Introduction (Read First): Glimmer Tours is not your ordinary tourism company. Our unique approach of specializing in only a few itinerary options has provided us industry leading satisfaction ratings from our clients. By providing the same exact experience to every traveler in each group, we are able to control the quality of your whole experience. If you are in the market for custom itineraries and want to piece together a trip yourself, we may not be the right fit. But if you are looking for a stress free planning experience, high quality pilgrimages and a great price with everything included then you're at the right place!
Please take the next few minutes to thoroughly read through all our FAQs below. This way you can be fully informed about what our pilgrimages have to offer.
- How does Glimmer Tours offer $900 in additional savings & value per traveler?
- What our clients love about our tour packages is that there are no hidden fees and everything is included. Below is a list of items that differentiates our All Inclusive Package from most other companies.
Additional Savings & Value
- We Include Daily Lunches
- Travel Insurance
- We Include All Tips
- Our Itinerary is Longer (More Days)
- Our Groups are Smaller (28 - 38 people)
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$900 Total Additional Savings & Value
There are many other hidden fees other companies may surprise you with such as admission fees, airline surcharges and transfers. While the majority of other companies don't include lunch, many don't include dinners either.
We are proud of our full transparency in pricing and the high quality experiences we provide.
- What our clients love about our tour packages is that there are no hidden fees and everything is included. Below is a list of items that differentiates our All Inclusive Package from most other companies.
- What type of hotels do we stay in?
- We only work with quality hotel options. You will be staying at 4 star hotels in Bethlehem, Tiberias & Nazareth. You will NOT be staying at convents or hostels like some other tour groups do.
- We only work with quality hotel options. You will be staying at 4 star hotels in Bethlehem, Tiberias & Nazareth. You will NOT be staying at convents or hostels like some other tour groups do.
- What happens if my tour gets postponed?
- In the event of force majeure, a travel ban, act of God, pandemic, war or any situation outside of our control, we will coordinate with all our suppliers and do our best to either alter the itinerary or move your reservation to a future tour date. If you decide to cancel your reservation instead of accepting our tour postponement options, standard cancellation penalties will apply.
- In the event of force majeure, a travel ban, act of God, pandemic, war or any situation outside of our control, we will coordinate with all our suppliers and do our best to either alter the itinerary or move your reservation to a future tour date. If you decide to cancel your reservation instead of accepting our tour postponement options, standard cancellation penalties will apply.
- What type of flights do you purchase for us?
We only work with quality airline carriers such as Delta, Air Canada, Air France, United, Lufthansa, Aeroflot, Alitalia, El Al, Brussels, SWISS, Iberia, LOT, Royal Jordanian, Turkish, KLM with stopovers in countries such as USA, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Jordan, Russia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.
Depending on the airport you depart from and the availability of the flights at the time of purchase, please expect 1 or 2 stops on your way to and back from Israel.
Total travel time to Israel from the USA typically ranges from 14 - 24 hours. This may vary shorter or longer under special circumstances.
The selection of which airline or flight option is at the full discretion of Glimmer Tours. Once we issue your tickets, you will be able to call the airline directly or log-in online to manage your booking and make any special requests to the airline such as dietary requirements or wheelchair assistance.
Glimmer Tours does not offer business or first class options. You may have the option to upgrade to premium economy depending on flight availability. This must be processed directly with the airline.
Some airlines allow for free advanced seat selection while others may charge an additional fee for this perk. Glimmer Tours cannot guarantee seat assignment, this must be coordinated directly with the airline.
Which airports are included in the package?
Below is a list of airports that are included in the package price. Please provide us the name of your preferred airport from the list below when registering.
Los Angeles (LAX), CA
San Francisco (SFO), CA
Chicago (ORD), IL
Boston (BOS), MA
Houston (IAH), TX
Dallas (DFW), TX
New York (JFK), NY
Newark (EWR), NJ
Baltimore (BWI), MD
Dulles (IAD), VA
Miami (MIA), FL
Las Vegas (LAS), NV
If you would like to depart from a different USA airport then the ones listed above, please email us at support@glimmertours.com or call us at (800)282-8407 for a quote.
- Do you offer Land Only packages where we purchase our own flights?
For quality control and organizational purposes, Glimmer Tours does not offer Land Only options and only offers our standard Flight & Land package
What options do I have if I am traveling alone?
Single Occupancy: You can pay an additional fee of $700 to guarantee a room to yourself.
Roommate Matching: Let us match you up with a same gender roommate for an additional fee of $200. If we are unable to find a match, you will receive a room to yourself.
Note: We charge a $200 fee for our Roommate Matching program as it helps us cover the costs for when we aren't able to match you. Other tour companies may offer this program for free but will surprise you with a large single occupancy fee when they can't find you a roommate. We want you to fully know your exact tour costs the moment you register with us as transparency is one of our core pillars.
How do I meet up with the group? Where is the group traveling from?
Our groups consist of solo travelers, family and friend groups departing from airports all across the USA. Although you may run into other group members at the airport, during transfers or at dinner on the day of arrival, you are scheduled to meet everyone in your tour group at breakfast the morning of your first day of sightseeing.
Are all tips actually include in the package?
Yes all tips are included. Other companies will tell you that tips to your guide and driver are not included. Then prior to your departure they will inform you that it is customary to tip $120 - $200 per person and that it is important to do so. We feel this is misleading and unnecessary. For this reason, we include all tips so you aren't surprised with any additional expenses and so our guides & drivers are happy knowing they will get paid well. If you want to leave an additional tip because you personally feel compelled to, that is at your own discretion.
Did your Holy Land Itinerary used to only include 10 Days?
Although all our clients loved our 10 Day Itinerary, we have increased it to 11 Days as to help create a more relaxed pace for our pilgrimage. Tourism to the Holy Land has increased over the last few years making some sites require more time. We are always looking at ways to create a better experience for our clients as the quality of your trip is most important to us.
Do you have Spanish tours?
At this time, Glimmer Tours only offers tours in English.
Can I join the tour if I am not Catholic?
Yes of course! While our program is primarily geared towards the Catholic faithful, all are welcome to participate and to encounter the unique spiritual experience found on our pilgrimage. There is no obligation to attend Mass.
What are the best months to travel to the Holy Land?
The months of March, April, May, September, October and November are the best and most popular months to travel. We do not offer pilgrimages in the winter and summer months as the weather can get very cold and hot. Quality control and consistency is of the upmost importance to us, so unlike other tour companies, we only schedule pilgrimages 6 months out of the year.
Do you offer extensions or custom itineraries?
To maintain the quality of our pilgrimages, Glimmer Tours does not customize its itinerary for Individual travelers in a group. Everyone in the group arrives and departs on the same day and gets the same experience.
Do you purchase insurance for the whole group?
We know how important it is for you to be protected, for this reason, we purchase the Group Protection Plan by Travel Insured International for everyone in the group at no additional cost. All other tour companies will not only up-charge you a few hundred dollars per person for insurance, they also receive commissions for selling it. The safety of our clients is more important to us than receiving commissions or cutting costs.
For general policy questions, you may review our brochure here. If you have specific policy questions such as medical or trip cancellation coverage questions, we recommend calling and speaking with a licensed insurance agent at Travel Insured International at +1-844-440-8113.
- Is Glimmer Tours licensed & insured?
- Yes we are fully incorporated in California. We are an active California Seller of Travel member (# 2142287-40), as well as the California Restitution Fund and have comprehensive Travel Agents and Tour Operators Professional Liability Insurance with Zurich American Insurance Company.
- Yes we are fully incorporated in California. We are an active California Seller of Travel member (# 2142287-40), as well as the California Restitution Fund and have comprehensive Travel Agents and Tour Operators Professional Liability Insurance with Zurich American Insurance Company.
- How do I register and pay for the trip?
- Click on the green "Select" button on the tour page you are interested in. Then select the number of people you would like to book for. You will be able to see your payment plan, when each payment is due and how much each payment is. You may either register online or over the phone by calling us at 1 (800) 282-8407.
If you are traveling in a group, we recommend registering each couple or solo traveler under a separate account with a different email address as to make it easier for you to track and make payments.
**Prices are based on paying using our online eCheck / ACH option. If you'd like to use credit/debit cards then there is a 2.9% card surcharge (3.9% for AMEX).
- Click on the green "Select" button on the tour page you are interested in. Then select the number of people you would like to book for. You will be able to see your payment plan, when each payment is due and how much each payment is. You may either register online or over the phone by calling us at 1 (800) 282-8407.
- What happens after I complete my registration and pay my deposit?
- We will email a pilgrimage confirmation document for each individual traveler to sign electronically. This will outline all the terms of our tour and information you provided us during registration. For quality control purposes, this document must be signed within 30 days of your registration date or your registration will be automatically cancelled in our system and your deposit refunded.