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★ Hosted by Jeff and Emily Cavins
Catholic Pilgrimage · 13 Days · Holy Land

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Jeff and Emily Cavins

Join Jeff and Emily Cavins on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This trip will visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and more!

Dates
January 7-19, 2027
Departs Newark, Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis
Duration
13 Days
Trip code 27JA01HLJC-1
From
$5,495
The Pilgrimage

Walk in the Footsteps of Faith

Join Jeff and Emily Cavins on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Visit the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, the Mount of the Beatitudes, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and more!

Jeff and Emily Cavins
Your Host

Jeff and Emily Cavins

Catholic authors, educators, and pilgrimage leaders

Jeff and Emily Cavins are Catholic authors, educators, and experienced pilgrimage leaders. Jeff created The Great Adventure Bible Study and is a nationally known speaker, author, television host, and podcaster; he also serves as Director Emeritus and a teacher at the Catechetical Institute. Emily studied Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, participated in archaeological work in Israel, and has written books and resources for Catholic adults and children. Together, they help pilgrims understand Scripture through the history, geography, and living faith of the places they visit.

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Know Before You Go

What's included

✓ Included

  • ✓Round-trip airfare from Newark and Chicago to Tel Aviv
  • ✓Houston and Minneapolis are available at an additional cost of $300.00 per person
  • ✓Airport taxes and fuel surcharges
  • ✓First-class hotels
  • ✓Service charges and hotel taxes
  • ✓Generous Buffet breakfast daily
  • ✓9 Lunches, including one of St. Peter’s Fish
  • ✓10 Buffet Hotel dinners (beverages may be purchased at an additional cost)
  • ✓Farewell Dinner in a Jerusalem restaurant with a choice of soda, beer, or wine
  • ✓All group transfers with a private A/C motor coach as per the itinerary
  • ✓Professional English-speaking Christian tour guides throughout
  • ✓Entrance fees are included for sites specifically listed (outside view means no entrance is included)
  • ✓Luggage handling at hotels (one piece per person in/out)
  • ✓Confirmation of daily private Mass
  • ✓Whisper sets
  • ✓Pilgrimage Certificates
  • ✓Teaching program by Jeff and Emily Cavins
  • ✓Select International Document Portfolio
  • ✓For your convenience, a tip fund of
  • ✓$225.00 will be added to your invoice and collected ahead

× Not included

  • ×Personal expenses
  • ×Medical and Travel Insurance
  • ×Church donations
  • ×Any items not explicitly mentioned in the listed inclusions
  • ×Optional Sharing the Bread dinner in Bethlehem $75.00 per person (limited availability)
  • ×Airline seat assignments and pre-flight check- in
  • ×Beverages and meals, unless otherwise noted
  • ×Airport transfers for land-only passengers unless they are at the airport at the same time as the group
  • ×ETA-IL Israeli Travel Authorization (must be applied for online individually)
  • ×Airline baggage charges
  • ×Baggage handling at the airports and hotels is limited to one suitcase per person.
  • ×Any charges incurred due to excessive luggage, including the cost of an additional baggage vehicle or porterage charges.

For your convenience, a tip fund of $225.00 will be added to your invoice and collected ahead.

Day by Day

Your pilgrimage, mapped out

Tap any day to explore. Meals: B breakfast · L lunch · D dinner.
Day 1January 7, 2027
DEPART USA
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Depart on an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. Optional premium economy and business-class rate quotes are available upon request and will be provided once we are within 120 days of departure. (Please note: specific seat assignments are not possible with group air. You may choose to book your own air if seat location is a priority)

Day 2January 8, 2027
ARRIVAL TEL AVIV
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Upon arrival at Tel Aviv airport, the group will be greeted by our airport representative and assisted through passport control to the baggage area. Pick up your luggage and take the bus to the Tel Aviv hotel to check in. We celebrate Mass at the hotel and have a welcome orientation to meet our priests and pilgrimage leadership before dinner. Dinner and overnight in Tel Aviv.

D
Day 3January 9, 2027
CAESAREA MARITIMA – TEL MEGIDDO – SEA OF GALILEE
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After breakfast, which is included each morning, we check out of the hotel in Tel Aviv, meet the guides, and board the bus according to the color-coded assignment in your paperwork. Our first stop is Caesarea Maritima, where Jeff Cavins will greet the entire group in the ancient theatre. After a teaching by Jeff, our guides will lead us through the ancient harbor town built by Herod, where we will see the ruins of his palace and the hippodrome. We then proceed to Mt. Carmel, where we celebrate Mass at the Muhraka Church. After Jeff’s teaching, we travel through the scenic Carmel Mountain Range for lunch, then visit Tel Megiddo, the Biblical site of the final battle. We continue towards the Sea of Galilee to check into our hotel, our home for the next four nights. Dinner is at our hotel at the Sea of Galilee.

BLD
Day 4January 10, 2027
TEL DAN – CAESAREA PHILIPPI – CAPERNAUM – TABGHA
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This morning, we dive north to the biblical city of Tel Dan near the base of Mt. Hermon. At this site in 930 BC, following King Solomon’s death, King Jeroboam built an alternative “temple” for pagan sacrifices (1 Kgs 12:29). We hike to the high altar along a beautiful trail (weather permitting). Further on is a recent archaeological dig that uncovered a remarkable 4,000-year-old mud-brick city gate entrance from the time of Abraham (Gen. 14:14, circa 2000 BC). Nearby, we stand on the exact spot at the ancient city gate of Tel Dan, where the famed House of David inscription was discovered in 1993, the only extra-biblical mention of the House of David. A short drive further is Caesarea Philippi, a city built to honor Caesar by Philip (Herod’s son) in 14 AD. For centuries, the site had served as a center of worship for Baal, Pan, and other forms of pagan deities. It was here that Jesus asked Peter and the disciples a profound question, “Who do you say I am?” (Mt. 16:15). This location is one of the sources of the Jordan River. We have a teaching session with Jeff. Following lunch, we return to the Galilee area and visit Capernaum, Jesus’ ministry headquarters, and one of the first towns where the gospel was preached. Jeff teaches about Jesus choosing his disciples. Here, we see the home of St. Peter and celebrate Mass. We stop at Tabgha, the spot of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, return to our hotel for dinner, and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

BLD
Day 5January 11, 2027
NAZARETH – KFAR KEDEM FARM – CANA
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Today, we head for Nazareth. At the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth, we celebrate Mass, visit the Grotto, and see St. Joseph’s Church, where the remains of a workshop can be seen. In the afternoon, we live like a 1st-century Jew, eating traditional foods and making bread and cheese. Our last stop for the day will be the Wedding Church at Cana, where Christ performed his first miracle. Here, married couples can renew their marriage vows. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

BLD
Day 6January 12, 2027
SEA OF GALILEE – MT. OF BEATITUDES – MAGDALA
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We enjoy a morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, with Jeff’s teaching. We visit the Boat Museum to see the 1st-century boat found along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We take a short ride to the beautiful Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the peaceful waters of the Sea of Galilee. Following our lunch today of St. Peter’s Fish, we visit the 1st-century synagogue at Magdala on the Sea of Galilee site and celebrate Mass at Duc in Altum’s boat chapel. Tonight, following dinner, we have the opportunity for confession at our hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

BLD
Day 7January 13, 2027
ST. PETER PRIMACY – BET SHE’AN – SACHNE – JERUSALEM
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We check out of the hotel, visit and celebrate Mass at the St. Peter Primacy, then depart from Galilee and travel towards Jerusalem. Our first stop is the archaeological site of Bet She’an, where we tour the partially reconstructed ancient city. Emily excavated here in the 1990’s. Next, we stop at the Sachne Natural Springs and enjoy a picnic lunch. We make our ascent to the holy city of Jerusalem, entering the city and stopping to view the Old City from atop Mt. Scopus and say a traditional pilgrim’s blessing. Overnight in Jerusalem.

BLD
Day 8January 14, 2027
BETHLEHEM – OPTIONAL SHARING THE BREAD DINNER – OPTIONAL WESTERN WALL TUNNELS
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Today’s visit to Bethlehem includes Mass at St. Catherine Church, a visit to the Grotto of Christ’s Birth in the Church of the Nativity, and shopping at a Christian store. We visit Shepherds’ Field to see the typical shepherd’s cave and to hear Jeff teach about Mary. We return to Jerusalem for dinner, or stay in Bethlehem for the optional Sharing the Bread dinner*. For those not staying in Bethlehem for dinner, there is an optional visit to the Western Wall tunnels*after our dinner in Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B.L.D) *You will have the opportunity to sign up for one of these options in the coming months, with more details to follow.

Day 9January 15, 2027
MT. ZION – ST. ANNE’S CHURCH – ISRAEL MUSEUM
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We visit the Israel Museum to see a scale model of Jerusalem from the time of Christ. Continue to St. Anne’s Church and the Pool of Bethesda, where Jeff teaches. Following our included lunch, we drive to Mt. Zion to celebrate Mass and visit St. Peter in Gallicantu, which was built at the site of Caiaphas’s house, and then the Upper Room, the spot of the Last Supper and the Day of Pentecost. Tonight, join Emily after dinner for a special presentation on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which we will explore together on Monday. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem.

BLD
Day 10January 16, 2027
EIN GEDI – QUMRAN – BAPTISMAL SITE OF JESUS – DEAD SEA
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After breakfast, we visit Ein Gedi, a wildlife preserve, where we hear Jeff’s teaching about King David’s mighty men. We visit the Baptism site on the Jordan River for Mass, renewal of Baptismal Promises, and teaching by Jeff. Next, visit the Qumran Caves, where shepherds discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. After lunch at Qumran, our last stop of the day will be the Dead Sea, where we can float in its mineral-rich waters (don’t forget to pack a bathing suit). Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

BLD
Day 11January 17, 2027
JERUSALEM: MT. OF OLIVES – GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE – SOUTHERN STEPS OF THE TEMPLE – WESTERN WALL
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We start our day on the Mount of Olives for an overview of the city, then walk down Palm Sunday Road and marvel at the panoramic view of the eternal golden city. We stop at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city, and Jeff teaches us the meaning of suffering. Continue along the Jewish cemetery with a view toward the Eastern Gate. See the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of Agony, where we celebrate Mass and have the opportunity to reverence the Stone of Agony. After lunch, we visit the Davidson Center to sit on the steps of the Temple Mount that Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Apostles would have walked upon. Hear inspiring teaching by Jeff. We then walk through the Jewish quarter and visit the Western Wall, to tuck a prayer into the ancient wall. Tonight, we meet for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B.L. Special Dinner)

BLD
Day 12January 18, 2027
THE HOLY CITY: VIA DOLOROSA – CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE – FREE AFTERNOON
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This morning, depart early for the Holy City. We pray the Stations of the Cross as we walk the Via Dolorosa, culminating in our visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where we venerate the site of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. We then celebrate Mass at the Latin Patriarchate. The rest of the day, including lunch, is at leisure to explore on our own, enjoy local restaurants, and do some last-minute shopping and packing before departing tonight or early tomorrow morning for Tel Aviv airport and your flights home. We suggest eating in the Christian Quarter near the Holy Sepulchre or the Armenian Quarter. Our guides will be happy to give suggestions. You can either stay in the Old City for dinner on your own or return to your hotel for the included dinner.

BD
Day 13January 19, 2027
RETURN TO USA
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We arrive home today following our amazing Holy Land adventure.

Pricing

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Base Price
$5,495per person

Base Price. Main trip package.

Land and Group Air Price from Newark and Chicago
$6,495per person

Land and Group Air Price from Newark and Chicago. Main trip package.

Land and Group Air Price from Houston and Minneapolis
$6,795per person

Land and Group Air Price from Houston and Minneapolis. Main trip package.

Solo Room (Additional Charge)
$1,495additional

Solo Room (Additional Charge). Additional supplement.

ETA Required
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Deposit
A deposit of $750.00 per person should accompany your registration by September 19, 2026.
Final Payment
Final payment is due by November 8, 2026.
Passport Validity
Your passport must be valid through July 19, 2027.
Payment Fee
A convenience fee of 4% will be charged for credit card payments.
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