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a group to the Holy Land for the first time is a
life-changing event. It enables you to build
church leadership by spiritual bonding; to educate
your Sunday School teachers; to develop an appetite
for further Bible study among your congregants; to
reach “the seekers” as they travel alongside other
believers; and to bond with church members as you
all share this deep spiritual adventure. And
the material benefits you receive as a tour leader
can allow you to return to the Holy Land on a
regular basis. Below are my A to Z tips for successful tour leading
culled from working with hundreds of tour leaders
from all denominations over the past thirty years.
Today I have a cadre of dozens of tour leaders with
whom I have developed deep friendships as we have
experienced the Holy Land together, in abundance and
in famine, over ten or even twenty years. I
have guided their parents and their siblings and
watched their children grow.
A skilled experienced guide understands your
priorities, helps you make the right decisions,
keeps your tour on schedule, protects your group and
oils the appropriate palms so that your Holy Land
tour runs smoothly. As a result, you enjoy
lots of meaningful time at the holy sites.
I invite you to join my growing family circle of
tour leaders. |
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ASK WHEN
YOU ARE UNCERTAIN. If you request
me as your guide, I will be very happy to coach you
through the entire process of organizing your tour.
I suggest you
contact me by email and we can have a
lively conversation before you come. You'll
have all the answers to questions your participants
are asking.
I get lots of nitty-gritty questions about safety
issues, but not only. I am asked about
recommendations of tour agents, wholesalers, hotels,
opening times for sites, subjects for devotions,
what to bring, electric current, you name it.
When I am not on tour myself, my replies come to you
quickly. |
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BRING
YOUR BIBLE WITH YOU ON TOUR. You
never know when you are going to see a coney (that’s
a rock rabbit, also called hyrax) and will want to
share the reference (Psalm 104:18; Proverbs 30:26).
Or you may see a gorgeous woman bathing on the roof
and want to quote Second Samuel 11:2.
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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"...the rocks are a refuge for the
coneys" Psalm 104:18 |
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CHOOSE
YOUR GUIDE WISELY. Do you want a
guide who is enthusiastic, passionate, funny and
learned? Then why don’t you choose me?!!
You may have microphonitis and want to preach and
teach at every site. If so, then you’ll need
to request what’s called a “mute guide.” |
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Tour the Temple
Mount in the
company of Abraham and Isaac, David and Solomon,
Jesus and the disciples, the angel Gabriel and
Mohammed. Meet many other luminaries,
both real and legendary.
Gila's Temple Mount tour
is now available as a written
24-page PDF with a
Temple Mount plan,
guidelines for passing the security check
and ten recommended reads on the
Temple Mount from Gila's bookshelves.
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DECIDE
YOUR PRIORITIES. Then communicate
them to your travel agent or tour organizer so your
itinerary matches your needs and the appropriate
arrangements are made. Is biblical archeology
your primary interest? Worship on site?
Daily mass? Quiet time for your group?
Healing? Singing? Shopping?
Hiking?
ESTABLISH
SOME RULES, especially about punctuality.
Set a time for participants to be on the bus for
departure every morning. Then pull out. Be
firm. Remember, if someone on the bus keeps the
group waiting for five minutes each time, you may find
yourself arriving at the last site every day when
the gates are locked. The sun only stood still
for Joshua!
One tour leader quotes Judges 17:6, “There was no
king in Israel and everyone did what was right in
his own eyes.” And then he adds, “And there
was total chaos!”
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FOLLOW
THE GUIDE. We joke that this is one
of the “ten commandments” of tourism. |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Follow the guide, or you may end
up in the wilderness for 40 years! |
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GUARD
YOUR HEART ABOVE ALL ELSE, for it is the
source of life. (Proverbs 4:23) Listen to
your heart during the pilgrimage. It will
guide you in making decisions and in leading
devotions. |
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HAVE
FUN. Remember, this is your vacation,
too. It’s an opportunity to renew your
spiritual batteries, deepen ties with family and
friends, and engage in true Christian fellowship. |
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INSPIRE
YOUR PEOPLE. Especially if this is one of
the first tours you are leading, you’ll find it
worthwhile to prepare some thoughts in advance so
the daily devotional on-site will be meaningful to
you and your people. |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Father Phuong conducts a renewal
of wedding vows for 16 couples in
Cana |
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JUDGE
NOT THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED. (Matthew
7:1) You will be visiting a country where the
majority of residents are members of two other
faiths (Judaism and Islam). Dietary laws (kashrut)
will be different from what you are used to.
(For example no milk or cheese is served with meat dishes.)
You may be asked to cover your head, uncover your
feet, or be forbidden to laugh, depending upon which
religious site you are visiting. Rubbing
elbows with Middle Eastern culture is part of the
adventure! |
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KEEP
THE PULSE OF YOUR GROUP IN MIND as you
tour. In terms of scheduling, you may discover
one site of high spiritual value where you want to
spend more time. Go for it! When it’s raining
you may want to shorten a tour – or when there’s a
high energy level to lengthen one. Flexibility
is the key and the itinerary is only the frame of
the tour. Constant communication with your
guide is crucial. |
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LEARN
A COUPLE OF HEBREW AND ARABIC EXPRESSIONS
like good morning, boker tov (Hebrew)
sabah el-hair (Arabic), thank you, todah
(Hebrew) shukran (Arabic) and good-bye
shalom (Hebrew) ma salamay (Arabic).
You can learn more phrases in
Handy
Hebrew for Pilgrims.
Nine Gates to
the Old City lists the names of all the
gates of Jerusalem’s Old City in both Hebrew and
Arabic. |
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MAKE
ALLOWANCES FOR CULTURAL NUANCES AND DIVERSITY.
Sometimes what you think you see or hear and
understand is the polar opposite of what really
happened. It’s been said that two Israelis having a
normal conversation in Hebrew sounds like five
Americans having an argument. Once during a long bus
ride when people were dozing, the driver and I had a
perfectly ordinary five-minute discussion in Hebrew
about an event that had happened the day before. We
were animated and waving our hands. (How can you
have a real conversation, if you are not gesturing
wildly with your arms?)
When we exhausted the topic, we fell silent. Ten
minutes later, the tour leader sitting behind me
asked, “When are you going to make up?” At first I
was clueless. Then seeing my puzzled expression, she
said, “You just had an argument and are not talking.
When are you going to make up?” The driver and I
burst into laughter, and she joined in, when I
explained we were just having a normal chat. |
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NEVER
PASS UP A BATHROOM! This is another
of the “ten commandments” of tourism. I always
joke, “You’ll never know whether you’ll see another
bathroom till the end of the day!” |
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ORGANIZE
A SONG COMMITTEE and bring songbooks.
Perhaps someone in your church choir will be on your
tour who can keep everyone in tune. I recently
had someone on tour from Australia who had composed
a song which she sang at the Garden Tomb and moved
everyone to tears. You may have participants
who will jump at the opportunity to sing on stage at
the theater at Caesarea or Beth Shean. You may
want to include some of the hymns sung on the
Via Dolorosa,
the approach to
Jerusalem, and or even the
words to Israeli songs like
Hava
Nagila. |
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PAY
ATTENTION TO WHAT IS GOING ON in the
group. This will help you and the guide make
decisions about adapting your touring day to the
particular personality of your group. In the
summer of the millennial year 2,000, I guided four
tours, week after week, with the same tour leader,
using an identical itinerary. Members of each
group were students in his 7-year course, reading
the Bible verse-by-verse from Genesis through
Revelation. Yet each tour was radically
different from all the others because the
interaction of the different personalities within
each group created a unique dynamic. It was
truly amazing. |
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QUESTION
WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO YOU. You
are the leader of your flock and if you have
questions, perhaps members of your group do as well.
I welcome the maximum amount of communication
possible with my tour leader. |
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READ
YOUR ITINERARY CAREFULLY. Some
agents go on automatic pilot when writing and
costing your itinerary. Check to see that the
boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, the
wilderness safari tour, the “Jesus boat,”
Hezekiah’s tunnel, and/or the rabbinical tunnel tour
are stated specifically on your brochure. Else
you may find yourself without a reservation and
what’s worse, you and your people may have to dish
out the cash to cover the entrance fee. |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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The boat ride on the Sea of
Galilee is a must! |
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SET
AN EXAMPLE in enthusiasm, promptness,
courtesy, tolerance. Your group will follow
your lead. |
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TIP
($$$) GENEROUSLY for services rendered
graciously to your group above and beyond.
Hotel porters, reception and dining room staff will
expect a gratuity, as will your guide and driver.
Your tour organizer or your guide can advise you
about what is customary. The tour leaders I
work with on a regular basis give me their tip
envelopes, knowing that the gratuity will reach
exactly the right people who provide each service.
My tour leaders have noted the red-carpet welcome my
group receives on arrival, and the quick agreement
by the head waiter to out-of-the-ordinary early or
late breakfasts or dinners for our group. For
example, at Nof Ginosar, by the shores of the Sea of
Galilee, hotel staff happily cooperates in
facilitating our wine, juice and cheese
get-acquainted meetings, our colorful outdoor
picnics (organized by the driver and me!) and our
spectacular sunrise devotions facing the Sea of
Galilee. |
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UPLIFT
YOUR GROUP SPIRIT with song, praise and a
word of prayer. |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Praying for peace overlooking the
"Road to Damascus" |
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VALUE
YOUR DRIVER AS WELL AS YOUR GUIDE, and
all others who give you courteous, exceptional
service. Compliment galore!
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WARN
YOUR GROUP TO CAREFULLY GUARD THEIR WALLETS AND
PASSPORTS, particularly in Jerusalem.
Like every major pilgrimage destination in the
world, we have a core of talented, professional
pickpockets. Remember Jesus was crucified
alongside two thieves. (Matthew 27:38) Perhaps
they had been picking the pockets of trusting
pilgrims from Galilee! |
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XPECT
THE IMPROBABLE. When you travel
overseas, there are millions of details that need to
jive coherently so that the tour goes smoothly.
A sense of humor, “street smarts” and flexibility
will go a long way towards making your pilgrimage a
rave success, regardless of unexpected storms,
airline delays or lost luggage.
Just as an example, last year on one of my tours,
there was a snowstorm in Chicago which caused two
women to arrive a day late. They were
childhood best friends and one was just widowed.
Their luggage didn’t arrive with them and by their
second day, one set of luggage was still in Chicago.
When I reported the sad news to the participant, she
started to cry. She didn’t even have
comfortable walking shoes with her. And shops
were soon going to close for the Sabbath.When
veteran tour leader Dr. Jimmy was apprised of the
situation, he immediately organized a shopping
expedition for the two women. We ordered a
taxi to meet us at Capernaum to pick up the tour
leader and the two women. While we sailed over
to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, they
were shopping in the major department store in
Tiberias.
While they were buying shoes, Dr. Jimmy snuck over
to the lingerie department and bought them both
shocking pink tank tops and bikini underwear
inscribed “princess.” When they rejoined us for St.
Peter’s fish, the two women laughingly showed us Dr.
Jimmy’s surprise purchase. This funny incident
picked up their spirits and greatly facilitated
their integration into the group. Their
luggage arrived the next evening. |
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YEARN
FOR THE HOLY LAND when you go home.
Remember Psalm 137, “If I forget thee O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its cunning, if I do not
put Jerusalem above the highest of my joys.” |
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ZERO
IN ON THE MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVES OF YOUR
PILGRIMAGE. Stay focused and your
tour will be a life-changing event for you and your
people! And you will be back for more, my
friend. |
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Copyright 2007,
2016
Gila Yudkin. Permission needed to reprint in
any medium. |
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Read what
seasoned
tour leaders say about Gila
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