guide. Not only on the holy land but also in the catholic religion. He also has a great sense of humor. He made sure we were all safe and well taken care of. I feel very blessed to have had the privilege to have had him as our guide. Fr.Nick was wonderful, his homilies really made the whole experience a truly amazing spiritual awakening for me. My family,friends and co-workers say that I have return with a glow and spiritual high that they have never seen before. I have highly recommended 206 tours to everyone. I really can’t say enough about 206 tours, everything was beyond my expectations.Thanks a million God Bless

Kathie Flanagan

Dear Milanka,

You are a class act and I’m proud to be associated with 206.

I pray Our Lord will continue to bless you with His choicest gifts. You and your loved ones will be remembered in my prayers.

Love, Helen

Dear Milanka,

As I’m sure you know, George Said is a superb guide. He must be the best Christian guide in Israel!!!
Let me say that this was probably the best pilgrimage I’ve ever been on as a priest. The Masses went so well at the various holy sites. Many people came to me for confession and counseling. I sensed also that a number of people had deep conversions to Christ on the pilgrimage.

We had a wonderful group of people; everyone enjoyed each other’s company and it was a pleasantly diverse group: young and old, families and singles. It was really a blessed time together.
Claudia, our guide in Oberammergau, was delightful.

Many thanks and keep up the good work at 206 Tours!!!!!!
-Fr. Nick

+JMJ

Milanka!

The pilgrimage was wonderful to be there with the Holy Father.

Jesus was great and he absolutely ensured that we had plenty of time in the holy sites we visited plus more and we came back truly exhausted yet so happy. Fr. Vannetti gave powerful homilies and he was a joy to travel with. We met many wonderful people.

Milanka – we appreciate all that 206 Tours does and it was a first-class pilgrimage as always with the best of tour escorts! Again, we appreciate Stefanie and the person whom I s/w that Sunday at 206 who gave us courage and what to do when we had the delay in Paris. We made the most of that visit.

Peace and Blessings,

Mirla

It was a wonderful pilgrimage. I was very sad to leave Cracow. Crystina, our guide, was excellent. She was very patient and flexible. At one point, the weather prevented us from engaging in one of the planned activities. Crystina was able to substitute another activity. She was very knowledgeable. She was very gracious in helping me with the language. The whole group was very pleased with her. She helped to make it a very positive experience.

Mrs. Monaco

Dear Milanka,
This “once in a lifetime pilgrimage” – I planned 10 years ago. The year 2000 I was already in pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee, therefore, I missed the Oberammergau passion play. I prayed that I will be able to make in 2010, which was also the memorable year because of the Shroud of Turin. Thank you for making this possible for me and my husband, Rudy. 206 always made it a very spiritual and enjoyable the most. The guides are very knowledgeable, which I get to know, like Javier, and Jesus, and now new acquaintance, Miguel. I will probably meet them again sometime in the near future pilgrimages I will do Lourdes and Spain, via 206 tours always.

It was so nice to meet you in person. Thank you for sharing with us your personal attention, and your inspiring story of your life.
I pray for your continued sucess and good health.

Sincerely.Remedios (Remy) Auditor

Dear Rinda,

First let me say that the people we joined and Fr Nick, who we knew well, made our journey of faith very, very special. Our guide “George” and Coach driver “Salim” Are two of the nicest people you could meet. George’s knowledge and passion for his homeland and our faith is unparalleled, he was a font of information to a level of detail you couldn’t get from any book. At a practical level the choice of hotels was excellent, our coach was comfortable and clean and Salim our coach driver was much more than the driver. He made sure we didn’t walk any more than we needed to through his sometimes amazing manoeuvring of the coach into the tightest of spots and was there to help us with buying and specially making sure we got the best price possible. I am grateful to Salim for extending his services to take us of an afternoon back into Bethlehem. The arrangements were excellent and went without a hitch.

Thanking you,
Paul Dharmaratne & Kathy Scovell

Ms. Kanidinc,

God’s choicest blessings.

I want to thank you for giving me an opportunity to be the spiritual director for the pilgrimage these past two weeks. It was a wonderful experience. People are wonderful especially for those who took care of us during the spiritual journey we had. Gema, our tour guide, was an excellent guide and really work hard to make it easy for all of us in terms of getting around and guiding us day to day events. Food and accommodations was outstanding. To discribe in one word regarding the pilgrimage is: OUTSTANDING!

206 Tours is doing a great job and I am recommending to my priest friends that if they would like to be a spiritual director for pilgrimage is to contact 206 Tours.

JOB WELL DONE!!!

Blessings,

Father Ulysses L. Ubalde

Hi:

Thanks for all your work in setting up this trip. Everything is going very well. Aphina has been a very good guide.
The group is exceptional. The mixed right away and are a great group of people. Today we go to Corinth.
Tomorrow we board the ship. I am attaching a picture I took in the Orthodox Church in Thessalonica.

with prayers,
Fr. Jim

Dear Milanka,

Thank you for the opportunity to join the Once In A Lifetime Pilgrimage. At Turin, we met Msgr. Kenneth Steffen (our Spiritual Director) and our co-pilgrims. There, I met you and Javier for the first time and also Gaia (a guide in a previous pilgrimage), as you were ending the first of the Once In A Lifetime Pilgrimage, which started on May 12. I am so happy to have finally met you.

You gave the perfect name to this very special pilgrimage. I feel blessed to have participated in this once in a lifetime spiritual experience. Combining the visits to the Shroud of Turin, Santiago de Compostela, Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima and the Oberammergau Passion Play was a brilliant idea! Added to that were the celebration of the Mass at Church of Eucharistic Miracle at Santarem and the visits to the Church of St. Anthony, the Jeronimo Monastery and the magnificent Cristo Rei Statue in Lisbon. Thank you also for the special cruise on the Douro River in Oporto.

Msgr. Steffen is a very spiritual leader. He always included 206 tours in the daily intentions. Once or twice a day, he was giving us a medal or holy picture or printed information about special places visited or other related information. It was indeed helpful to be reminded that we were pilgrims and not tourists.

We had a wonderful group of caring pilgrims from many different part of the United States. Thank you all very much!

Jesus was our guide in Spain and Portugal, but he continued to help us a lot in Munich and Oberammergau. Miguel, his cousin, was an excellent driver. The local tour guide in Santiago de Compostela and in Lisbon were my favorites. I like Hotel Santa Maria Jardim in Fatima and Hotel Ludwig in Murnau.

Best regards and thanks to you, Rinda, Stefanie and Cara for another unforgettable and awesome experience. May the good Lord continue to bless you in this very special ministry.

As always, I am looking forward to my next 206 pilgrimage.

Love, joy and peace,
Brenda

Dear Rinda,

The Once in A Lifetime Pilgrimage was the best and memorable. Fr. Serena and Javier made us feel welcome from Day One. I had never met a guide like Javier, who acted beyond his guide duties and very religious; he changed my perspective about Fatima.

What a wonderful experience to go to Santiago de Compostela, to see the Shroud and the Passion Play.

It was an honor to have Milanka with us. She’s the most caring, thoughtful and generous person. She’s just like a shepherd tending to her flock, making sure everybody or everything was ok. Having Charlie by her side was a huge bonus, he’s always willing to help and his laughter were contagious and brightened the rooms.

Thank you also for all those extra surprises and entertainment, they added to everything which was already special. Thank you 206 Tours for doing a great job.

Sincerely,

Janet Shi

Dear Rinda,

We had a wonderful trip, and would recommend 206 Tours to anyone.
Milanka and her husband were great to travel with and certainly saved the day as my wife was ready to fly home.

Thanks again,
Frank

Blessing to you Rinda,

Thank you for the arrangements. We got lots of blessings in the piligramage.

As you know we took 5 days of tour on our own after Turin and Rome, we went to Pisa, Florence, Venece, Asissi and back to Rome.

We visited the leaning tower of Pissa, four museums in Florence, the Church were Michael Agelo, Dante, Machiavely and other Florentininas are buried, In Venece we went ot Murano to shee the glass factories, Burano to see the lase making, we also visited the tomb of San Mark the evangelist. In Assisi we saw the basilica of St Francis, the church where the tomb of Saint Clare, we also saw San Damiano where Saint Clare lived and died.

We had confession, Mass and comunion at St Peter Basislica and an audience with the Pope.

Blessings

Carlos Lisa and Jessica

Rinda, Yes, we are very pleased with the services of 206 tours. We especially liked the arrangements for the Hotel Michelangelo, and the convenience of the hotel to the Vatican, and other sight seeing areas of the city. Thank you for all of your professional attention. When making future arrangements for pilgrimages, 206 Tours will again be contacted.

Sincerely,

Elisabeth W. Ramirez

Greetings to one & all! I was just telling Milanka how lucky we all are that she was there during the trip & that she had been very helpful in everything we need.

Before I totally forget, let me share this link. Who knows you might see yourself in this slide show that I have shared with my family & some friends. This way, we could all go back to Memory Lane:

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d5463774e7a6b314d44413d0d0a&sb=1&campaign=email_receipt_directurl_makeyourown

Anyway, I feel so blessed…The places we’ve visited…Santiago de Compostela was an awesome site, especially seeing the huge ‘botafomeiro’ in motion. Fatima was really special since I’ve known the story even when I was just a little child. I got lost in the plaza the 1st night, but it was a good thing. I had time to reflect and meditate to myself next to the nuns during the rosary & for some reason I just started to cry… The site of the Apparition of the Blessed Mother & the angel gave me the goose bumps, as well as seeing the places where Lucia, Francisco & Jacinta had lived. The Holy Shroud, in Turin, Italy was also unbelievably breathtaking to watch.. it’s right in front of me, Jesus’ image… I enjoyed Munich, Germany, the Marienplatz & the sounds of the Glockenspiel. I also loved the houses in Oberammergau… it reminds me of Leavenworth, Washington, our Bavarian city. The Passion Play was quite long, (wish it was in English) but the performance was amazing.

I’d also like to thank our funny tour guide, Miguel, for all the patience and hard work. He made the trip fun with some jokes & his silliness. Javier was very helpful too.Overall my experience was totally uplifting…places like these remind me of all the wonderful things God has given us & I’m thankful that He’s always there, even if we falter & lost our ways…Everytime I go to pilgrimages, my family notice a change in me.. more peaceful, more calm, more happy… soo, where to next??? hopefully, Medjugorje & Lourdes… but we’ll see.. 🙂

Love & Prayers,

Grace L. Toledo “Travel the world and witness its splendor..”

I feel most fortunate to have visited the Holy Land as a pilgrim. It was a wonderful experience to walk in the very places where Our Lord once lived.

I am grateful that I could be a part of your well-planned pilgrimage, which enabled us to visit so many holy places – where Christ was born, where He healed, where He ate supper with His disciples, where He agonized in prayer, where He died. I also appreciated your arrangements for Mass to be celebrated each day at very special places.

Our guide in Israel, Youseph Eideh, was very knowledgeable in biblical history, and this contributed much to the spiritual significance of each of the places that we visited. There is nothing quite like hearing a biblical account of what happened at the very place where you are standing, in the Holy Land.

In Egypt also, our guide Ashraf Moses was knowledgeable and always helpful. His expertise in anthropology was especially appreciated as he guided us through the treasures of the Egyptian museum in Cairo, and at the pyramids of Memphis and Sakkara.

A highlight of our travel in Egypt was the visit to the Monastery of St. Catherine at Mt. Sinai, where we were given a tour of the Museum of Icons by its director, Father Justin. My thanks to you, Rinda, for granting my change to the April/May pilgrimage when the monastery was open, making this visit possible.

It was gratifying to be a part of this pilgrimage in the company of others who also came to see, to touch, to remember, to pray.

With many thanks for a memorable journey,

Maureen Molloy

Hi Michael,

This is the first chance I got to respond to you as We are still touring around Europe.
Both Myself My Wife and two children had a wonderful time during our Pilgrimage We found the Pilgrimage very Spiritual and uplifting in Spirit My Wife and I both got a lot from the journey.

Most of all We found our Tour Guide Yasues very Spriturally minded and He gave us a lot of pleasure in the way He organised the Pilgrimage and the spritual guidence.

We also found Father Robert to be very Spiritual and made our journey a closer relationship with God.

As We had two small children travelling with us We were initally a little concerned about the Journey but We soon were made very welcome by the other Pilgrims who all took turns in helping our children.

Our only regret was that it came to an end and even our two children were very upset when the Pilgrimage ended, they missed all the other pilgrims a lot. Including Yasues and Father Robert who gave them a lot of attention.

We thank you once again for the chance to experience the 206 Tours and look forward to our next journey with the group.

Yours Sincerly,
Charles, Rita, Sera and Jesse.

God Bless.

Greetings,

Truly, this aptly named Once-in-a-Lifetime Pilgrimage is unforgettable.
The awesome experiences will be forever etched in my memory.

To walk through Holy Door of the Santiago De Compostela Cathedral (opened only very 11 years during Saint James Jubilee Year) thinking and dedicating it to my beloved father who died in 1998, is priceless.
To behold and venerate the Holy Shroud in Turin (shown only for the 6th time since 1898) with other faithful who believe, is truly once in a lifetime blessed opportunity.

To see the The Passion Play of Jesus Christ by the people of Oberammergau (who kept their solemn vow in 1633 to portray it every ten years) with the glimpse of trees, blue skies, and the majestic Bavarian Alps Mountains, is sublime. Needless to say, I cried, perhaps like everyone, on the scenes that were so moving, agonizing and searing through my heart. (The beautiful town and their people with all of their manifestations of faith centered on Jesus Christ also touched me).

In Fatima, I am overwhelmed and overjoyed with our experiences. (I am a devotee of the Virgin Mary since I was a young girl. Sunny and I have hosted here in our home several times Our Lady of Fatima including the National Virgin Pilgrim). I was overwhelmed and I cried when I learned that Sunny and I are to lead the rosary in the English part. Sunny was also one of carriers during the procession. I walked by kneeling across the square to the Chapel of the Apparition carrying my petitions deep within my heart, and giving praise and thanksgiving for all the blessings. I have not done anything physically more painful, and I have to hold Sunny’s hand at the latter part. The skin overlying my knee has wounds and blisters that surprisingly healed in relatively shorter time than I expected.

We give praise and thanksgiving to God for this blessed opportunity to witness and participate in these awesome events. We thank Milanka and the entire 206 tours for conceiving this unique “Once-in-a-Lifetime pilgrimage”. Very well-planned, well organized, and well-executed. It exceeded our expectations. Milanka, your presence and graciousness made it extra-special. Thank you Father Serena, our priest, our spiritual leader. Special mention to Javier, the most outstanding and the most inspirational spiritual tour guide we ever met. The alignment of all those sacred events that occurs only rarely to occasionally, and us participating and witnessing them is a divine timing and a blessed opportunity for all of us.

Sincerely with gratitude,Amie and Sunny

206 Tours reply to Amie and Sunny Miguel:

Amie and Sunny,

Thanks so much for one of the best reflections! Having been there with you, I know and recall vividly that you “walked the pilgrimage walk”

I’m blessed to have had an opportunity to meet you, to be walking and praying with you! Especially to witness Amie’s going on her bleeding knees in Fatima makes me feel that I was closer to Jesus and Mary just by being there by your side. I’m so humbled and grateful to witness your faith and dedication to this journey.
Sunny If you get to it, and if open to it, please email me several photos of the two of you as I would love to post it.
I’m thrilled that I’ve met you and I will keep you in my prayers, please keep me in yours.
Faithfully in Christ, Milanka Lachman

206 Tours
333 Marcus Blvd,
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788
Tel: 800-206-TOUR (8687) ext 206 or (631) 361-4644 ~ fax. (631) 361-3682
Milanka@206tours.com
www.206tours.com

HI MILANKA HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.UNTIL NOW I CAN SEE MYSELF CARRYING ON MY SHOULDER OUR BLESSED VIRGIN MARY ,I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY GIVEN TO ME ,WITHOUT 206 I MIGHT HAVE MISSED THAT CHANCE.WE WERE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE U IN OUR GROUP,IT WAS AN HONOR TO HAVE THE FOUNDER OF 206 IN OUR MIDST.WE ARE PLANNING TO HAVE ANOTHER PILGRIMAGE TO JERUSALEM ABOUT MARCH OR APRIL NEXT YEAR , SO SEE YOU THERE ??? JUST A THOUGHT.

SINCERELY : GEORGE AND YOLANDA BERNALES

Dear Rinda, perhaps the most aptly named pilgrimage I’ve ever taken was the “once in a lifetime” pilgrimage sponsored by 206 tours this May. The Bavarian alps proved to be the perfect setting not only for rest and relaxation but most importantly to better experience the grandeur of God. It is the perfect backdrop for the passion play which is held at Oberammergau every 10 years. What a treat! Our stop in Turin proved to be no less exciting. There’s no way you can outdo the art and the majesty that is found in Italian churches and cathedrals. Added onto this the great privilege of seeing what is believed to be the holy shroud of Christ could only deepen the spiritual content of the entire pilgrimage. Our stop in Compostela added a great deal of depth to this pilgrimage. And finally our devotions in Fatima reflected the spiritual depth of the entire pilgrimage. Although the 70 pilgrims made for a rather large group we got to know each other quite well especially with the help of Malanka, Charlie and Javier. It was a great combination of leadership and I found every one of the Pilgrims to be open and receptive. All in all it surely was a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.

I can only hope that somehow it will happen again, someday.

Father Ed Serena

Dear Rinda, greetings from this spiritually renewed returned pilgrim. On behalf of our pilgrim family I wish to compliment you and all at 206tours for the wonderful itinerary and quality of care that was so evident at every step of our nine wonderful days in Italy. On behalf of myself and all our pilgrims I must single out our exceptional tour escort Karin Videbaek for special mention. Her warm personality, her dept of knowledge, her willingness to cater to the needs of each member in our group her interaction with the group and her cheerful disposition was just outstanding..she was a true blessing to us all.

Rinda, the hotels and quality of service in the hotels were very good indeed, I have just one little crumb of a negative nature, on arrival at our hotel in Rome (Hotel Quirinale) at approx 10am we were informed that our rooms would not be ready until 2pm at the earliest. After crossing the Atlantic, and jet lagged and needing a shower we had to hang out in the lobby, in a semi comatosed state for four hours. But once we got our rooms the quality of service was very good and staff were friendly.

Again we were pilgrims not tourists and that understanding of the nature of our time together was the driving forse that brought us all so close, and by the end of the week when the time came for us to say our goodbyes we were so very sad, for we had become a family.

I will offer up a Mass for you and all at 206 Tours.

God Bless.
Fr. Frederick Walters

hi milanka,

i would just like to let you know that you lived up to your “once in a lifetime” theme. everything about the trip was memorable – specially the places we visited, and your attention to details and how you made sure that everyone was taken cared of. i am so glad i made this pilgrimage with your company!

it was a pleasure meeting and knowing you and charlie.

take care & be well!

hugs – carmen

De Compostela, The Shroud of Turin and The Passion Play in Oberammergau – MAY

Our trip truly was a "Once in a Lifetime" event. It was very well organized, and it was wonderful to be able to see the Shroud, the Passion Play, Santiago De Compostella, as well as Fatima. The hotels were very comfortable, the food was great, and the everything went very smoothly. We especially appreciated the inspirational faith of Javier, our guide.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this such a memorable pilgrimage.

Cecil and Janice Lee

Rinda,

I can’t even describe the experience I had on this pilgrimage. The Blessed Mother was with us always!

Jesus (guide) is a WONDERFUL and SPIRITUAL angel from heaven. He had to deal with a very difficult man and he still treated all of us with deep respect. Even the little black sheep! He added so much to the pilgrimage. Also Fr. Robert was exceptional. Saying Mass everyday and rosaries on the bus made this so much better than just a tour! The group was handpicked by God I am sure. I look forward to my next pilgrimage with u!

Yours in Christ!

Mary Rubio

It was a wonderful experience! God was with us all the way and open our eyes especially during the Passion Play when Jesus Christ was sweating blood asking God, The Father to "take this cup away from me." I cried and cried during that moment when Our Lord Jesus Christ felt the pain like us!

Thank you 206tours for the awesome trip of a lifetime. May God continue blessing your company and your staff for all the works you are doing and please give a copy of this email to Milanka.

In Christ,

Luzviminda "Elvie" Llaneta

Just got home about an hour ago. The trip was wonderful.Javier is an excellent guide. His devotion to God shines through his dedication to his pilgrim family. Getting to meet his wife and children was an honor. Gaia was also a very good guide in Italy. She was only with us for a short time. I appreciated how she arranged to have our boarding passes pre-printed when we left Turin for Munich. Really saved us time and the hassle of standing in line. There was a little problem in Germany but as pilgrims, we need to go with the flow and pray. Meeting Milanka and Charlie added to the specialness of the trip.

This was my first trip with 206 but it won’t be my last. When my dad picked me up at the airport he asked where I was going on my next trip. After I get some sleep, I’ll start thinking about my 2012 trip.

Mary Kaye Haughey

Hi Liz and Stephanie,

Pilgrimage to the Shrines of Italy was beyond words.We felt 206 really took care of us. The arrangements you made for our after tour to Milan and Padua were perfect. We felt so well cared for. The best part about our tour next to seeing the Holy Shroud and the Holy Father was our spiritual director Fr. Joseph Mundakal. He said the most beautiful Masses and gave the best homilies.I have never met a holier priest. He also led the rosary everyday. He truly was a gift from God because as you know we almost did not have a priest because Fr. Rock was sick. He gave us all wonderful spiritual direction .I only wish my family could have been there to benefit from it. Thank you for all you all do for pilgrims. This was a once in a life time trip for me and I appreciate 206 tours working so hard to make it perfect. Please forward this letter to the owner of the company.

Yours in Christ,

Sandra Griffin

Dear Amanda, I am very grateful to 206 Tours for giving us the opportunatly to have this pilgrimage to France. If I had any doubt about my faith, that doubt is now gone for good. Everything went well. Overall I will grade the trip EXCELLENT. Father Gilbert was very inspirational with his sermoms and his leadership in prayers. I will definately like to do other tours with you and will encourage others to build their faith by investing in these tours. Thank you and God bless you.

Sincercely,

Maureen & Desmond Gittens.

Hi Liz!
We have returned from France!

It was such an incredible experience for everyone who was part of this pilgrimage. Thank you for all your hard work on your end and 2O6 Tours for making this pilgrimage a reality and a true success. We were showered with many spiritual graces! The presence of God was truly felt by every pilgrim. The accommodations were excellent as well as our tour guide (Ana) She truly became part of our little family that was formed over these past few days.

Thanks again for everything that you have done for this pilgrimage!

United in Prayer,
Sean M. Suckiel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Dear Slavenka.

Bok! God bless! I have just seen your e-mail for the first time.

We had a group meeting on this past Saturday to share our experiences of Medjugorje with our parish priest Father John Galli. What a wonderful afternoon we had! Three of our group received personal healings. Everyone was touched, felt blessed and found great peace because of our Pilgrimage. Everyone was very grateful for the Mass you arranged with Father Murphy. Please thank him for us. Slavenka, you are THE BEST!!!!!!!

Thank you. Thank you. Hvala Hvala!

Praise the Lord God and our Jesus who has allowed us to be blessed by the Gospa, our Mother. And again, thank you! In Christ’s love,

Donna Yuscavage

Dear Amanda,

My gratitude to you and your staff. Not only was my trip the spiritual highlight of my life but Slavenka guidance and faith are truely from the heart. She is a jewel. Wayne and Father Neal were the iceing on the cake for this trip. If I have the opportunity to return it will be through 206 Tours. And with Slavenka and Wayne Weible. Thank You and God Bless.

Becky Harper

Words can not describe what we experienced on our pilgrimage to the Holy land, Rome and Turin. Our lives will be forever changed for the better. I would like to thank Yoseph Eideh our guide who truly puts his heart in his work. If there was any doubt in your mind as to where you were or what you were looking at or what had happened there Yoseph’s knowledge of both the bible and his land brought at all too life. I will never be the same when I read the bible or hear sacred scripture because of him and and our experience in the Holy land. May God be with him and his family always.

Also I would like to thank 206 tours for giving us Father Joseph Arockiasamy as our spiritual director. Father Joe made each and every Mass we celebrated truly personal and unique. He is friendly, fun, easy to talk too and made you feel like part of his family. Thank you Father Joe. Also I would like to thank who has got to be the best driver in all of Israel. Mohamed hats off to you!The local guides in Rome were also very nice and knowledgeable. To be in Saint Peter’s square and see our Holy Father was awesome. On to Turin which is very beautiful to see the Shroud was like icing on the cake. It just put everything we had seen up until then in perspective.There was a slight mix up when we got to Rome that I would like to say how Quickly 206 tours took care of it. AND they also sent us Beautiful flowers and an apology when we got home! Totally unnecessary but just goes to show that 206 Tours is a Class A organization. There is no other way to go on a Pilgrimage.Thanks to everyone.

Cathy and Steve McCullough

I was very satified with the recent tour to Spain with Fr. Timothy. It was excellent!

Paula Barr

I was completely satisfied with the pilgrimage.The highlight of the trip was when we were at St. Francis in Siena and the priest gave us Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharistic Miracle. Astounding.Helga was most helpful, kind, and generous.

Blake

Thanks Amanda – it was a wonderful tour and one we will not ever forget. Everything about it was very good, the hotels, food, and of course, Helga, who was exceptional! Every stop was beautiful and inspirational but the highlight for us was the Shroud of Turin. We would highly recommend 206 Tours to others and hope that we will be able to enjoy another one in the future. Thank You for a beautiful trip.

The Craney’s

Rinda: Our pilgrimage was amazing and wonderful. One of our group got a blessing and kiss from the Holy Father Pope Benedict! It was such a special blessing for our whole group! We loved the pilgrimage. One suggestion is to make it clear in the tour booklet that when travelling in Italy (and maybe other places too), the schedule is fluid and you need to listen to the tour guide vs. trying to follow the itinerary in the book. I know you try to explain this, but my Mom would get upset when our actual itinerary didn’t match what was in the book. Thanks for a wonerful trip!

Lucy Collett

Dear Rinda

I am from Australia and was extremely nervous about joining a bunch of North Americans for a pilgrimage as we do have some different viewpoints and humour. On my arrival to the hotel I had difficulty with my bags and was just SO nervous but the first person I met was Fr Tom followed by a fellow pilgrim who I saw waving to me to come over, and I became an adopted Australian sister.

The tour was so well organised, Helga is very motherly and knows how to ensure things ran very smoothly, the staff at the hotels were supurb and our bus driver went way beyond the call of duty. I am Australian and was very nervous due to the differences in humour between Australians (especially ones like me who says what I think and has a Joan of Arc streak) and North Americans, I had nothing to worry about when Fr Tom started saying my name incorrectly (on purpose) and my city incorrectly (on purpose) and I knew I was in good hands all round… Being in Italy had so many highlights that to put in words would not justify the Godly experience I encountered with such an awesome group of new friends and known sisters and brothers in Christ… Assisi got me all emotional..

Love Tara xo

Dear Milanka,

I cannot say enough in praise of Javier. He is the best. The group came to admire, respect and love him. He looked after our needs in every way.

Here is some feed-back I can give you: The hotels were very good especially at Montserrat, Compostela, Fatima and Lisbon. The meals were very good. I especially liked the fact that, with the exception of two nights in Madrid, we were seated by ourselves and waiters served the meal. I do not like buffet dinners as they promote individualism and not community. Sometimes the front of the line is finishing eating by the time the end of the line get their meal. To sit down together leisurely at the end of the day’s touring and converse unhurriedly is a special blessing.

The local guides were very good. A special help in the Prado and again at Compostela was the aid of individual ear phones to hear the guide. It is difficult for more than ten people to hear a guide speaking outdoors or in a nosiy place.

Javier is very scrupulous in not taking advanatge of the group. There were no special shopping stops. There was opportuinity to shop but on people’s free time, not as a group.

Montserrat was probably the biggest surprise for the group. The setting is majestic; the hotel next to the Basilica very convenient and comfortable; the liturgies and boys choir at the abbey really spectacular. … Javier got us involved at Fatima in carrying the cross and statue, leading the Rosary; saying the Way of the Cross, etc. That was all appreciated and added to our expereience there….. Our walk on the camino at Compostela was delightful. The San Francisco Hotel and its meals was the best… The care and consideration of Frannie O’Toole who celebrated her 87th birthday with us was touching.

So I thank you for the fine preparations and putting everything into place. We are already looking forward to our journey to Scotland and Northumbria next year. I understand you are leaving on Thursday with 70 pilgrims for the "Once in a Lifetime" trip. May God be with you and keep you all safe. I hope you don’t have trouble with the airlines (and the volcanic cloud of ash) as we had coming home on Saturday! After a long delay in Paris they routed us north of Icleand , across Greenland and down to Boston five hours late. It was quite a day! No one is to blame for that and we were all happy to be able to get home that day at all.

We are once again putting together a Journal and CD of the trip and I will send you a copy this summer when completed. Meanwhile take care and God bless you and your staff.

Father Tim

Amanda-

The pilgrimage was absolutely wonderful!! Everyone approached our path with a spiritual attitude. All were gracious and we melded into a supportive group. Everyone was so thankful that Richard’s vision put this tour together and we were blessed with wonderful weather and guides. We avoided volcanic ash, airport delays and rain. My roommate, Fe, was wonderful and we kept an eye on each other and made sure we met at the right meeting places and on time. It sincerely could not have been a more meaningful or spiritual pilgrimage. And hats off to Fr. Joseph who led us spiritually and emotionally. This is my second pilgrimage, the 1st with 206, and was superior to my 1st experience.

Keep up God’s work!!

Judy Everson

Hi Rinda & Stefanie

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my Pilgrimage to Portugal, Spain and France with Father Peter Suhaka and our Guide Jesus Vivas. Having private Masses during the Pilgrimage was an important part of the day especially the Mass at the Grotto in Lourdes. The hotel accommodations and the food were outstanding. Jesus was the perfect guide and helped us get through the volcano crisis. We were not left stranded at the airport. For this I thank God and 206 Tours.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Snow

Our pilgrimage was a great experience……and spiritually rewarding …we have no complaints…your service is great and the prices are reasonable..the most impressive on our pilgrimage was Slavenka, our guide…she was well informed, dedicated, sincere and spoke English very well….her group’s satisfaction was important to her. thank you..

Alice and John Adamski

I just want to let you know the trip excelled my expectations. The tour guide, Youseph Eideh, was excellent, I gained so much knowledge from his explanations throughout the trip. Is priceless to obtain a better understanding of the gospels, and trying to visualize what happened during Jesus Christ stayed in this world.

The Mass celebrations with Father Joseph were also outstanding and very spiritual. Mass was celebrated in some the most solemn and holy places. It was just outstanding. So much to absorb. The hotel accommodations were also very nice. The complete service from the moment I arrived at Tel-Aviv was very good.

I would definitely consider booking my next Catholic pilgrimage with your agency.

Thank you and God Bless you too.

Barbara Fernandez

Greetings Rinda:

Now that all is settled and jet lag is a thing of the past, I just wanted to share my feedback on our (myself and my mother’s) trip to Israel in April.

My original intent was to satisfy my mother’s life long desire to visit the Holy Land to retrace the steps of Jesus. The end result was that I came away with a renewed and deepened faith; not only as it pertains to Catholicism, but to the genuine goodness of our fellow man.

Both Mom and I were so pleased that our group was relatively small (16 in all) and our spiritual guide, Father Diego, was a fabulous religious influence and fun at the same time. Our tour accomodations were perfect: large comfortable bus expertly piloted by Munsur (our driver) accompanied by our knowledgeable, friendly and experienced guide Nabil.

Other than the fabulous hotels, spectacular settings for daily Mass and perfect scheduling for the moving Stations of the Cross, I have to say that I’ve never met a more wonderful group of people than our fellow pilgrims. Everyone was friendly, caring and kind…particularly to my mom which made me so happy. Was that group created from someone’s "fantasy list"?

My only observation to pass along is that there are no wash clothes in Israel (haa haa)…just in case it’s important to future travelers.

Thank you again for an enriching trip of a lifetime. Be sure to keep Father Diego in mind for future 206 Tours. He was wonderful! Also, thank you for keeping my family back in the states informed of our whereabouts due to the flight cancellations and reroutes (who would think an Icelandic volcano would cause such chaos?)

Our best to you and the rest of the 206 Family,

206 Tours reply to Jan Krogstad and Mary Ann Leiper: Thanks so much for your excellent feedback. Please remember to read our know before you go links. We advise our clients to bring their own wash clothes. Thank you, 206 Tours.

Jan Krogstad and Mary Ann Leiper

Our tour group attended Wednesday Mass at Saint Peter’s. We were lucky enough to have the chance for Jacob to have a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI. There were probably 50,000 people in attendance. Everyone around us, including John and I, were balling by the end. Jacob is so blessed to have such a wonderful miracle bestowed upon him. Made all the surgeries, seizures, pain worth it.

Thank you for all you prayers on a safe journey for us. You probably had a hand in our blessing.

We love you all.

Truc & John BROUILLETTE

The pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain and Lourdes in April 2010 exceeded my expectations. The spiritual director Fr Peter Suhaka and tour escort Jesus Vivas were outstanding leaders in helping the group create a community in the likeness of the first Christians, where everyone was concerned to help one another when a need arose and to accept everyone as they are. The efforts of our Tour Escort to respond to our needs was extraordinary, especially in our time of dificulty because of flight cancellations, due to the volcano eruption. My extended stay in Lourdes( due to flight cancellation)was a real gift from God to me. It greatly enriched my spiritual journey.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for providing me with private rooms during our tour and your generosity in paying for my stay during the extended time in Lourdes. This pilgrimage is unforgetable. I will highly recomend others to trust in your dedication and expertise in organising spiritual journeys in the future.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Sr. Bernadette Matukas

Dear Rinda and Eva,

We are finally @ home!!!! Thank you for the most beautiful and private pigrimage to Our Blessed Mother. We have not yet seen the fruits of our trip. Rest assurd we will go back. Slavenka, of course, was wonderful and a treasure to keep forever!!! She made all the trip memorable and individualized. She opened doors that were closed to others. Thank you for her. We will go again with you. Next time made stranded in Rome!!!

Love in Christ,

Sylvia and Tol

Hi Rinda,

We are pleased to tell you that the trip was fantastic; everything we had hoped for and more. It is difficult to understand how we were able to experience so much in a 12 day period. The tour guides were outstanding. In Israel, Nabil insured that every segment of the Holy Land pilgrimage was much more than adequately covered and still demonstrated the flexibility to include a few stops which although not on the tour description, were requested by our fellow pilgrims. His knowledge of the scriptures, both New and Old Testaments, and the manner in which he brought them to life at the various sites were remarkable; truly awe inspiring. In Rome, an extremely knowledgeable Anthony provided historical prospectives at each site of which few if any of us were aware before the tour. As a result of this pilgrimage, our personal spirituality achieved a significant level. Never again will we read or hear read a scripture passage as before; now they will be understood in a much more vibrant context due to our overwhelming experiences in the Holy Land and Rome.
We trust that the Lord will enable us to plan a future spiritual journey with 206 Tours.

Thank you again; God bless y’all.
Mary Ann and Don

Our experience with 206 was a very positive one.  We would recommend 206 to anyone.
Our guide, Nabil was excellent and really knew his stuff.  Our driver was very attentive and cordial. Fr Diego was perfect and we intend to keep in touch with him since we are both from Chicago. The number of people on our pilgrimage was a perfect size.  We saw many other groups that seemed too large for everyone to hear their guide.

Johnny did a good job under pretty difficult circumstances caused by the volcano.
The Olive Tree Hotel and the food were first class.

Ken and Jeanne Murphy

Our trip to Fatima has been outstanding despite the weather was not very cooperating it’s been raining all day but there is moments that sun shown. We enjoyed our five days here despite my wife was not feeling good but we have chance to go to the Apparition Chapel to pray the rosary and attend Masses. We have chance to go around shopping, people are very nice quiet compared to other countries we’ve been. We love to come back here again either groups or self. The 206 Tours are very coordinated; the flight, hotel, escort and the rest outstanding service.

I appreciate your immediate concerned on us, the chaos of the Volcanic ashes from Iceland that spread all over Europe that thousands and thousands has been stranded. Before we left yesterday the ten group from Tennessee that suppose to leave on the 16 Apr going to Ireland are still in Lisbon hotel.

Our prayer to our Lady of Fatima has significant blessings and the outstanding Flight Service Personnel for us to leave Lisbon directly to Ne-wart, N.J instead via Amsterdam. Over all our trip is outstanding and keep our prayers also for rest of the travelers and the 206 Tours groups that they continue their journey and back home easily.

God bless,
Joey & Liza Abo

Jacksonville, Fl

We have taken many tours since retiring 10 years ago.  This one ranks at the top of our list.  Between the location, tour guide and the group of folks we were with, it would be hard to match this again.Samii (spelling?) was an incredible tour leader.The folks from St. Johns, who we had not met before, were fun to be with and Father Timo really was the frosting on the cake.

Tom and Nancy Plunkett

Words cannot express how wonderful and spiritually filled the pilgrimage was. We were all  blessed to have Javier as our tour director.
God put all of us with him to see what a “Perfect pilgrimage tour director should be”.   Javier’s knowledge of the places we visited was thorough and helped our understanding of each site.  His management of our “newly found family” in keeping us on schedule and guidance to what, where and how to enjoy our free time to ensure our safety, was comforting.
Selection of our bus driver “Miguel” was very comforting as he handled the difficulty of driving the ‘narrow’ streets we were taken through, with ease and experience.
The selection of our hotels and meals were always ‘First Class”.
We were all blessed to be given this opportunity to have the resources and  capability, both in body and spirit, to attend such a life changing experience.
Thanks to 206 Tours for assigning Javier as our tour director.  He helped me in my spiritual journey by his sincerity in his faith and the holiness he generated.
Hopefully I, along with my “Buds” (a name assigned to our group of 4 that departed from Houston Tx for the tour) will enjoy another pilgrimage soon.

Shirleen Hart

Dear Milanka,

I just wanted to thank you personally for obtaining our air tickets and doing us such a huge favor. The flights were very pleasant and the price was the cheapest out of the other two groups that were there.  They almost paid double for their tickets.  You have never let us down and your trips are always, so beautifully run.  That is how we spoke of your agency to the other pilgrims that were there.  Some have used your services, some had not.  The ones that did, said yours was superior to that of other agencies.Again, thank you for helping souls get closer to Christ and his Beautiful Mother. Wishing you a very Blessed Easter.

So Kindly,
Gina Delucia

Well, I feel I have to hitch on to my bestest buds comments.  This pilgrimage was one of the most amazing and spiritually filling experiences of my life.  I may be back at home now but my spiritual self is still back on the pilgrimage.  I give praise and thanks to God daily for His blessings, and this trip was truly a blessing.  I am amazed at how this country girl that I am could have possibly been at Fatima & Lourdes.  I look forward to what God has now in mind for me to do next.  I feel that on this trip, that the Virgin Mary has empowered me to go forth and do more for her son, Jesus Christ.  Our tour guide, Javier is an amazing person, his ministry as a tour guide is so full of heart and faith – thank you for assigning him to our tour.  I look forward to another trip in my future.

Rose Ann Jackson

Hi Rinda,

We really enjoyed the trip.  The itinerary really kept us busy from morning to night.Javier was an excellent tour guide.  In fact, he was the best tour guide that we have ever had.  We have been traveling for years with other tour companies (mostly with Globus; once with Tauck).  My wife has traveled more extensively than I have.  We both agree that he was the best.All of the hotels were good except for the last one (Mercure Imperial in Lourdes).  The hotel room was really small with 3 beds and no room to walk around.  I understand that it was the off season and the choice of hotels was really limited.  We really enjoyed seeing all the places.  My wife had been to Fatima and Lourdes previously, but she hardly saw anything on her last trip to those places.  Seeing the houses of the children in Fatima and Lourdes, the convents, museums and churches of all of the different saints really adds depth to the pilgrimage experience.We will definitely book our next pilgrimage trip with 206.Thank you for your assistance.

Ed Power

Hi Rinda,

The Pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain and Lourdes was such a life changing experience. Javier told us the first day that we all were called to this pilgrimage for a reason. That is so true. My sister-in-law ask me to join her on this pilgrimage. I wasn’t sure if I was spiritual enough before this trip but I signed up with an open mind and heart and really just expected a wonderful vacation experience. I experienced a deep spiritual pilgrimage.

We were in Santarem in the Church of the Eucharistic Miracle when I started to realize the power of prayer and what this pilgrimage is about. I was touched by Father Kennedy’s homily and Javier’s true devotion to his faith. This was a truly special place for me personally and that was just the beginning of our journey.

Fatima and Lourdes were so special and such holy and spiritual places. Attending Mass given by Father Kennedy at many gorgeous Cathedrals/ Basilicas for people from all over the world was so inspiring.

Our schedule was full but I would not have changed anything. Javier was so organized and he was able to meet the needs of everyone in our group. Javier taught us how to worship just by his example. He is a fantastic spiritual guide and a master at what he does. He told us that we start the trip as clients and go home a family- that is so true. I am so thankful I went on this journey. I have new family and I have a renewed faith in God and the Blessed Virgin.

Bobbie Guerra

P.S. Cuddos to Miguel for driving the bus with such skill and expertise down those narrow streets

We had a great time on the Lourdes pilgrimage.  It exceeded our expectations.

The trip was peaceful, beautiful and prayerful. Our guide (Jesus) was very friendly, always finding ways to make our trip moments memorable.

Our spiritual director (Fr. Charles) had a wealth of experience with travels to Lourdes and other piligrimage sites, giving us many stories. His homilies were also meaningful and touched by the Holy Spirit.The local walking guide who took us to the various sites in the life of St. Bernadette was friendly and knowledgeable. The hotel (Mercure) was comfortable and well-located, with a very helpful front desk staff.It was special for us to be in a holy place with Our Lady on our honeymoon.We look forward to our next 206 Tours pilgrimage.

Best regards,Tim and Andrea

Milanka,

Yes, we received your e-mail.We had a wonderful tour with Javier and Fr. Tom.  I told Javier that he was the best tour guide we have ever had, and I was not exaggerating.  He is as sincereand strong a Christian as I have ever known, and we learned so much from our brief time with him. This is not a job for him as much as it is a calling. What a wonderful testimony to the work that you do at 206 Tours.Many of us have expressed an interest in going on another tour with Javier in about a year, though he may have to go as a pilgrim rather than a guide.

Hopefully, that will come about, though it is a little early to make definite arrangements.  We will keep you posted!Thank you again and May God bless you.

Karen Power
Pilgrimage 3/14/10 to Fatima, Lourdes and Spain

Hello Rinda,  
We just love our  to Roma & Medjugorje. Our Guides in both place were awesome people!!!  We also enjoyed the small group people on this tour..   We really like 206 Tours and we have been tell our  friends tooo..

Thanks again
Christine Champion & Lourdes Bautista

Dear Milanka, Rinda and all at 206

My group of Pilgrims are safely home after a very great journey to the Holy Land. I wish to thank all at 206 for walking with us through the  trials of getting there in spite of delays because of weather. You folks are the greatest!

All of your Holy Land reps, Mr. Gabriel and Mark plus Joseph, the guide and Hazim, the driver were splendid. It is my hope that the pilgrims themselves will evaluate the trip and our services to them.
For me, personally, this visit to the biblical lands was enriching. The places where we celebrated the Masses were very special for me as they always are in Israel.

Again, thanks for you fine work. If my health holds out (I had my 79th birthday) perhaps I will be blessed to travel with 206 at least one more time. My relationship with 206 Tours over the past nine plus years has been wonderful.

Father Joseph Batcheldor

We do not even know how to express how great this trip was! It not only met our expectations but exceeded them in so many ways. Karin, our tour guide and Fr. Charles, our spiritual director were so wonderful! How 206 finds such great people for these positions is truly a testimony of God’s almighty guidance and direction of 206 Tours! If we are blessed to be able to take another pilgrimage in the future there is no doubt that we will do it with your company! We will recommend your company to anyone we meet who is considering a Holy Pilgrimage.

Thank You, Rinda for your patience with me in the early part of making our plans. I had found your company on the internet and then, after booking, began to worry if I had researched you enough. Now, we know that the Lord brought you to us and us to you!

God Bless you all! And Thank You, thank you, thank you!!

Kevin and Rebecca Loftus

Iowa – USA.

I got home yesterday evening at 10:435 PM. It was a great pilgrimage. The participants were all wonderful. They were very spiritual and seemed to appreciate everything. We usedthe Magnificat every day. Since it was Lent, we had the Lenten Masses with a commemoration of the saint of the place. We said Evening Prayer together before supper at most of the hotels and Morning Prayer on the bus before the rosary.

In Lourdes, the Hotel Mercure was very good and the meals at the St. Sauveur were excellent.Our guide Cecile was excellent. The chauffeur and guide Jesus was also very good.

In Rome. the Hotel Michelangelo was excellent . Its location, near the Vatican, is great. Our city guide Antoniello (?) was excellent. We had him last year also.

In San Giovanni Rotondo, the hotel was also very good and its food was very good. It was also nice to see the new crypt under the newest church. It is made of mosaics by the same artist who illustrated the Luminous Mysteries on the facade of the Rosary Basilica in Lourdes.

In Assisi, the Hotel dei Priori was very good and their food was excellent. They even served us a complete buffet breakfast at 3:30 AM. the day of our departure.

Our Italian driver Antonio was very nice and a good driver.

Our guide and hostess,for the entire Italian pilgrimage, Karen was extraordinary. She was very knowledgeable and very caring. She had arranged all the Masses for our Masses in very special altars at the different shrines.

Thanks again for this very enriching experience.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Fr. Charles

Hello Rinda, let me start by telling you just how fabulous our trip was. WOW!!! Sammy, our guide was simply the best. He was kind, informative, smart, caring. He was over the top. Speaking of over the top, Joe the bus driver was something else. I haven’t stopped talking about either of them since we got back. A trip of a life time. I will never forgot the trip and the friends I made on the trip.

Tony Hieb

Tucson AZ

Dear Rinda,

My daughter and I just returned form the pilgrimage led by Father Timothy Backous, from St John’s Preparatory School. In the last three years we have traveled with other tour agencies to London, Italy and Spain. By far, this has been the most educational, inspirational and well orchestrated of all the trips. Our local escort, Sami Tawil and our driver, Joe, made us feel safe and very welcomed.

Sami Tawil possesses an amazing knowledge base of the politics, history and spiritual significance of all the places we visited. He incorporated the applicable passages of Scripture to each specific site. This not only enriched our journey but brought Scripture to life for us in a way we will never forget. His personality, style of delivery and humor were delightful. It was a true joy to be in his company. I would request Sami for our escort for any future trips to the Holy Land. If it is in your authority, I recommend a raise/bonus and a special acknowledgement for Sami Tawil for a job very well done. I will also recommend 206 Tours to any potential pilgrims in my sphere of influence.

Our driver, Joe, was impressively skilled and a quiet delight. We were safe in his hands.

With regards to Father Timothy, there is no other spiritual leader I would want to lead my pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He is a gentle soul filled with the Holy Spirit. Thank you, 206 Tours, from a blessed and pleased pilgrim.

Peace in Christ,

Noel McClure

Dear Milanka,

THANK YOU for the wonderful recommendation of SEVEN SUMMERS in the 206 Newsletter. Thanks in no small part to you, we are already scheduling the second printing. We have sold 75% of the first and have several big book-signing events coming up (including the one here in my own parish, this weekend) at which we are likely to sell out the rest. We have not begun to advertise the book yet. That starts later this month. The real push with the book is just about to begin, and your recommendation is priceless. It goes to a targeted audience, an audience predisposed to like the book. That is huge.

Thank you, Milanka! Someday, maybe, the Lord will give me an opportunity to give back to you some of what you have done for me, over the past dozen years. You are a real friend. And a major disciple. I bless the day in autumn, 1998, that I first wrote to 206 Tours!

Love and so much gratitude,
Jim

Dear Rinda,

I can honestly say our trip was the best one I’ve ever taken to the Holy Land. Our tour guide, Sami, was incredible. The hotels, food, pace, price….everything was great. Your company will be at the top of my list for recommending my fellow priests and friends. Meeting Gabriel was one of the highlights…a lovely, gentleman! Once again, it was such a pleasure working with all your people and I look forward to it next year.Fr. Timothy Backous

Rinda.Great, great tour. Our guide Sami was so knowledgeable, he just MADE the tour. Whatever you pay him, he’s worth it- don’t lose him. Great food. Decent hotels except the first night-the Blue Bay on the Mediterranean Sea. Dirty, worn out rooms and not an example of anything else we experienced. Get rid of that one.Overall, this was the best, well run tour we have ever been on.We will be back and DEFINITELY use 206 again.Thanks, Mark, Jackie, Kenzie and Marlijn.
206 Tours reply to Mark Reum:  Thanks so much for your excellent feedback. As a result we will no longer be using Blue Bay Hotel! Instead we are going with Grand Beach in Tel Aviv or Seasons in Netania.

Thank you very much for checking.  And, again, thank you for responding to me on a Sunday afternoon.  It did ease my mind and I’m sure you wouldn’t have to have  been on duty on a Sunday.  It was very good of you and very kind.

Thank you again.
Becky Loftus

Hi Rinda ,

This was my second religious pilgrimage to Europe and now that I have something to compare the first one to; I can truly say that there was no way it could compete with Tour #48. For an entire year, I was communicating with different tour companies specializing in pilgrimages and I am so glad that my friend (Grisel) and I chose 206tours. The adjectives astonishing, breathtaking, extraordinary, spectacular and wondrous comes to my mind when describing what I thought of the time that I was able to share with the group in Fatima, Spain (including Alba de Tormes, Avila, Burgos, Salamanca & Loyola), Lourdes, France and all the cities that we got to visit in Italy. I know that time was against us but it would have been nice if we could have actually spent an entire day in Burgos. It was a shame that we got there so late in the evening and did not have the chance to visit the inside of the quite impressive, Burgos Cathedral. I am very grateful to the 206tours staff for releasing this particular tour with a small number of pilgrims. It just made this trip even more special because we were able to get to know each other better and in a way, be a family.

I don’t think I have enough adjectives to describe what a blessing in disguise was our tour escort, Jesus Vivas Garcia. He was with us from Lisbon, Portugal to Lourdes, France for a total of 9 days. Jesus is spiritual, religious, corteous, truly cared for all the pilgrims in his group, knew his history and was always with us. He was very organized, made sure we fully understood our daily itineraries by constantly repeating himself and he made sure that all of our needs were met.Thank you Father Anthony, Father Bill, Alice, Anita, Eloise, Fran, Jesus, Joseph, Justin, Otto, Sister Bernadette and Theresa for helping make this trip unforgetable. I really had the time of my life. I will always cherish the time we spent together.God Bless You All,

Claudia M Torres

Hi Brenda, just wanted you to know that Rinda from 206 Tours, took care of everything regarding our flight change. We are lucky to have booked through this company that obviously is service oriented with great attention to detail. They handled this quickly.

mark

My sister and I had a wonderful experience and its a trip I would recommend to anyone. Thank you for putting together such a great pilgrimage for us, from our Tour Leader, Fr. Dan who was terrific and to our guides, both in Jordan (Omar) and Israel (Raymon) who were so knowledgeable – they were the best.Thanks again.

Eileen Troy

Hello Rinda. Thank you for the welcome home email. I was on the Holy Land Pilgrimage that has just returned. I want to thank you for an incredible experience. The tour guide Rimon Maklouf was a blessing. I cant say enough kind words to describe his knowledge and help throughout the tour. He was a blessing and we were so lucky to have him. Thank you. I also want to say that the spiritual director Father Dan was awesome. He was a very kind and humble man. The group was a pleasure to be with. I look forward to more tours with your company. This was my second pilgrimage with 206(medjugore in 05)and have no complaints.Thank you and God Bless.

Jonathan Harbord

Hi Rinda,

I absolutely loved my trip, so much more than I expected.

Father Joseph is such a wonderful priest…he helped me with a few problems I had and he was always just interested in his priestly duties and making sure everyone had a good time…..I have never felt more comfortable around a group of people as what we had, especially Father Joseph. I feel like I met one of my best friends in the world.

I truly miss everyone of them, especially Father, I hear he’s going back in May, wish I could go again, maybe some day, it is on my mind. I just want to go to Medjugorje, I wish we had more free time there, but our time was limited so we had to get in all that we could, I’m very grateful for Slavenka, hope I spelled it correctly, we had so much fun with her, she knows so much, she made our trip worth while……..as I look at my pictures everything is more special because I have time to reflect and absorb what was really there.

I will be trying to get an annulment from my first marriage so I can return to communion, Medjugorje made me realize what I’m missing….We have a program starting here called Catholics Come Home and I will join one soon.

Everything was so perfect, I want to thank the house where we stayed, (Ivanka’s) I loved it so much, It felt very warm and inviting, Thank you so much.

God Bless You All for the hard work and time it takes to arrange these tours.

Milanka,

Last year you and Eva did a very nice package for a client/friend of mine who sent his friend and mother to Paris and Lourdes. She was terminally ill at the time. Wanted to let you know that she just received her most recent report on her illness and SHE IS CANCER FREE!Warm regards,

Jodi