Dear 206 Tours,
What a wonderful way to end the pilgrimage at the beginning of the Advent Season. This reinforces the great opportunity to visit the sites of the Christmas Season. The wonderful detailed information provided by the tour guides was exceptional. Walking our way to the Nativity and the Via Dolorosa was a heartfelt experience. I reflected on my walking not only on His passion and ministry, but how the sites we visited reflected on the decades of the the five mysteries of the Holy Rosary and many more sites. Your selection of tour guides was exceptional. They were well informed and knowledgeable. Walking where Jesus walked. How amazing is that. In Rome, the civic, religious and present history of the sites was excellently was given by the guide. The timing and scheduling of the tour was wonderful. Especially when were told to get up early to get to the audience to see Pope Francis. Yes, we found ourselves on the front row and were able to see him maybe six feet away. I got and excellent front view of him and my friend Janie touched his cape. My lasting impression will Father John Greb and daily Mass and his sermons and my fellow pilgrims from St. Timothy Catholic church in Chandler Arizona going up the stairs to and alter of a Church in Rome on their knees in homage to our Lord. All the accommodations for there tour were excellent. We stayed in a Hotel on the site that King David played his flute to incoming pilgrims. I strongly recommend 206 Tours. I used 206 Tours on my visit to Medugorje Serba Croatia in 2008 and was equally pleased.

I could go on and on, but what can I say?
Florine and Janie

Thank you for your message. First of all, I wish to thank 206 Tours for providing us spiritual enrichment. The Holy Mass, readings and gospels and the bible reading have all become alive and personal. I have come to appreciate the life and sufferings and love of our Lord to mankind, through his ministries in the land of Israel!! I highly recommend 206 Tours to my relatives and friends. One suggestion: since its 3 meals a day, try to make the lunch meal light since we can’t concentrate in deep prayer and meditation when stomach is full during the day!!

God Bless,
Corinna Martinez

I had my very first experience in 31 years of priesthood to exercise my priestly ministry to a group of pilgrims on a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City. It was a remarkable and memorable experience spending six days with the pilgrim group as a spiritual mentor, to witness the zealous faith of millions of other pilgrims, and to be enriched by the spiritual vitality of the pilgrimage. The 206 Tour company facilitated a smooth pilgrimage by looking into every detail of the travels, visits to holy sites, hotel stay, tour guide, and a lot more. Many of the pilgrims on this pilgrimage told me that they had been on other pilgrimages led 206 Tours and had always been satisfied with their services.

I look forward to serving other pilgrim groups with 206 Tours when time and opportunity makes it possible.
Rev. Andre Antao, PhD

206 Tours,
Greetings of Peace and Joy on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception! In November 9-14, 2017, I was so blessed be able to take part in a pilgrimage to Mexico as spiritual director. This was my third time to go, but it was my first time with 206 Tours. Of all my trips to Mexico, this was the most life-transforming and soul-nourishing by far. It was a beautiful journey of faith with like-minded people desirous of spiritual advancement and deepening their relationship with the Creator God. Thank you to all of you at 206 Tours for everything you did to make this pilgrimage an unforgettable, spiritually uplifting experience for all. Please be assured of my prayers for you and your ministry. May God continue to bless you and everyone at 206 Tours with the blessings you stand in most need of. Have a Blessed Advent.

In God’s Love and Mercy,
Father Jim L. Tiu

Milanka,
I can’t adequately express what the pilgrimage to the Holy Land meant to me and to Stephan and Fran. It was really the experience of a lifetime, and we are all changed forever. Fran says all the time, that if she knew she would have the accident, she would make the trip anyway without hesitation. For Steve and me, it was such a holy experience, and I know that when we tell people they “must” go to the Holy Land, we are trying in vain to describe it. We can say “amazing” or “transformative” or many other words, but one must go there to experience the Fifth Gospel for themselves. Anyone who tells me they want to go, I will send them straight to you.The priests, Lady Vicki, our fellow pilgrims, everyone made this trip what it was…the chance to be where Jesus was, together with people who share our faith and our devotion to Christianity. Our hearts are in Jerusalem now especially in this time of turmoil. We pray for the Holy Land every day. It is our history, and it must be protected always. You have a FANTASTIC team to support you, from Patrick and Sandra and Chris to my dear, wonderful Natasha. They all represent your company so well. Everyone helped us, and we could feel their prayers, but Natasha became a friend and we felt her love and prayers the whole time. I also want to let you know about Sam in Israel. Sam came to the hospital pretty much every day. He brought his wife! They took us to dinner! Simply, they were very special people and we will never forget their kindness. I hope that if there are ever strangers here in my own homeland who need support, that I would be just like them. Also, I cannot forget Charlie, who we loved! He is so sweet, good natured and funny and he made us laugh many times. You two are a terrific couple. I hope to see you again soon at a reunion of our group, we all have so many pictures and memories to share. You won’t be surprised to learn that I have not even looked at my pictures yet! It was my first time in years taking pictures with an actual camera (instead of my phone) and I must figure out how to look at them on the computer! As soon as I do, I will send some to you. Thank you so much for all you did and all your well wishes, gifts, flowers, love and prayers! Please keep us in your prayers still, as we will keep you and yours in our prayers.

Until we meet again,
Jodi

Hi Milanka,
It was a pleasure going on the pilgrimage to the Holy Land with 206 Tours. I have been on other pilgrimages before with another tour group but not one as great as this one. You thought of everything and didn’t leave anything out. 206 Tours is top notch and I would not use another tour group. It was a pleasure meeting you and Charlie and hope to see you again. Thanks again for the experience and it was more then I could have imagined.

Sincerly,
Catherine B.

Dear Milanka and Sandra,
Just wanted to drop you guys a line to let you guys know that EVERYONE in the family absolutely enjoyed our pilgrimage to the Holy Land!!! Not only was it a dream come true for mom (to bring us all on a pilgrimage with her), but all of us had wonderful, amazing, experiences. Please extend to Rami our sincerest appreciation for being our guide. You guys were right – he was awesome!! Thank you for assigning him to us! He was knowledgeable, very smart, and a trove of information in a scientific, historical, and religious way. I cannot begin to tell you how he made following in Jesus’ footsteps so much relatable and easier to understand. Rami was a bit reserved in the beginning, but he warmed up pretty fast hahaha! But we love love LOVE him for absolutely taking into consideration our monstrous and specific appetites! Hahhahaha! We all appreciated the fact that he patiently explained to us the West Bank conflict, the differences between religions controlling the different religious sites, etc. My brothers even found that Rami being Palestinian added a much much better understanding of the conflict in the area, and a better appreciation for different cultures. Hamed, our driver, was truly an expert! We felt safe and secure with him at the wheel of our bus and being patient with our group. Couldn’t have asked for a better pair to take care of us on our trip! Oh, and Fr Benny was VERY impressed with 206 Tours. He said he was amazed and humbled most of all to have gotten to say mass in the Basilica of the Assumption and the Tomb of the Holy Sepulchre most of all. I told him to organize more groups and then to contact you guys hahahhaha! Once again, THANK YOU for such a wonderful and uplifting experience. We gained a better understanding of our faith, and got even closer to each other as a family.

Here’s to another trip in the near future with you guys!
Rona Gavino

Dear 206 Tours,
Our trip was absolutely wonderful, more than we ever expected. We would like to do it all over again right away and would not change one thing. Everything was well organized. Our time was never wasted and was filled with the history and life of Jesus. It was spiritually uplifting and life changing. Our guide in Israel, Rami, was excellent. He is so knowledgeable on every aspect of every sight and more. We learned so much and he made the experience complete. We could not consume all he shared or all the sights we visited. We have to regularly refer to our trip itinerary booklet to refresh all we did and saw. It all comes rushing back like a wonderful dream. We commented often with our fellow pilgrims on how difficult it will be to share our experiences with our loved ones when we return home. We all agreed, you can’t. They must live it, as we did. We are your new promoters!!

Thank you for a perfect pilgrimage.
Cheryl Rotole

Dear 206 Tours,
Sorry for the late response. I was so busy after coming back from the pilgrim tour. It was an unforgettable experience and I will do it again maybe next year or the following year. It was my first pilgrimage and it made me closer to God. Alessandro, our tour escort was very accomodating, knowledgeable, and did an excellent job to make everyone feel like a family. I liked the way he called us a “family”. In fact many of us used the term family when calling each other. Father Peter and Pedro were also friendly and nice. I was alone on my trip but did not feel I was really alone. Everybody was friendly and I met new friends and family. I am fortunate I was able to visit the holy places, pray more, and learn more about the saints through 206 Tours. I will highly recommend 206 Tours to my family and friends. I took a lot of pictures and my friend created a video for the pilgrim tour. I already shared it with my new friends from the tour. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks again 206 Tours. I am so happy that I chose the right company. More power and have a great day!

Sincerly,
Gina

Dear 206 Tours,
The pilgrimage was absolutely marvelous. Thank you for seeing to San Lorenzo especially and the scavi tour. The hotel in Assisi was excellent, and it allowed us to go the candlelight procession at Santa Maria degli Angeli Saturday night. Our tour guide, Federica Pontesilli, was excellent. She is clearly a person of faith who loved to share her love of the holy sites with our group. I would like to organize a Holy Land pilgrimage for 2018, and I would love to use 206 once again. Many of those who came to Italy are already interested. I led a group back in 2013, and I’d like to use a similar itinerary. I will be in touch.

Sincerly,
Fr. Stephen Vrazel

Dear 206 Tours,
This pilgrimage was the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I cannot imagine making this pilgrimage without Rami as our guide. He was wonderful – a walking bible. Not only was he knowledgeable, but he is truly a wonderful person. You can tell that he is passionate about what he does and he instills that passion in the people on tour. Fr. Jason was also great. A truly spiritual man, but with a human side that endeared all of us to him.

God bless all of you and especially Rami.
Sue Mumford

Dear 206 Tours,
Thank you so much for your email. The Shrines of Italy pilgrimage was absolutely wonderful and I thank 206 Tours for all of your efforts to provide such a meaningful experience for me, as well as my fellow pilgrims. This is the third pilgrimage I have taken (the first was for the canonization of St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II and the second was for the canonization of St. Teresa of Calcutta), and have found each to be a beautiful, unique experience. This pilgrimage was at a time of fewer crowds so I was able to enjoy some of the sites in a more thorough way than during the last two pilgrimages. Our tour guide, Tony, was exceptional. He was extremely organized and made sure that we were on time for all of our tours and events. He was also good at taking care of everyone on the tour and making us feel that we were part of a family while were on our pilgrimage. He was always smiling and full of joy and definitely enhanced the experience. All of the local guides were lovely and provided great background and insight for each area that we visited. My friend Cynthia and I had a small glitch at the beginning of our tour when the transfer that was arranged was not at the airport, but it was taken care of quickly by your staff and Tony, which was much appreciated. The hotels and restaurants were excellent as well. Tony did a good job in giving direction to us for lunches, which was appreciated. Our priest, who had to fill in at the last minute due to the illness of the original priest accompanying the tour, was lovely and humble. He provided beautiful homilies and spiritual guidance throughout the pilgrimage. It was a blessing to have daily Mass, particularly in St. Peter’s and other significant churches, and I hope to be able to continue that practice now that I am back home. I have attached a photo from Monte Cassino, which was one of my favorite stops on the pilgrimage, and a photo of our group (taken at dinner in Assisi). Thank you again for a wonderful pilgrimage experience.

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!
Jacquelyne M. Rocan

Dear 206 Tours,
I was most pleased to be in this pilgrimage dotted with places so dear to the devotion to Our Lady. Visiting the home towns of great saints was quite inspiring. All the pilgrims were visibly involved in a deep experience of spirituality. The high quality of all services added a lot.

Wishing you continuous success in the field,
Fr. Ferruccio Cagna

Dear 206 Tours,
My recent Pilgrimage to Fatima on Tour 36 on Oct 23-29, exceeded all my expectations. The tour was spiritually enriching and the peace and love I experienced will remain with me always. The friendships formed with my tour group will be forever, Our Blessed Mother brings people together. Although my time together with the tour group was only for three days the Spiritual direction and organization of the tour was exceptional. It is my hope to make another Pilgrimage in the future.

Sincerly,
Pierina

Dear 206 Tours,
This was my 1st pilgrimage experience and it was beyond my expectations. From our 1st flight out to our final landing back home it was wonderful. God gave us perfect weather, food, hotels, priest, guide and fellow Pilgrims who were all amazing. I will be reflecting on this trip for a long time with the journal of the trip I recorded in nightly. The history of the land was so much to take in. Rami was as exceptional guide and overloaded my brain daily which I loved. Daily mass by Fr. Jason at such special sites was my favorite part. Our days were completely full as stated in your tour guide and being physically fit was a must for the terrain we traveled. What I have taken away from this Pilgrimage is a new way to travel. Thank you for all the preparations your tour group provided. I will highly recommend Tours 206 to anyone in the future.

God’s Blessings,
Debbie Johnston

Dear 206 Tours,
Thank you so much for arranging such a wonderful pilgrimage. It was spiritual, emotional, soul-satisfying and educational. Our guide, Rami, explained the cultural aspects of the time of Jesus gave me a far greater understanding of the scriptures which I will always remember. He was an absolutely outstanding guide, so much so that I started filming his talks!! I wish I had started on day one but feel blessed that I have many to share. Father Jason was warm, witty and truly an inspiration as our spiritual leader. When I come back with my children and sisters in the future I would love to have Father Jason again leading our way. The size of our group was perfect. Everyone got along so well that I believe we’ll all be keeping in touch in the future. What a blessing! The food was delicious, the accommodations excellent and our bus and driver, Hamid, were just great. I have already been singing your praises on Facebook but honestly, 206 Tours did everything just perfectly. I would not have changed a thing.

Thank you again and God bless your wonderful organization.
Debbie Johnston

Dear 206 Tours,
It was my honor and privilege to be the spiritual director for the pilgrimage to Jordan and the Holy Land from November 2nd through the 14! Everything went very smoothly and I return home with many, many, many blessings and graces and new friends. From my landing in Jordan to my transfer into Israel and my departure from Israel to the U.S.A, everything went according to the itinerary. This awesome experience is thanks to the professional and competent people 206 Tours hired. First, obtaining my visa at the Jordan airport went very easily and my transfer to the hotel went smoothly. Both the greeter and car driver were very welcoming and hospitable. Moawia, the tour escort in Jordan was very hospitable and welcoming. He made me and the other three pilgrims on the tour aware of the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist which was not on the itinerary. Moawai suggested that if we were interested in visiting he would take us there. We all agreed to go! We learned that Pope Saint John Paul II had visited in 2000. There we spent some time in prayer and Moawai explained the significants of the location. I highly recommend that this location be apart of the itinerary for future pilgrimages. Our driver in Jordan was very good. While crossing from Jordan to Israel, we met our driver. He was very helpful to us when we asked if we could stop for a quick bite to eat since we did not have time to have lunch. He was very accommodating. In Israel, we met Rami and the pilgrimage continued with a group of 17 great pilgrims from Canada and the U.S.A. Rami was exceptional! I appreciate the cultural explanations he gave throughout the pilgrimage. He was also very patient and accommodating. The bus driver in Israel was also very good. In Jerusalem, I met Milanka and Natasha at the Notre Dame Guest House. It was a honor to meet them in person. I’m grateful for the privilege to be the spiritual director for this pilgrimage. I return home with many graces and blessings and a better cultural and geographic understanding of the environment that our Lord Jesus Christ lived in. This experience will certainly enhance my knowledge of Sacred Scripture and my preaching of the Gospel. Thank you! I look forward to leading another pilgrimage if I am so blessed to do so.

With prayer,
Fr. Jason Brilhante

Dear 206 Tours,
Marilyn and I would like to thank you again for the work you did to make our trip a success by taking care of the flight logistics I thought what a nightmare for 206 tours to do. I don’t know how it could have been any better. I was at coffee today with some parishoners who haven’t made the Pilgrimage. I told them it was the best money I have ever spent and the best tour I’ve been on. I said, “they were really missing out if they didn’t go sometime in their life.”

Sincerly,
Ed Montecucco

Dear 206 Tours,
As always, I was not disappointed with my 206 Tours. It was everything I had hoped for and much more. Your tour guide Alessandro GUI, I think that’s his last name. I’m not certain if I spelled it correctly, was the best tour guide that I have ever had. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable, but had the patience of a saint!! I was able to say the Rosary at the Grotto in Lourdes, thanks to him. I watch EWTN on Saturday when the Rosary is being said, and I always wondered what it would be like to do that. My dream was fulfilled thanks to Alex. We all loved him. I know some people said they were going to get in touch with 206 and express their gratitude for having him as our tour guide. In any event I’m thanking you from all of us. Our driver was excellent as well. The hotels were wonderful. I came home telling everyone that they must experience Fatima and Lourdes for themselves. Seeing it on TV and being there will blow you away. It was a very spiritual journey for me. If Fr Peter travels again, God willing I’ll be on board. Thank you for your wonderful service. Hope I get to experience something just as beautiful and inspiring as I did on this great trip.

Sincerely and God Bless,
Miriam Serano

Dear 206 Tours,
I apologize for the late reply. Cris and I would like to thank you for the meticulous arrangements that were prepared for our first Marian pilgrimage. It was indeed a blessing to have taken this trip with 206 Tours taking care of all the arrangements. With the spiritual guidance of Fr. Lee and the able Mexican crew who took good care of us, our trip to Mexico was well worth the time and resources that we had saved up for. But best of all, the graces that we were showered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine and all the beautiful houses of God that we visited were one of the priceless experiences we have yet made as a couple. Our intimate group made it extra special, too! We had time to bond, to enjoy good stories and laughs, shared food and prayed together, all for the glory of God. We pray that we will be able to take another trip with 206 Tours soon. May you continue to take pilgrims all over the world to experience the marvel of God’s work!

God Bless,
Cris and Elizabeth Flores-Oteyza

Hi Milanka,
It was a wonderful trip. Only, as always, too short! The accommodations were wonderful! 206 Tours did an excellent job, and with my wife and another couple we’re planning on taking one of your 15 day tours of Fatima, Lourdes, & the shrines of France next year, and the river cruise tour the following year. You said it in your subject line, and I send it back to you; 206tours makes one feel like they are meeting family they had never seen before!! Thank you for all you and your company do. We’ll keep you in our prayers and look forward to traveling with 206 Tours again.

Warm regards,
Tom Blais

Dear 206 Tours,
Sorry for the delayed response. We very much enjoyed the Pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain and Lourdes. Initially when we registered, we were wondering how enjoyable will it be and considering our age whether we will be able to complete the pilgrimage. Since the day we started from Lisbon till the end at Lourdes on October 10, we really enjoyed the company of the people in our group, the best hotels you had chosen and the food. It was religious and at the same time full of joy. Our spiritual advisor Fr. Patrick Henry and tour guide Juan Carlos were excellent company. They both were willing to answer any questions we had during the pilgrimage and the time management was exceptional. We have given excellent opinion to our friends and relatives regarding the pilgrimage and 206 Tours. This was our first with 206 Tours but was the best among other tours we had.

Looking forward to future tours with you and wishing you the best,
Pious and Jacie Thattassery

Dear 206 Tours,
I trust you are keeping well. Thank you to all of you at 206tours for the opportunity of leading this pilgrimage to Lourdes and the shrines of France. It was very enriching because it was more like a retreat for me. As usual with 206, it was well planned and everyone came away with very good impression and with satisfying spiritual experiences. The sites, transport logistics and lodging were all perfectly in place. I must confess that everyone including the pilgrims themselves were at their best. The driver Michael, Vanessa the tour guide and the various pickups all did well. I am always proud of 206tours and i pray for you that as you help people rediscover and renew their relationship with our Blessed Lord through these tours, that the Lord would bless you richly and your families too.

Thank you and God bless,
Fr. Kenneth Odibu

Dear 206 Tours,
I had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the folks I met. Looking forward to another tour with Fr. Leo. He is a great spiritual director. Thanks for a great time.

Sincerly,
Helen Stovall

Surreal, the exact word to describe our pilgrimage. A dream come true – THANKS 206 Tours! You made it happen, nothing short of our expectation, it surpasses all minor glitches but too many to mention. Thanks for all of your work. A special mention to Melissa Mulligan, she’s warm and very attentive. Jen Hidalgo, Chris and Father Patrick Henry, he’s very warm, a spiritually inspiring priest. Juan Carlos, does his work well. The drivers were polite and very safe drivers. Commendable all of them. Daniella in Rome was outstanding and of course Slavica in Medjugorje, she’s the best! She loves her work, its more of a vocation for her to assist the pilgrims. They are all an asset to your organization. You are blessed! We will come back again and I have been referring you to my family and friends for future trips and pilgrimages.

Monene Pacia

Dear 206 Tours,
Sorry so slow with a response. Left town as soon as we returned from Israel. So, didn’t want to miss the opportunity to applaud 206 and their folks. My wife and I were very impressed with the whole enchilada! We had nothing but wonderful responses from your office before we left on the trip and we peppered them with a plethora of questions….some better than others. All inquiries were dealt with quickly and accurately based on our experience in Israel. The accommodations were terrific. Very comfortable and the meals were excellent. A little more variety would have been nice at the ND Center, but that is a small point. The itinerary was excellent. A lot was packed into the short time we had but we didn’t feel as though we were rushed through the experience. The heart of the journey was provided by Fr Jim Conover and Waleed our guide. I’m sure that every group has it’s own personality and the ability of the guide and priest to tap into that personality is what can turn a good pilgrimage a great pilgrimage! Fr Jim and Waleed figured us out right away and made the trip very special. Waleed, especially, navigated the busy schedule and huge crowds with aplomb! His efforts and knowledge made the trip very, very special for us. Not to be left out, Omran (driver) did an outstanding job dealing with the heavy traffic and tough driving conditions. Special kudos to him for dealing with a demonstration in Jerusalem that had traffic tied up all over the city for hours. He did a great job!!

Again, many thanks to all who made our pilgrimage special. Keep doing what you’re doing!
John and Doras Ladd

Hello, Attached are 4 photos from our “Pilgrimage to Fatima and the Catholic Shrines of Portugal”: The first picture was taken without me knowing it, in black in white, at the Visigothic-era chapel of St. Fructuoso in Braga as we were preparing to have Mass there. The second picture was taken of the group by the 14th Station of the Hungarian Cavalry at Fatima. The third picture was taken of the group after Mass, outside of the Santuario de Santa Luzia Church in Viana do Castelo. The fourth picture was taken of the group outside of Bom Jesus do Monte (Good Jesus of the Mount) *See if you can spot your tour guide Juan Carlos!

May Christ continue to bless you and your families,
Fr. Dan

Dear Alexandra,
This was the most amazing journey of my life! Excellent! Francisco with Fr Ben was so inspiring. Will consider 206 again. Thank you.

From,
Peggy Killett

This is Father transporting & blessing candles that we bought to burn before the Lourdes Shrine for all the intentions that were sent with us from home. It was a wonderful pilgrimage from beginning to end. The whole experience was greatly enhanced by our guide Quico. I don’t know what you’re paying him but it’s not enough. He wasn’t only attentive to logistics but has an evident love for God.

In Him,
G. Bradshaw Mphs, TN

It has been truly a memorable experience that I will always cherish!
Carmen Suarez

Good to hear from you and share our observations of the 206 return to the Holy Land tour we recently completed. In a brief statement – It was great! You folks put together a wonderful agenda for us. It wasn’t a “return” for us but a first trip but that made no difference except the pace was quicker, not a problem. The guts of any tour like this are embedded in the folks you provide to lead and take of us, your clients, on our pilgrimage. Right up front we have to say your gang was exceptional, unbelievable and just outstanding! I’ll start with our driver Omran and say he had a great personality and knew his way around Israel and was able to adjust to situations that couldn’t be foreseen. What a great and friendly guy, he was truly an asset to our tour, thanks. Now for Fr. Jim Conover, what a great and inspirational guy! I know he has shepherded a number of tours for you folks, don’t let him get away, he is so good! His spin on the sites and his insight to the key background points and spiritual significance were just astounding. Did I mention he is also endowed with a sense of humor and he quickly fit himself right in with our somewhat “crazy” group. Well done Fr. Jim! And now I come to Waleed, our tour guide. Don’t know where you found him, know he doesn’t work exclusively for 206 but never let him go! If anybody made the tour for us it had to be Waleed. I am still amazed with his knowledge of scripture, history, geopolitics, the landscape and the people that constitute the area of the middle East and the Holy Land. He just amazed us every day! Wow! and thanks Waleed. And to 206 tours a tip of the hat, you put together a challenging, inspirational and very enlightening pilgramage for us and for that we thank you all!

From,
TJ & Marie McGrath

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our Holy Land visit with 206 Tours. The 206 staff was very friendly and knowledgeable as we prepared for the trip. The package we received one month prior to the trip was very informative. All aspects of 206 Tours support while we were in Israel was outstanding. Our tour guide (Waleed H.) , was absolutely outstanding. He was very knowledgeable, personable, flexible and one of the highlights of the tour. Our tour spiritual director (Fr Jim Conover) was also a highlight of the tour. He made his homilies appropriate for each day/location. He is very down to earth and personable and teamed with Waleed, made our pilgrimage an exceptional and deeply spiritual experience. Our driver (Omran) should get a Medal of Honor for how he maneuvered a huge bus through very tight spaces. He also handled getting us out of a serious traffic jam caused by hundreds of Hasitic Jews rioting and dangerously blocking traffic. 206 Tours should continue to emphasize how strenuous the daily schedules are as much of the walking is in very hilly terrain. Every aspect of the tour went very well and we are glad we chose 206 Tours for our pilgrimage.

Thanks,
Bill and Rita MacFarlane

I can’t even begin to express how awesome our experience was, from the moment we arrived till the moment we returned home it was perfect. Our tour guide Nestor was a joy to be around, he was informative, inspirational and always kept us laughing. He was attentive to everyone’s different needs and was extremely patient. Raul our bus driver was also wonderful, it was so nice to see him waiting for us at our checkpoint with a big smile on his face, also when we finished the day it was nice to go to our rooms and Raul had brought our luggage up, he is a wonderful person. We had a wonderful experience with Fr. Robert and enjoyed all the masses in the churches along the way. You have a wonderful team in Nestor and Raul, they are truly an asset to Tours 206, Bob and I would recommend Tours 206 to everyone, we are already planning our next vacation. Thanks again !!!!!

Diana

Dear Gelsey,
Our pilgrimage was wonderful! We really liked this itinerary. It was great to start with the simplicity and quiet of Garabandal for a pilgrimage. The tone was set by our guide, Quico, who greeted us daily with “Good morning, family!” Very quickly, he knew how to accommodate the group – who needed more time and attention, or who needed lots of ice for their drinks, or hot water after meals. He handled a medical emergency very calmly and well, and called another guide to check on us when he had to leave the group to accompany a pilgrim to the ER. By the end of the trip, Quico had started to address the older women of the group as”Tita” (aunt), instead of just calling them by their first names, after noticing we did the same, following the Filipino tradition of respect for the elderly. That kind of sensitivity and care helped us feel by the end of the pilgrimage, that we were really a family. We enjoyed the food and accommodations. We had a couple of blips when because of the bike race, we were not allowed to go to Libiano and had to return the next day, cancelling the visit to Astorga, or when when dinner service took far too long (restaurant’s fault) but these were out of the ordinary. I must also commend Amanda and Bika on their attention and help. As point person for the group, they made my job so easy, with their quick and always pleasant responses. This was PIA’s second pilgrimage fundraiser with 206 and we would not hesitate to join another one of your tours and would happily recommend 206 to others.

Thank you so much!
Lyra

My sister, Brigid and I, had a WONDERFUL trip to the Shrines of Italy. Everything went so smooth and we have memories to last us a lifetime. Alessandro, our tour guide was perfect and we felt Fr. Johnny actually really made our trip. My sister is going through challenging times and he was right there for her the entire time. Giving her spiritual direction, bringing her so much hope and joy to so many situations. We laughed a lot. Which was exactly what she needed too! He gave wonderful homilies and he is just a very grounded, faithful, balanced priest who wants to bring Jesus to everyone he meets. He inspired us both and enriched our trip. THANK YOU a million times over. To finish in Assisi was more than perfect. So many graces, I left with so much gratitude in my heart.

Many blessings, In Jesus our Joy,
Sr. Elizabeth Ann Sisters of Life

I just wanted to respond to Your email concerning MY pilgrimage to Guadalupe, I really enjoyed the pilgrimage, enjoyed meeting the other people along on the pilgrimage as well as the 206 Tours staff in Mexico City. I’m also sharing My experiences with other people here in North Dakota about My recent pilgrimage and am recommending to them 206 Tours.

Sincerely,
Jeff Miller

Dear Jen,
All 48 pilgrims in our pilgrimage to Medjugorje had a most enriching experience. Medjugorje is such a peaceful and blessed place. The pilgrims were a delight to be with. Maureen O’ Brien, our leader, did a wonderful job from start to finish! She is so well organized and knowledgeable. The Masses, Adoration, Cross mountain, and Podbrdo were among the highlights. Slavenka, our guide, was excellent. She was a delight to be with. The accomodations and food were excellent.

Peace,
Fr. Tom Reilly

Hi Alexandra,
This was my second trip with 206tours. Last year we and another couple went to Guadalupe, Mexico, and couldn’t say enough good things about the comprehensive package that was put together for us. So, this year I was privileged to organize a trip to Medjugorje for our Parish. We were a small group of just 18 on a week’s pilgrimage. Surprises were in store for several of our group. One woman in particular who went to accompany her Mom, had herself a profound spiritual experience, while our young Priest, who was not really Marian, is now much more so. The accommodations, the tour guide, the price, and everything about the trip was a wonderful experience for all. There wasn’t a single complaint, and everybody had only good things to say about all aspects of the trip. My wife and I are already planning trips with 206tours for 2018 & 2019!

Warm regards,
Tom Blais

Dear Gelsey,
The trip to Medjugorje was more then I could ever have expected. I don’t have a single bad comment to make. Slavenka, our tour guide, became more of a friend then a guide. She shared more then just the expected tour guide information, but told us about local customs & some of her personal experiences. She arranged for us to meet with visionaries along with everything else that was going on in the town. It was a wonderful spiritual experience that I am reliving over & over & sharing with everyone. I would and have recommended your agency to family and friends. Thank you so much.

Sincerly,
Adonna Hill

Dear Gelsey,
The pilgrimage to Medjugorje with Mike Zagyva was amazing in that so many Masses, rosaries, and audiences with the Visionaries were possible. Our tour guide, Slevanka, was wonderful. Her devotion and enthusiasm made a tremendous impact on our tour. Climbing Approrition Hill was difficult for me due to leg problems, but Slevanka was very gracious in helping me make it to the top and down. I found the visit to The Community very interesting. Dubrovnik was beautiful. The Grace Hotel was very accomendating to our schedules and the meals were delicious. This was my first pilgrimage and I felt that I was very focused on praying and listening the priests. My faith has been deepened by these experiences.

Sincerly,
Patty Meyerhofer

Jen,
Thanks for the welcome back note. It was really a nice thing to come home to. The trip was FANTASTIC, thanks for all your hard work. We could not have asked for a better group of people to travel with. Meeting your mother was a very nice thing as well. I can see where you get all of your kindness and compassion from. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures to share because I am not a real picture taker. I like looking at all the other photos, but I don’t do such a good job at taking photos so I don’t bother. I was one of the people that had a flight delay on Monday, but it all worked out fine. The airline treated us all very well because of the mechanical difficulties and there really is nothing anyone can do. Just offer it all up to God. A minor snafu in what was a totally wonderful experience. Thanks again for all your help and I will definitely keep you and 206Tours in my prayers.

May God Bless You Alway,
Jim

Jen,
Thanks for asking for our feedback…we offer the following for posting: 206 Tours was a Godsend and the staff, in particular Jen Hidalgo, was exceptional! My bride and me were called to go to Fatima on the 100th anniversary of our Lady’s visit and despite only being several weeks away, we were “guided” to contact 206 Tours after finding them on the internet. It was fortuitous that when we spoke with Jen Hidalgo at 206, we were amazed that 2 slots had just come available (due to a last minute cancellation) and my bride and me would be making our pilgrimage to Fatima – not only celebrate with thousands of the faithful but also to celebrate 31 years of our marriage. The journey was incredibly spiritual and was more than we had imagined, thanks to the exceptional itinerary and guides 206 Tours provided. The week was filled with miracles and it would be difficult to select only one highlight…simply because the entire journey was “The highlight”. We found the Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra particularly important since we would like to build something similar here in the United States. Having 5 priests accompany us on our journey, visits to many holy sites & daily Mass at Catholic Churches of significance, while being informed by our exceptional guide Pedro, was nothing short of spectacular. All accommodations (food and hotels) were noteworthy, in particular for my bride who is gluten intolerant – the special attention was very much appreciated – thank you Pedro and Jen! We highly recommend 206 Tours for anyone who is making a spiritual journey to enrich their faith, meet more of the faithful, learn the history of region and have a worry-free pilgrimage.

God bless,
John & Sheila Long

Dear Jen,
This was an incredible grace-filled trip! We are so grateful to 206 Tours for putting together such a very special and memorable trip to the Centenary of Our Lady’s appearances in Fatima. The people we met with, and spent the week with on the tour, were truly exceptional and took their Catholic faith seriously. What a great privilege to be a part of such a special group of Catholics. We enjoyed meeting with you and your mom and are thankful that Father’s Joseph, Mike, and Joe joined us and shared their great happiness at being there with you and all of the other pilgrims. This trip was grace-filled for all of us and I know that everyone left there as better Christians. What a joy to see such love for Our Lady and Our Divine Lord in the many thousands of pilgrims who joined in the centenary celebration. I cannot think of any way to have made this tour better. Thank you! May God bless you and 206 Tours.

Sincerely,
Mr. and Mrs.Christopher and Therese Laboe

While traveling seems to be more stressful to me the older I get, I am very happy I joined the 206 group. I had been to Fatima before so some of the experiences were similar, but now that I am home, I realize even those experiences shed new insights for my spiritual growth. October 13th was amazing! I did not really take advantage of the Spiritual direction on the trip, but the Masses were great – and so were the homilies of the Priests with us. I did have one issue with forgotten meds, and was assisted in getting replacements which despite my anxiety about it actually went very well. I cannot say enough good about Cristina and Mario. They were both great and Christina went above and beyond my expectations to make the trip both as smooth and memorable as possible. I didn’t think anyone could be as great as Javier, who was our guide on my last trip and the reason I chose 206 again (I was so glad to see him again by the way), but Christina was really great also. I would certainly consider using your company again.

Mary Murphy

Hi Ms Hidalgo,
nice to hear from you. My wife and I would like to thank 206 tours for making this once in life time trip possible. Israel is an amazing place to visit. The tour was called “Following in the Footsteps of Jesus” and the itinerary is exactly that. Being there and living what you read in the Bible makes our catholic faith that more important and so enriched. Our guide Rami was magnificent. His knowledge is so broad and deep that we can almost picture what occurred and where two thousand years ago. Our driver never got lost once, and we were able to maneuver that big tour bus even in some tight corners and heavy traffic. You need to keep these two guys in your company, future pilgrims will be grateful. Last but not least Father Bogy never cut corners, Mass every day and praying the rosary everyday as well as morning prayers , we really felt like pilgrims. I would highly recommend 206 tours to all Catholics, if not everybody. I even told my travel agent to highly recommend your tour to her clients.

Thank you very much and God Bless,
Ramon and Elizabeth Carabuena

Hi Jen
Thank you for a wonderful trip. 206 Tours took care of the drivers, hotels, guides, and all of my highest expectations were exceeded. The Hotels were at the center, very well located. Our guide in Medjugore was excellent, and really took care of all our needs and concerns,very warm caring and very knowledgeable. I ventured out on my own some of the time, and felt very safe with the selection of drivers and hotels that was arranged from 206 tours. We are very grateful for Pierhna who planned our trip.

God Bless you all,
Maria N Costa

Hello- I wanted to make sure that I emailed you before I get quite swamped. I was back in my usual grind the next day after arrival… so I am now back in the thick of things. However, I felt it is important that you get transparent and straightforward feedback from clients. Some people certainly deserves to be recognized. There were heroes (I never use this term unless I really mean it) that I would like to underscore. As you may have heard by now, I always had to passionately advocate for my mom with special needs. I always had to make sure that her safety is seriously considered. 1. QUICO, our guide, was beyond excellent in every way. He was extremely helpful and patient and sensitive to my mother’s needs. This made it less stressful for me. Quico is the kind of staff that makes clients come back. He is such an asset to your company. His task of shepherding us all was exemplary. 2. PIERNHA for our pre-trip preparation, she took pains to ensure that my mom had pre-arranged wheelchairs and aisle seats. This again minimized my stress. 3. CHIQUI and CARMELITA- their amazingly calm demeanor (during hiccups) and sincere concern are values I wish to emulate. 4. MIGUEL our driver- he quietly kept us safe and his precision driving is very impressive. 5. FATHER MICHAEL- he was a great spiritual director. I especially admired his open mindedness… not all pilgrims are ultra devotional. I have had healthy discussions with him (I’m spiritual, not religious) and he remained non-judgmental. I very much appreciated being respected despite being in a different level of practice. Honestly, I was hesitant to do another pilgrimage following a bad experience I had elsewhere… but I came to support my mother. Now I can state that this was a very good SPIRITUAL journey. Please feel free to contact me if you wish further details. Overall, this has been such an awesome experience. Thank you for making this happen- this was my mother’s wish. And surprisingly, it became an enriching, spiritual experience for me!

Rona Relova

Dear Jen,
Please excuse our tardiness in responding. Your e-mail arrived on our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Today we met up and compiled our comments for you. They are as follows… We had a wonderful, faith filled & inspiring pilgrimage. Our flights from Ottawa through Toronto and overnight to Lisbon went smoothly. Ivan ( European Tour Escort ) was excellent ! We believe that this is a labour of love for him. Hotel Olissippo Oriente in Lisbon was lovely. Hotel Santa Maria in Fatima was beautiful. Our Spititual Director, Fr. Navil Rodrigues was wonderful. What a blessing to have ones “own priest” available to you. After dinner on the Wednesday evening, 35 the 40 pilgrims in our tour group we’re travelling on without us. Of the five of us remaining …three toured around the area during the day (they did invite us to join them and we still ate dinners together). Deborah & myself, we were happy to continue as pilgrims and were able to visit and revisit the Chapels and Churches and Rosary recitations and candlelight processions at our own pace. We even got asked to Read and do the Prayers of the Faithful at one of the English Masses. So, it turned out to be a blessing in the end ; but it it was a shock ! On to Medjugorje.. The ride @ 5:00 am to the Lisbon Airport was delightful. Luis Phillip was efficient as well as entertaining ! However, the flight crew didn’t show up …our plane to Vienna was delayed by an hour & a half so we missed our connecting flight to Sarajevo. We called our Medjugorje Tour Escort, Slavenka and let her know not to send a driver for the scheduled flight arrival time of 2:20pm. The airlines gave us a meal voucher and we called her again to arrange a new pick up time. Unfortunately it was 9:30 pm …we were driving in the dark …and so we missed the beautiful countryside. As pilgrims…we offered it up ! We were met by Andrej even though it was after midnight. Slavenka had assigned him to be our own personal Tour Escort (we’re assuming because we were only a party of two). We did meet Slavenka the next day (for a moment outside the church), and saw her with her large tour group later on, (at the Canadian Castle of Patrick & Nancy Lette.) We were very well taken care of by Andrej. He was knowledgeable and caring and sweet. Absolutely no complaints ; only compliments. Our Villa Grace hotel was very, very nice. It’s sister hotel, Hotel Grace served us our dinner the night, we “offered it up” and it became a blessing ! There was a lovely armoire for our clothes and a desk as well as two night stands. All that said…We would travel with 206 Tours again. Thank You for an experience of a lifetime!

Sincerely,
Doneen Brazier and Deborah LaRiccia

Hi!
One word JETLAG… Overall…. the pilgrims that I hung out with, we all had one thing in common….we were all going to join 206 Tours, and only 206 Tours. We all agreed that they give you the very best possible comfort life can offer outside your home. I had observed other pilgrimage tours and they seemed lost and tired. I cried the first night back because I missed our group so badly. I missed the laughter and stories we all shared. Karolina P was the very best tour escort you could possibly ever have in this planet. She was extremely kind and patient and so lovable, despite the cold she caught. Thank God she got better at the end Father Damien Schill was also patiently answering our questions to enlighten us about the truth ….and gave us special blessing. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to Karolina, Father Damien, and the pilgrims. We will try to remain in contact with the pilgrims who joined other 206 tours and once again “Thank You”

Emily

Thank you for reaching out to Ron and I for feedback on our recent trip to Fatima. This is the first time that we have taken a trip with the tour company. We are happy to say that the experience was exceptional. To begin with, our tour guide Christina was just wonderful. Christina was professional and attentive to our every need. She made sure that any concerns were addressed and that our comfort and care was her utmost concern. She communicated any changes to the itinerary clearly and in a timely manner. Without a doubt, my husband and I would tour again with Christina as our guide. Our spiritual guide, Fr. Joseph Mundakal was also wonderful. Our desire to make this spiritual journey and pilgrimage was definitely enhanced by Fr. Joseph’s holy presence, daily mass and spiritual guidance. His spiritual direction and leadership were evident throughout our tour but especially as we prayed the rosary while traveling together on the bus or in the Square. Most memorable were the stations of the cross where he definitely help to make it a holy and deeply moving experience. We were pleased with our accommodations, for the most part, when compared to the staff that we had at the third hotel, the Sao Jose. Although the Sao Jose is a three star hotel we were very pleased with the accommodations and the friendliness of the staff, in particular Vera at the front desk and the wait staff in the restaurant. The meals were good in both locations. Lastly, but not least, was the opportunity to travel together in a small pilgrimage group. Ron and I were able to really connect with and get to know each one of the pilgrims in our group. Because of this, we feel that we’ve made lifetime connections. Undoubtedly, this would not be possible in a larger group of 25 or more people. It was a privilege to travel together as a group of 12. 206 Tours has been a delight to deal with and responsive to our every question, and we had many, throughout this process. We would definitely consider traveling with 206 Tours in the future and would not hesitate to recommend them as a tour company to another traveler.

Thank you!
Nancy and Ron Boak

Hi Jen,
Please excuse my late response for your request for comments on my fabulous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. It was quite an experience. I was with Pan Am for 28 years and had overseas responsibilities, and in general a world traveler. I have been on other religious pilgrimages, but this was truly unique and memorable. Albeit for an 86-year old geezer, (although I thought I was in pretty goodshape and had trained)—–it was a physical challenge. First and foremost, our driver Raul and our guide Nestor were magnificent. You’re fortunate to have someone like Nestor. He’s very knowledgeable about the history, the trek, has an excellent, well balanced personality who related well to the needs of the younger and older pilgrims. Down-to-earth, yet very sophisticated and mature for his age. Did a great job with all of the stops and coordinating all of the lunches, dinners and lay-overs. Congratulations to 206 Tours because all of the places we either ate in or overnighted appeared to be the highest quality facilities for the particular town or city. I lost my wife of 64 years in April, so the trip was very emotional. It was a marvelous setting to deeply reflect on our wonderful memories together and to think a bit where I might be going in the twilight of my life. No answers on the latter, but we’ll see. While she did not carry me on her back, my youngest daughter Maria was a great support for me. Please especially acknowledge Nestor for his contribution and thank the folks at Tours 206 for their professionalism and a wonderful experience.

Warm regards
Ron Marasco

Wow! It was such a blessing to be on this pilgrimage. Juan Carlos is simply the best guide ever. He truly goes out of his way to meet all our needs. The only suggestion I would make is more time in Burgos. Have a great day

Elaine French

My experience with 206 Tour have been exceptional. It started with your 206 Tour staff and continued to the very last day. 206 Tours make my first pilgrimage an unforgettable one. The pilgrimage was very organized, with enough spiritual time to spend on our own in prayer and meditation in the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, as well as guided tours to other important sights. We had a guided tour of Lisbon, Santarem,Fatima, Tomar, Aljustrel, Valinhos and Coimbra. We had mass everyday at different beautiful location and we pray the rosary every day as our Lady requested. My time at the Shrine was exceptional, the Itinerary Jubilee, the museum “Fatima Light and Peace”, The Chapel of the Apparition, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, The Basilica of the Holy Trinity, The Adoration Chapel, just to name a few. We have the Station of the Cross along the Via Sacra and candlelight procession daily. Cristina our tour escort was a special person, multi lingual, respectful, educated, approachable and knowledgeable of the different location and history. She was Godsend.. Father Joseph Mundakal was our TRUE spiritual director in every send of the word. I will not forget how special he made “The Station of the Cross.” He was a True leader. Even our tour driver was a pleasure. All I can said is Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Yes, I will truly recommend 206 Tour to anyone who would like to take a pilgrimage to Fatima. I will look forward to another 206 Tour in the near future.

God bless
Velia G Brady

Had a great time!! Would highly recommend 206 Tours to everyone!! This was my first pilgrimage and definitely won’t be my last!!

Dorothy Musumeci

Good Afternoon 206 Tours,
As always, another incredible pilgrimage. Thank you so much for providing our group with many memorable experiences. For many, this was a once in a lifetime unforgetable experience. Being able to share this experience with my daughter and granddaughter was so very important and special as well as all other pilgrims. Already they want to know where we are going next and of course I already have a plan. I have always brought one or two children or grandchildren on my pilgrimages and since I have sixteen grandchildren, I guess I will be attached to 206 Tours for many years to come. I am so grateful to God for allowing me to share these experiences with others. I only wish I would win the lottery so that I could take many more people. Everytime I plan a pilgrimage it is like the first time all over again. The staff at 206 Tours is the best. Our pilgrimage was a very busy one, but our pilgrims said they didn’t mind and was well worth it. Not one person complained! We had a great group!!! Juan Carlos, our guide was excellent, patient, knowledgeable, and accommodating. Then again, we always fall in love with all 206 Tours guides. Our accommodations were wonderful. Food was awesome. Thank you for always providing us with pilgrimages beyond our expectations..Now to start planning our next pilgrimage…

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Love and Blessings,
Elaine Varela

I had a wonderful pilgrimage to the Holy Land! The spiritual nature of the experience is highly personal, though, and I do not think it lends itself easily to feedback. Rather, I’d wish to focus on the objective realities of the experience. There are no words in my vocabulary sufficient to commend Shafiq for the job he did as a guide. I have been on many tours in many lands, and no guide was ever as genuine as he. To begin with, each assignment he takes is clearly a pilgrimage for himself. He is a man of deep faith, the type that cannot be feigned merely to get a job done. Second, he has an encyclopedic command of biblical history, the scriptures themselves, and the deeper meaning beneath them that I normally only associate with true theologians. Finally, his constant cross-reference to geography was very much appreciated. One of the many reasons to take a pilgrimage is to experience the spatial relationships between the many physical locations mentioned in the scriptures, especially knowing that they were always traversed on foot. Father Hood was an excellent spiritual leader and we all enjoyed his homilies. Service and responsiveness from 206 (prior to travel) were excellent as well. The only aspect of my journey that I believe could have been improved was the arrivals process. My arrival was different, though, since I joined the group 48 hours into the tour. There were difficulties finding my driver. Once we connected, however, he was gracious and helpful.

I would definitely take another 206 Tours pilgrimage again.
Barry J. McCasland, M.D

Dear Jen and 206Tours,
Our journey in Paul’s footsteps with 206 Tours exceeded our expectations. From start to finish, we were continually impressed by the attention to details that were skillfully handled by Alexandra our tour guide. She was outstanding and exceptional. Alexandra together with Fr. Hood have set the bar so high we do not feel can be attained by anyone else. It had to be Gods Divine power that gathered the group together with Alexandra and Fr. Hood as we immediately bonded in fellowship. Fr. Hood’s spiritual guidance was outstanding. We are not Catholic but Orthodox in faith. That did not matter as Fr. Hood’s spiritual guidance was all inclusive. He is a special caring human being making him an awesome priest. The group consisted of like minded pilgrims from around the world. We shared the journey with many laughs and prayers that will be remembered for a lifetime. We can honestly say 206 tours is good and together with the spiritual leader-Father Hood and the tour guide-Alexandra it was over the top GREAT. We plan to take the Holy Land tour next year as we know Fr. Hood has agreed to guide it as well, God willing. The hotels and meals were outstanding. If there would be one suggestion we would make it would be to consider a hotel away from massive construction as was the hotel in Thesseloniki. It did not give a pleasant “First Impression” of the city. Aside from that the trip was outstanding! Many thanks for the experience and the lasting memories!

God Bless,
Anita and Don

Good morning! I personally want to thank you for providing an opportunity for us to go on the pilgrimage. It was beyond my expectations. I feel rejuvenated and more importantly, my faith has been strengthened and validated. The hotels we stayed in were clean and comfortable. The hotel staff was friendly, helpful and efficient. The meals we were served were delicious and so was the wine. However, I would like to to point out that the meals we ate at Medugorje Hotel Grace were exceptional. I didn’t care for the wine though. The staff there were awesome as well. I can’t say enough about our guides, Juan Carlos and Dragan. Juan Carlos stayed with us the whole time. He is so knowledgeable, understanding and helpful. If there were problems. mostly with health or mobility issues, he was compassionate and provided the help needed to fix the problems. I have traveled a lot and taken many tours with tour guides, but no one has come close to Juan Carlos. He is to be commended! Dragon was great too! he is very knowledgeable , friendly and always made sure all our needs were met. I was totally impressed on how he handled a situation at the airport with one of my friends who had trouble with her airline ticket. He stayed with her and helped her until everything was straightened out. He too, should be commended. I also wan to thank you, for providing us another hotel stay in Germany and paying for our meals. Everyone there was accommodating and meals were delicious as well. The location of the hotel was very convenient and right next door to the airport which was a big plus! My only suggestion and probably would be hard to implement is including tip money in the tour price. I’ve been on two pilgrimages and one common thing I heard was tipping the driver and guide. Some individuals don’t want to tip, which I feel is not right especially in the case of Dragan and Juan Carlos. They should be compensated handsomely for their expertise and time spent with us. This is my opinion. 206 Tours, I appreciate everything you did for us! You are a top notch tour company and would not hesitate to book a trip with your company in the future! You are the best!

Mil gracias!
Clara Lopez

I wish to thank 206 for the opportunity and privilege to minister as chaplain. It was a wonderful experience …first class as always. This was my first pilgrimage as chaplain but my fifth pilgrimage with 206. Our guide, Pawel was superior and really made things easy for me as chaplain. Thank you. God bless.

Fr Frank Falco

Thanks to 206 Tours for a wonderful pilgrimage to Medjugorje. EVERYONE that I spoke with in your office was so obliging. Piernha was wonderful and patient in helping me with all of my DUMB questions, and there were plenty of them since my son and I were meeting the group in Munich and leaving early so needed special arrangements. Maureen O’Brien was GREAT taking care of everyone’s problems and answering questions. She was wonderful. With us 24 hours a day and always available for any questions or problems. Her friend Barbara was always helpful also. KUDOS to the both of them. Slavenka our tour guide was WONDERFUL …. the meetings she set up with the visionaries couldn’t have been better with her interpreting everything they said. All of our side trips were so inspiring. My only regret was that we had to leave for Sarajevo before we could tour the Orphanage. (I was raised in an orphanage so it would have been great to see the one in Medjugorje). It looked beautiful. But had to leave right after the mass. Everything about our trip was incomparable. I have been to Medjugorje several times before and was very pleased with every facet of 206 tours. I was the oldest member of the tour group and everyone treated me like one of the “Gang”.

Gratefully,
Maureen Garcelon (and son James)

Dear Jen,
Our trip was good. I enjoyed it so much, I’m already planning our 4th 206 tour next year, God willing. I especially want to commend our tour guide, Karolina for her professionalism, keeping everything under control and orderly.

Kudos to our spiritual guide, Father Damien, too!
Dolly Litam

Cannot thank Natasha enough for answering the emergency phone number and working long distance over about 12 hours getting 6 of us safely home to North Carolina! She worked a miracle – and was utterly patient and reassuring while dealing with a bad situation. And to top it off, she got us on a wonderfully comfortable flight home in business class on La Compaignie instead of crammed in like sardines on American. Natasha worked magic, held our hand walking us through each phase via text, and communicated the whole way right to the end when safely home. Wonderful experience! Thank you so very much, Natasha!!!

Kathy and Mike Moeller

Pilgrimage to the Shrines of Spain, Fatima and the Holy Shroud of Oviedo on September 2-15, 2017 provides to all of us a new spiritual and cultural experience. We entered into the Spanish spirituality with Saint Ignatius of Loyola visiting Montserrat with prayer in front of the statue of the Black Madonna, especially the ‘holy place’ of the cave outside Manresa (the Cave of St Ignatius), beside the Cardoner River, where we had experienced the same silence and peace. The Eucharistic miracles in O’Cebreiro and Santarem provided for us a deeper understanding of the Sacrament of Eucharist. Walking a few miles of El Camino to Santiago de Compostela opened for us the meaning of our earthly pilgrimage. In Fatima, we celebrated the Holy Mass close to the tombs of Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary on September 12, 2017 and led the English version of the International Rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions, and Candlelight Procession. During hurricane Irma in Miami and Naples, Florida we prayed in St. Anthony’s Church in Lisbon and the miracle happened, our houses had been protected. The veneration of the Holy Shroud of Oviedo was the culmination of our spiritual journey. During our itinerary, we admired Antoni Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, the Basilica del Pilar and the Metropolitan La Seo del Salvador Cathedral in Zaragoza, Almudena Cathedral (Santa Maria la Real de La Almudena) in Madrid where we celebrated Mass in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel which features the mosaic from a known artist Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik. Also the paintings in the apse, painted by Kiko Arguello, founder of the Neocatechumenal Way, and the Chapel dedicated to Saint Josemaria Escriva founder of Opus Dei. In the Museo National Del Prado in Madrid we appreciated the paintings of El Greco, Goya, Caravaggio. I, personally spent some time to meditate Fra Angelico’s and El Greco paintings the Annunciation in Prado Museum, which is my favorite subject in arts. This Pilgrimage to the Shrines of Spain, Fatima and the Holy Shroud of Oviedo refreshed our catholic faith and knowledge of Christian culture.

Many Blessings to all of you!
Fr. Piotr M. Paciorek, Ph.D.

Well, what can I say !!!!!!!! I can only thank you for the most wonderful pilgrimage I’ve experienced in my life. I have been on a few pilgrimages but this one is by far the best. I had the best group of pilgrims and Fr. Scott was excellent. His daily homilies made this journey change my life and his determination to complete the walk was such an aspiration to us all. Our group leader Nestor was fantastic…very helpful, friendly and caring. Everything was organised to the best and nothing went wrong. Our driver Raoul was also the best driver and nothing was a bother to him. Very helpful, gentle and would do anything to make you feel safe and comfortable. I would recommend 206 TOURS to anyone and would also ask if I could be on the mailing list for future pilgrimages as I would definitely be doing more with 206 TOURS including another El Camino. Once again, thank you for preparing this wonderful trip for me and would love to hear from you in the future.

Marielle Gallace

The trip was everything expected and more. I want to especially compliment our tour director Frederica. She was very professional, caring, and took care of everyone’s needs. She is a gem. And our bus driver, Massimo also did a wonderful job and was very personable. I look forward to traveling with you again in the future.

Darlene Graham

I had the most wonderful experience. The entire trip was awesome – great hotels, great places, great food and, most worthy of mention, the great guides especially Hussam, our guide in the Holy Land. He was knowledgeable, very pleasant and accommodating. It helped that he was a local so he knew the people and the territory very well. Leo was good, too, and our local guide in the Vatican, Tiziana was very knowledgeable. Thank you for a great time, we will definitely keep you in mind for future trips.

Very sincerely,
Elizabeth D Castro

This is my first time to joined this Pilgrimage Tour, My experience of this tour is so meaningfull Spiritually, culturally, educationally and socially. I would do it again and wish to visit other holy places.

Vicenta Mariveles Manzo

Our pilgrimage was absolutely wonderful. Carolina our guide was enthusiastic patient and always happy and smiling. We had rain most of the time and she bought a yellow slicker so we could always see our “Mother hen”. She made sure we knew what our schedule was daily and any changes made. She was able to help one pilgrim who needed a wheelchair and her daughters who took care of her. She also made sure that those of us who were not going to Prague had transportation scheduled to airport and met with us individually to inform us. Overall she really did a wonderful job Father Damien was a great Spiritual Director He is, I think a teacher at heart and taught us many things. His homilies were informative and thought provoking I really liked that he also included an Anointing of the Sick and Renewal of Marriage Vows at Mass. He was readily available for confession and advice. He also has a wicked sense of humor I heard from other pilgrims who had used other companies on past pilgrimages that 206 provided an exceptional tour. Most meals were wonderful, the meals we had at the Holiday Inn were ok but nothing compared to the restaurants. We did a lot of walking even with the rain and I think even though your brochure advises to start walking before you go you might want to rate an acitivity level on these pilgrimages to give a better idea of how active or difficult -steps ,hills etc they might be. Overall it was great and your company provides an incredible pilgrimage

Thanks again,
Nancy Eck

Hi Milanka,
Hope you’re doing great! Just would like to share my thoughts on my recent pilgrimage to Scotland and Ireland last week. I’m a repeat client and true to my expectations, 206 Tours did it again – it was a seamless and spiritually rewarding faith journey. From our Tour Directors, our Drivers and our Spiritual Director – all have lived up to the highest expectation/standard of their roles. Special mention to Kelli Ann our Tour Director in Ireland – a professor who’s very knowledgeable of Ireland’s history, very pleasant & with a good sense of humor. Our Spiritual Director Fr. Peter had delivered once again the spiritual guidance and enlightenment that we need to solidify the foundation of our Catholic faith. His talks and homilies had refined my spiritual awareness & the ways to surrendering oneself to God’s Divine Providence. Somehow though, when we were in our Lady of Knock apparition site, something hit me in a way I can’t describe… Sharing also some photos, the trip was one of the happiest moments having Ireland’s rainbow in the background during our ferry ride.

God Bless 206 Tours & may God continue to use you in bringing people closer to the faith!!!
Ellen Subia

Dear Jen,
We are still digesting our trip. It was AMAZING in every way, and if we do another pilgrimage, it will be with 206 Tours. We have taken two other pilgrimages in the past six years and this one was hands down THE BEST. These are all the reasons we would do 206 again.

1. Our guide, Juan Carlos, was absolutely fabulous IN EVERY WAY. He was low key, extremely knowledgeable and personable, and just has a very special way about him. I would do another pilgrimage just to see Juan Carlos again. We also appreciated that since this was a Catholic pilgrimage, that he is a devout and practicing Catholic. He is so humble and so very kind.

2. The hotels were great. We have been disappointed in previous trips by the accommodations, but the 206 accommodations were just amazing. We were grateful that 206 recognizes how important good accommodations are too tired travelers.

3. The food was fabulous. Again, we have been disappointed in previous trips by the food. This is especially important because my husband is gluten intolerant, and on one previous tour in particular, there were meals where he had nothing to eat. And, to confirm that my husband was eating, at every breakfast and dinner, Juan Carlos made sure that my husband had a great gluten free meal.

4. The tour worked like clockwork (maybe this should be #1?). I am still in a state of shock that we were able to see the exposition of the Eucharistic miracle at O Cebreiro, the Sudarium at Oviedo, and then made it to the 100th Anniversary of the September apparition of the children of Fatima, as well as all the other amazing pilgrimage sites. The planning that went into this trip could not be surpassed. If it were not for 206, we might not have gotten to Montserrat, which was just breathtaking. I have planned a number of trips on my own with an Excel spreadsheet, and there is no way I could have done this any better. The logistics were just plain impressive. In comparison, we did a pilgrimage to Fatima with our church about two years ago and we saw so much more of Spain and Portugal and pilgrimage sites with 206.

5. It was impressive that at the various pilgrimage sites 206 Tours arranged for an expert guide at that site, so that we would have the absolute best information, even though Juan Carlos was so very very knowledgeable. This was just a nice touch.

6. From the day we signed up for this tour, 206 made itself personally available for every question we had, and was very hands on in seeing that all of our needs were met at the highest standards. The time that went into booking our flights because we were beginning our trip from a very small airport were so appreciated. The conversations we had with the personnel at your home office were always informative and considerate of our needs, and your staff was so very kind to us.

Seriously, I can’t speak highly enough of 206Tours. I wish the company, and all of its wonderful personnel the best of everything! Thank you for making this one of the most memorable trips we will probably ever take.

Very sincerely,
Anita Boyd

I loved it!!! This was my first pilgrimage, and connecting our travels to spiritual growth added such a wonderful dimension to everything. Father Piotr was a very good spiritual leader, and Juan Carlos was a fantastic guide. Fatima was incredibly moving, Montserrat was so peaceful, and Oviedo was so beautiful! I seemed to be filled with awe every place we went. I had so much fun, learned a lot of religious history, and made some new friends. I came home with a new zeal for my faith. Thank you so much for making this possible! God bless you and all of the 206 Tours staff.

Jean

Dear Milanka,
Thanks for your kindness and appreciation. It was a joyful pilgrimage indeed. All of us were impressed by Ana’s care and the multiple little “extras” 206 provided which we did not expect. Don’t ever be surprised at the rave reviews you receive, because your company is second to none, certainly the best I have ever worked with.

With deep gratitude for the blessing you are,
Fr. Leo

Dear 206 tours,
My pilgrimage to Holy Land, Fatima and Lourdes was absolutely wonderful and rewarding it truly deepen my faith. Although I’ve been to Holy Land for quite a few times already, my excitement was still overwhelming and the joy I felt in my heart, overflowing. Reading the scriptures as we visited the Holy Sites will help us remember the important events that took place there and most of all to fathom how much Jesus loved us. As I walked in the footsteps of Jesus, I meditated on the sufferings he endured for our salvation. Our tour guide arranged our schedule systematically and he also gave us useful and important information about each site we visited. The celebration in Fatima was very beautiful. Watching the huge crowd swayed the lighted candle while singing the Ave Maria during the nightly procession symbolizes the outpouring of love from all pilgrims to the blessed Virgin Mary. How great is our mother . My journey culminated in Lourdes. I had the opportunity to dip in the miraculous bath and drunk the healing water. It ended with confession, Eucharistic Blessed Sacrament procession and our Lady of Lourdes nightly procession. That was a Spirit filled pilgrimage experience I will cherish. Thanks 206 for the superb Hotel and sumptuous food . Thanks Liz and Natasha for arranging our pilgrimage. I definitely recommend your company to future pilgrims.

God bless,
Alexis

Had a wonderful trip, only thing that would have made it better, warmer temperatures, less rain, and less wind. We had a rather stormy week, in part due to 2 hurricanes in the Atlantic. Father Peter was spiritual,and a down to earth good guy. Kelli was full of information on everything, very knowledgeable. Gregg a safe, nice driver. I’m considering my next pilgrimage or 2 for next year. I took my pictures with digital camera, got some good ones, but don’t think I can forward them. My friend, Darlene, thoroughly enjoyed her first trip across the Atlantic, and is also ready to go again. God Bless and thank you for your assistance.

Mary Perkins

Dear Caterina,
Returned last week from our Pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and we had the absolute best time. Loved the hotel, the schedule, the food, all the holy sites and churches and beautiful art. Most of all we really loved our guide, Javier. He attended to and cared for each person in our group, ensured that we had Mass times, and time to really visit each site. Loved staying at the same hotel for the whole trip, and having breakfast and dinner there. The rooms were really nice and the food was delicious. Our bus was perfect and the bus driver was simply amazing. Having Javier for our guide made the trip exceptional. He really cared that each person had a good time. His son, Javier, joined us for the last few days and that was excellent. They even went to the airport with us and made sure we got to security. I so appreciated that. Our priest, Father David Gaines, made the pilgrimage really special – Mass each day, Morning Prayer on the Buss, time for prayer and the Rosary at churches. Father Gaines and Javier were a great team at sharing information. I loved the schedule each day and I am so very happy that I went on this pilgrimage. Thank you to 206Tours and to Javier.May God bless each of you. My prayers are with all the 206Tours guides, staff, drivers, and pilgrims in Mexico since the earthquake.

Sincerely,
Monesa Grant

Good evening,
We are spending our last evening in Paris on Tour 40 with our four friends who joined us on this tour. This has been a fantastic tour and wonderful experience on our first 206 Tour. We were so excited to come to Fatima on the 100 anniversary. But to travel to Spain, Lourdes and Paris has been a trip of a lifetime for all of us! Father Leo our spiritual leader, Ana our tour leader and drivers Pedro and Nelson could not have made this Pilgrimage any better! We always felt safe! The attention to detail Ana showed every way of this tour was comforting and left us with only having to enjoy our time. Hotels, meals and all tours were great. She is someone we would seek to have as our tour leader again. Father Leo provided some of the best Homilies we have ever heard and enjoyed attending his mass. We are looking forward to planning our next 206 Tours again!

Thank you again,
Al and Anita Karle

Thank you so much. 206 Tours was great to work with. Thanks for the wonderful pilgrimage you arranged for us.

God Bless You!
Fr. Parker

All 40 pilgrims join me in giving thanks to all mighty God & our dearest Lady of Fatima for a truly blessed pilgrimage. Each pilgrim received a miracle from the Lord & an intimacy which each will treasure for the rest of their life. Thank you, Milanka & Natasha, for your expertise & attention to every detail !! Your prayers & efforts on our behalf made our pilgrimage smooth & distress free. Every pilgrim commented, including myself, that this was the best journey we’ve ever experienced ! Their ready for the next one !! My sincere gratitude & prayers for you & all your staff. Please send a copy of this email to George & Javier, our tour guides. They were amazing as gentlemen & experts in the holy places we visited. Both they & the drivers are a credit to 206 Tours.

God Bless You All,
Most Rev. James Anthony Tamayo

My name is Beth Veneto and I just got back from a tour from Medjugorje. I just wanted to tell you about the amazing time I had with Dragan Zovko as our guide along with Fr. Terry. They really exceeded my expectations! They were so knowledgeable, compassionate, and charming! This tour was so well balanced and refreshing. I enjoyed the peace of St. James and all the beautiful sites along the way. Our group was also a blessing, everyone gelled so well together, we’ve made friends for a lifetime. Truly a peaceful place and an amazing experience 🙂 I will definitely refer this trip to my friends. I will also look in to other tours with 206 for myself. Going on tours can be kind of tough when you’re not sure of who your guides are and their personalities. Well I happily give our guides and tour experience two thumbs up!! Personality Plus 🙂 I can’t sing their praises enough! Thanks for the amazing memories, until next time…

Love and Peace!!
Beth Veneto 🙂

Hello!
Just to advise you that this tour had the perfect team of personnel representing 206 Tours. The tour escorts were very knowledgeable especially Kelli Ann from Ireland & our driver Greg, who was ever patient & helpful. Kelli even went out of her way to bring us to a traditional Irish show one night. Our Spiritual Director, Father Peter Dugandzic, is the epitome of priesthood. His passion & knowledge of the Catholic faith is energizing to anyone who listens to his homilies. To this I say thank you! I hope my friends and myself can join another 206 Pilgrimage in the near future.

Gloria

My trip to Medjugorje started out in bad weather. I essentially lost a day due to bad weather in the Newark area. The support that Milanka and Natasha Tosic extended were remarkable. Natasha kept in touch the whole time, rebooking my connecting flights, getting hotel transfers for me in Newark, etc. She was on the phone even at 2AM EST. Father Terry O’Connell was our shepherd in this pilgrimage. He is so approachable, generous and regaled us with his Irish wit. He gave us talks about exorcism, ancestral healing and explained the meaning behind liturgical vestments, vessels and gestures used during the mass. Not many of us know this. He gave out booklets about St Charnel and St Rafqa, St. Charbel’s oil, etc – a very generous priest. Dragan is a treasure trove of knowledge about Medjugorje. He should write a book about it. His personal history is intricately intertwined with the history of Medjugorje and the apparition. He was there from day 6 of the 1981 apparition, knows many of the visionaries personally, etc. He’s been a tour guide for so long he’s leading the tour instinctively (as opposed to by-the-book). He knows how to rearrange the schedules of the day factoring in expected crowd size and the weather. Trusting in his agenda for the day optimized our experiences in Medjugorje with less effort and cost. Hotel Grace is centrally located and is staffed with very hardworking people like Sandra, Dragana, Dino, etc. The deeper experience of Medjugorje is a little hard to pin down. For others in our group, the effects are instantaneous, even revolutionary. For some it was a spiritual detox of some sorts. For me, it’s like a time-released capsule. I started sensing it after I came back and even then, not quite. I’m sure the fruits of my pilgrimage starts will start to unfold in the next few days, months or even years.

Sincerely,
Jennifer B.

Dear Milanka,
This was our 4th trip with 206 Tours. Again, we were so blessed to visit so many religious sites. Juan Carlos was our guide and was wonderful. He took care of every detail which allowed us to enjoy each place we visited. His knowledge of each area enhanced each site that we visited which allowed us to enjoy and soak in all of the spiritual blessings. We don’t know how you find such wonderful people to lead your pilgrimages but all of the ones we have had are the best. They represent you very well. We had two pilgrims join us in Santiago, who had their original pilgrimage canceled. They expressed some displeasure. They did not have ground transportation from the airport, they talked about this at dinner, even though Juan had reimbursed them for the ground transportation. We let Juan know all about this. The next day on The Camino, Juan spent the walk with them and they were very relieved and felt much better about their circumstances. Juan did a great job with them. They were very disappointed to leave us the next day to join their group. Father Piotr was an excellent spiritual director. We enjoyed his calm demeanor and thoughtful homilies and insights. He was stressed about Hurricane Irma but he did not show it whatsoever. He only mentioned it at the end, and said that all had turned out well. Father was there for all of us and fit in all of our special needs. Thank you very much for the opportunity to lead the rosary at the chapel of the apparitions. It was a humbling experience for both of us. We realize what a rare opportunity it is for anyone to have a chance to do. Our fellow pilgrims were very excited that we were representing them. I have an aunt who has passed away that would have been thrilled that Father Piotr who is from Poland lead the Our Father, then we lead 5 Hail Marys and we were followed by a pilgrim from Poland for the next 5 Hail Marys. There are too many highlights to list each one. Two of the local guides were outstanding. Ana in the museum in Madrid was able to explain each piece of artwork in detail and give us many things to ponder. Fernando in Toledo was excellent and his personality was very enjoyable. When there wasn’t a local guide, Juan was well versed in everything that he talked about. We were a pain in your staff’s collective neck to add on Oviedo on the feast of The Exaltation of the Cross. This last day of our pilgrimage was more than we could have hoped. The visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga was a surprise. What a beautiful place to visit in the mountains. I think everyone that was on this tour found this to be a remarkable visit. San Salvador Cathedral was amazingly beautiful. The spiritual blessing there were felt by all in the Holy Chamber. Lastly, the Mass of the Exaltation of the Cross was a fitting end to the day, with veneration of the Sudarium at the end. We would recommend that this be added on as is appropriate to as many tours as possible. Please feel free to edit this letter in anyway and share as appropriate. If there is anything that we can do for you, please let us know! We promise to brag about 206 Tours at every opportunity. May God bless you and your company for the great work that you do!!!

Paul & Diane

Hi, Jen –
The trip was wonderful. It was very well-organized, the hotels and food were really great, and the bus was clean and so comfortable. We had time to see the shrines and participate meaningfully in the liturgies. But, the real reason the trip was such a success was – as Sylvia pointed out – due to Vanessa and Fr. Ivan Dawson. Both were absolutely amazing. They were unfailingly patient, kind, well-prepared, good-humored, knowledgeable, organized, and fun. In addition, they both had a depth of sincere spirituality that was apparent. They could not have been better. The trip schedule was very full, and a little tiring, but I’m not sure that there’s any way to avoid that without missing something on the trip. This was my second pilgrimage with 206 Tours, and this trip was even better than the first.

Thank you for a wonderful and spiritually meaningful experience,
Margy Kumpis

Dear 206 Tours,
Our spiritual director, Fr. Gaines was simply fabulous! Fr. Gaines wonderfully overflows with the joy I believe St. Francis of Assisi had. He wore the traditional cassock that we haven’t seen for many years. As we walked the streets in Mexico, he was constantly stopped by people asking him for a blessing, confession or something else. His in depth sermons were simple to understand and certainly came from the heart. But the most beautiful expression of his ministry was evident by his deep respect on how he celebrated Mass, and especially how he handled te Blessed Sacrament. We hope we can connect with him in other pilgrimages.

Thank you!
Galo Acosta

Hi Jen,
In short I loved every minute of the pilgrimage. Our guide Nestor was super at keeping all the details in order. Raoul our driver was great. I loved starting each day with Mass at a beautiful church along our route. It was great that everyone could go at their own pace comfortably. I completed our 100k of the Camino arriving in Santiago with our group feeling that I’d been on a great spiritual journey. Thanks, 206. Ps. Thanks to you for arrangements. My extensions and transfers all went flawlessly.

Ken and Barbara Requa

Dear Jen,
The pilgrimage was one of the best I have experience as a Spiritual Director. Everything was well organised and the accommodation and food was of a high standard. Many of the pilgrims have asked me to let them know of any other pilgrimages I would be involved with and I said I would like to do pilgrimage to Rome next year and to Fatima. Once again thanks.

God Bless,
Fr. Ivan Dawson C.Ss.R.

Dear Jen,
We had the most amazing tour! 206 Tours did such a wonderful job in arranging everything. The tour went very smoothly, the hotels were great, the food was very good, the bus was very comfortable. The best part was the itinerary and our tour guide. The places we went were so amazing. My husband and I kept saying to each other that we can’t believe we are standing where Jesus, Mary and the apostles walked, lived, preached, such a wonderful tour. Also, our tour guide Rami was the absolute best. He was so knowlegable, interesting, organized, kind. Everyone in our group just loved him. He was great! Our bus driver, Hamid, was great too. How he managed to drive that big bus in those small spaces was incredible. Also, Fr. Bogey was wonderful. One more thing to mention was our final dinner in Jerusalem. The place was beautiful, roof top dining over looking Jerusalem and excellent food, what a nice way to end our pilgrimage. We can’t say enough good things about your tour company and the tour we took. We would book another 206 Tours in a heartbeat. We will certainly recommend you. Thank you for all did to make this a blessed tour!

Blessings,
Monica and Phil Hoffmann

Hello Jen,
I was very happy to receive your email since I had every intention of sending an email when returned. My expectations for my trip were surpassed in every way. But I must say the reason for the success of my trip was due to our Tour Guide, Vanessa. I don’t know her last name I am sure you can look it up. This young woman is incredible. Among her attributes I can point out not only her organization skills, time management, professionalism, knowledge of the sights, patience, and people skills, but her desire to make the trip special for the pilgrims, which is much appreciated. She is very caring which adds a wonderful human element to her job performance. She is such a joy that one forgets she is working. Her energy level is incredible. When everyone is exhausted, even though she gets less rest than the rest of us, she is just as patient and cheerful with the pilgrims. Our Spiritual Director, Fr. Ivan Dawson, likewise was very inspiring. I hope that 206 Tours will continue to sign him up for this role in future tours. Likewise, he is very well prepared and spiritual. He shares personal experiences with the pilgrims that really helps one personalize what he shares. His homilies at at the various sights are insightful. All-in-All I would not change a thing about the trip. It was spiritually fulfilling and I have yet to take in all the graces received. My achy body is home, but my mind and heart are still all over the various sights. God is good – indeed! Please make sure that Vanessa’s supervisor is notified of this email and that Vanessa is likewise complimented for her services.

Sylvia Mayer-Martinez

We ALL loved Javier! He was amazing and worked great with Fr. David! Everyone was so glad they went.

Christy Hall

Dear Linda,
It was an excellent tour. Garrie our guide and Pat the driver were fantastic! Garrie helped adjust the schedule a little bit. The hotels were fantastic. The food was great�€�.simple in Knock but wholesome. It was an A+++ trip. Linda you were the best to work with as well as the staff of 206! As they would say in Ireland…a thanks a million!

Fr. Paul

Dear Jen,
Apologies for the slow response but we have been traveling ever since completing our 206 pilgrimage. Overall I would say our expectations for the pilgrimage were exceeded. The spiritual leadership of Fr Peter D was excellent but so too the pilgrimage guide Vanessa. Vanessa in particular was always there to help and often going the extra mile – her knowledge and ability to connect events, history and places back to our collective purpose was impressive. Burgos visit while designed as a stopover did not allow a visit to the cathedral – leaving after a short visit at 9:00 would have been preferred. The accommodation was always very well positioned and comfortable. The thoughtfulness of 206 around provision of lunch in Fatima during the 100th anniversary celebrations – perhaps this was Vanessa and Fr Peter adapting the tour to the circumstances – either way, was very much appreciated. Provision of comfortable earpieces on the whispers in Lisbon was appreciated but replacements in Salamanca were difficult to fit and uncomfortable. Thanks for the once in a life time experience- we would be interested in your tours to the Holy lands.

Regards,
Donna and Warwick McDonald (Australia)

Hello! We just got back from 206 Lourdes mini stay tour and the trip was unforgettable! Kudos to Melissa Mulligan and her supervisor for working so hard to make the trip possible… Thank you from delta airline, driver at the airport, Andrea our so friendly tour guide to the whole staff of hotel moderna for giving us VIP treatment! Thank you God and special thank you to our blessed mother our lady of Lourdes for giving us this priceless unforgettable trip! 5 stars for 206 tour team!! Again thank you for working so hard to make the trip possible for anyone! !!

Emily

I am finally home and getting back to normal! Although, after this trip, things will never be the same! I just keep picking up my bible and try to read about where I have been and what I have seen and experienced!! I want to share it with everyone I come into contact!! The daily masses were incredible, whether they were in large churches or in caves! I loved the caves the most!! Music was a big part (3 songs each day) and I ended up being the music coordinator, since music is my passion!! Every evening I would find appropriate songs and hand write the words to 3 songs (4x each) so the 12 of us could share the words. I wanted to share some of the songs we sang, that were not in your booklet, as well as more we could have sung!! How Great Thou Art, Let there be peace on earth, Blest are they (Beatitudes), Prayer of St. Francis, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, In His Time, Open my eyes, Were you there, Surely the presence, Joy to the world, Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, All the ends of the earth, More precious than silver The ones in the booklet that we used were: Seek ye first, Here I am, Lord, Amazing Grace, Holy God, we praise thy name, Immaculate Mary, On eagle’s wings and Be not afraid. The bus became our refuge after walking up many steps and climbing many hills to unbelievable places! The bus driver, air conditioning, and all the water we wanted were waiting for us!! Fr. Michael was so humble and gave such meaningful homilies! And Rami was amazing, with all his knowledge and ability to explain things! He is a great story-teller and he always watched over us. We were so blessed to have both of them with us during our pilgrimage; and the fact that there were only 11 pilgrims was unbelievable! I wish I had recordings of all that they said!!! If we had a professional video person recording everything, we could concentrate on the moment and not have to think about taking pictures and notes at the same time!! It would add to the cost, but I think it would be worth it!! I have told many friends about your tour company; and if any of them take your tour, they will be truly blessed!! Thank you so much!!

Nancy Codi

Dear Ms. Hidalgo,
I had a wonderful spiritual experience on the Camino de San Francisco. The tour guide Alessandro was very caring & helpful. He’s the best person to guide pilgrims on this difficult Camino. I did this after doing the Camino de Santiago in July this year, with 206 tours. The driver Massimo is a pro. Finding him @ the checkpoint was a solace after a long walk. Fr. Bob’s spiritual direction was awesome. The group was truly international with me from India, couple of Australians & the others were Americans. Everyone was so helpful & caring for each other. The accommodation provided was wonderful. I would also like to appreciate the effort taken by Chris Wright @ 206 tours who was patient with me in answering all my queries & helping me throughout the process of signing up for this pilgrimage. People like Chris are an asset for 206 tours, which is truly one of the best catholic pilgrimages provider on this planet. God bless 206 tours. I recommend 206 tours for anyone wishing to have a spiritual journey during their lifetime.

Thanks & Regards,,
Dr. Bobby Sebastian
Abu Dhabi UAE

Hi,
This pilgrimage changed me. I feel so blessed that I was able to make this pilgrimage and to do it with 206 tours. Since my return I’ve talked to other Catholics that this Pilgrimage is the ONE to take. The lay over in Germany was fine. 206 tours cannot control the airlines. The one person who contributed to my wonderful spiritual experience was Hussam What a gem he is. He gave us so much information I had to write down everything. Jerusalem is so beautiful at night. I have already recommended 206 tours to friends and I plan to do more pilgrimages in the future. Thank you so much. My expectations were totally exceeded. Thank you again and God bless you and all your future pilgrims. I can’t say enough good things about your company. God be with you

Theresa Gaines

I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have been involved in the Anniversary Tour of Our Lady of Fatima. My spiritual relationship with Christ and Our Lady has enhanced, along with the relationships that God graced me with as your Spiritual Director on this joyful journey. I would like to thank you again and again, for the wonderful souls that I met on this tour. “As a priest, it’s all about relationships!”

Oremos,
Fr. David Trujillo

The trip was terrific and everyone had a great time; the itinerary was fantastic and very rich. The hotel locations were ideal for the pilgrimage and our guide Francisco was a gift from heaven. Our drivers Miguel and Mario were awesome as well and the food was delicious. The local guides were knowledgeable and fun and the buses were clean and comfortable. The Papal audience was amazing! Unfortunatly, We missed our connecting flight to Santiago due to a huge backup in customs and immigration and we needed just a little more time for the transfer. We experienced a couple of mishaps which were resolved promptly.

Thanks for everything and we look forward to the next adventure with 206 Tours!
Gina

I must say that I wasn’t expecting it to be as wonderful as it was! I have food sensitivities and was somewhat apprehensive, but I can honestly say that your employee and tour guide Mr. Juan Carlos could not have been nicer and concern about what was being served to me. Juan Carlos was phenomenal his knowledge of the sights and his manner as well as his caring for everyone in the group was and is exemplary Your company should be very happy and proud of having someone like Juan Carlos in your employ. While I was on my trip, I will say that my birthday was going to be when we were at Fatima, I was expecting my family to call me from the states (which they did) however, during dinner I was very surprise when the waiter staff came out with a wonderful dessert a “Birthday” cake for me and everyone singing Happy Birthday. There is no amount of gratitude or thank you that I can ever say. Juan Carlos surely made my birthday very special in spite of traveling without my family. Further, I must say that I now have a new and extended family thanks to those on this great trip, and Juan Carlos. I would be remiss if I did not mention that spiritual leader Reverend Gregory. Rev. Greg’s knowledge, personality, and sincerity for-filled all of my expectations for a great, wonderful and spiritual trip which was what I was praying for. Thank you one and all for giving me such an experience and unexpected birthday. This might have been my first trip with 206 Tours, but I guarantee you, it will NOT be my last. See you next year.
Please, special gratitude to all of those who made this possible and most specially to Reverend Gregory and Juan Carlos as well as the bus drivers that made us so very comfortable in our travels.

God bless,
Carmen M. Noschese

This is our second 206 tour as a family, and again our expectations were far exceeded! Our tour escort in Portugal, Vanessa, and in France, Juan Carlos, are fantastic! They are very personable and knowledgeable, and so accommodating! Vanessa even got my dad and brother, and a few other pilgrims, to carry Our Lady of Fatima’s statue during the candlelight procession on our last night! Juan Carlos did an excellent job navigating and checking our group in at the various airports. The hotels were clean, spacious and are all in excellent locations, especially in Fatima and Lourdes, since we were right next to the Basilica. Food also was excellent. Free Wi-Fi worked well in all the hotels. The various drivers were all very safe. The days were filled with many spiritual activities, and Fr David was always prepared with excellent homilies. Everything went smoothly as usual, and we are looking forward to another pilgrimage with 206 in the future.

Lorraine Manlolo, MD

My mother and I want to thank 206 Tours for giving us the best pilgrimage possible! Everything was extraordinary! The Grace Hotel was a perfect cozy spot for us to retire to at night. The staff all were so sweet, hard-working, and very genuine. It was a great addition to our experience. Besides the great spiritual filled week, what stood out to both my mother and I was our tour guide, Dragan. Right from the moment he picked us up from the airport I knew that this pilgrimage was going to be amazing! His outgoing personality, knowledge of Medjugorje, and enthusiasm was a major contribution in making is this the best week of our lives. Not only did we leave with great experiences from Medjugorje but we left with a new friend. We want to think 206 Tours for our life-changing pilgrimage and great service. We will keep 206 Tours and all the staff in our prayers.

Thank you and God Bless,
Philomena and Joan Bell

Thank you for the communication regarding the pilgrimage to Fatima, Aug. 9-16. It was a wonderful trip. Our group was small and that was to our advantage. We bonded very quickly. Our tour guide, Javi, was outstanding as was the bus driver. The hotels were perfect very comfortable, clean, and upscale. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it! There were many parts of the pilgrimage that were very meaningful, however, my favorite experience was confession and the Stations of the Cross which we walked along the path the children used to take. We walked the path among olive trees, out in nature and it was so beautiful. Fr. Matt was a great spiritual director and connected with the group on a very personal level. Thank you, 206 Tours! I will forever remember this trip and will most certainly keep 206 Tours in mind for future pilgrimages! Your company is VERY organized and every detail is well thought out and executed to make the very best experience for your clients.

Peace,
Eileen

My wife and I have had a wonderful time traveling through the countries of our pilgrimage. In the two weeks, we encountered many other pilgrims who share the same values as we do. Many thanks to the folks (especially Sammie Gould) at 206Tours that assisted us with our itineraries. Our tour guides, Fredericka and Venessa, were wonderful, knowledgable, and helpful. Fathers Jay (in Rome) and Peter (Portugal, Spain, France) were always there with us and guided us spiritually. We’re looking to our next Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and definitely would consider joining a 206 Tours to the Holy Land.

Thank You,
Al Lau

The pilgrimage was a perfect ten. Everything went like clockwork. The fact that it was a small sized group made it more intimate to get to know people better. It was a very prayerful and devout group and they were appreciate of my homilies and not shy in giving a word of praise, which was gratefully accepted. The Tour guide, Javi, the driver, Romeo as well as the local guides were all top notch. The two hotels ( Lisbon and Fatima) were excellent. Service, food, comfort were all great and even the wake up calls were prompt. No complaints on the logistics. The spiritual part was well planned, the various Masses in the different places, etc. I must admit that it did indeed help that I am fluent in both Spanish and Italian, since it made it easier to communicate with the local sacristans when we arrived for Mass. All of my expectations were exceeded. I can in all honesty say that I heard similar comments from the other participants.

Blessings,
Fr. Matt

Everything was fabulous and flawless as usual. Thank you for all your help 206 does a fantastic and job and I’m already thinking about making it back in March. Kudos to our one day guide Dragen it’s my second time with him and he is awesome. And both of our drivers were tremendous. I feel like I’m at home when I’m there and am totally drawn to Our Lady, the people and the country. It is a magical, spiritual and holy place.

Best,
Liz

Hello members of Tour 206 pilgrimage,

I am pleased with the organization and details of the Pilgrimage. The tour guide was excellent and Fr. Connolly was my choice to go with, so of course was the top of priest I would recommend. All in all, the Pilgrimage was memorable and a source of spiritual enrichment and will be missed for ever.

Thank you!
Jolanta Idzik

Pedro Miraz

Our pilgrimage was glorious. Father Gregory was amazing, very approachable and holy. Juan Carlos is anointed, he really enriched our experience.

Viviana Prado

We have enjoyed every moment of our pilgrimage. First of all I would like to thank to Javier Gomez for treating us like a royalty. The hotels were super with the great food. Juan Carlos was great: full of knowledge and patient and kind. You know that I am very critical because of the same job I do and I really appreciate everything that he did for us, for the group, that we all felt like a family.
We all learned a lot from him and Fr Gregory who also made this pilgrimage very special. I would like to express my gratitude to 206 tours for providing water on the bus to all of us. It really meant a lot especially when I saw 206 logo on the bottles. That makes pilgrims feel special. If one seeks a spiritual journey, a journey that will bring him closer to God, then they should travel with 206 because you are the best!

Have a Blessed day!
Slavenka Jelavic

Profoundly moving spiritual experience! – that’s how we describe our recent pilgrimage. The structured itinerary, quality hotels with the excellent healthy cuisines, wonderful staff & knowledgeable tour guides & a caring spiritual director made the difference. Medjugorje was the awesome finale of a truly spiritually nourishing pilgrimage. The climb to the Cross Mountain on the first day, followed by the Apparition Hill experience surely set the tone for a peaceful reflection on God’s love & the maternal care of our Blessed Mother. Perhaps it was also the less hectic schedule that gave us more time for self introspection & reflection in the peaceful & quaint character of Medjugorje! Will we travel with 206 tours again in the future? Definitely! We’re already planning for another awesome pilgrimage in 2018! Thanks to all the 206 Tours Staff!

God bless,
Anthony and Roberta Cabibihan

The pilgrimage was very, very successful in my view. The group got along really well and gelled almost immediately. It is always a privilege to lead a pilgrimage, but to lead a group to Fatima during the 100 years anniversary is something I will remember the rest of my life. I MUST comment on our tour guide, Quico. He truly was excellent. He was very attentive to me and the group at all times. What’s more, he celebrated Mass with us every day, and he participated faithfully in all the prayers. He is truly a man of great faith and that really made an impression on all of us. If I ever lead my parish to Spain or Portugal, I would not hesitate for a moment to request him.

As always, please know that the privilege was all mine.
Father Lee Descoteaux

From,
Gloria Schafer

All of us at 206 Tours are very sorry about Hotel Mundial in Lisbon, in particular that rooms were not ready until 4:30PM. This hotel has the best location in town, and for that reason is in very high demand, also Lisbon has become very popular destination. This is not the norm, and have addressed this to hotel management and asked that this never happens again, or groups will head elsewhere. As for visit of Cathedral in Burgos, thanks for this very constructive point, know that we are working on it.

Milanka, it was an absolutely amazing trip! I can tell you it changed my life. I learned so much and I’m seeing our faith and the Gospels with such new eyes. I have to tell you– Rami was absolutely amazing, the best guide I’ve ever had in any trip. He has every good quality that you would want any guide: intelligent, very attentive to details; he cares about his material; a real man of faith, very great leadership skills, and a wonderful personality. You have a goldmine in him. I’m telling everybody about this trip and telling them to make sure they go to the Holy Land before they die, and to find 206 Tours. Thank you so much for the generosity of 206 to make that possible for me. I’m truly humbled to have had that opportunity. Looking forward to working together again sometime in the future.

God bless you!
Fr. Vincent Druding

I hope this note finds you well and in good health. On behalf of all the pilgrims my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for all you have done to make our pilgrimage spiritually fulfilling. Thank you for the professionalism of all involved from your office. I would like to request that an outstanding appraisal from your office to be sent to Vanessa our Tour Guide she was exceptional, professional, acute to details, well informed, patient, and her deep sense of faith made our Pilgrimage even more spiritually profound and unforgettable. Once again my heart felt thanks.

From,
Fr. Germain

This trip has been extremely spiritually rewarding. It was a great group and Fr. Friel was outstanding. Thanks to Chris, Melissa and Rinda for putting trip together. The group has nothing but praise for this pilgrimage and for 206 Tours. I am very grateful for all that you do. I have traveled with 206 Tours before but I never could imagine how good this trip was going to be. Every moment was spiritual and physically challenging yet rewarding. I am looking forward to the next pilgrimage.

William Moon

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on my pilgrimage experience. Let me say that it exceeded any expectations I may have had. It was my first opportunity to experience this kind of pilgrimage tour and also my first with 206. As a deacon of the Church, I was honored to assist at several Masses which will also hold a special memory for me. I am very appreciative of Fr. Carlos for his openness and willingness to allow me to serve. I would like to offer some comments. In recent years I have been on a number of tours (secular) to various parts of Europe. All of the qualities of what I appreciate in a tour were present in this Tour #103 of 206.

What I appreciated and valued- An extremely well organized tour we seem to get to places before the crowds; easy entry to very popular sites; personal touch by our guide throughout the tour; an excellent pace (Rome being a bit more intense, but that is Rome); full days of so many things to see; excellent information on history, culture, significance of sites/relics/theology An excellent tour guide–Frederica was pleasant, supportive, understanding and gentle–from the time she met me at the Rome airport to the departure at the Venice airport I felt she was genuinely caring about each one of us and doing whatever possible to ensure that our needs were met and we had a positive experience. Fr. Carlos what a perfect priest for a pilgrimage so understanding, down to earth, spiritual, accommodating; led us in prayer, but allowed each member of the group to lead in some way (reading, prayer etc.); Masses and homilies were well done; an excellent spiritual director who shared with us about his own spiritual journey and travels as a priest four stars!!! Fr. Carlos what a perfect priest for a pilgrimage so understanding, down-to-earth, spiritual, accommodating; led us in prayer, but allowed each member of the group to lead in some way (reading, prayer etc.); Masses and homilies were well done; an excellent spiritual director who shared with us about his own spiritual journey and travels as a priest four stars!!! I believe that Frederica and Fr. Carlos made an excellent team thus each day was well coordinated. We (I believe) all felt fortunate to have these two individuals leading us. I appreciated our driver, Mario. Always on time, pleasant and a very good driver. Thanks for the very comfortable bus (movies on the long stretches of driving). Nice touch. I thank Pope Francis for not having a Wednesday audience and not using Castel Gandolfo so we could visit Castel Gandolfo. What a special day seeing the summer residence of a number of Popes-very good day! Loved the candlelight procession at San Giovanni Rotondo. Very touching and spiritual.

Local guides all excellent–knowledgeable, infused culture and shared unique points of interest. While all the local guides were excellent– I thought Tetziana (Rome), Daniella (Florence) and Frederica (Venice) were top-notch. There styles were so engaging; they used humor and had so much to share. Hotels- I really appreciated the quality and location of the hotels. However, for the hotel in Florence, I had a very small room (which I understand that all rooms were small)– but I had to put my suitcase on half of my bed (yes, that small a room)–and it had no window–so it felt like a closet. Otherwise, wonderful hotels. Food what can I say it’s Italy excellent. We all appreciated 206 Tours buying us lunch in Castel Gandolfo and Frederica treated us to Gelato one time on a very hot day! Much appreciated. I just upload my 939 pictures. I am reliving the pilgrimage trip through the pictures as I overcome my jet-lag.

Thank you and your entire staff (especially those I encountered on the pilgrimage) for a most wonderful, spiritual and memorable two weeks. I hope to enjoy a 206 Tours pilgrimage again in the near future. One more thing I wanted to share–the locations of each of our Masses were so special, spiritually. If someone asked me why 206 Tours for a pilgrimage, I will say outstanding attention to important details especially, the locations of Masses (significant places in Church history) and the access/knowledge provided by local guides.

Blessings to you all,
Deacon Richard Foley

The trip was fabulous! Everything from booking the tour and throughout the whole tour, 206 Tours was very well organized. The hotels, food and restaurants were first class as well as the tour bus. We felt like royalty! It was an amazing experience for me and my son, Haniel. The experience was very spiritual and attending private mass in each unique and beautiful basilicas and cathedrals made it even more special. Fr. Carlos was wonderful and we really enjoyed having him as our spiritual leader! The knowledge of all the local tour guides was great! We learned so much and each local guide was friendly and represented the company well. Our tour guide, Federica was outstanding! She cared for each person and she was very well organized and made our tour very special. She should be commended for the outstanding work that she does. It is a difficult task to keep a group of people organized and pleased at the same time. She went above and beyond! Our tour driver, Mario was excellent! Always on time and always friendly. I am so happy that I chose 206 tours for our first pilgrimage. I plan on booking more tours in the future and spreading the word on how great your company is.

Yanina Neves

The Pilgrimage to Fatima-Spain-Lourdes was phenomenal. The shrines we visited and the hotels we stayed at were top notch. The meals, both breakfast and dinner, were great. I have been on many pilgrimages for the last 20 plus years and I must say we had the best tour guide. Alessandro, “Alex”, was 100% dedicated to our group. He took care of us as if we were Christ. Everything was outstanding. I am so thankful that a friend of mine recommended 206 Tours. Praise God!

God bless you abundantly,
Fr. Parker

Alessandro was the best guide for our pilgrimage. He was solicitous, gracious and observant. I was one of two pilgrims who used wheel chairs. When Alessandro noticed that a third person was needing help walking, he got a wheel chair for her from the hotel, I believe. Twice at dinner when I didn’t like either entrees he had the chef fix me something other. He was always cheerful. He managed to get one of our group to carry the lighted cross in the procession and two in the recitation of the rosary in Fatima — what an extraordinary grace and blessing for us. Our group of 42 was very cohesive. So many helped push my wheel chair each day. Our two priests and Alessandro were a blessing to each of us pilgrims. I cannot say enough good things about this pilgrimage.

Thank you!
Laura

We can’t thank you enough for a fabulous pilgrimage! You were all so incredibly patient during the planning process and our guide, Alex (Alessandro), was amazing during the pilgrimage! I would absolutely use 206 again and recommend 206 to others.

All is grace,
Allison Welch

Our Holy Land experience was absolutely wonderful and exceeded my expectations! Fr. Vincent Druding was a great blessing as our spiritual guide and made this pilgrimage a special encounter with Our Lord. His reverence for the Holy Eucharist and celebration of the Mass daily at the holy sites were a gift, as was his sense of humor and kindness. Rami was an excellent guide, and his extensive knowledge and experience added so much to the amazing sites we visited each day! Thank you for arranging the Mass at the Tomb of Our Lord and all the other sacred places. I will treasure the memories from this once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage.

Sincerely,
Therese Finn

There is nothing that I would change about our pilgrimage. It was everything that we wanted and more. Jack and I love your service and would use it again when we decide to go on another tour. Juan Carlos our guide was full of knowledge about the places we visited – he was just perfect. Also, Father Jason was perfect as well. Thank you so much for all the first class preparation. Juan Carlos and Father were always there for us, every step of the way. What a perfect pilgrimage. God Bless .

Teresita Cornejo

206 Tours is the best Catholic pilgrimage agency available! I have been on dozens of pilgrimages and each journey with 206 Tours greatly blesses my life and the lives of the pilgrims on the trip. The hotels are excellent, the guides are top notch and very knowledgable, and the staff at 206 Tours takes care of absolutely everything. Even my Mom goes on pilgrimage with no one else but 206 Tours! If you are praying about going on a pilgrimage, look no further and sign up with this incredible Catholic pilgrimage agency!

God Bless,
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC

It is a joy to express my gratitude to all those involved in organizing and leading such a journey! Thank you to the many people that worked remotely to help make this pilgrimage such a wonderful experience. I am also very grateful for the prayerful, intentional, informative guidance offered Fr.Lally and our guide Shafiq. Fr. Lally was exceedingly welcoming, kind and well prepared. While he has led many pilgrimages, he was also prayerfully attentive to every moment of every day of our trip. With this level of awareness and receptivity, he was a pilgrim along with the rest of us. He fostered a sense of community while encouraging each person to encounter the Holy Land according to how they were led. While our schedule was full, I very much appreciated the quiet time for personal prayer that was incorporated into each day. This helped us to slow things down a great deal and savor the many, many graces. My gratitude for Fr. Lally’s presence and leadership is stronger now, almost three weeks later, than it was during the Pilgrimage. The scope of Shafiq’s understanding of the history and culture of the area is remarkable. Without a doubt, his strong Catholic faith and insightful reflections added richness, color and depth to our journey. With great skill, patience and kindness, he responded to the needs and questions of the group members, while also honoring that much is grounded in truth and lived by faith. His presence as our guide through the holy sites in Galilee and Jerusalem was a blessing. I am grateful to our bus driver Faisal who met us every time we boarded the bus with a warm welcome and a safe ride to the next destination. His kind presence and logistical skills added greatly to our journey. He also suggested the perfect gift for me to bring back to a friend here in DC who is from the Middle East. Thank You! I have traveled a great deal on my own and wondered how I would respond to a guided tour. During the course of the 10 days, I became aware that the organization, leadership and shared community of traveling in a 206 Tour allowed me experience the Pilgrimage more deeply than I would have traveling alone. So many details were attended to by the group leaders and staff of 206 Tours that it was freeing to be part of a group! A wonderful part of the pilgrimage was also how the group grew to care for one another with such kindness and affection. Above and beyond all of this, I am aware that this was a very, very great gift from God.

With Enduring Gratitude,
Marianne P.

The pilgrimage was amazing. Everything was well panned and the tour guide is very nice. I can’t think of any negative comment. I was privilege also to assist the priest in every mass as Deacon.

Gene Schroth, Jr

Dear Team 206,

I landed back in the United States last night from Europe and wanted to email you now that I am on a computer, rather than my iPhone. Thank you for the sensational trip that we had with Javier, as our guide, and Juanito, as our bus driver. Everyone was pleased with the pilgrimage and it went beyond our expectations. I can’t say enough good things about Javier’s attention to our group. He sensed what we needed, and had a caring and fun presence towards all of us. We found out that he had an uncle who died who was a Jesuit, so our following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius was a great match with his upbringing. He is very, very knowledgeable about the region, too, and he helped us fall in love with the culture and history of Spain. The food was excellent, and we felt that the lodging was very good, too. We especially enjoyed the Parador and the hotel in Pamplona. The lunch after our wine tasting in Torres was a delicious memory.

With abundant appreciation for all your help in making the Loyola University Museum of Art’s pilgrimage a most pleasant trip,
Kat Beaulieu

Dear Team 206,

Hi, What else we can ask for more. You made it possible, you made it happen, our lifetime dream was fulfilled. Thank you so much for making this a historical event, journey for our family. This is one of our best time experience and will cherish it forever. Our tour guide was super awesome, great and fantastic, he was on top of everything and make this pilgrimage more enjoyable and memorable. Please pass on our sincere gratitude, kind thanks and huge appreciation to Javier, Sammy and those whom in any way made this pilgrimage a fruitful one. We’ve had so many good memories to store and stories to tell. We have got you in our hearts and will continue to recommend to others in our community. We hope and we will re-connect with 206 tours in the near future.

We love you all
Sevu and Family

Dear Jen,

Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding my trip to Ireland arranged through 206 Tours. Following is part of what I wrote to a relative regarding the tour. There were 21 in the group, which included a priest who said Mass every day at a local church. Our Tour Guide, Karen, was so special. She knew just what you wanted to know about Ireland, historical, economic, religious and everything and anything else. She was like a Shepherd, shepherding her little flock. And how lovely that was! Our driver, “Garruld” (phonetic spelling) (Gaelic spelling Gearoid”), was so kind! Driving us everywhere and helping with luggage and whatever else he could. Really kind man. I would just like to add that this trip was so special from a religious and personal point of view. I felt as though I was truly “Walking Toward God.” Thanks. God bless you!

Bernardette Grant

Just a quick note thanking 206 tours for this opportunity to serve as a spiritual chaplain on this pilgrimage of faith to Italy and Fatima. The tour directors were excellent as always. I always like running into some old friends from 206 tours especially Frederica and Javi. Alex was great as well. They are all professional. I was especially happy to have the Mass at Saint Clare Church. Frederica knew how important it was for me to have mass there and she helped me. Great person. Please know that I’m always happy to help when I can to be a spiritual father on a trip and I do believe the people were happy with my services.

Blessings
Fr. Peter Glabik

Dear Milanka,

I write to thank you for the opportunity of serving as the Spiritual Leader for the Shrines of Spain in July, 2017. First and foremost, I wish to commend to you our group guide, Leo, who was every-present to us throughout the entirety of the pilgrimage. Leo was most patient with each of us in every detail. He made sure every aspect of the trip was taken care of: transportation, meals, local guides, and even the smallest incidentals of a great trip. All matters of the trip went most smoothly. The local guides were always pleasant, informative and spoke good English. The different drivers were always punctual and pleasant. The meals were always done well and the hotels were most comfortable. We were always anticipated for our religious Masses and services and taken care of immediately and competently by the local churches. Like myself, each member of the pilgrimage had at least one prior experience with 206 Tours. During our many dinner conversations and gatherings, each and every pilgrim expressed their delight and complete satisfaction with 206 Tours. I can honestly say that there was never a single negative comment. The nature of every pilgrimage is to bring us closer to the God whom we all share, and always and mysteriously we are brought closer to one another. I thank you for making that possible. While not a great picture-taker myself, I was sent the attached picture of the generous gift provided by 206 at Santiago de Compostela. It had always been one of my life’s desires to witness the ancient ritual of the pilgrimage “Botafumerio” in the Cathedral of St. James. Thank you 206 for that exceptional gift you gave to us. Also attached is a picture of our most devout pilgrim Mary Lou.

With my thanks for all you have done for us,
Father Gerard Gordon

Dear 206 Tours,

My collaboration with 206 Tours is a great blessing, and the travel experiences are greatly enhanced by the tremendous spiritual and practical care their staff always provides. After many pilgrimages with 206 Tours, I can say on behalf of my family and all our fellow pilgrims that our journeys with 206 have been grace filled and life changing!

Dr. Scott Hahn

Hi Jen

The trip was very well coordinated and the itinerary was perfect. Wasn’t too fond of the dinners we had but other than that, everything was near perfection. Roberto, the guide, and Diego, the driver, were absolutely amazing. Glad I had my first pilgrimage with you guys! Loved the fact the were only 15 of of us as with previous pilgrimages I have participated in the numbers topped low 50s and that’s just too many pilgrims. Thanks 206 Tours!

Prof. Samantha Sanchez, M.Ed.

Dear 206 Tours,

Many cultures were represented on Tour 195 – Filipina, Vietnamese, Turkish, and American. The group got along very well and were blessed by the experience. The pilgrimage to Croatia, Slovenia, and Venice was a wonderful adventure in beautiful countries. The views of the Adriatic Sea were spectacular. We were a small group of pilgrims (only nine plus myself, the tour guide and bus driver) but that allowed for some wonderful experiences. Common interests of the group included boat rides and group photos. I provided information to the pilgrims about a Croatian saint by the name of St. Leopoldo Mandic. Though little known, he is often compared to his Capuchin confrere, St. Padre Pio, as they both had a ministry to sinners in the confessional. So special were these two friars that Pope Francis asked that their relics be brought to Rome during the Year of Mercy. In Slovenia we celebrated Mass at the Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, a church where St. Pope John Paul II had also celebrated the liturgy. In Venice we remembered Pope St. John XXIII, who was Patriarch there when elected Pope. We were blessed with the services of Andrea Domines, a young Croatian tour guide. She endeared herself to all the pilgrims and each to a person hopes that she will serve on another 206Tours pilgrimage again. Though we were limited by our lack of knowledge of the Croatian language (Andrea did give us some basic vocabulary and phrases), our bus driver, Branko, also Croatian, was ever pleasant and a safe and helpful chaffeur. I hope more people will consider this pilgrimage. We had not realized that Croatia is a very Catholic country. All in all, it was a blessing to travel to Croatia, Slovenia, and Venice, and to do so in the company of wonderful pilgrims and a consummate, professional tour guide and bus driver. I am grateful to 206Tours for the opportunity to go.

Sincerely, Fr. Harrington

Hi Jen,

Everything from planning the trip to arriving home and all in between was wonderful! As soon as we got through customs, Roberto was there waiting. The hotel tried very hard to accommodate us in everything. Roberto was organized, polite and knowledgeable and funny. I learned so much about the history of Mexico and my faith. Father Allen Moran was an excellent spiritual advisor. He took time during our free time to hear confessions and for spiritual direction. Diego the driver was punctual, polite and very nice. I am looking forward to seeing what other trips 206 offers. I am hooked!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Patty Gonzalez

Jen,

I had a great time with my fellow pilgrims in Mexico to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine. This was my first time using 206 tours and I was really impressed. Every detail was covered and I had no worries what-so-ever. The hotel was clean and very comfortable. The meals were great and the hotel staff was as pleasant as can be. I think what impressed me the most was our tour guide Roberto. He went out of his way to answer all our questions and was very attentive that we were safe and accounted for as we traveled from one place to another. One of our fellow travelers became sick with an allergic reaction in the middle of the night and Roberto was there at the hospital with them at 1:00 a.m making sure that everything was alright. On the day of our departure, he meet each of us at the air port at various times throughout the last day to make sure we were checked in properly and got safely to the security check out. He went above and beyond what I would have expected from a tour guide. I was extremely impressed by his dedication and commitment to us. Francesca also came and introduced herself to us at the hotel and made herself available if we needed anything. Father Allen Moran made himself available to use throughout the trip and was available for mass each day and confessions. Our driver Diego did a great job in driving us all over Mexico. He was cheerful and very accommodating even through some of the heaviest traffic I had ever since in a large urban city. He never once got upset and always helped us out of the van with a great big smile. I have been very blessed to have been able to participate in this experience and I look forward to more adventures with your company in years to come. Thanks again for a great experience!

Francesca-Cynthia Riddick

Thank you for the seat reservation last Sunday, July 9th @ noon; San Sebastian International Mass! Everyone is greatly thankful that were seated in front of the Main Altar were everything is visible especially during the Incense flying from right to left until it’s back to its normal position! A wonderful Eucharistic Celebration that I’ll cherish from this Pilgrimage. I thank the Lord through Jesus Christ and our Mother Mary! Thanks to our great driver, David; Spiritual Director, Fr. Gordon, a down to earth priest that speaks different languages….our ever smiling guide, Leo….a great man that has a lot of patience!

Thank you,
Monalisa Douglas

Hi Jen,
The whole trip that you organized for me was excellent. (even to the book I received was great) I enjoyed the company of everybody and especially the spiritual director Fr Kevin, who was outstanding. If nothing else in my life I know that it has made my faith stronger.

God bless,
John Foster

Alexandra and Natasha, our pilgrimage was wonderful. Thank you all so much for everything everyone at 206 did to help us make this dream a reality. Without question, what I would have to say ensured a wonderful experience was our tour guide, Alex. I can’t imagine anyone better. He exceeded all of our expectations. We can’t thank him enough for making everyone’s time so memorable. You have a gem in him ! God bless,

Cathy Connell

Hi Jen,

Where do I begin….? The Holy Land was such a soul-enriching spiritual journey. Far beyond all of my expectations. And, to see Pope Francis close-up and personal on two occasions was a dream come true. It will take the rest of my life for me to absorb and process all these blessed experiences. I am truly humbled and tears come to my eyes knowing how great God is. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me these gifts. 206 Tours is amazing. Every single aspect of my trip was impeccable…from take-off from Boston to landing in Boston. I am so indebted to each and every person involved in planning and executing this experience. Especially, I want to acknowledge with much gratitude and love our tour leader in the Holy Land, Hussam, who was so very knowledgeable, kind, loving, patient, funny and maneuvered each step along the way to magnify this trip of a lifetime. I am forever in his debt for the gift he has given me. It was flawless. I also wish to acknowledge and thank our tour driver, Mahmoud, who was so incredible getting us safely and swiftly to all our destinations with such calm and generosity of self. Our spiritual leader, Father Ken Odibu was a deep well of serene grace and inspiration. Much love and thanks to you.

In Rome, our tour leader, Frederica is such a sweetheart and gave us such a beautiful and complete experience. She made sure we were able to witness once in a lifetime experiences such as being so close to Pope Francis at the General Audience and at the Holy Mass of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Again, I am at a loss for words on how much I appreciate and feel much love for her and her dedication and professionalism. Our local guide, Daniela, was exceptional and went above and beyond expectations. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Our drivers, thank you…very efficient and classy transportation in every sense. Last, but certainly not least, our spiritual leader, Father Jonathan Inskip was fabulous. He is so incredibly knowledgeable and exudes such an enthusiasm, excitement, delight, love and passion for our Catholic faith. I learned so much from him. He has inspired me in so many ways. Thank you. Of course, my fellow pilgrims…what an amazing and special experience we shared. I will never forget you. I am truly blessed and humbled that our Lord Jesus Christ has allowed me to have had these experiences. Thank you 206 Tours for what you do. It is truly God’s work. The only “negative” thing I can think of is that I wish we had more time to take in these experiences. Perhaps extending the tour(s) by a day or two would allow for a deeper and less “hurried” feeling with such tremendous spiritual encounters.

Thank you, and God Bless,
Marly Faria

Life is going fast. A month ago we had left Fatima and were on the way to Lourdes, I really enjoyed this pilgrimage. Things were well organized. I appreciated very much our guide Ivan, he did a marvelous job. A suggestion, we were in Lourdes on Pentecost instead of a Mass in a chapel the participation to the “international mass” Again Thanks a lot. You did an excellent thing with this pilgrimage.

Father Pierre Deglaire

Dear Jen,

Thank you for your inquiry. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the Pilgrimage to Croatia, Slovenia, & Venice was. I have such a feeling of renewal. Our tour guide, Andrea, was fantastic! She is pleasant, caring, and extremely reliable! Croatia, and that area, is so beautiful, and the people there have done a remarkable job of recovering from the war 20 years ago. Andrea was very good at providing a balanced perspective on what that part of the world has endured these past two decades. She speaks 4 languages and is so good with people ! Our spiritual director, Fr. Jay Harrington, was very good. He is very well read and his sermons were so thought provoking. I would go on any 206 Pilgrimage that had him scheduled as the spiritual director. He is the best ! I have been on three 206 Pilgrimages (Ireland, June, 2015, Holy Land, March, 2017, and this one). They have been wonderful! I hope to go on many more. I have attached a photos or our group in Dubrovik, Croatia. You may share my words with anyone.

Mary Welch

Dear 206 Staff,

What a fantastic experience! I met the Tour in Lisbon and remained four extra days after the 206 Tour group moved on to Spain and Lourdes. Hotels: Mundial (Lisbon) Perfect location. Every convenience and service was available. Very efficient food service able to accommodate so many tour groups. Santa Maria (Fatima) Footsteps from the Fatima Sanctuary. Ultra modern, energy efficient, and very hospitable. The reception and dining staffs went beyond in every aspect. We were treated like special guests or family. Meals: Bountiful, delicious buffets that equalled those on fine cruises. Bus Driver: (Miguel) Extremely capable and serving. Kept his bus in perfect order. Managed to get through the most harrowing traffic and impassable streets. Tour Director: (Ivan) Very knowledgeable, articulate, and accommodating. Spiritual Director: (Fr. Kevin White, SJ) What a fine, warm, genuine priest! Planned Sightseeing: We were treated to the best sites in Lisbon, historical and religious. This 100th Anniversary Apparitions Tour took us to every site that is part of the Fatima story. Can you tell I am thoroughly pleased? And, I have already recommended 206 to several friends and parishioners.

Thanks for an amazing week in Portugal,
Richard de Aguero

Good afternoon!

Thank you for all your work and effort to make this pilgrimage a reality. It was great. Everyone of the pilgrims had a wonderful and spiritually enriching experience. Virtually everyone shared that the experience exceeded their expectations. The prayerful experience at the various churches, shrines and holy sites has left a profound mark on our hearts. I want to offer a special commendation to our guide, Juan Carlos. He was great. Juan Carlos was exceptionally prepared, very knowledgeable, and very personable. He dealt wonderfully with our two 11 year old girls. He offered them little roles that gave them a greater sense of involvement and importance. I appreciated all his help in the sacristy and at Mass. He is definitely a man of faith and that made all the difference. The hotels were great – very comfortable and good food. I had prepped the group that European rooms (and bathrooms) are often smaller than what we expect here in the US. The rooms were spacious. The only problem is that the group probably thinks I didn’t know what I was talking about. The conditions were a little warmer than I had expected but again Juan Carlos did a great job of trying to coordinate our outside time in the morning and much as possible. In Lourdes I met two women traveling from Ohio with a different company. Unfortunately their experience was not nearly as positive as mine. The brother of one of the women is scheduled on a 206 pilgrimage in July. I told them that he would have a great experience and that I hoped his guide was Juan Carlos. Again, thank you for everything. I am already looking forward to my next opportunity to join with 206 Tours for a pilgrimage.

Fr. Robert

We are very much pleased with this travel /pilgrimage experience. This trip was beyond our expectations. Please express our gatitude if you can to our tour guide Juan Carlos and our bus driver Gonzalo. Both were always key elements to our fun filled/learning experience. We saw so much that we can only remember most of it through videos and pictures. Juan Carlos is a very knowledgeable/responsible person. We will most definitely refer your services to people we know that want to have this same experience. Juan Carlos put it this way. Vacationers only look at objects and stones. Pilgrims look through and behind objects and stones. That is the difference. Great pilgrimage. Thank you!!!

Alejo and Nohemi Solano

Our tour of Holy Land May 28 to June 7 was the best. Our guide George was the best in the world. Airplane was the best with no delays, plenty of time between connections. Hotels were first class. I have recommended 206 Tours to everyone on my Facebook I have been to the Holy Land before with another tour company, but 206 is better by a long shot. P.S. DID I mention that our driver, Mamound and George were the best. Also Father Eugene was a saint. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Sincerely,
Michael and Teofila (Tina) Byrne

Dear Jen,

Flight from Orlando to Washington was delayed three hours and I missed all the connections. I came to Thessaloniki, Greece 24 h. late. And it continued like that to the end. My return flight Rome – Newark was delayed 7h, but they put me on a plane to Washington DC and I landed in Orlando only 2 h later than the original flight. But after arriving in Greece and stepping right into St. Paul’s footprints was more than rewarding. Seeing the places I read about, preached about and now could even say Mass where Paul stood gave me such a joy that I forget about United Airline right away. Patmos, the cave where St. John lived was a truly spiritual experience. All this was an excellent preparation for Holy Land. For us Catholics to walk in the holy places where Jesus taught and performed miracles is an overwhelming experience. Saying Mass in the most holy places for us is a deep spiritual touch, never to be forgotten in one’s life. I could see on the faces of my fellow pilgrims how deeply they were touched being there, praying there, some even shedding tears of joy and emotion. George’s historical and spiritual preparation for the next holy sight we were to visit made us all truly pilgrims to this holy place. He is the best one I ever listened to, a man who understands this land, being born there, and so gives wise insight to understand Jesus’ words and actions. Rome was beautiful, Federica fantastic tour escort. San Giovanni Rotondo, Lanciano, Assisi are places where ones faith is made stronger. It was a very religious, spiritually enriching trip that inspired the people to spend more time praying, truly a pilgrimage.

With kind regards,
Fr. Eugene Grytner

Our experience with 206 Tours was awesome, and I definitely would look forward to doing it again. Danny and I love Fr. Calloway, and I would think of no other way than doing a pilgrimage with him. Daily mass each day at a magnificent site of pilgrimage made my day. When we went on class trips, our instructor said things will always go wrong, rain, etc. We were not able to get into all of the churches because of Corpus Christi processions outdoors, but 206 tours more than made up for it by improvising, looking for the best options, providing lunches when none were scheduled.As Father Calloway said, we will become pilgrim “junkies”. We love you guys. Thanks for all.

Robert A. M

The Pilgrimage to Lourdes and up to Paris was amazing and a refreshing spiritual experience. Having Fr. Jim say Mass each day, singing and a daily dose of his homily explaining the readings of the day and how it influences our daily lives. We also extend our deep appreciation to our tour guide Vanessa who did a fantastic job and had a broad knowledge of the sites as well. We also thank her and the management to the hotel in Lourdes for getting our luggages back in 24hrs. Special thanks to Jose our driver who drove us safely from site to site. Lastly, we thank 206 Tours for a well arranged spiritual journey.

Heidi and Reny Albano

Hi Bika. My apologies for taking so long to get back to you, it’s been a hectic month. The Poland pilgrimage was a bucket list experience. It was a very memorable trip from beginning to end. Our tour guide, Karolina, was excellent; from sharing her knowledge to taking care of each one of us. She was always open to questions and available if someone had a special issue. I can’t say enough about her. And Franek, our driver, was also super. He took us through narrow streets, backing in tight spots like a pro. The tour guides, beyond Karolina, were also very knowledgeable. The days were very full but there was nothing I’d want to have missed. Having our own priest celebrate mass in all the special churches/chapels was a blessing. Every location we got to see was a wonderful wonderful experience. The special dinners out were an excellent bonus, getting to sample local cuisine beyond “lunching on our own.” For a first time overseas traveler 206 Tours couldn’t have done a better job putting it together. I would happily take another trip with them.

Thank You,
Celia Vertnik

Dear Bika and Amanda,

Our pilgrimage with Father Don Calloway to Fatima and Poland was a true blessing! We were able to cultivate friendships from past pilgrimages and make new “like-minded” friendships. Our guides, Olga and Javier G, were excellent. It greatly enhanced the pilgrimage to not only have guides that were able to explain the beautiful sites but also share their faith with us. Our spiritual director was amazing – Father Don Calloway was such an inspiration and breath of fresh air. Every aspect of our pilgrimage exceeded our hopes and expectations. Thank you so much, 206 Tours, for helping so many of us enrich our faith in an atmosphere of hospitality, love and friendship. With our most sincere thanks and warmest wishes for an abundance of grace and blessings to be sent your way.

Chuck and Cathy Thompson

Hi Chris,

This is Cynthia and Oscar Fonseca writing you after our pilgrimage to Fatima and Poland. Well it sure wasn’t the same without you once we reached Poland. You are an awesome person and employee of 206 Tours. They are very fortunate to have you and we were very blessed and fortunate to have met you also. Both Oscar and i feel that you were an angel sent by God to assist us and your mother should feel very proud to have you as her son. You went above and beyond the call to help us out always!! And for this we are most grateful. Your attitude was always superb!! You are kind, understanding, and very positive in particular, in moments of adversity. We wish you continued success at 206 Tours and if you ever need a recommendation from your client we would be happy to reply. May you continue to enjoy success in all of your endeavors. God bless you and your family especially your beautiful son!!!!

Sincerely,
Peace in Christ,
Cynthia and Oscar Fonseca

Dear Milanka, Amanda and Bika,

This was a pilgrimage of a lifetime… I know every pilgrim must start off their thank you letter just like that! However, it is so very true! Each pilgrimage is a unique and personal invitation from the Blessed Mother and the Heavenly Father, himself… calling one to come closer, and in the words of St John Paul II– “Be not Afraid!” As a pilgrim traveling alone to meet the rest of the group, I was apprehensive and anxious, trying as hard as I might to “Jesu Ufam Tobie”– and you know what, once I surrendered that fear and anxiety- I was safely escorted into the hug of not only Javier- the tour guide for the Fatima part of the Pilgrimage, but Chris Wright, who was sent to make sure all the pilgrims arrived safely. I was put at ease immediately, with the words, “Milanka said I needed to give you a big hug!” From there it was as if I was now family. It was quite obvious that Javier is extremely devoted to Our Lord and Lady. Fr Don Calloway also greeted me with, “oh, Milanka asked me to give you this— a HUG!” and I felt such peace!

From meeting up with the rest of our pilgrim group- and there was 60 of us- to the hotel accommodations- to the praying of the rosary to the procession every night of Our Lady of Fatima statue I was left with a peaceful and overwhelming sense of Joy– and that Joy I am sure was magnified in Heaven as Our Blessed Mother, Our Lord and God the Heavenly Father rejoiced in my answer to their call. Walking in the town as Asjudrel, where Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta grew up I could not believe the similarities between Medjugorje and Fatima! Our Blessed Mother comes to those places where she is welcomed by the humble. My roommate even though we had never met before, we felt like sisters and now we are! Onto Poland, the land of my ancestors! I cried, I worshiped, I adored, I glorified! Could you imagine me speechless at the thought of being where St Faustina and St John Paul the II walked! Olga, our tour guide for Poland was uniquely qualified to take us all around her beloved country. The attention to every detail did not go unnoticed. I received so many small graces that I am still overwhelmed in trying to remember them all. Fr Calloway’s reverence and wonderful homilies and insights brought Our Lord and Lady even closer to my heart! Milanka you have once again outdone yourself! Thank you for sharing your Love with me– You have made me a Pilgrim for life!

with Love,
Mary Ellen Fosso

I am so grateful to have joined this pilgrimage! Accommodations were wonderful, tour escorts Javier at Fatima and Olga in Poland were so knowledgeable and very nice. The spiritual journey was truly what I expected from a Pilgrimage. I loved all the places we visited. Fr Calloway was a terrific Spiritual Director for the Pilgrimage. He was always accommodating. Thank you Bika and God bless you!

Alicia

Mr. Santiago replied to your welcome home email and has some constructive comments on his first experience abroad. Since his reply was sent to All World Travel I am forwarding it to 206 Tours. Overall he and his family had a positive experience and were happy with their tours, especially happy with both guides and the hotel in Medjugorje. However, his comments on the hotel experience in Rome bear close scrutiny. Since he had to meet with the staff more than once regarding issues with his room perhaps 206 Tours needs to take a close look at the property and if necessary book another hotel that is more suitable for future clients. Aside from this concern the itinerary flowed well. I always appreciate feedback and Mr. Santiago’s comments will be incorporated into future pilgrimages. I wish to express my appreciation to 206 Tours. The staff was very quick to respond to questions regarding details of the trip. The concern for our clients return flight schedule home and the addition of the extra day in Medjugorje at 206 Tours expense, as well as the seat upgrades are well noted. I shared this with my colleagues and they were pleasantly surprised that 206 Tours would do this for their guests. My colleagues were also impressed with the documents and backpacks that were provided the clients. Thanks to all of you for going the extra mile.

Kind Regards,
Kathleen L. Ortiz

Dear Jen and everyone at 206,

We have returned from our tour, the Shrines of Italy, and we had a perfect trip! Everyone we encountered at 206, from ordering our trip, to questions on the telephone, to emails, was very professional and helpful. Our tour guide, Frederica, was absolutely wonderful! She was knowledgeable, caring, friendly, professional and a good Catholic role model. She was always on time and kept a good eye on all of us so that we would not get lost. She participated in our masses and clearly had a beautiful Catholic charism.

Julie Schuchardt

Hi Kathleen and 206 tours,

Thanks for checking in. We had an amazing time. In general, the trip was somewhat what we expected and we learned a lot from the experience. Both tour guides had their uniqueness and styles. Federica in Rome from the beginning at the airport was instrumental in making us feel so welcome!! She was always trying to meet our expectations even when we were experiencing our own personal difficulties. She met and exceeded our expectations and we our very grateful for her services. The only personal challenges we had were not having enough time to recover from time change. We probably would have scheduled an extra personal day to adjust to time change and long flights. The tours were amazing and were well organized.

Opportunities: Rome hotel and staff- we had issues with our room power temperature not working well and I had to meet with staff on several occasions to complain. In one instance a fuse went out creating a disruptive experience. It took several calls to adjust room temperature. Our departure flight from Albuquerque to Rome was ok. I personally would book a premium economy up grade given the long flight.

Tours- Maybe adding another day or two to Italy trip.

Positives: tour guide: fedrica was awesome and so was the local guide. The dinners were also well organized . We went to different restaurants experiencing local experience. Fedricka did a great job coordinating rome trip and balancing all pilgrims requests.

Medjugorje trip: spiritual experience on steroids. A place we would return. I loved the community energy and experience. This trip was a little slower pace with time to recover from events. We had our personal time as a family. We met so many great people from all over the world. The locals were great as well. We were a small group but we had such a great time!! Slavenka, our tour guide, knew our pace and style and she always respected our space and knew when to adjust. She was an exceptional tour guide who explained everything in detail!! She is local girl that everyone respected!

Positives: slower pace, more time recover, pray and having personal time. Hotel location and staff were amazing!!! We loved the location , simpleness of the room and Tomas one of the hotel waiter was great and even spoke Spanish. The extra day that was provided to see waterfalls with the English group was awesome !. Our return flight from Munich to Colorado on the German airlines with premium economy class was amazing!! Thank you for the up grade!!

Opportunities: next time Long lay over in Denver 3 hours was exhausting for my wife and daughter after long day.

Thank you again!!
Andres Santiago

Thanks, Jen. I appreciate the “welcome home” and the opportunity to rave about my experience in the Holy Land. Before I get into that, though, and before I forget, our Spiritual Guide, Fr. Eugene, didn’t have a copy of the Way of the Cross in his packet, so I gave him mine. Now I’d like to have it for reflection. Would it be possible for you to send me a replacement? Thanks! I am on retreat this week, taking the opportunity to re-live that amazing trip-of-a-lifetime. Thank you for everything! It was just perfect in every way, and each day I posted a summary on my Facebook page so all my “friends” could travel along too. I gave full credit to 206tours so I hope you get a lot more business as a result. Our tour guide, George Stephen, was exceptionally knowledgeable as well as patient and kind. The bus driver was expert in every way and friendly too. Fr. Eugene was also a good spiritual companion, and it was refreshing that it was also his first trip to the Holy Land. Yes, I have pictures, and besides my journal and the Facebook postings, I also plan to put something together for the sisters. When I do I’ll be happy to share that with you too. Good luck in your work, and if there is anything I can do to help in the future, please do not hesitate to ask. I’m happy to be a good will ambassador!

Regards,
Dr. Julia A. Upton, RSM
Distinguished Professor of Theology
St. John’s University

Thank you for the welcome home! We all had a wonderful experience in France. I was most especially moved by the time we spent in Lourdes. Very uplifting and spiritually fulfilling. The concelebrated mass at the grotto was a highlight, a wonderful experience. And the beautiful Stations of the Cross was very moving. Every thing went well and our guide Vanessa was top notch. The only grumblings among the pilgrims was the location of the hotel in Paris… they wished they were closer to the center of the city so that they wouldn’t have to take the metro to get about. They felt that a bit intimidating. If you get feedback from the pilgrims let me know. It helps in preparing and leading for my future pilgrimages. Thanks to all at 206 for making this happen for us!

Peace,
Fr Jim Conover

Hello Jen

Our pilgrimage was wonderful, even the weather cooperated with lots of sunny days. Charles and I were pleased – the itinerary was exactly what we went by with a couple of minor adjustments made by Alexandra. She, by the way, was excellent. We enjoyed both the scriptural and the history she shared of Greece. This pilgrimage inspired me, it highlighted the heroic journey St. Paul made to spread the gospel. To see the places where he preached, we were truly “following in the footsteps of St. Paul”. Greece is beautiful, the ruins were interesting. I would highly (and have) recommended it to my friends. It was also a good mix of land tours and cruise. I am happy to share a few photos. Please feel free to use these photo for future promotions. Thank you 206 Tours for this wonderful and faith-filled experience.

God bless
Angela

Hi Jen

We cannot thank you and 206 tours enough for the most wonderful pilgrimage we took to the Holy Land. It was perfect. Everything was just perfect. The priest who came with us Father Eugene was awesome. We believe he made the experience even more spiritual. The tour guide George was incredible knowledgeable and so very good with information. The driver was super nice and so sweet. The hotels were great. The food amazing. We have no complaints at all. In fact we are so grateful that we will take the next pilgrimage with you. Thank you for everything. Keep up the wonderful work you are doing.

Blessings
Ray and Gloria Olson

Hi Amanda

The pilgrimage was awesome – I didn’t know what to expect and I was blown away! The masses were my favorite part, they felt so intimate when shared with people on the same journey. However everything else was a close second. I am not sure 206 could have given us a better guide…George was amazing. His knowledge, his patience, his smile, his sense of humor, and his kindness were through the roof! Thank you for all your hard work putting our tour together.

Blessings
Cathie Dieteman

We had an amazing trip. Everything went perfectly with no problems.A big part of why it went so well was Juan Carlos. He is a true gem, both as an organizer and as a human being. Jose, the driver, was also excellent. We would recommend 206 Tours to everyone!

Thank you!
Julie

I absolutely loved the pilgrimage to Medugorje. It was so peaceful. I undoubtedly grew closer to Jesus through Mary during the time I was there. She led me to her Son. Thank you for organizing such an incedible pilgrimage. I will remember it forever. I know that I will find myself in Medugorje in the future.

All the best,
Rachel Ducharme

I was quite late with my registration however, I made it thru your kind effort. To Chris and Sammie- my special thanks, I really appreciate your help. Being there on the 1st week of anniversary especially on the 12th, witnessing the arrival of Pope Francis and attending the masses on the eve( vigil mass) & on the 13th–were all Great blessings for all of us who made it. It was a great experience in a very, very big audience(the biggest so far I’ve witnessed) yet a peaceful ceremony. My sincerest thanks to all of you 206tours Team for a well organized Pilgrimage. -The Hotels, the food— all very good. For our very good Free Lunchx2 during the most crowded days in Fatima, thank you so much, Milanka. I was impressed seeing you there & your husband- giving us extra support, PRN. I highly recommend Fr. Shemek Nowak–for being an excellent Spiritual leader in Fatima ; my sincerest thanks for all the wisdom I’ve learned. I highly recommend Quico G.- our very hard working and helpful tour guide.You can count on him.Fr. J.Conover, our spiritual leader in France & Vanessa, our tour guide – did also a good job- I recommend them both also. Miguel & Jose are excellent drivers- I highly recommend them both. To our extraordinary speaker, Dr. Scott Han and his compassionate & accommodating wife Kimberly-thank you very much. Looking forward for my 7th Pilgrimage in the near future, still under your very good service. GOD Bless your Heart & GOD Bless us ALL !!!!!

So Sincerely,
Carmel T.

Hi,

I was told I could send a few pictures of our wonderful Pilgrimage in to this email address. I just wanted to say that we’ve traveled with 206 Tours on Pilgrimages now for our 4th time and this pilgrimage was just truly amazing! We really loved our tour guide Federica and our driver Massimo!! I can’t imagine going back and not having them as our guides….Melissa, you were totally right about Federica, Sophia just fell in love with her as did we! Thanks so much 206 Tours for making this the pilgrimage of a lifetime. We are getting ready to book for next year and have about 10 people that want to go! Is there a way to make sure Federica could be our pilgrimage guide? We would include Shrines of Italy again but add on other sites. Thanks so much Melissa for everything, it’s been such a blessed time! Here are a few pictures from the journey. Thanks so much Melissa for everything, it’s been such a blessed time! Here are a few pictures from the journey.

God Bless,
Kym Bellard

Dear Nicole,

I refrained from taking pictures as I did not want to spend my pilgrimage ‘behind a lens.’ However, I would like to emphasize that our guide, Vanessa T., was wonderful. She was very knowledgeable, extremely helpful, and overall a wonderful lady. It was obviously not ‘just a job’ for her – she was like a fellow pilgrim. I would also like to add that our bus driver, Jose, did a wonderful job (especially driving in Paris) and was kind and very pleasant. I would definitely consider another pilgrimage with 206 Tours in the future.

Blessings,
Lavonne Petruzzellis

This was our 2nd pilgrimage with 206 Tours. We loved our tour last year to Rome and Medjugorje so we had very high expectations for our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Somehow, the staff of 206 managed to exceed all of the expectations we had!! Highlights: The quality of the tour locations, especially where we had our daily Masses. We couldn’t believe we were in the places you had arranged for us! Our outstanding guide, Romi! His knowledge of history, tradition, & Christianity were essential in guiding our pilgrimage. His genuine concern for everyone on our tour was displayed constantly in big and little ways. Our priest, Fr. Gerard, is a true treasure! He led us spiritually and became one with us in the wonder and joy of our experiences. The attention to detail that 206 arranged: hotels, meals, sites to visit, our skilled & patient bus driver Jon the special cake and roses we received on Mother’s Day, the delicious end of tour dinner with its spectacular rooftop view thank you, thank you, thank you! We have been spiritually nourished and feel so very blessed by this experience. Thank you also for arranging for the bus to return to the airport to pick us up when our flight arrived 4 1/2 hours late. Dinner was even sent to our room that night since our delay had caused us to miss the group Mass and dinner. You truly went above and beyond to take care of us pilgrims!

May God Bless all that you do,
Shirley Giese

The pilgrimage was Great! Of course Fr Carroll was terrific and the guides, both of them were exceptional. Not only were they so knowledgeable about the areas and events Old Testament and New, but they were very spiritual which I thought tied it all together.

So Thank you, Blessings,
John Malthaner

Hi Nicole,

It is always a great joy to lead a group, and 206 always makes it perfect! We love staying with Jelka and Drazen and they are truly our Medjugorje family. Their home is immaculate and meals outstanding. Every detail is cared for, every need is met with a smile! At the time for our sharing on the last day each and every person had a beautiful testimony, both those who have come before and those with us for the first time. This is Medjugorje for me as a group leader and fellow pilgrim. These stories are my miracles! And the love shown among these pilgrims was amazing! Our flight was delayed out of Munich, yes, but no one complained. The personnel at Lufthansa were very good to us, and sometimes these things happen. A small inconvenience for such a great week! I already look forward to returning in September! Love and thanks to you all!

Maureen

Our pilgrimage has been blessed with spiritual renewal and just wonderful experience…did not want it to end!! ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE of course with an experienced Tour guide Juan Carlos and a spiritual director Fr. Denis Wilde. I have a very serious medical problem (cancer)with my hip,having problem keeping up with the walking tour on cobble stone street surface, but your company provided a wheel chair which really helped me out during the walking tour but again Juan Carlos was so kind to help me using the wheel chair. He is just a God sent assistant to make the tour enjoyable. So many of the members of the group has been so gracious offering their help to push me in the wheel chair as they see my wife staggering pushing the wheel chair. If we have to do another tour we will not hesitate to use 206 again…you guys are so kind to the pilgrims, made our tour so organized!!

May God continue to bless everyone in your company. Thank you. ,
Orlando Sanidad & Noemi Sanidad

Dear Nicole,

My pilgrimage to The Holy Land on May 1-10, 2017 was fantastic! Father Connolly was the perfect spiritual director, and Shafiq was the perfect tour guide. Father Connolly was completely knowledgeable in matters of the Catholic Church, doctrine and faith which is surprising in such a young priest. At all times he conducted himself with the dignity expected of a priest. He was always prepared with the biblical accounts of the places we were visiting and often gave historical explanations to enlighten the tour group further. It would be impossible not to like Shafiq. Having grown up in Israel he could explain in great depth the sites we visited along with the historical facts concerning the sites and surrounding area. And he was entirely Catholic and knew how to relate historical facts to Catholic teachings. He and Father Connolly were the perfect compliment to each other. Going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land would not have been the same had I not gone with Father Connolly, Shafiq, and other committed Catholics. You can be sure I will use 206 Tours in the future.

Kathy Benitez

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment on our pilgrimage to The Holy Land. Both my husband and I were concerned about taking a land tour because of the logistics of packing and unpacking every evening as well as the stories about very early starts in the morning and very late arrivals at night. Not only did Rami, our tour guide, not do any long days, he set a nice pace each day. His knowledge was exceptional filling in history and traditions, as we went, but not repeating himself or talking all the time. The group size of 25 was also ideal. On a scale of 1 to 10, Rami is a 12! We were impressed with the Mass sites; I do not think you could surpass the locations we had. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give mass sites a 10+. The hotels were also lovely. The hotel locations were exceptional, as they were easy to get around on our own. We especially enjoyed the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem, what a treat. Another score of 10+ for hotels. My only regret is that I didn’t do the pilgrimage 40 years ago. It is a trip I will relive at every mass. Thank you for an exceptional experience. Joe and I are talking about a return trip, with our daughter and son-in-law, and we would love to have Rami again! (I will call when we get a date picked in 2020.)

Marion Ament

Just wanted you to have some very positive feedback! The hotels, food and service were as promised, i.e., first class. Grace Magbaleta’s service and joy as our group leader, gave a great feeling of security and her singing and prayers as well as jokes kept us going daily. Fr Cal’s wam spirit, Masses and homilies enriched this faith-filled experience in all the holy sites we visited. I do not have enough superlatives to describe our guides and drivers especially guides Habib in Israel and Salaman in Jordan. Definitely a trip of a lifetime at a reasonable cost. Seeing the three areas of Dubai, Abu Dhabi (UAE) ,the Holy Land, and Jordan made it all just amazing.

Thank you!
Rosemary

The pilgrimage was wonderful and life changing. Our guide Habib was outstanding in his knowledge and ability coordinating our activities. I definitely recommend him. Our driver Joe was great as well. He is very skillful in a difficult driving environment. Fr. Cal gave us excellent spiritual care. Grace is a great organizer and was helpful all along the way both before and during our trip. Blessings to all of you at 206. I hope to travel with you again.

Barbara Hinkley

Dear Natasha,

Thank you 206 Tours family for a wonderful pilgrimage. God blessed all your efforts and prayers. I’m sure everyone in the group will forever cherish all the memories we had. Thank you, Most Holy Trinity! Habib, our guide in Israel was an outstanding guide. He explained things very well, connecting the Old Testament to the New Testament. His in depth knowledge of the sites and its history were amazing, making the bible come alive. I say the same things with Solomon, our guide in Jordan. Both of them were friendly, very knowledgeable and flexible. We were truly blessed with having them as our guides. If the Lord leads me to go back to these places, I will request for them as our guides again. Our trip to Dubai was wonderful as well. We attended Sunday Mass at St Mary Catholic Church, a big church. Before the Mass, a lady noticed we had 206 Tours lanyards, so she ushered us to the front rows. Thank you, Jesus! I was impressed with the structures in Dubai, but more so with the Miracle Garden. Thank you once again for all your work and support and prayers.

May you be forever blessed,
Grace

Dear Rinda,

Shrines of Spain Pilgrimage was wonderful. Pilgrims expressed great gratitude to the guides, hotels, city guides, etc. The hotels were all fine. All of the meals provided by the hotels were very good too, with the exception of the meal at the hotel in Santiago. It was not up to par. But all of the other meals were delicious, wholesome, and more then bountiful! Our bus driver was excellent. While his English was limited, he made up for in courtesy, kindness, and a willingness to help out. Leo, our primary guide, was more than excellent! A devout Catholic, who fully participated in all of the spiritual exercises, including praying the rosary on the bus with the pilgrims. In addition, he fully participated in all of the Masses. And appears to be very knowledgeable on all things Catholic. he city guides that we had this time were very, very good. I think some of the best ever. Ernesto, in particular, in Toledo was top notch. He even asked if it was alright for him to stay and celebrate Mass with us at the Cathedral. His daughter is going to be doing a year abroad in Iowa this year for college. The only place that we had a problem for the Mass was at the church of the Eucharistic Miracle. I don’t think that there are any priests actually are there. Whatever church had Sisters in charge, everything was pristine and beautiful. Unfortunately we do not have enough Sisters to be everywhere.

Thanks!
Fr. Schill

Dear 206 Tours,

We just returned from our pilgrimage of the Holy Land, including Jordan, May 1-14, 2017. I commend your company for providing us with good hotels and food, a wonderful itinerary of the Holy Sites, our skillful drivers, and our patient and knowledgeable guides, Habib in Israel, and Solomon in Jordan. The free water on the buses was a great perk, as it prevented dehydration. Father Cal was a true blessing and joy as he was our “shepherd.” Grace Magbaleta was a very capable leader, making sure our needs were met, and as someone who guided us as we travelled through Israel and Jordan. We would definitely recommend your tour company. As a matter of fact, we already have.

Larry and Linda Santiago

Thank you also for ur work my sister Luz and my nephew Jeffrey have great time it was really a wonderful experience to be in our Lord place as they said it was not accident that we were there but a blessing we are really blessed!

Edita A Lacsamana

Juan Carlos was terrific as a guide who really had his eye open for opportunities for the pilgrims and concern for those who were in need of help.

Fr. Denis G. Wilde

JMJ+

What aspects of the pilgrimage were your favorite?
I enjoyed EVERYTHING! I especially loved the walk where we did the stations of the cross and attended Mass on the path. I was thrilled to see the Holy Father up close, go to St. Jerome’s Monastery, St. Anthony’s church, the homes of the Lucia and Francisco and Jacinta, the family cemetery near by, the tombs of the little Saints, the apparition Chapel of the Blessed Mother, the Convent where St. Lucia spent most of her life, the convent where the Queen had built for the nuns. I could go on and on…as there wasn’t one aspect of this trip I didn’t enjoy! I was AMAZED by the artifacts in the museum where valuable gifts were stored that had been given to Fatima. Such a hidden and unknown treasure to me. Javier, our guide was fabulous and very knowledgeable and especially patient with my non-believing husband who always had a million questions for him. The very nice and considerate touches by 206 tours of buying us pastries while at St. Jerome’s, bringing us white roses on Mother’s Day, buying us stamps commemorating the 100 year anniversary of Fatima were all very moving. Also, very nice to have a cake for the Mother’s at our final dinner. Carlos our tour driver was incredible. I always felt safe and amazed by his skilled driving in such a difficult area to navigate a huge bus. He was extremely nice as well. Carlos our tour driver was incredible. I always felt safe and amazed by his skilled driving in such a difficult area to navigate a huge bus. He was extremely nice as well.

Were you satisfied with the spiritual elements as well as the physical (i.e. accommodations)?

Spiritually
Our Spiritual director was very good and his Masses were beautiful as well. It was very exciting to have Dr. Hahn and his wife Kimberly in attendance. Dr. Hahn’s talks, like always, are amazing and informative! Maybe, my non-believing husband absorbed some of the information from Dr’s Hahn’s talks too. I can only pray and hope. There is a lot to take in and ponder and reflect upon after visiting this Holy Site. I am definitely going to try to increase my spiritual efforts and think about ways in which I can offer up more sufferings for the Holy Souls in addition to praying the Rosary more than once a day. These holy children’s lives are so moving. One cannot help but be touched and inspired by their personal sacrifices.

Physical
The Hotel Eurosol was sufficient. It had firm beds, and working air conditioning, very friendly staff and clean rooms. Our rooms were cleaned at least twice during our four day stay. The TV worked too. The Hotel provided a converter for my blow dryer but did not have an available blow dryer as noted on their room accommodation material. With the provided converter, my blow dryer was not reliable and didn’t always turn on. Luckily I was able to have my hair done at the Leiria mall (as noted above) as I didn’t want to go a week without washing my hair and I needed a reliable blow dryer. I realize Portugal is not a rich country and does not have all the fresh fruits and vegetable options like we have in California, so I didn’t have high expectations for the food. That being said, the meals at the Santa Maria hotel, however, were always good. The dinners at the Hotel Eurosol, not so. Maybe they need a new chef or different items selected for the meals? The sack lunch breakfast/lunch were fine though and the breakfasts were good too. The hotel in Lisbon was also sufficient. The room was clean but a little difficult to move around in as we had a corner room with a angular roof line which made one part of the room lower with less space. I cannot remember what we ate on the first night while in Lisbon but it wasn’t memorable. Oh, my husband just said it was some mystery meat with a mushroom sauce. It was okay. I remember the soup being served very cold. The breakfast buffet was good at the Lisbon hotel and offered many choices.

Please let us know if your expectations were not met at any point during the pilgrimage.
206 Tours exceeded all my expectations and more and I’d highly recommend them to any family or friends that are interested in taking a religious pilgrimage. It was amazing how much sightseeing we were able to pack in, given the record crowds in Fatima on this very special 100 year anniversary occasion!

May God Bless 206 Tours for making such Pilgrimages possible!

In the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Mary Glasser

Dear Nicole,

We could not be more pleased with our trip with 206. Every aspect of the trip was executed flawlessly. Travel arrangements were great as was the lodging. Our guide (Javier), driver (Rual) and Father Darrick made this spiritual and physical journey so special. I would like to add that Javier was one of the best tour guides we have ever seen. He readily shared his knowledge of Spanish/Galician culture and food as well as Catholic history with us throughout the journey. We realize that 206 could have made the choice to postpone or cancel this event because the group size was small but please accept the entire groups thanks for nor doing that and letting us have such a special pilgrimmage. I would gladly offer further comments or input to 206 leadership. This our second tour with 206 and we definitely plan to work with you on future trips – you are the best.We loved this trip so much that we would definitely be interested in other parts of the El Camino for future hikes (such as starting east of Sarria and ending there after five or six walking days). We are unaware whether 206 conducts tours for US college students but we all beleive they would truly benefit from Tour 70. Target pilgrims at Catholic Colleges/Universities, or Newman’s Clubs at regular campuses. There were several Catholic students from other countries that joined us for Mass – very special!

Thanks so much for this experience. God Bless
Patrick and Nancy Snellings

Amanda,

The trip was AMAZING!!! Everything went perfectly (except for a ground delay going which caused us to miss our connection in NY but it all worked out and was no one’s fault). I want to HIGHLY commend Vanessa our tour guide………..she was the perfect pilgrimage guide!!!! She was attentive, patient, knowledgeable, friendly………….everything!!!! I would take a tour with her again any time………she represented 206 Tours extremely well!!! I also liked the “whispers” that allowed us to hear at all times……what a great tool. I can’t thank you enough for such a wonderful experience…………I am already looking forward to my next 206 Tour………..this one will definitely not be my last.

Thanks to you and to all at 206!!!!
Deacon Hank Schmalen

Hello Nicole,

The pilgrimage went well. It was nice to have the quiet time to pray while walking. I tend to be a fast walker so I usually was ahead of the rest of the group. I enjoyed to locations where we were able to offer Mass. The food and hospitality were great. This was my second 206 tour in Europe and each time the tour escort did a great job showing excitement for the pilgrimage and displaying great hospitality. Quico was wonderful this year.

Thank you for a great pilgrimage.
Fr. Leo

My recent trip to Holy Land and Rome was a memorable experience. In Israel, our tour guide Rami was very knowledgeable, Fr. Piotr was encouraging with his homilies and our driver Hamed was very patient and made us feel safe with his excellent driving skills at all times. Likewise in Rome, Federica our tour guide and Fr. Jim did a great job too. In both countries, food was amazing, hotel accommodation was great and schedule was well organized. Thank you for making our trip very pleasant and smooth. Definitely I recommend 206 Tours

Sincerely,
Cesar Gentallan

Dear Milanka,

I just returned from a 10-day pilgrimage to Southern Spain included in itinerary Madrid, Toledo, Guadalupe, Antequera, Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada, Ronda, Onil, Alcoy and Valencia, and to Gibraltar (British Territory). In 9 days we walked 59 miles. There were many beautiful crucifixes and statues of Jesus, Mary and saints at the different cathedrals and churches, great paintings at the Prado Museum and the Picasso exhibit at the Sofia Reina Museum. The top religious visits include: The Cathedral of St. Maria La Real de la Almudena in Madrid, Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Extremadura, Cathedrals in Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Granada and Valencia, The Holy Grail at the Catedral de Santa Maria in Valencia, The Eucharistic Miracles in Onil and in Alcoy, The Relic of the left hand of St. Teresa of Avila in the Carmelite Convent at Ronda and The Carthusian Monastery in Granada. We also had extensive city tours of the above places, visited Alhambra, Water Gardens of Generalife, Antequera, watched a great flamenco show in Seville, cable car ride in Gibraltar and had varied culinary experiences(Iberico ham, tapas, 3 types of paella dinners, special desserts, etc.). Upon registration, the only person I knew was the tour guide, Javier Valdivieso, who has accompanied us in 5 of the pilgrimages with Fr. Andre Patenaude, M.S. (Fr. Pat, the singing priest) from the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, Massachusetts.Cora, the tour coordinator, is a Filipino from San Francisco, and she completely customized this great itinerary. Javier, the overall tour guide, and all the local guides were excellent! They gave us great lessons in art and history! The Spiritual Director is Fr. Rogelio, who is Mexican, and who has accompanied Cora 4 times in previous pilgrimages. His homilies were great! The morning prayers, the daily Mass and recitation of the Rosary, and an opportunity for Confession were part of our day. The hotels were excellent and centrally located. The breakfasts and the dinners (in the hotel or outside the hotel) were great as well. The group is friendly and very helpful. I enjoyed them all and felt bad when I had to say goodbye. Below are some pictures.

Love, Joy and Peace!
Brenda

I was delighted to received your “Pilgrimage Certificate” which brings back all the impressions of the Pilgrimage. The running of the Tour was amazing. I have never experienced such a well organised and worry free and excursion. The group leader was exceptional. he added so much to the trip with his incredible knowledge, concern for our well being, and he never lost his temper!!!! I received a great personal boost to my Spiritual life. All the leaders at the various stops we made, were so “on to it” so to speak. Thank you very much for all that “206” and all you have done to make the trip so wonderful, memorable and trouble free. May Our Blessed Lady continue to bless you and the 206, for such a fine Task that you have done.

Peace and God’s blessing to all.
Brother Peter Henderson

Nothing could have surprised us more than this A+ #1 Trip. We are so joyed we decided to take this trip. As you noted this trip is like no other. There were no glitches during the entire time. We met wonderful people. The driver was great and really knew how to handle that big comfortable bus. Phil, the Guide, was awesome!!!!! He was so knowledgeable on every place we went. We learned Sooooooo much because of him. He was a lot of fun to be with. All three hotels were very appreciated. Breakfasts were fantastic, coffee always available that’s important to us!!! Love coffee. Clean rooms, nice towels, good pillows. I still can’t believe all we saw. Memories will last FOREVER. I will definitely recommend “206”. Thank you for all you did to make it so wonderful!!

Sincerely,
Barb and John Grondahl

I have participated in six 206 Tours and have been pleased with each of them in terms of accommodations, meals, transportation, and guest speakers or guides. My singular reason for writing this letter is to praise Vanessa, our tour guide for the Fatima to Lourdes program from April 9 to 18, 2017. If one were to employ a five star scale in evaluating guides, all the guides in my previous 206 programs would receive either five or four stars. (Note: I was a tough grader during my years as a university professor.) In the case of Vanessa, however, she far exceeded my expectations. As such, she warrants more than five stars. My reasons for this grade are as follows. First, her language skills were impressive as she was comfortable not only in her native Portuguese, but also with Spanish, French, and most importantly for many in the group English. She could shift with ease from one language to another when the need arose. Her facility with English enabled us to understand either her directions or content material without any difficulty. Her mastery of English was noted in particular by her ability to understand humorous terms or phrases in English. Second, she provided the group with a wealth of knowledge about Portugal, Spain, and France. That knowledge included history, geography, and contemporary issues confronting those countries. She also displayed an insight into the spiritual significance of each religious site which was appreciated. Clearly, these observations illustrate that Vanessa likes her job as she has taken the time to master the depth and breadth of the countries and sites we visited. She is obviously a credit to her profession. Third, she has a pleasing personality. She was able to assist a wide range of ages in our group with a host of questions and individual needs with professionalism, humor, and always of smile. This illustrated time and again that she likes people in a particular caring way. I dubbed her the shepherdess of our flock, as she was always attentive to the individual needs of her sheep. I strongly encourage you to employ her services often as she is a significant asset to the mission of 206 Tours.

Sincerely,
Richard J. Terrill

Bika,

Our pilgrimage to Poland exceeded my expectations! Our tour escort, Filip, was absolutely outstanding! I travel extensively and can honestly say that he is the best tour guide I have ever had — 206 Tours should use his services whenever possible. The accommodations and food were excellent. The entire trip was thoughtfully planned out. Very nice blend of spiritual reflections as well as visits to historic and cultural sites of Poland.

Jennifer L Ward

Good morning Piernha and Nicole,

I am heading to Tel Aviv for my flight home and so so blessed to have been on this pilgrimage. What an awesome once in a lifetime experience this has been. Thank you for all you did in organizing everything. It was flawless really. In fact words can’t describe it. Thank you very much and do stay blessed. I surely am after this pilgrimage!!!

Regards,
Besa

Nicole,

Yes our pilgrimage was the most memorable ever. Words do not express our wonderful trip. The tour guide, (Rami) was an incredibly knowledgeable and kind and patient young man. Our spiritual director Fr. Piotr Paciorek was also the best. I would change nothing except…I would add a suggestion to refrain from photos during the Holy Mass. I know you will not be able to stop it but if you could just strongly suggest. The trip was more than we ever expected….don’t change anything else…and we are suggesting 206 Tours to all of our friends and family as well. Great job!! and Thank YOU all.

Debe Ragan

Amanda,

Good Afternoon. I have been resisting getting back to reality, mentally I am still in Israel! This was my second pilgrimage with 206 Tours and it was well worth it, I enjoyed everything about it, in the words of Father Don I am now a pilgrim junkie! I think 206 runs the best pilgrimages/tours, there is nothing I want or need on the trip. I especially enjoyed the three meals a day although I do feel I ate too much! Last year when I went to Poland we received breakfast and dinner so this was a nice perk getting lunch. Our hotels were stellar, bus was clean, and Nazeel and Jack were the best! Actually I almost feel like I had an overload of information which is good. Yesterday I went out to the book store and purchased a book on the history of Jerusalem and a history of Christianity. This is my best part of my trips is when I come home and feel like a sponge on anything and everything that I saw and learned on my trip, and want to continue to absorb more! Maybe the best part of all was the intimacy of the pilgrimage. Last year went I took the Divine Mercy pilgrimage to Poland we had two bus loads of pilgrims and it was hard to friend each and every pilgrim although I absolutely loved that trip too I think partly because I am Polish and am a St. John Paul and St. Faustina Kowalska cheerleader.! But this pilgrimage was really really special. Having one bus full of pilgrims was easier to get to know almost each one individually. They are all so special and dear to me, of course you have your favorites and that is common anywhere. Some pilgrims I feel like I have known my whole life!!! I really didn’t take any pictures to share and I have a crazy reason for that. Three years ago my mom passed away and now I have all of her life’s pictures and I also have mine. So that being said I am trying to cut back on the picture taking, but everything is in my memory! Ok so thank you for checking in with us and I hope you have a wonderful year ahead.

Grateful for this pilgramage and will keep you in my prayers!
Marie Lewandowski!

I had a truly wonderful time on my 206 Pilgrimage Tour to the Holy Land. Our tour guide, Jack, was exceptional. His wealth of knowledge of each location was impressive and he was able to communicate the history and relevance of each location in a comprehensive and interesting way. The tour bus and driver where very nice. We moved around Israel in a comfortable and smooth way. The flow of the tour was very well done beginning up north in Caesarea and moving to the west to Tiberias for a few days and ending in the heartbeat of Jerusalem for the final five days where there is so much to see and do. Despite Lent being a very popular time to visit the Holy Land we never felt overwhelmed by crowds or experienced very bad traffic. I think this is due to the timing of the tours being so well planned out. Father Calloway added a very special spirituality to the tour. We were always reverent at each site and in between we recited the rosary on the bus. Our daily masses in the historical churches throughout the Holy Land were very special. What a great way to feel God among us. The three hotels we stayed at were wonderful. Each accommodation was very comfortable and the breakfast and dinner buffets were delicious. In between, 206 Tours found a wonderful Christian restaurant to enjoy a delicious lunch at. Being my first 206 Tour, I was truly impressed and plan on participating in several more Pilgrimages with 206 Tours in the future!!

All the best,
Ellen Greubel

Hello Milanka,
I will be forever promoting 206 Tours as our trip was the best of my life. What a gift from above and one I will always be grateful for. Ellen and I are planning to do Poland next summer and Germany in 2020. I do hope to see you again on a tour or if I am ever in New York, i will stop by and see you and Amanda.

Thank you again for everything!

Love,
Liz Furman

Hello Milanka,

Even though I have had to endure pain the trip was the trip of a life time, life changing indeed. As Fr. Donald said, it will forever change the way you see the gospels, pray the Office and the Rosary, it has come alive, I think every Catholic who is able should go on a Pilgrimage, and book it through 206 Tours. It was all good. I felt so much love, and will continue all my days to pray for you, Amanda and all the Pilgrims including Nazee and the lovely Jack! Oh, and I have to mention Simon, what a dear pushing me (quite a load) around Jerusalem!! Please let him know how much I appreciated it, so much!

Love and Prayers dear friend,
Joanne

Amen Milanka!

Your the best! & all our family of pilgrims were soo very wonderful to journey & share with thruout an amazing & breathtaking Holy Land Pilgrimage. What an exceptional walk back in time & in the history of the diverse & various regions we all explored together. Truly a well suited itenary for a pilgrim soul! Thank You!, & all your very gracious, helpful, & knowledgeable staff, Jack our guide, & bus driver Nazeen. Fr. Don & I & all 38 + just experienced a top notch & unforgettable one of a kind Holy Land Journey as Forever Pilgrim Souls. Thank you Fr. Don for your spiritual direction, Holy Masses with homilies straight from the heart Much Love & Our Best Regards!!! Saluté to 206 Tours Pilgrims & Pilgrimages !!!

Love, God’s Blessings & Prayers, Your grateful sister in JMJ, +++
LaChita

I thoroughly enjoyed the Pilgrimage. Our tour guide, Juan Carlos, was exceptionally good! Scheduling, logistics & timing were all well executed. The hotel in Burgos was excellent. I would recommend 206 tours to anyone.

Mark

Hi Elise,

My trip with Johnnette Benkovic was the best rewarding experience as it exceeded my expectations. There was a lot history, spectacular views, solemnity, meditation, reconciliation and outstanding the medicinal bath at Lourdes. The hotel were comfortable, the food was excellent but the most touching was how Juan Carlos and his two assistants Kiko and Leo took care of us. I will never forget this pilgrimage as it has turned my life around.

God bless,
Flory

Elise,

The tour itself was wonderful. Our guide, Juan Carlos, and the two student guides with him, Quico and Leo, were outstanding and professional and a total joy to be with as was the driver, Miguel. They could not have been any more kind, attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. They are very dedicated and outstanding people. The places we visited were wonderful and met and exceeded my expectations. It was an altogether wonderful trip and I hope Johnnette does it again for other pilgrims. As it turns out the first week of Lent is a perfect time to go. There were no crowds and we were easily able to see and move around in the holy places at Fatima, Avila, Loyola, and Lourdes.

Susan

What a great trip! Our tour guide, Nadi, and our driver, Hamed, were excellent! Our guide was not only quite knowledgeable, he was also very responsive to the requests of members of the group. This included, but was not limited to, adjusting our itinerary when conditions warranted it. I would highly recommend 206 Tours!

John Skinner

The tour was GREAT!!! Our tour guide, Shafiq was EXCELLENT!

Allison Buff

The trip was absolutely perfect from beginning to end! Shafiq was the best tour guide we could have asked for. He was so knowledgeable and shared so much information, I wish I could have taken him home with me to answer all of the questions I have! Thank you for everything. I will surely do another pilgrimage with 206 in the future!

God Bless,
Theresa Westergard

Thank you so much for the opportunity to visit the Holy Land. It was a wonderful experience. Our tour guide, Shatiq, was so knowledgeable and informative and a delightful addition to our group. Please keep him!!’. Ramsey, our driver, was always helpful and pleasant. Thank you again for your part in this wonderful experience.

Bonnie Medler

Let me begin by saying how impressed I am with 206 tours. Every bit of information was sent ahead of time for us to look over and read up on prior to our trip. From the moment we arrived, our guide, Nadi, was there promptly to great us and give us information on the days/nights ahead. Our group could all tell instantly that he was going to be very attentive to our needs and our expectations would be met on this Pilgrimage. We always had a schedule of events in advance, wake-up calls, contact information, and sense of security in a foreign country. As a teacher myself, I can appreciate how much he taught me and how well he presented information to our large group each day. Not only is he knowledgeable beyond my expectations but he had a sense of humor that made learning so much fun. You are truly blessed to have someone so talented and knowledgeable at 206 tours. Even our driver, Hamed, worked tirelessly to meet our expectations. He was always helping us on and off the bus, and greeting us with a smile each morning and night. Also, when our wifi on the bus wasn’t working he spent time trying to get it fixed, but let us use his cell phone’s hotspot when we needed it. Not to mention how super impressed we all were with his driving skills and felt safe the entire trip. Finally, even with our flight cancelation, I wasn’t worried one bit. Nadi reached out to our group and had Amaal and Sam from 206 Tours come to our hotel to start rebooking and getting a schedule set for us. We felt like we were in good hands the entire time. I was able to relax and not worry about the little things so I could truly take in this once in a lifetime spiritual journey. I will forever remember this trip as one of the highlights in my life. Thank you for all that you did to get me there and back home safely. I would definitely go through 206 tours again and spread the word of how great everyone was that we came in contact with while we were there.

God Bless,
Christina Strantz

Each of our Pilgrimages with Fr Mike have most memorable but with the help of our 5 star tour guide Shafiq bringing the old and New Testaments alive. We definitely will feel much different when the readings and gospel is read at Mass. The accommodations were wonderful. Again our tour escort Shafiq and driver Ramsey were 5 stars. Our Good Shepherd Fr. Mike Vetrano feed us our spiritual needs.

Best
Charles & Giovanna Mottern

After returning home I am still at a loss for words for what I/We experienced during our 10 day pilgrimage. It was truly an amazing experience! Nadi is more knowledgeable than words can describe and his personality/ humor brought tears to our eyes at times! It was a true gift to have him as our guide. Hamed added to the experience! He was a fabulous addition to our trip, getting us to each stop safety with a smile always on his face! I am happy to be home with family, but I am already missing my time in Israel. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before. I learned more in 10 days than in my lifetime. I would definitely go through 206 tours again! Please feel free to share the attached pictures!

Jennifer Maurice

Hi Piernha,

Trip was wonderful made so by our terrific Tour guide Shafiq. He is a tremendous young man with a wealth of knowledge and faith that he shared with us. You have a real jem there!

Ann Enstine

Mrs. Medley called to thank all for our hard work and rave about how fabulous Shafiq was. Said this is the 2nd pilgrimage in 2 years and while she doesn’t know how we do it to and says please keep up the good work.

The Holy Land pilgrimage with 206 Tours was a wonderful experience. From my perspective, these were some of the contributing factors: Our guide Shafiq was extremely knowledgeable about the sites we visited, the local languages, the history and geography of the regions, and most importantly, how Scripture and the Holy Land are so intimately intertwined. Shafiq’s passion for his Faith was most evident. In addition, Shafiq was patient in several problematic situations and resolved issues easily. He often gave us pertinent and useful pieces of information and answered all our questions. The tour schedule itself promoted understanding: being in Galilee before Jerusalem, praying the Via Dolorosa before going to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and seeing the model of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum before we visited the sites there. Accommodations and food were very good.I thought that the food at our Tiberias hotel was outstanding. The tone of the entire pilgrimage was prayerful. Having all fees and gratutitues included made things easier. Fr. Vetrano posting of pictures and trip description each day allowed my community members and family to know where we were and what we saw. This also affords each of us a very personal record of our trip. Liturgies were very touching, beyond words. Fr. Vetrano requested that the pilgrims be invited to read at Mass, serve as special ministers of the Eucharish, and lead the decades of the rosary as we drove. Pilgrims were most willing to do these things and were grateful for the opportunity, sometimes to the point of tears. Both 206 Tours and Shafiq worked very hard to make our trip a true pilgrimage. When some participants expressed an interest in going to Medjugorje, Fr. Vetrano suggested that they look at the 206 website and join a 206 tour. Thanks to you and everyone at 206 Tours for all you did for us.

Sister Cathy Stare

I have been so enriched by this pilgrimage. Everything was great and allowed us to focus on the spiritual. You have an exceptional asset to your organization in Shafiq. He was incredibly knowledgable about the area, the history, both the old and new testament…..truly a remarkable man.I would recommend your organization to anyone. I cannot say enough about Shafriq.He went above and beyond with some of us that needed more watching and explaining and smoothed the way for us numerous times. His local familiarity is invaluable for the enrichment, safety and knowledge of any pilgrims that are fortunate enough to have him for a tour guide. We never waited on line or were delayed in large part due to Shafiq’s familiarity with the area and customs, personality and local knowledge. He is a hugge asset to you and we wil never forget his kindness.

Thank you for a very special spiritual experience.
Patricia

I will begin by saying this was an amazing and powerfully experience for me. Spiritually I am a changed person and believe there is much more to absorb over the next several weeks. My goal was to know Jesus better and to follow His ways everyday. I believe this trip will certainly make a difference in how I start and complete everyday. The accommodations, food, travel and itinerary were exceptional. The Holy Land tour was well planned and delivered in a meaningful way. I must give your your guide Shafiq most of the credit. There is no way to give him the praise he deserves. His knowledge of the New and Old Testament is excellent. His method of delivering the information is exceptional. His patience and awareness of the people he was leading was exceptional. The planning he did to make our experience in the Holy Land perfect was exceptional. Shafiq is an asset to the tour and a person I will always remember. Thank you for a trip I will never forget.

God Bless your team
Erin

Group picture in Italy

Dear Mario,

My trip was amazing! It was quite an inspiration to walk in the steps of Christ. The only disappoint was not having more time to spend at each site. Usama was a wonderful guide. His knowledge made me so much more aware or the archeological evidence of the sites we visited. Msgr. Mcnamara was a wonderful shepherd and his prayers, homilies, and insights were also very valuable. Abed was a great driver who went above and beyond to care for us. Their patience with our group was amazing! I wish that I had taken more time to review the relevant scripture passages before visiting each site.I would highly recommend 206 Tours to anyone planning a trip to the Holy Land, and have already done so.

Dana Sprott Cunningham

Amanda,

Greetings! The Pilgrimage was an awesome experience. This was my husband’s first trip to Europe and he really had a wonderful experience, this is the 3rd time i have been to Europe, but the first time to Spain and i had a wonderful experience as well. We especially liked the Camino walk to St James and the mass that was celebrated in St James and Fatima. The short distance that we walked gave us a feel for what the Pilgrims that actually walk this journey go thru and meeting a few pilgrims was even a greater experience, especially when we talked to them and they gave us a little of their story, as to how long they had been walking and where they came from. The mass in St James was so meaning full, especially because it was my mother’s 6th anniversary of going to heaven, when Deacon Pete put the inscents in the shrine that was lifted and swung at St James Church, I personally felt my mother’s presence. In Fatima, learning and being in the places where the Angel and our Lady of the Rosary appeared to Lucia, Francesco and Jacinta really made me understand how important it is to pray the Rosary. Being at the chapel and participating in the prayer of the rosary in so many languages was amazing..it was so meaning full especially because my husband, dad, deacon and a friend got to carry the Virgin in the procession, this is an unforgettable experience.

The experience in Zaragoza was so touching because we were able to meet up with two of the Priest that we used to have in our Parish in Dallas, seeing them was so emotional and being with them and learning the history of St James and the pilar was new to all of us. The other places we visited were also meaning full in their way. I have to say that Juan Carlos did an excellent job thru out the entire trip. He was very attentive to every detail and to every person in the group, always making sure everyone was there and being taken care of, especially with the two incidents that two of members of our group had. He took care of them and at the same time took care of the group. He would tell us where it was good to eat and where we could go. Pedro, the bus driver was also very nice and took care of us when we were traveling, handling our luggage and making sure he was on time to pick us up, and i must say he is an awesome driver because those streets are so narrow!! My husband really became fond of both Juan Carlos and Pedro, he really enjoyed talking with them. The hotels were very nice and the food was awesome!! Thank you for the details and for taking good care of us. If God permits, we will go on another trip.

God Bless!
Delia Munoz

I LOVED the trip! Father Roy, Rabbi Gadi and our tour coordinator and driver (Nadi and Mahmud) were all excellent. I would not hesitate to recommend the trip to anyone and will surely go on 206 tours in the future. The other tour participants were wonderful and I made lasting friendships with faith-filled people. What more could I ask for?

Thanks
Joan

Dear 206 Tours,

There are no words to do justice for the incredible journey that Fr. Roy and Rabbi Gadi took us on. To experience my rich spiritual history with both these leaders was the chance of a lifetime. They connected the golden links of “diversity” and devotion so seamlessly. Our tour guide Nadi, was the completion to the perfect circle of knowledge and kindness. He is a great asset to 206 tours. Can’t say enough about the accommodations and meals. Congratulations on your excellent work. I have been on other tours but yours tops it all!!

God Bless you!
Kathy Ruscito

Dear Nicole,

This was our fourth pilgrimage with 206 Tours, and it was amazing. We visited so many sites, places that are part of our religious history. Father Roy and Rabbi Gadi worked so well with our guide, Nadi. We had three experts to lead us. (Nadi’s spirituality made him a fellow pilgrim as well as a caring leader.) In nine days, we covered so many wonderful sites. The hotels were lovely and the food was good. Having lunch included was a big plus. Our group was just about the right size, 31, including Father and Rabbi. Getting both the Catholic and Jewish view gave us a great perspective. I would recommend to anyone to travel with these two good friends. Now that we are home, we are beginning to process the impact of our spiritual journey. The early morning walk through quiet streets of the Old City led us to Mass within the Holy Sepulcher. WOW! We followed this with sunrise at the Western Wall. How special. I will try to send photos, which you may feel free to use. Thank you for arranging our tour.

Sincerely,
Karen and Richie Roginski

We really did appreciate all your help in getting us on the Holyland Tour for December 28th, 2016 to January 4th, 2017. It was a wonderful experience for myself, my husband and our son, Father Jon, M.I.C. We couldn’t have asked for better. All of the 206 staff and those you hired to make our pilgrimage so delightful are to be commended. We’ve never been on a weeklong tour before and were not sure if we could handle it but everything went so smoothly that we know God’s hand was on us and on you the organizers. Shafik, our tour guide, was so pleasant, knowledgeable and accommodating that we couldn’t imagine anyone being as qualified for this job. It seemed to be a passion for him rather than his job. Our driver Hamad was also great and we never once felt in any danger from any source on our tour. To be able to share this experience with our son was a real blessing. To witness his joy following in the footsteps of Jesus and celebrating Mass along His Way, filled our hearts with gladness and gratefulness. We thank Fr. Terry for encouraging Fr. Jon to fully experience this time in Jesus’ homeland. We have now been to the place of Jesus’ birth and ministry, a mountaintop experience for sure, and since returned to our everyday duties and sphere of human connections. It has been all too easy to get caught up in our prior ways of life, but still there tugs at our hearts and minds the time we spent immersed in His Word, His land and His people (including all of us) and we know that we will not be truly happy if we do not continue to keep walking on the path that will eventually bring each of us to His Eternal Kingdom.

With many thanks and prayers for God’s Blessings,
Bruce, Gerry and Father Jonathan Inskip

Hi Bika,

The pilgrimage went very well and was an incredibly enriching spiritual journey for the group. We found all the accommodations to be superb. Our tour escort, Usama, was excellent. All the arrangements by 206 were beyond our expectations. Thank you for going above and beyond, including, in particular, the gift of upgrading Fr. O’Connor and myself to Economy Plus on the international flights. We felt very well cared for. As you may already be aware, one member of our group, Glenn Janus, fell on the pavement in Cana, resulting in fractures in both of his wrists. Once we arrived in Jerusalem, he was taken to Hadassah hospital after visiting a local clinic. He was very well cared for there and ended up with a cast on one wrist and a wrap on the other. He was able to continue with the group and participate in most activities. Usama and those from the 206 office in Jerusalem (Tamara and Simon, in particular) were incredibly helpful in caring for Glenn. Although I have not heard an update since we returned, it is likely that surgery here in the states was necessary. The Januses had the trip insurance and planned to file a claim for reimbursement of the medical expenses. Thank you again to you, Amanda, and all those at 206 for your excellent work in putting together this pilgrimage.

Blessings,
Matt Selby

Our 2016/2017 “206” Holy Land pilgrimage was outstanding in all aspects, thanks to your exceptional team of Shafiq, Amal, Hammed, Sam and Father Terry O’Connell, as well as your behind the scenes staff who made every detail perfect. Shafiq, our tour guide, puts into action Jesus’ command in Mark 14, “preach the gospel”, in his wonderful teaching and his actions. it was like being with one of Jesus’ apostles, having him show us his country; share his vast knowledge and faith; and take us on a time travel journey, back to the time of Jesus’ ministry, reinvigorating our faith – both through his evident love of Christ and neighbor and through the wealth of knowledge he shared with us. Shafiq is the right man for the job. He shared fascinating information, always grounded in scripture and true Catholic teaching, and quoting scripture to connect it with place. Amal, who works for 206 in Jerusalem, is also a wonderful ambassador, full of life, warmth, goodwill and genuine care for everyone’s well-being. Hammed and Sam are tremendous world-class professional drivers, giving us confidence that we were safe in their hands. Father Terry O’Connell, our group’s spiritual director, was also the right man in the right place. From the start of breakfast to the end of extended dinner conversations, he interacted animatedly with all of us, creating community and fellowship, educating us in the faith, recommending good spiritual books, and, always, making us laugh at his inimitable Irish humor. Of course, his leadership in prayer on the bus and his leadership of our daily masses were indispensable. Impeccable planning: every detail. The hotel accommodations were impressive and the meals were delicious. Thank you very much also for the surprise New Year’s Eve banquet. It was special and fabulous to ring in the New Year at the Cheese and Wine Restaurant of the beautiful Notre Dame Hotel in Jerusalem. We were also very blessed to have the pleasure of sharing this spiritually enriching and life changing pilgrimage with such a lovely group of fellow and pilgrims, kindred spirits who love our Catholic Faith. May God richly bless you all in your ongoing journey to union with God.

Thank you 206 Tours for making our pilgrimage truly meaningful, delightful, and unforgettable!
Tess Elliott

To the staff of 206 Tours,

Yes, this is very late. I went on tour number 98 on 3 Oct through 16 October 2016. It was absolutely fantastic albeit a bit overwhelming. I truly wished I had thought to copy the daily schedule that was posted by our phenomenal leader, Alessandro. At any rate, the trip was fantastic, the logistics, the hotels, the food, and of course the many spiritual sites were truly over the top. My only personal disappointment was not seeing the catacombs of St. Callixtus. I’m glad we saw a catacomb, though. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing Pope Francis. Wow! I feel SO blessed to have been a part of this in the year of mercy. I want to thank our wonderful bus driver Massimo for putting up with all of us and for driving us so safely all over Italy. I cannot thank enough the staff of 206Tours for arranging this most memorable trip. It will take me a long time to absorb completely all the things I saw and to appreciate all the memories/pictures I have from this beautiful pilgrimage. MOLTO GRAZIE, PACE E BENE,

Ciao,
Dina Atkinson

Dear 206 Tours,

I had the priviledge recently to be the Spiritual Leader to Jordan and the Holy Land. The group were fantastic and what we experienced was out of this world. When we went to Jordan our guide Daoud saw to all our needs he was a excellent guide and also the driver Ibrahim was also very friendly, helpful and an excellent driver. The Hotels, food and sites we visited will stay in my memoy for life as Daoud gave us a lot to ponder upon regarding the history of Jordan and sites we visited, if I were to return to Jordan I would only go if I had this man and Ibrahim looking after me boy did they know there work well done Men. I would give them 10 out of 10 for service. I cant talk enough of how they looked after us. After we left Jordan we went to Israel we were met by guide who looked after us. Then we met Shafiq and Hammed the driver. I really don’t know where to start here, as Shafiq is one of the best guides I ever have encountered in my life as a priest he is a walking encyclopedia when it comes down to the history of the Holy land of Israel. The group I was with were all raving about Shafiq and his ability to communicate and his wisdom to answer the many many questions that were asked of him.I would go on record to say if you want to really know the Holy land of Israel book Shafiq well done 10 out of 10. The driver in Israel was also excellent and a very helpful man he even caught me out on a prank which was vey very funny, Hammed also like Ibrahim was a excellent driver and very polite and helpful. As stressed I am a priest for a long time and I feel 206 Tours has these pilgrimages down to a fine art, other companies, I feel, could learn from them. Well done 206! The Hotels were second to none and the food was likewise. Over all the pilgrimage was 10 out of 10 thanks to all who made a pilgrimage to remember but the pilgrimage would not be as effective without the people who went we had a ball of a time and a trip to remember so thanks to all and before I forget a young lady called Immal who works with 206 in Jerusalem was also very professional and also a credit to 206. This lady was very attentive to our group at all times so to all in Jordan and Israel thanks for making this trip so beautiful.

Fr. O’Connell

Hello, Bika!

Happy New Year to you. Our Pilgrimage experience with 206 Tours was outstanding! Already, we can’t wait until our next tour. We enjoyed our stay at the hotel, it was clean and comfortable, service was always great and meals were good along with a very nice serving staff! Our tour guide Roberto was so kind, knowledgeable, informative and caring. Loved him! We found our buses to be very comfortable and clean, Fransisco was a great driver and through Roberto, shared his testimony. Very touching. And of course, our Pilgrimage wouldn’t have been the same without Fr. Calloway. He made us feel like we were friends from the very start and we felt so comfortable with him. Having daily Mass with him was very special, and his homilies will be in my heart forever. His passion for his vocation touches and inspires all those he comes in contact with. I like how he explained indulgences, the scapular, The Rosary on the bus when he had time. Being able to be in Mexico City with Fr. C at that time of year was a privilege to end 2016 and start 2017. On that note, the New Year’s dinner in the other restaurant was very well put together, it was a wonderful meal with wine and champagne and again, the staff knocked themselves out to accommodate us. I hope they are told what a great job they did, we tried to let them know as best we could and mentioned to Roberto the next day how nice the evening was. Thanks to 206 for everything and for getting in as many churches as they could fit in during the days, and for providing enough shopping time on the last day. We will spread the word to friends how classy this tour company is. The transfers to and from the airport worked out well, also, and were easy. 206 Tours is the best!!

Thank you, and God Bless!
LYN Giacomuzzi

Hi Bika & 206 Tours,

My pilgrimage to Mexico was authentic and real. I was told not to go, but felt confident enough with 206 to know that I would be safe in Mexico. Indeed, I was very safe and secure. The tours within Mexico were so touching, particularly Our Mother of Guadalupe. Fr. Calloway is most awesome with his services as well as serving our spiritual needs. The shrines and historical visits in Mexico were very interesting and authentic. I felt blessed to be in Mexico. I particularly enjoyed Padre Pro visit as well as viewing and learning about the incorruptible Saint and relics. My hotel room was particularly spacious, clean and the staff was very gracious. All staff, including hotel staff for New Year was excellent to us. My best recommendation is for Roberto, our tour guide, who went over and beyond making certain all of our needs were met. I appreciate all of his care and information provided to us. Happy New Year, 206 Tours and thank you for insuring we all had an authentic experience in Mexico.

Viva Cristo Rey!
Carolyn Johnson