Holy Land

It's hard to tell what type of tour you're looking for, but Archaeological Tours (office in New York) does amazing in-depth tours. I traveled in Egypt with them and it was a great experience. They send first rate academics to lead each tour group – although, FYI, in Egypt there is also a local tour guide, and by law, that is the person who supposed to be guiding through the sites. They were good at handling it creatively, and I can only think of a couple of times when they had to make adjustments to keep the tourist police happy.

If your interest in the holy land is religious and Christian, Franciscan Pilgrimages was great. Every communication I received from them made clear that – this is a pilgrimage not a tour. It was a small and very compatible group, and the focus was on the religious sites, not things like shopping and elaborate meals at restaurants. Although most of the people in my tour were Catholic, there were non-Catholics, including a Baptist minister who was on her second visit to the holy land with them.

You can find a list of guides and tour companies for trips through the Holy Land at http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/tv-specials/holy-land (click on "Information about Traveling in Israel and Palestine" to expand the list). We do not endorse any of these organizations or individuals. They are listed at their request, but can be a good place to start your research.

In Egypt, Rick used and recommends Egypt and Beyond (www.egyptandbeyondtravel.com). Some other tour companies worth looking into also include Adventures Abroad (www.adventures-abroad.com) and Overseas Adventures (www.oattravel.com). They have itineraries that cover a broad spectrum of global destinations.

If you choose a religion-oriented tour, compare the itinerary with secular tours. Some Christian tours visit only Christian sites, and some Catholic tours only Catholic sites (most Christians here are not Catholic and few are Protestant). One example is Caesarea, built by Herod, later conquered by the Muslims and the Crusaders. There are interesting well-preserved remains of from these and other eras, including an amphitheatre and an aquaduct. Yet many Christian tours stop for only a few minutes to remember the place where, according to Acts, Peter baptized the first Gentiles.

If you have traveled independently in Europe, you will be able to travel independently in Israel. All signage is in English, which is spoken everywhere. You can then hire guides for in-depth days in specific places, take advantage of walking tours, some sights have guided group tours, or choose a special trip - like a jeep tour in the Negev desert.

We are planning a trip in May 2016 and plan to use Green Olive Tours. Alternative tours that strive to educate from both the Israeli and Palestinian perspectives, I expect Fred Schlomka's tours would appeal to Rick Steves followers. Fred and his lovely wife Sunita (an international harpist from Minnesota) are close friends of a friend of ours. Check out toursinenglish.com.