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Casterbridge Tours: Over 30 Years of Excellence

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:07:01 GMT

asterbridge Tours can justifiably claim to have pioneered the development of educational tours and independent adult and student group travel in Europe and other worldwide destinations. We have been successfully operating educational adult and student group travel programs since 1979, and today we are recognized around the globe as the market leader for educational tours and custom group travel to Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Today, schools, colleges, and adult groups requiring a personalized and independent educational tour experience look to Casterbridge Tours, and each year we operate approximately 300 educational tours and adult and student group travel programs. Historically, the majority of these programs consist of group travel in Europe; however, we are increasingly offering adult and student group travel opportunities throughout Asia, Africa, North, Central and South America. Most importantly, all of our educational tours can be custom-designed to meet your group's particular requirements.

A UNIQUE TOURING STRUCTURE... With Casterbridge, each of our adult and student group travel programs operates as its own private group. On our educational tours, therefore, in addition to having your own custom group tour, you will never be combined with any other adult or school groups or individuals on tour. Similarly, each Casterbridge group travel program has the exclusive use of a Casterbridge Tour Manager/guide 24 hours a day. Each of our adult and student group travel tours is given an educational tour itinerary that has been tailored specifically around the group's desired dates, themes, and destinations. Our reputation for delivering high quality educational tours and group travel to Europe, Asia, and the Americas has been built on providing well-planned itineraries and all-inclusive pricing as we strive to eliminate the frequent contingencies and hidden extra costs that characterize many other educational travel operators. Casterbridge has taken these principles and structures for adult and student group travel and has carefully formulated our Casterbridge Charter and Travel Philosophy, which we believe represents the ideal for a truly educational travel experience. This charter, along with our fundamental philosophies for adult and student group travel, is one of the reasons so many group leaders return to Casterbridge for educational tours and group travel in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS... With our Operations Team, Head Office and Directors based in Britain, Casterbridge has unparalleled experience and contacts for group travel in Europe, as well as an intimate knowledge of all major sights, accommodations, and educational opportunities for adult and student group travel. Our North American Sales Office, located in historic Virginia, works directly with adult and student group travel leaders to design all of their educational tour programs. Our knowledgeable Tour Coordinators are specialists in group travel throughout Europe and other worldwide destinations, and group leaders benefit from a level of personal service that is unequalled elsewhere in the educational tours industry.

We invite all teachers, professors, and special-interest group leaders to visit our pages dedicated to Educational and Cultural Travel for School and College Groups, as well as those for Adult and Special Interest Group Travel. Our site also features detailed itineraries for group travel in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and all educational opportunities for adult and student group travel. For further details, register online or call 1-800-522-2398 for a copy of our full Educational Travel Tours Catalog shown above.

CONTINUING TO GROW... Due to the success of our educational tours and adult and student group travel programs, we discovered the need to expand by offering performing and musical programs, as well as religious heritage programs. In 1997 these became two separate divisions: Casterbridge Concert Tours, which designs programs for group travel in Europe and around the world for performing groups, and Casterbridge Church Tours, which provides travel opportunities to church groups. These divisions were established with the sole responsibility of providing the specialized attention and expertise needed by performing and religious heritage groups touring abroad.

Casterbridge offers an unrivalled range of performance group travel to Europe, Asia, and the Americas, which combine educational tour experiences with opportunites to perform overseas. We provide performing student group tours as well as adult choral, band, and orchestra programs. Casterbridge employs the same educational travel philosophies, meticulous planning and attention to detail to our performing groups as we do to our regular educational tour groups, which may explain why Casterbridge Concert Tours is increasingly the first choice of discerning choir, band and orchestra directors for performing adult and student group travel.

Our Church Tours division combines educational tour experiences with special worship opportunities on all of its group travel programs to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Both student group travelers, such as youth groups or J2A groups, and adult groups looking for a spiritual pilgrimage will find that Casterbridge Church Tours can fulfill all of their spiritual and educational tour needs. For further details on our Concert or Church programs, please register online or call 1-800-522-2398 for a copy of our catalogs.

Testimonials... We hope the comments of our adult and student group travel leaders and participants will provide an effective insight into the quality of all of our educational tours. Our group travel programs to Europe, Asia, and the Americas are consistently rated “good” to “excellent,” and we are always complimented on the educational aspects of our tours. If you wish to Register, we can supply hundreds of references from our adult and student group travel leaders throughout North America, who will testify to the highest standards of quality and personal service that can be found on all of our educational tours and adult and student group tour programs.

Independent Group Travel with Casterbridge

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:05:58 GMT

t is an unfortunate fact that many tour operators will always combine groups and individual tour participants to ensure they have a full bus load. It is equally unfortunate that these combined groups and individuals will rarely share the same goals, which can often lead to differing aspirations and inevitable conflicts of interest on tour.

THE HEIGHT OF PERSONAL ATTENTION... Casterbridge promotes the very tangible benefits of independent group travel. Casterbridge Tours will always guarantee a personalised itinerary and the exclusive use of a vehicle and guide with as few as 10 paying participants. It is significant that the most repeated positive comment from group leaders refers to the personal service that each group receives as a result of this fundamental touring structure.

DESIGN YOUR OWN TOUR... With Caterbridge, independent travel also means you can always design a tour to suit your own specific requirements, and that the atmosphere on tour will be consistent with your own academic or cultural emphasis. It is only by travelling as an independent group that a school can fully ensure that the appropriate standards of discipline and code of conduct are applied on tour.

There is just no better place to start your planning than at CasterbridgE-Tours. This unique interactive database facility will allow you to custom-design the content for your itinerary and outlines other potential visits that might be of interest to your group in the region that you are visiting. Once completed, your selections can be submitted directly to our offices and a detailed itinerary and response can often be e-mailed back to you within 72 hours!

NO LAST MINUTE SURPRISES... A close examination of many of our competitors' brochures also reveals that they reserve the right to change your tour dates and departure city as late as two to ten days prior to your planned departure. As many tour operators frequently consolidate their tours and combine individual groups, teachers are increasingly coming into conflict with their principals, governors and parents when tour dates are changed just prior to their planned departure! Every tour Casterbridge operates is tailored to each school's specific vacation or study dates and we will unequivocally guarantee your flight dates at the time of booking.

CLEAR ADVANTAGES FROM THE OUTSET... While most tour operators will keep you waiting at the airport for other groups to arrive, Casterbridge will immediately transfer your independent group from the hustle of the airport en route to your first hotel. The vast majority of our tours are either custom designed by group leaders or contain specific features and attractions requested for the group. Furthermore, with the exclusive use of a Casterbridge Tourguide, you have the permanent presence of a travel professional dedicated to ensuring your tour is a total success. It is often these factors that turn a good tour into an outstanding or unique travel experience and which epitomise the personal service for which Casterbridge is renowned.

Well Planned Itineraries with Casterbridge

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:05:23 GMT

e take great pride in the amount of time and research that goes into the planning of our tour itineraries. We naturally take you to the most famous and important cities, but we also plan our itineraries to allow time to visit those 'undiscovered' towns and villages which will give you a real flavour of the local way of life and traditions.

LESS TRAVEL PRODUCES A BETTER EXPERIENCE... Spending too much time travelling can be counterproductive. Whenever possible we design itineraries with a minimum of hotel changes to avoid continually packing and unpacking. We cut out unnecessary travelling just to say 'been there, seen that,' and we always make the maximum time available to visit attractions (and we include the admission cost!) rather than just drive past them.

THEMATIC DAYS AND A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES... A day's programme is often devoted to a specific theme, or is arranged in chronological or sequential order to facilitate learning and create a more interesting tour experience. We aim for a careful balance of educational and cultural visits combined with recreational activities, such as coastal walks, river cruises or tower ascents for variety and a rounded cultural experience. Poorly planned tours result in tired, irritable and bored participants. A well-planned tour will keep the individuals interested and enthusiastic about what they are seeing and doing. No tour is better planned than a Casterbridge tour.

WE FIND OUR GROUPS THE BEST POSSIBLE FLIGHTS... The planning and service from our flights department is unequalled in the educational travel market. We always provide scheduled flights on guaranteed dates and will advise the carrier and flight schedule at the time of confirming your initial booking with Casterbridge.

INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF ALL WORLDWIDE DESTINATIONS
... is a strength of both our Tour Planning and Tour Operations departments. The location and choice of hotels, the selection of tourguides and the pre-tour planning are just a few of the many factors that can make or break a tour. With careful planning and the guidance of experienced Tour Coordinators, all of the logistical aspects of your tour are in excellent hands with Casterbridge.

All Inclusive Tours with Casterbridge

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:04:44 GMT

ur tours have always been fully inclusive of all air and land services. This includes flights, airport taxes, a comprehensive sightseeing programme, all group transportation, 2 meals a day and the permanent presence of a Casterbridge Tourguide. Please refer to our area dedicated to "What is Included" to review the full listing of our included tour services.

Casterbridge Tours will never induce groups on tour with inexpensive prices only to add on all sorts of extras later. We do not consider this to be fair to either group leaders or tour participants. For this reason, Casterbridge Tours has no registration fees, no adult supplements and no hidden weekend supplements or airport taxes to be added. Quite to the contrary, all excursions and admissions are included, right down to Metro passes in all capital cities!

Why should a teacher face the dilemma of half the group wanting to ascend the Eiffel Tower and half not being able to afford it? On our educational tours for schools and colleges, our all-inclusive policy is an intrinsic part of our touring philosophy. Casterbridge includes everything in advance so that the students do not need to carry around large amounts of cash. Furthermore, this structure allows us to pre-book many visits to major sights and eliminate unnecessary waiting in line while on tour.

What should a teacher do for the many free days when nothing has been planned in the itinerary? Often referred to as 'free days to explore' by other Operators, you will discover that these days are nothing more than opportunities for Tourguides to earn commission by pressuring your group into purchasing high price 'optional' excursions. With Casterbridge, there are no free days when you are expected to pay an additional fee for 'optional' excursions. Indeed, Casterbridge can often organise a range of additional, escorted evening activities at every destination featured in our tours, without cost implications, due to the permanent presence of our guides.

DON'T BE FOOLED... We are amazed when we look at our competitors' brochures, examine the small print and calculate that all the hidden extras usually add up to hundreds of dollars! When you compare the all-inclusive nature of our tours to those of other Tour Operators, you will discover that their low lead-in price begins to add up and up!

As you can see, the Casterbridge philosophy always emphasises education, safety and the smooth operation of each tour that we operate.

The Casterbridge Charter

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:03:50 GMT

The Casterbridge Charter & Educational Travel Philosophy

1.   You will travel as an independent group and will never be combined with other groups or students. This guarantees a more personal, flexible and educationally appropriate experience for your group.

2.   As it is your own tour, we will custom design all of our tour itineraries. We encourage group leaders to revise a standard outline until we have an itinerary that is designed to suit the specific needs of the group in question.

3.   We provide a Casterbridge Guide with each group on a 24-hour basis. This allows us to accomplish our goal of providing the maximum cultural and educational impact and the best use of time throughout your tour. The local knowledge and personal touches of our guides are particularly beneficial in the evenings and their permanent presence is invaluable to our group leaders.

4.   We always quote a comprehensive package with all excursions and admission costs included. This allows us to purchase group rates in advance for the best savings for our groups and ensures that the whole group has the cultural benefit of all the admissions, with no individuals being disadvantaged.

5.   We will provide nonstop flights, if available, or book the best flight routing possible for your group on the dates you select and we only use the major, scheduled international airlines. We never use charter flights. This ensures you arrive at your destination as fresh as possible and travel at a time convenient for your school, not just when it is convenient for other tour operators to place you on discounted unsold seats or circuitous flight routings.

6.   We strive, at all times, to demonstrate the highest standards of honesty, integrity, personal service and attention to detail in both the planning and operation of every tour. We guarantee your tour dates and departure at time of booking, and there are no hidden extras such as registration fees, optional excursions, airport taxes, capital city transport or adult supplements.

7.   We aim to provide an authentic cultural experience in all our destinations. This means using smaller, family owned hotels, whenever possible, rather than impersonal chains, eating at ethnic restaurants and encouraging direct interaction with the local culture and people.

8.   We facilitate learning by providing chronological content, coherent themes and by covering basic knowledge of terminology and concepts.

9.   Our daily itineraries are carefully planned so that you travel less and see more and to provide a variety of activities each day. We have a minimum of one night hotel stays and provide time for in-depth visits to attractions.

10.  Our aim is to bring the sights alive and to provide an enjoyable, educational and cultural experience for all concerned. We provide a balance of educational visits, cultural experiences and recreational activities. Our guides aim to inject humour and raise curiosity so that learning is fun!

If these standards portray the type of tour operator you would like as a travel partner, please put us to the test. Register now or call 1-800-522-2398 and one of our friendly and knowledgeable Tour Coordinators will be delighted to send you further information or discuss your travel plans with you.

Casterbridge: Our Educational Philosophy

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:02:56 GMT

s former teachers, we believe that travel is one of the best and most rewarding forms of education possible. Nevertheless, there are many potential obstacles to prevent learning on tour, so our tours are designed to eliminate these factors.

Potential problems can include:

Being too tired and not being given the time to absorb information.
Not including admissions to important sites or only offering some important excursions on tour as optional extras, which could exclude those students without the necessary funds.
Being overwhelmed by too much information imparted at any one time.
Overlooking basic concepts and explanations. A Gothic Cathedral means nothing to a student if Gothic is just an undefined concept.
Presenting information and visits with no reference to one unifying theme or chronological order.

Every Casterbridge Tour is tailored to combat and overcome these obstacles. We offer all of the following:

Well Planned Itineraries - We keep one night stays and long travel days to a minimum to spend more time off the bus and to enjoy a variety of activities. A well-planned tour will keep students interested and enthusiastic about what they are seeing and doing and their minds always open and receptive to information and the full cultural experience.
Excursions and Admissions Included - With Casterbridge, not only are all excursions included, but the expensive admission charges (usually an optional extra on other tours) are also included.
Education, Culture and Recreation - Each day with Casterbridge is a carefully planned combination of education, culture, free time and planned recreation. Students benefit from a variety of activities, keeping the mind fresh and offering diverse cultural experiences. Your guide will also be pleased to suggest interesting free-time and evening activities.
Sensitive, Thought Provoking and Interesting Tourguides - On our walking tours our guides focus on the historical and cultural aspects of most interest to your group and pitch the information to their level of knowledge. Your guide will also present basic thematic introductions to subjects relevant to the country you are visiting such as art and architecture, literature and language, customs and culture. On specialist study tours, we include a provision for local, expert guides to afford an even higher degree of specialist knowledge.
Thematic and Chronological Days - Logical and ordered learning can be accomplished by thematic and chronological itinerary planning. We aim, whenever possible, to provide thematic and chronologically arranged content on each day of the tour. Days dedicated to items such as 'Arthurian Legends' or 'The Normandy Invasion,' 'Shakespeare' or 'Impressionism' make for learning that can be both fascinating and fun.

Student Tours with Casterbridge

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:02:15 GMT

asterbridge Tours has been operating educational travel services for adult and student tour groups since 1979. Casterbridge differentiates itself from other educational student tour operators by having a unique educational travel structure and clearly defined touring and travel philosophies.

'LEARN TO TRAVEL - TRAVEL TO LEARN'... Our motto reflects the fact that we passionately believe in the cultural benefits of our educational student tours and travel services. We guarantee a quality educational travel experience on your own custom-designed itinerary, with the use of a private bus and Tour Manager/Guide, with as few as 10 paying participants. In addition to having your custom group tour, you will never be combined with other student tour groups who may not share your particular educational travel goals or disciplinary standards. This structure of providing a private educational travel experience exclusively for student tour groups offers clear advantages for all involved:

You can custom-design every itinerary to suit the precise cultural and educational travel requirements of your student tour group based on the dates, themes and destinations of your choosing, and the specific goals you have for your educational student tour.
Since you are not combined with other student tour groups, we can provide a personalized educational travel program on the very best scheduled flight routings confirmed at time of booking on guaranteed dates, unlike the majority of other educational student tour operators.
The Casterbridge guide is with your student tour group at all times, from airport arrival to departure, and will even help chaperone your school group tour on evening activities so as to consistently maximize the educational travel experience for your student tour group.
All excursion and admission costs, airport taxes and weekend flight supplements required are already included in your educational travel program. There are therefore no hidden costs for registration fees, optional excursions or adult supplements for you and your student tour group to encounter at a later date, as is far too commonly the case with other educational student tour operators.

Our Educational Travel Philosophy -
Honesty, Integrity and Variety

The fact that Casterbridge will always guarantee a private custom-designed educational travel program for your student tour group to complement your classroom teaching is just one reason why Casterbridge is a truly educational student tour operator. We invite you to view our Casterbridge Charter and Educational Travel Philosophy, which describes the foundations of our educational travel programs and outlines how we integrate travel with real learning on every educational student tour.

These educational travel components include thematic and chronologically arranged content and a carefully planned balance of educational travel experiences and cultural activities, combined with recreational opportunities such as coastal walks, river cruises, or the ascent of a tower. Our specialized student tours provide participants with a well-rounded cultural and educational travel experience. It is not our philosophy to entice student tour groups to travel with Casterbridge and then add on extra charges later for excursions and admissions that we believe should be included in advance to ensure a truly educational travel experience for all student tour groups. Extra “add-on” charges penalize individual students and dilute the educational travel experience as a whole.

Comments from teachers and students alike testify to the benefits derived from our unique educational travel philosophies and structures. Our entire emphasis for all educational student tours is on honesty, integrity, safety, and education, and we aim to provide total peace of mind for our student tour group leaders. The personal service and attention to detail we provide in the operation of each educational student tour is why Casterbridge is widely recognized as the leader in student group tours and educational group travel for middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, which describes the series of very practical measures that provide the foundation of our programs and outlines how we integrate travel with real learning.

Adult Tours with Casterbridge

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:01:37 GMT

fter 30 years of research at our Headquarters in Britain, Casterbridge Tours has an intimate knowledge of all major destinations and has specialized experience in providing custom group tours for adult & student tour groups. Please find below an outline of some of the programs that Casterbridge can offer.

Concert Tours and Performing Arts Tours

Casterbridge has an unrivalled range of contacts and venues for choirs, bands or dance groups. For example, in the last year, we have arranged for our custom group tours to perform in such prestigious venues as St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London, Notre Dame in Paris, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice and St. Peter's in Rome! We always balance a degree of sightseeing with the performance requirements of the group.

Literary Tours With a name like Casterbridge, you can imagine that Literary Programs are one of our ultimate specialities. We have an extensive background in offering custom group tours & small groups travel for schools and colleges, as well as local libraries and bookstores. For example, after visiting the Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy sights in the southwest, your small group of students or adults on a custom group tour might be exposed to passages from relevant works as they walk the Yorkshire Moors of the Brontës or discover the Lake District, immortalized by the Romantic poets.

Historical Programs

Casterbridge has extensive background in researching and operating custom group tours and small group travel for student and adult groups of all ages around specific historical themes. Our custom programs for veterans’ divisions and battalions or small student or adult groups are frequently designed to incorporate the Normandy Beaches or the battlefields of World War I and II in unique thematic and chronological touring programs.

Art and Art History Programs

Casterbridge has introduced a fascinating new program "In the Footsteps of the Impressionists," which begins at Monet's home and garden at Giverny and concludes in Van Gogh's Provence as we get off the beaten-track to rediscover the landscapes that inspired these great Masters. Our custom designed group tours can offer small group travel experiences for adult and student tour groups that combine the above with the art and architecture of Venice, Florence and Rome for a comprehensive examination of art history from the Renaissance to the 20th century.

Language Programs

Our custom group tours and student group travel experiences can expose students first-hand to a language in its most authentic setting by combining a touring itinerary with one of our Homestay or Language Programs in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Asia or Latin America.

Theatre and Drama Tours

We have an outstanding range of unique inclusions to go with tickets for the best shows. Our adult or student group travel programs can enable small groups on a custom tour to enjoy a workshop on the stage of the Globe Theatre, see make up demonstrations, take in depth backstage tours or even have a meeting with a Royal Shakespearean Actor or Director.

Sporting Programs

Casterbridge has arranged matches for Soccer Tours in France, Lacrosse and Tennis Tours in England and Basketball Tours in Spain.

Religion Tours/Church Groups

Whilst Casterbridge can arrange Religious Heritage Programs for all the major denominations throughout Britain and Europe, we also have contacts to facilitate special visits to other great pilgrimage sites of the world. A visit to the Holy Land itself would truly be a once-in-a-lifetime and unforgettable experience as your church or student group travels on their own custom designed group tour. For example, take a unique itinerary with Casterbridge in Turkey to rediscover "The Journeys of St. Paul" and conclude your program in Corinth and Athens.

Special Interest Programs

There are literally endless possibilities for special subject tours, whether your interest is historic homes and gardens, antiques, or fashion design. Check this section of our website for many other ideas for itineraries with a specific academic or cultural emphasis.

We have worked with all types of local clubs and associations and have experience in arranging professional visits for Rotary or Soroptimist associations or small group of friends wishing to travel and tour together, as well as coordinating travel and conference arrangements for Kiwanis and Lions Clubs.

Visit CasterbridgE-Tours now to compile your own list of desired destinations and to view further suggestions for your small group travel experience or to custom design an adult or student group tour. Within as little as 72 hours, you could be looking at a detailed itinerary designed exclusively for your own custom student, small or group travel tour.

Casterbridge Concert Tours

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:00:56 GMT

asterbridge has been operating European and Worldwide concert programmes for over twenty five years and is now widely recognised as one of the primary specialists in overseas performance tours. We have extensive expertise in handling all types of musical groups - from high school and college age choirs, bands and orchestras to adult, church and community ensembles. Today, Music Directors throughout North America can testify first-hand to a level of personal service and meticulous attention to detail that is unequalled elsewhere in the field of European and Worldwide concert tours.

WHAT CAN WE PROVIDE? Casterbridge Concert Tours can arrange tours for choirs, bands and orchestras, based on your specific requirements, throughout the British Isles, all of Continental Europe and multiple Worldwide destinations such as China, Japan, Australia, and South Africa. We will custom design a private concert tour for your group with as few as 10 participants or with as many as 250. Wherever you choose to tour, we will ensure that your concert schedule is combined with sufficient time for your pre-performance arrangements and your own personal sightseeing programme. We can also provide any of the following items as your touring programme may require:

Music Festivals and Competitions
Individual Concert Arrangements
Equipment Hire
Equipment Transportation

Parades
Workshops
Joint Concerts
Homestays

PERFORMANCES AND AUDIENCES... To ensure a warm, appreciative and receptive audience for your concerts, we have extremely close relations with churches and cathedrals, local educational establishments and community based settings and we complement the efforts of these local contacts with our own extensive promotional measures. The diversity of venues that we utilise, combined with the advertising materials and techniques that we have at our disposal, ensures that audience attendance is maximised throughout our groups' touring itineraries. Register now or call us for a sample listing of our range of venues in your chosen destinations and for more information on our promotional package.

CASTERBRIDGE EXPERIENCE AND FLEXIBILITY... Working closely with one of our Concert Tour Coordinators, you can develop a tour outline around the themes, dates, destinations and performance arenas of your choosing. The combined expertise of our Coordinators and senior staff in music, education and performing, as well as in the travel industry as a whole, allows us to provide the most specialised arrangements. We have experience in designing programmes for all of the following ensembles:

High School Choirs, Bands and Orchestras
University and College Ensembles
Children's Choruses and Youth Orchestras
Community Chorales and Ensembles
Show Choirs

Adult Choirs
Church Choirs
Jazz Ensembles
Madrigal Singers
Handbell Ringers

SELECTED SERVICES... We also appreciate that many Musical Directors may already have their own contacts for accommodations or concert performances throughout the world, and we are very willing to combine our efforts with these Directors. Let us take care of the flights, transportation and sightseeing whilst you concentrate solely on the music and working with your hosts.

For further details on our programs, please register online or call 1-800-522-2398 for a copy of our Concert Tour catalog.

Casterbridge Church Tours

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:59:14 GMT

Visit Our New Dededicated Site at
www.casterbridgechurchtours.com!

WORLDWIDE FELLOWSHIP AND WORSHIP

e have over 30 years of experience in designing programs for a diverse range of churches communities and congregations. We have expertise in designing programs for youth and adult groups and for all of the major denominations. No request is too specialized for our staff who are accustomed to working in great detail with all of our group leaders to provide precisely the touring and spiritual experience that is required for each group.

Casterbridge Church Tours always endeavors to maximize the unique opportunities for international exchange, fellowship and worship that can be afforded by a religious tour overseas.

For all of our church groups, we do our utmost to offer the following elements to enhance the cultural and spiritual experience for your participants:

At least one arranged meeting with a congregation of the same denomination (if appropriate to your group).
Private church services and the opportunity for your accompanying minister to officiate at one service, at least, in a local church (if desired).
Performances for your Church Choir at local churches or in some of the world's great places of worship.
Opportunities for charitable visits or community service at local churches, schools, homes for the elderly, orphanages, hospitals and clinics.

Casterbridge has the expertise and flexibility to provide a unique touring program for your church community. Indeed, with local contacts and knowledge accrued over 30 years, nobody is better placed to facilitate opportunities abroad for fellowship and worship that can contribute to providing a genuinely meaningful touring experience.

Sister Parishes and Communities

We also appreciate that many churches may already have their own contacts with fellow communities or parishes worldwide for exchange visits and possible homestay accommodations. As such, we are very willing to facilitate these visits and incorporate them into the touring program of your choice. Let us take care of the flights, transportation, logistics and sightseeing portions while you experience the fellowship of meeting members of your sister communities abroad.

CALL 1-800-522-2398 OR REGISTER NOW TO BEGIN PLANNING A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR CHURCH AND FOR A COPY OF OUR CHURCH TOURS CATALOG.