Globus Faith Avis 

I recently had the privilege of embarking on the Camino Walk from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, a journey made unforgettable by our guide, Manuel, a remarkable Puerto Rican-American teacher based in Vigo, Spain. His extensive knowledge, both as an educator and a local, enriched our tour immeasurably. He masterfully fused historical contexts with contemporary insights, creating an immersive experience that went beyond the conventional. His bilingual fluency in English and Spanish made communication seamless.

His passion for the Camino was infectious. Every day was filled with fascinating tidbits about the cities we visited, their histories, architecture, and culture. He also had a deep understanding of the spiritual significance of the Camino, guiding us not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. Moreover, his expertise extended beyond the historical and cultural aspects of our journey. He demonstrated a keen ability to anticipate our needs, ensuring each member of our group was comfortable and accommodated at all times. His warm personality and sense of humor were the icing on the cake, making our tiring walks feel lighter and more enjoyable.

If you're considering a guided tour of the Camino, I cannot recommend this guide highly enough. His deep-rooted knowledge, engaging storytelling, and genuine care for his guests truly set him apart. This journey was not just a walk through picturesque landscapes, but a culturally rich, deeply personal experience, all thanks to our fantastic guide.

In a word, our guide was exceptional, transforming our Camino Walk from a simple trek into a journey of discovery, camaraderie, and personal growth. Thank you for an experience we will cherish forever!

Our Tour. To the ff. Holy Sites made this an unforgettable experience:
1. Wailing Wall
2. The Church of The Holy Sepulchre
3. The Sea of Galilee
4. Megguido
5. MASSADA
6. The Church of The Annunciation
7. The Birth Place of JESUS in Bethlehem
8. The Way of The Cross or Via Dolores

Awesome guides, driver, other guests & places to explore made for a great trip. The overnight in Monserrat was so valuable (even with a simple room & no air conditioner) as it provided 1st in for more time with the Virgin of Monserrat and great hiking.

Guide & focused on Catholic spirituality. More time in certain places where we only stopped for a couple hours or photo op eg, Loyola, Bom Jesus, Manressa. It might be good to break out shorter duration trips with more time in each. For example, only a week but stay in each place overnight or two.

Excellent hotel accommodations, very knowledgeable tour guide and consideration of all travelers’ needs to ensure a comfortable, safe journey.

Question: Overall impression of the trip

I am responding together with Carol Macina

Terrain was quite challenging, especially for those with walkers, etc. I think there should be some kind of statement from Globus about how challenging the walking is. One woman, who uses a walker, got severely injured when she fell.

In Bethlehem, we were brought to one store to shop. They closed the door and no other people were permitted in the shop. You felt like a prisoner. The owner was like a "carnival barker." This was our only opportunity to shop in Bethlehem where there is no tax and, no doubt, our local guide, Antonio, got a kick back from this store. Very disappointing.

Question: Impression of our guide.
Our guide Yaron Ossi was extremely knowledgeable on both facts on Israel and the Bible. However, on the Saturday evening we chose not to go on the optional dinner excursion. We asked Yaron where we could dine and his response was , "Check with the desk." He's been a guide for like 15 years. He should know or respond with," I'll check and get back to you." Very disappointing.

Question: Feedback on meals
Included meals were at the hotel. Stops for lunch were unsatisfactory in that they were complete dinners for around $26.Options were only choice of meat or fish. There was no opportunity in most cases for just a sandwich.

I had a wonderful vacation our tour guide Roxana was so professional and very helpful in every situation that needed to take care off. Also very knowledgeable and answered every question we had. Also our driver Antonio was excellent and very helpful with our luggage and a gentleman helping us in every situation.
When you have a team like that nothing can be wrong on a vacation. Thank you Cosmos for having such professional people to take care of all of us. Had a marvelous time 🙏🏼😊

I had a great experience because of the small number of people in our group--21. It allowed us to get to know one another better. The guides were fantastic, I can't praise them enough for keeping us on time and sharing so much knowledge and being 100% helpful.

We really enjoyed the faith based tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we had a great bus driver too!

Blessed to have experienced this trip with 10 family members aged 15 to 80. We enjoyed great comraderie with the larger group and participated in faith experiences. Our tour director kept us on schedule and was very patient with young and old, slow and frenzied. There were 2 long bus rides but we stopped at beautiful places along the way. We added 2 extra days in Lisbon before starting, and 2 extra days in Barcelona at the end. Portugal is beautiful.

The Globus tour guide for the cruise, George, was excellent. He looked out for everyone. The local tour guide for Ephesus was outstanding, he knew the bible scriptures and ancient history.

The breakfast at the Tafolia hotel was just good. The scrambled eggs were not eatable.

The trip seemed like a boot camp we were rushing too much and not enough free time. Except on the cruise, we were moving everyday packing and unpacking.

Only about 60% of the tour was about Apostle Paul, the tour was mislabeled.

The pilgrimage tour was excellent especially the tour director. The tour itself was what I expected to see and learn about the Holy Land. However, it was the tour director that impressed me the most. Samir was knowledgeable and articulate in every holy site as written in the Holy scriptures, as well as Israel's rich ancient and old history, its three monotheistic religions' demographics, and diverse culture today. The pilgrimage tour re-affirmed my Catholic faith and I humbly learned about others. I am glad I chose catholiccruisesandtours.com and Cosmos Travel for this pilgrimage. Thank you.

Good tour for the value. Accommodations were fine, however, the brochure needs a better description of how much walking and stairs are involved.

Knowledgeable and professional tour leaders, who were able to solve any problems that came up without difficulty. Transportation and lodging options were good.

I enjoyed going to mass everyday. The churches and cathedrals were stunning. The itinerary was well thought out, offering many opportunities to spend some contemplative time alone and celebrate mass with the group.

Overall, the trip was great; however, better planning in relationship to local holidays when everything closes. The return was a very late flight And all the restaurants were closed. We had a check out the hotel room at 11 AM and our flight was at 11:55 pm. This needs better coordination. Between the late return flight and the local Holiday, This meant we were at completely loose, ends to find someplace to eat, and we had to pay for an extra night at the hotel, even though we were leaving that night. There needs to be better coordination and planning for the situation. It almost felt as if we were abandoned in a foreign country.

Great amazing tour! More than I expected! Will plan my next trip with Cosmos.

Great company, best tour Director, best driver and lastly well planned itinerary.
The tour director is skillful, honest and experienced. She handles her job well and has rapport to people.
Her approach is down to earth, and you can feel her sincerity. I wish I have a girlfriend like her.

The fish frozen and the restaurant we went wasn’t good

Easy to book, great tour, the best sightseeing and amazing guides. A trip of a lifetime