Most church trips are planned about a year ahead. Here is how that year usually runs, and what falls to the group leader at each step. We handle the bookings, payments and travel details. Your part is mostly choosing, announcing and encouraging.
12 to 18 months out: choose where and when
Call us with a rough idea: where you would like to go, roughly when, and how many people you expect. We send a trip proposal with a day by day itinerary and a price. You can change the route, the length and the hotels until it fits your church. Think about your church calendar when you pick dates, and avoid weeks when your people are already stretched.
This is also when we confirm how the leader’s free place works for your group. See Can I travel free?
10 to 12 months out: announce it
Once the proposal is agreed, we build a web page for your trip with the itinerary, the price and a link to register. Announce it from the pulpit, in the bulletin and by email, and hold an information meeting after a Sunday service. People sign up when they can ask questions face to face. We can often join that meeting by video. Our guide to promoting a church trip has more ideas that work.
Travelers register online and pay a deposit of $450, of which $200 is non-refundable. Travel insurance with Cancel Anytime and pre-existing condition cover must be bought within 14 days of that deposit, so mention it when you announce.
6 to 9 months out: watch the numbers
We keep you updated on who has registered. If numbers are slow, this is the time to hold a second meeting or invite another church to join. If the group does not reach its minimum, final payments are never collected and deposits are returned. See If a group does not fill.
About 130 days out: flights
Travelers who want a seat on the group flight need to tell us by about 130 days before departure. Names exactly as they appear in each passport are usually due by 120 days. Remind your people to check their passports now: six months of validity after the return date covers every country we visit.
90 days out: final payment
Final payments are due 90 days before departure. We send each traveler a reminder, and they can pay in their Traveler Portal or by phone.
30 days out: travel kits
We mail each traveler a travel kit with a final travel letter, name badge and luggage tags, and send an invitation to the Christian Expedition mobile app with the full itinerary, hotels and flights. If your route includes Israel, remind everyone to apply for the ETA-IL. A short meeting before departure helps people arrive relaxed: go over the packing list, the schedule and what to wear at holy sites.
On the trip
A Christian Expedition tour director travels with your group and handles the logistics, with licensed local guides at the sites. That leaves you free to teach, pray with your people and enjoy it.
Ready to start? Lead an expedition, or call (877) 234-3002, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern.
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New articles, routes as they open, and the practical things worth knowing before you travel.
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