Religious Travel Introduction

It should come as no big surprise that we here at Groople.com fervently believe that travel has many virtues, including the power to broaden our perspective on the world, deepen relationships between fellow travelers and generally enrich our lives. For people involved in a religious community, travel together can be a particularly poignant and rewarding experience for many reasons, including:

• The opportunity to strengthen your faith community. No matter what faith you practice, the bonds formed at church or temple are vital, as they offer families and individuals opportunities to help one another deepen their beliefs and live their faith on a daily basis. Travel—be it to a bucolic retreat or to a place where family fun is the main priority—is a chance to help your community come together, set new priorities or welcome new members.
• Relax, reflect and renew. A quiet retreat to a place of great natural beauty, perhaps in the mountains or by the ocean, can be a truly transformative experience, an opportunity to quietly reflect and search for greater meaning in your faith while also allowing family and community members the chance to coalesce.
• Practice your faith. A central tenet in the world’s great religions is the importance of helping those in need. A journey to a place in the country or the world where you and others in your faith community can build houses, provide food and clothing and offer medical care is as enriching to those bringing assistance as it is helpful to those receiving it.

Great Religious Travel Destinations:

Pilgrimage sites from various different faiths can form the basis of the ultimate faith journey. Some population destinations:

1. The Holy Lands
2. Rome, Italy
3. Greece
4. Turkey
5. Eisleben, Germany

Helping others who are truly in need is another transformative trip one can do. Here are a few countries around the world that are in great need of the good hearts and helping hands of volunteers.

1. Costa Rica
2. Guyana
3. Mexico
4. Nicaragua
5. Panama

Of course, sometimes your religious group may just want to get together and have some fun. There are many places around the United States that have something for everyone in your group.

1. Orlando, Florida
2. New York City
3. Washington, D.C.
4. A cruise
5. A national park

Plan Your Trip:

Finding inspiration for a shared journey with other members of your faith community probably won’t be a big problem. For the very earthly details of planning a trip, look no farther than Groople.com for help. A few suggestions:

• Create a Groopvine page. There, you will be able to communicate with community members; get feedback on dates, locations, and accommodations; share information about your chosen location; and even share pictures from the trip once you’re back.
• Decide what kind of trip you want to take. Check out Groople’s Where to Go: Great Ideas for Religious Travel for suggestions.
• Find a hotel or resort. Groople will help you find a hotel or retreat destination within your price range featuring all the amenities you’ll want for your trip. Groople can find the best group rates, and will enable everyone in your group to pay separately.
• Decide on your itinerary. Communicate via Groopvine to plan all your activities ahead of time.

Tips for Planning your Religious Group Trip:

When you’re a member of a church, synagogue or mosque, sometimes the only travel planning you have to do is to figure out what time to leave home to get to your worship service on time. But organizing a trip with other members of your religious community is a bit more complicated. Keep these things in mind:

• Make sure your destination matches your goal. Most people probably wouldn’t consider a visit to New York City to be compatible with quiet contemplation. But it would be a great place to go if your group is interested in a fun bonding trip with visits to museums, Broadway plays and maybe even a game at the new Yankee Stadium. As you go about planning your trip, keep in mind what it is you’re trying to accomplish. It’ll help narrow down a world of options.
• Plan ahead. As with any kind of travel, advance preparation (meaning 60 to 120 days in advance) is essential in order to get your pick of hotels or retreat spots, and to get them at the very best price. It’s also helpful to plan ahead and solicit lots of advice when you’re planning your itinerary. The more organized you are in terms of when you’ll have individual and group worship time, meals and other activities, the less time you’ll waste once you’re at your destination.
• Work with Groople. Groople has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things related to group travel. Utilize our expertise to put you in touch with hotels and destinations that have experience working with religious groups of all types.