Orthodox Tours

What is your company?

1.      Can you please tell us about your company?

Orthodox Tours was established by a Russian Orthodox priest in 2001. Our purpose is to provide a travel opportunity for those who desire to expand their understanding and knowledge of the Orthodox Church, Church History and Christian Sacred Art.

2.      Are you a travel agency?

Orthodox Tours is incorporated as an LLC according to the laws of the New York State, but it is not a travel agency in the typical sense. Rather, it is an educational ministry which plans and manages tours without intermediaries. Tour sites are selected for their historical and spiritual significance to the Orthodox Church, as well as their importance to the whole heritage of Christianity.

3.      How large is your company?

Orthodox Tours is a home based, privately operated Orthodox Christian ministry.

4.      How many years you are in business?

Orthodox Tours has been conducting pilgrimages since 2001. Prior to that our director, Fr. Ilya Gotlinsky, led pilgrimages and tours for St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, St. Petersburg, Russia. As of 2008, we have a solid 15 years experience in conducting religious travel.

5.      As a religious entity do you have permission/blessing for your activities?

Yes, Orthodox Tours’ activities are conducted with the consent and blessing of the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church in America.

6.      You seem to have quite a variety of tours offered, aren’t you focusing on something particular geographically or historically?

The focus of Orthodox Tours is always church related and based on extensive research. Each site is chosen for its overall ecclesiastical significance and relevance to one of the general themes of our tours. Themes such as the “Monastic Pilgrimage”, “Sacred Art” and “Ancient and Holy” take us to a wide variety of locations. To fully cover one of these themes, our route encompasses the major historical aspects of a targeted geographical area, but reaches beyond the expected to explore the often-ignored evidence of Orthodox Christian roots planted in distant historical periods. Because we thoroughly map our pilgrimages to include places not typically visited on popular commercial tours, our guides and drivers are sometimes stunned by breadth of our itinerary.

7.      Do you sell air tickets?

We do not “sell” airfare tickets; we work with several airline companies directly and purchase group tickets for ten or more people departing from and returning to the same destination. When we purchase a group package such as this, airfare is included in our tour price. Though we do not currently arrange airfare or purchase tickets for people traveling individually, we can recommend travel agents who will arrange flights.

8.      Can you prepare individual travel-tour?

We prefer to work with groups on tours that we prepare, but we are able to design and lead suggested tours that conform to our ministry and fit our general themes. We are always willing to advise and provide referrals where this is not applicable.

9.      Can you advise on our private travel?

Yes, our years of experience as pilgrimage guides have given us a broad knowledge of international travel. However, we cannot guarantee the same level of services for individual travelers as we provide through our group plans.

10.  Can you make tailored/customized itinerary based on our particular request?

Yes, we can customize an itinerary if it is within the area of our ministry and expertise.

11.  Do you always go on your tours?

Fr. Ilya tries to lead every pilgrimage, but in some cases this is not possible due to other obligations. Even on the rare occurrence that Fr. Ilya is unable to lead a particular pilgrimage, Orthodox Tours has developed a network of host parties at every destination to provide the same degree of attention that all our tours offer.

12.  Can I have references from the people who went with you on that pilgrimage before?

References and testimonials are available upon request. We encourage your research and interest in this regard, as word of mouth from our veteran group members is the best advertisement for our ministry.