Holy Land Pilgrimage: Schedule and Travel Tips

 

JUNE 11, 2024  Departure from Los Angeles (LAX)
JUNE 23, 2024  Return to Los Angeles

Holy Land Pilgrimage Schedule

June 11th Departure from Los Angeles (LAX)

Please make sure you bring your passport with you to the airport. (It should be valid at least to December 2024). Do not pack it in your luggage! Have it easy to find and secure from loss. You may need to show it several times. Please answer any questions from security personnel as politely and clearly as you can. Our group name is “The Fr. Heney Group.” Our purpose is simply “Tourism.”

**Flight information for our 2024 trip will be available soon.**

Download Holy Land Pilgrimage: 2023 Schedule and Travel Tips >>

Check your ticket for departure and arrival times. For our 2023 trip, our Group is flying at 3:00pm on Lufthansa #457 to Frankfurt and then #694 to Tel Aviv, arriving around 7:00pm the next day, June 7th. (Returning info: June 18th at 8:00am Lufthansa #695 to Frankfurt and then #450 to LAX for 4:pm arrival) Airlines recommend being at LAX at least 3 hours before departure. I will travel to Jerusalem a few days earlier, and use that time to check out new archeological sites. I look forward to welcoming you at the airport when you arrive! 

The airline assigns seats, not our travel agency. You can check with the airline yourself for a specific seat request. Because of the seat configuration, more than half will have aisle seats. 

Lufthansa is in the Bradley International Terminal. Check you ticket if there is any change. There are stores, duty-free shops, and restaurants there as well. Just check-in as normal and proceed to the gate. 

After disembarking in Tel Aviv, the airport walkway leads you straight to Passport Control. We will be met after Passport Control by our local Airport Assistant, with a sign reading “George’s International Tours.” Please wear your name tag so that he can see you. He will lead us to Baggage Claim, which has excellent restroom facilities as well as money exchange booths for those that would like Israeli money. 

After getting your luggage, please gather as a group until all are ready, then you will walk from the Baggage Claim Area as a group past Customs Control to Ground Transportation where our local guide Dicko Torossian and I will be waiting to help you board our bus. This area is crowded with people greeting passengers, so it is better that we walk together. Please remember that the first row of seats on the bus are reserved. However, our bus rides each day are generally short. There is no special advantage to having one seat over another. All seats are good.

Our Jerusalem hotel is about 40 minutes away. Their staff will unload luggage to the lobby, and I will pass out room key cards. Your large luggage case will be brought to your room (tips are included) or you may carry it yourself. Shops and malls are nearby in walking distance as well. Every evening, I am in the hotel outdoor patio lounge area (often with a cigar) for discussion or questions about the trip. All are welcome. Our pilgrimage will start at 8am on most days. The first day will have a light schedule.

Holy Land Pilgrimage Travel Tips

Credit Cards, Cash, ATM Machines, and Traveler’s Checks

I usually carry two credit cards, one VISA and one MASTERCARD. They are accepted everywhere and in more places than any other card. I keep one with me during the day for purchases, and I leave one with my passport at a safe location at the hotel in case the other one is damaged or lost.

You might consider calling your credit card companies and tell them of your travel plans and the countries we will visit (Israel & Jordan, and Canada). Some companies, in the interest of protecting you against stolen cards, might deny a sale from a foreign location if they did not know you were abroad, thinking the card was stolen.

Every hotel, restaurant, and store that we visit takes American dollars. I also carry a supply of one dollar bills with me each day for small purchases such as water, postcards, and small gifts. It is also easier to pay for lunch with cash, either in dollars or Israeli Shekels. Lunch will range from $10 for soup and salads, and $15-20 for a hot meal. There is really no need to have Israeli Shekels, or Jordanian Dinars, unless you would like to have them for lunch or purchases off our tour schedule. There is an exchange machine next to Baggage Claim in Tel Aviv if you want Shekels, and Jordanian Dinars are available at the Israel-Jordan border crossing.

Please remember that banks, stores, and money exchange booths require your passport to cash traveler’s checks. There are very few ATM machines that dispense dollars.

Cell Phones

My cell phone company is Sprint and includes Israel and Jordan on its list of countries where they allow free international dialing. You might check with your cell phone company for that feature if you don’t already have it. Your company can also tell what the call rates per minute are, which can change from year to year.

If you have a smart phone, please remember that data roaming charges for email and other apps can be very expensive in Israel and Jordan for the time we are there so please contact your company to inquire about the cost, or how to deactivate data roaming if necessary. If deactivated, your phone will still make and receive calls, but just will not receive email, or other data for various apps, like weather and news. You can receive all that data on WI-FI at no charge. All the hotels have WI-FI hot spots. Our Bus in both Israel and Jordan also has WIFI on board as well.

Electronics

The Middle East uses 240 volts in their wall outlets, unlike the US which uses 110 volts. However, most appliances such as hair dryers, shavers, and chargers for cameras and cell phones are DUAL VOLTAGE. They automatically adjust to the voltage from the wall outlet. However, check your appliance. It should indicate 240V-110V somewhere on it which means it is safe to use. However, you will need an ADAPTER, which enables the two flat prongs on your American appliance plug to fit into the round wall plugs of Israel and Jordan. They are just a few dollars at any electronics store. The Middle East uses the same two cylindrical prong ADAPTER as Europe uses. I will bring a lot of extras in case you forget. Almost all hotels have hair dryers, but are often not very powerful.

Passport

I usually keep my passport in the hotel and take a color copy of the front identification page with me during the day. That is a personal preference. I know that some like to have their passport with them.

Hotel Cards

I always take a card from the hotel where I am staying with me at all times, in case I want to take a taxi to return. If I get lost, I can just show the card to any taxi driver. The card has the name and address of the hotel right on it, and in the language of the country.

Clothing at Religious Sites (No knees or shoulders visible)

The Middle East is religiously conservative culture and considers shorts and sleeveless shirts not proper for religious sites. Women often bring a large scarf or shawl that they can quickly throw over their shoulders at Church. There are vendors everywhere selling scarves as well. Actually, very light and breathable short sleeve shirts and long pants are cooler in Middle Eastern heat anyway. We will notify you at the end of each day what the dress code will be for the next day. Jeans, and any type of shoes or sandals are okay.

Email and Fax

Our Hotels will usually have several computers available where you can check the internet and E-Mail.

Please remember to bring credit cards, and Passport!

(Almost anything you forget you can buy over there, but you cannot leave the US without your passport!)

Download Holy Land Pilgrimage: 2023 Schedule and Travel Tips >>