Frequently Asked Questions About Our Christian Tours & Cruises
Living Passages offers Christian cruises and tours to a variety of destinations including Israel, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Germany, England, Egypt, Ethiopia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraqi Kurdistan, South Africa and the Grand Canyon. Often our tours make multiple stops in surrounding areas. We will provide you with a detailed itinerary and a map of all the destinations your tour includes. You can view possible itineraries on our open tours page. Interested in a custom trip for your church or group? Contact us about crafting an itinerary just for you.
We will book your accommodations in luxury and boutique hotels. After decades of travel experience, we know where the finest places to stay are in each area we take groups. You can be assured that you will only stay in locations that are secure and comfortable to give you the best experience possible on your trip.
There is a wide variety of exciting and delicious cuisine available at each destination. We hand pick the best places to eat. Over the years, we have discovered unique restaurants and eateries that will provide you with the flavor of the culture in each destination.
Each trip is custom designed, so each tour package is different. However, most trips include lodging for double occupancy, most meals, transportation in country, guides, teachings, tour entry, travel resources and advice, and some gratuity. Airfare is included depending on the trip, with possible extra costs depending on your departure city. You have the option to add travel insurance to your tour for an extra cost. In some cases, you may be responsible to cover some tips and meals. We also offer a single room for an extra cost, trip extensions to additional locations in some cases and a limited number of business class seats on a first-come, first-served basis.
Luggage costs, souvenirs, extra snacks, immunizations, and the cost of passport application are not included.
Our trip sizes range from 15 to 40, depending on the destination. We do have occasional trips that have more people in cases where the extra tour size will not affect the traveler’s experience. We try to keep our tour groups small to create intimate group experiences and give you easy access to your trip leader.
Travel Insurance is available and recommended. Unforeseen events such as flight delays, baggage loss or even a sudden sickness or injury could impact your travel plans. For your convenience, we offer a Travelex Insurance Services protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. If you are in need of an individual or family travel insurance quote outside of the group option give us a call, we would be happy to provide it.
GROUP PLAN BROCHURE:
Click here for overview of benefits and coverage limits.
POLICY:
View/download the Policy based on your state of residence.
For questions regarding benefits or coverages, please contact Travelex Insurance Services at 888-574-7026 and reference plan number GPB-0521.The product descriptions provided here are only brief summaries. The full coverage terms and details, including limitations and exclusions, are contained in the insurance policy. Travelex Insurance Services, Inc. CA Agency License #0D10209. Travel Insurance is underwritten by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company; NAIC #22276. X41
If you have allergies or other dietary restrictions, please let us know in advance. We will communicate them to your tour leader, lodging and restaurants to the best of our ability. Although we do our best to provide alternatives and most restaurants we visit are very accommodating, there may be cases where special dietary needs can’t be guaranteed. We recommend those with dietary restrictions bring extra snacks to assure that you always have something you can eat available to you.
Yes. We are happy to assist you in arriving early or leaving later. If you have another destination in mind, please let us know as early as possible, and we will do our best to accommodate you. All extra costs associated with travel deviations are your responsibility.
We accept cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit or debit cards. For our travelers who pay cash or check, we offer special discounts on your tour cost.
We recommend comfortable, breathable clothing. In most cases, wear what you wear at home. People in the destinations we travel are used to American attire. However, many of the cultures are more conservative in dress. Out of respect for the culture, we request you not wear anything especially revealing such as tops that show your mid-drift, blouses that are low cut, miniskirts or short shorts.
Immunizations are up to you and vary depending on destination. We recommend you check the U.S. Department of State’s background notes on it’s website (www.travel.state.gov) and the Center for Disease Control’s website (www.cdc.gov) for the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations and advice on food and drinking specific to the country and region you are traveling. Depending on your health, we suggest check with your doctor before traveling internationally.
The safety of our passengers is a primary concern for Living Passages. We have found travel to all of our destinations to be safer than people often imagine. In over 25 years, we have never had an incident where a traveler was harmed. But travel does contain an element of risk. To address this, we monitor the situation in the places we travel, we send an experienced Living Passages liaison on our trips. We also reserve the right to change our trip itinerary if a safety concern arises in an area.
Useful items we suggest our tours include (but aren’t limited to) comfortable and breathable clothing, toiletries, comfortable walking shoes, sandals, a swim suit, a rain jacket, a hat, an ample supply of any medications you may be taking, sunscreen, passports, a water bottle, a small backpack or fanny pack, camera, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, snacks and a Bible. In most cases, you will be moving several times to different hotels throughout the trip, so packing on the lighter side makes for an easier trip on you and your group. Please leave all valuables at home.
Most airlines allow bags of up to 50 pounds for international flights for no extra charge, however, this has been changing in the industry in recent years and some may add extra fees. You are responsible to check with your carrier and pay all luggage-related fees.
We offer trip insurance for an additional cost. Coverage can include reimbursement for trip cancellation for covered reasons trip interruption, emergency medical expenses and emergency evacuation/repatriation, trip delay, baggage delay, and more. We will provide detailed documentation about your coverage plan, if purchased, upon receipt of your deposit. You may decline insurance by selecting the option to decline coverage during the booking process.
All travelers should apply for a passport at least three months before international travel. The time needed to process an application can vary dramatically depending on the work load of the Department of State. It typically takes six to eight weeks in cases where there are no complications. The Department of State does offer expedited service for an extra fee for travelers adding last minute. Passports must be valid for at least six months after your return date. For more information about applying for a passport, visit travel.state.gov. We are also available at any time to answer questions about obtaining or renewing your passport.
Most of our destinations offer free 90-day visas for U.S. travelers that do not require an application. The only exceptions are Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, and Ethiopia, where visas are required. The application process varies and for most trips, we will take care of it for you in advance of your tour. In others, you will obtain a visa upon entry into the country.
In the event you must cancel your reservation or payments are not received by our deadlines, refunds are made at a variable rate on a schedule depending on the timing of cancellation. All cancellations are subject to an administrative fee plus a fee schedule dependent on date of cancellation. The specific fee amount will be notated in the applicable tour's terms and conditions.