Middle East Spiritual or religious Trips

The trip will be memorable for many reasons. Our tour leader Lucas is a commendable young man, who knew exactly when and were he was needed and when to relax and let us enjoy our own company. His knowledge of the area and the environment was extensive and he delivered it in a relaxed and unobtrusive way. A special thank you must also go to our two leaders, who hosted the tours in Leon and Santiago. Both were incredibly knowledgeable and made everything funny and not at all dry, which some tours can be. The hotels were of a good standard and a special mention has to made about Hotel Pazo de Sedor. After a very long day it was like an oasis at the end of a very long walk. The building, which is an old manor house, the staff and food were quite brilliant. A special thank you, has to go to my fellow travellers, we were an amazing group which made everything even more special.

It was a wonderful experience. I wouldn't change a thing. I was part of a group of seven led by an awesome tour leader (Lucas). From start to finish, the trip exceeded my expectations. The itinerary was the perfect pace. Accommodation was all lovely. It was an ideal balance of walking, cultural experiences, group revelry, and reflection time. I highly recommend this tour and look forward to traveling with Explore again.

The tour was a beautiful mix of activity and immersion in the local culture of Europe. We opted for all of the additional experiences and were glad we did. Erik was a great guides constantly giving exceptional small tips to make travel easier.

What a vacation! Relaxing, but thrilling at the same time. Explore have come up trumps with this trip.accomodation was awesome, varied each night a range of hotels, small family run guest houses to a manor house. All were spotless, with good facilities and a super team running each place. The trip was the right mix of challenge and relaxing. There are some long days of walking but the time flies in such beautiful countryside and time spent chatting to other pilgrims. The explore team on the trip were attentive and frankly brilliant, Lucas.our tour leader, did a great job looking after the teams needs in a totally relaxed way.His local knowledge and understanding of the environment we were walking through was invaluable and interesting.a great tour leader. Angela and Emma hosted tours of Leon and Santiago respectively. They were funny, engaging and oh so knowledgeable. We were so privileged to have them all. Us, a small group of seven, were of varying ages from late forties upwards, had an absolute ball. Each was able to find their own time, relax and find friendships which I believe will last. We laughed together and reflected together like old comrades. It was a life changing trip in so many ways. New friends, new experiences and some personal changes. Just perfect, thank you.

This trip was amazing! Our guides were full of knowledge about the area and we learned so much about the history of each place we visited. It is so hard to pick a favorite---night river cruise down the Danube was spectacular, the castle in Prague was beautiful, Glockenspiel in Munich, Cathedrals, concert in Vienna, cooking demonstration in Budapest, The Sound of Music stops, The Eagles Nest, the food, I could go on and on...everything was just perfect. I highly recommend everyone going on this tour!

This fast paced tour was fabulous! Interesting cities and villages, well organized optional excursions, support and knowledge from our tour director, convenient and comfortable bus transportation, and selected and reserved hotel rooms made for an easy vacation because all of the planning had been done for me. When I recall all of the countries and towns visited, I am awestruck. I know that it would have been very difficult to achieve this schedule and pace if I DIY-ed it. The location of the hotel in Budapest, which was across the river from the impressive Parliament building, was outstanding. Unfortunately, the hotel room for the last night in Munich was completely unacceptable. The sewage smell backed up into the drain of the shower and I could not shower that morning due to the grotesque smell. Because I was in the room for less than twelve hours, I did not complain about it but I believe the hotel knows about this problem as they tried to camouflage the odor with a heavy cologne smelled when you first entered the room. Most of the excursions included old world quaint towns with cobblestone streets and interesting architecture with unique gift shops and handmade items. There was a nice balance between having down time and being on the go. If you prefer a slower pace, then you have the option to schedule fewer excursions. You pay for the additional costs of these excursions on the bus ride on the second day to Prague. I decided to take advantage of all of the optional trips except for the dinner in Vienna. My least favorite excursion was the Czech dinner in Prague and my most favorite included the Viennese Concert, trip to Szentendre near Budapest, and Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps. I really appreciated our tour director sharing small gifts of food samples which were timed just perfectly after walking and touring for a few hours. Erik also pointed out different food stands or unique items to look out for in the different towns that were visited. Also, bring enough clothes that will last you the entire time away from home as there are no convenient washaterias and the hotel laundry service is very expensive.