Choosing a pilgrimage is an exciting and sometimes overwhelming experience. Attempting to find the right tour company to travel with is an even more daunting task. But, don’t just settle when choosing a tour company, for traveling with the right one is what sets the tone of your trip.

In an effort to help you pick the right tour company, I’ve broken down the decision making process into three areas to consider: cost, travel style, and spirituality.

How to Compare Tour Companies by Price.
For many, the cost is the biggest factor when deciding on a tour. Everyone searches for the best deal, but it can quickly get confusing when trying to compare prices. It’s especially difficult since tour companies offer different itineraries with varying lengths of stay and, in many cases, have hidden costs.

Most Catholic tour companies offer similar, but rarely identical itineraries. Obviously it’s best to base your comparisons on similar tours. Let’s start with the ‘sticker’ price of the tours. What you see is probably not what you will end up paying. Take a look at the fine print. Does this price include taxes and tips? If not, it will usually tell you approximately how much you’ll need to add on, probably another $300 - $400. If air is included, what is the departure city? If it’s New York and you live in Atlanta, that’s another $200. Look a little deeper. Is the price based on travel in the winter months? If so, travel during the summer months can cost you several hundred dollars more.

Once you calculate a more accurate price, you can figure the cost per day. Simply divide the total cost of the tour by the number of days. This cost per day will make it much easier to compare one tour to another.

How Do You Want To Travel?
Price isn’t everything. You also need to consider what type of tour you want. Do you want time to explore and take in your surroundings, or do you want to squeeze in every possible site, take your BT shot (Been There photo) and rest when you get back to the states? Do you want a real European experience, or do you want to feel like you never left home? Do you want to travel in a large group of 50 - 100 people, or prefer a smaller, more intimate group.

With some tours you’ll spend a lot of time on a cramped bus going from one site to the next. You’ll sometimes spend only one night in a city before heading out to the next town for another one night stay. Many of your hotels will be near the highway away from the city center and most of your meals will be in the hotel. If your hotel is not centrally located, you will either have to pay for an ‘optional’ tour to get you into town, or call a taxi. When the tour is over you will have seen a lot, but truly experienced very little.

When researching a tour, find out how many people are traveling in the group. Seriously consider the pace of the tour and determine if it’s right for you. Check out the accommodations and if possible, the restaurants. Are you staying in quaint, family run hotels, or a high rise American chain? Are you eating with the locals in a hidden trattoria, or back in that same high rise hotel?

Finding the Right Pilgrimage.
Most Catholic tours include a priest, most celebrate Mass each day, and all travel to sacred destinations. The difference is in the spirituality of the trip. Some tours are retreats with monastery stays high in the French Alps. Some tours are educational with morning and evening discussions about the history of the Church. Some are basically secular tours with daily Mass. But, what you will probably find is that most Catholic tours are a little of each.

You should be able to get a feel for what type of tour is being offered based on the itinerary. Look for Masses to be celebrated in churches, some tours offer Mass at the hotel. Check that you have plenty of free time for prayer and adoration. Find out the priest who will be traveling with you and see if the tour company can provide some information on him. Another aspect that helps with the spirituality of a pilgrimage is if your tour director/manager/guide is Catholic.

If you want a visit to the Sistine Chapel to be a celebration of your faith rather than just another tour, do plenty of research, shop around, and pray for God’s guidance in helping you make the right decision.