Hi! I’m known in most social circles as The Catholic Traveler, but you can just call me Mountain.
I design and lead small group Catholic Pilgrimages throughout Europe and the Holy Land.
I am a convert.
I spent a decade working in the music industry. After a night out talking travel with Robert Smith of The Cure, I quit my job at a major record label, bought a one-way ticket to Rome, and started The Catholic Traveler.
Oh, and I’m the reason Chick-fil-a says “My pleasure.” True story.
My Pilgrimages
I’ve been organizing and leading my own pilgrimages for nearly 20 years.
Unlike most travel and pilgrimage companies, I travel with all my groups.
This means I only have one group at a time, and my groups get all my attention. It also means we get the best service, the best hotels, the best meals, and the best local guides.
Think about it, if a big travel company has multiple groups in the same city at the same time, how can they guarantee the best for all of them? 🤔
With all my groups, I’ve always included most meals – in great restaurants, unlimited drinks with meals, and all tips.
My pilgrimages are very popular and I have a lot of repeat travelers – on a recent pilgrimage I had five people who have traveled with me a combined total of 35 times! Once a year I offer a reunion pilgrimage just for those who have traveled with me in the past.
I occasionally work with a few select parishes, dioceses, and schools.
Traveling to Rome?
I offer private Day Tours of Catholic Rome.
I only focus on the churches of Rome – that’s my passion and I treat these tours as day pilgrimages with time for confession, prayer, and sometimes Holy Mass.
There are plenty of great tour guides who cover the museums and ancient sites. I list my favorites in The Catholic Traveler’s Guide to Rome.
My City Guides
I’ve written several free travel guides, which I update constantly, including…
- The Catholic Traveler’s Guide to Rome
- The Catholic Traveler’s Guide to Assisi
- Guide to Packing for Europe and the Holy Land
Hey, aren’t you…
I am often interviewed about the Vatican, life in Rome, and all things travel.
Recently: NBC Nightly News, NBC Today Show, ABC World News Tonight, BBC World News, EWTN.
Most people remember when my goddaughter stole the pope’s “hat.”
Some may remember when I helped Pete get a ride in the Pope-mobile.
And who can forget the blackout at the Vatican when the US SWAT Team landed a helicopter in the middle of Saint Peter’s Square, there was a gunfight with the Swiss Guard, then Pope Francis was arrested and replaced with a hologram.
Media contact: +39.342.350.8915
Where to find me.
I share a lot on Instagram (47k followers)
I write on Substack (12k readers)
I am just getting started with YouTube (3k followers)
You can also find me on Facebook (213k followers)
And I mostly just lurk on Twitter (26k followers)