Lead your congregation to Israel — without the chaos.
We give churches the planning infrastructure, traveler management, and on-ground support to run a successful Holy Land trip.
Planning a church trip to Israel is harder than it should be.
These are the three things we hear most often from pastors who've tried to do it alone.
"Managing 40 travelers across email threads and spreadsheets"
Most pastors who've led a group trip describe the same experience: weeks of back-and-forth emails, a spreadsheet with 14 tabs, and a growing sense that something will fall through the cracks. You're tracking passport expiry dates, room assignments, dietary needs, and who still hasn't paid their deposit — all while trying to prepare spiritually meaningful content for your group. Our platform consolidates every piece of traveler data in one place, sends automated reminders on your behalf, and gives your congregation a self-service portal to upload their own documents. You focus on shepherding; we'll handle the spreadsheet.
"Chasing payments and managing deposit schedules by hand"
Collecting money from church members is one of the most uncomfortable parts of trip leadership. Asking again and again for a deposit, following up on missed payment dates, and reconciling who has paid how much — it strains relationships and costs you hours every month. Our automated payment system handles all of it: travelers enroll in a payment plan at registration, receive automated reminders before each due date, and can pay online at any time. You receive a real-time dashboard showing collected vs. outstanding amounts, and we never require you to personally chase a single check.
"Not knowing what fair pricing looks like until it's too late"
The Israel group travel industry is full of hidden fees, opaque bundling, and pricing that looks attractive until the final invoice arrives. Pastors who have been burned once are understandably cautious — but caution can also lead to paralysis. We publish our pricing structure clearly in every proposal. You'll see exactly what's included (flights, hotels, ground transportation, site fees, guide fees, meals), what's optional, and what travelers are responsible for. We'll also explain how our margin works. No surprises at departure. No awkward conversations with your congregation.
What we handle — so you don't have to.
From the moment you submit your inquiry to the day your group lands back home, here's what's on our plate.
- Custom itinerary design tailored to your group's spiritual focus
- Rooming list management with roommate preferences and room types
- Flexible payment schedule setup and automated collection
- Traveler communication — confirmations, reminders, and updates
- Document reminders for passports, travel insurance, and medical forms
- Airport coordination and group check-in guidance
- In-country logistics — buses, guides, and site entry
- 24/7 emergency support line for leaders and travelers
- Site access coordination at high-demand locations
- Devotional planning support and suggested reflection prompts
- Hotel coordination including rooming issues and special requests
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
Not ready to run a private trip? Join a hosted departure.
Hosted departures are structured trips led by a pastor host, open to individuals and small groups who want to travel to Israel without the commitment of organizing their own group. If you have fewer than 20 interested travelers — or if this is your congregation's first time — joining a hosted trip is often the simplest path.
Your members travel alongside other believers, share buses and guides, and experience the same quality itinerary. Many churches who start with a hosted departure go on to run a private group the following year, because their members come back asking for more.
Browse upcoming hosted trips
From inquiry to departure — here's how it works.
Most groups go from first contact to open registration in under three weeks.
Complete our group planning form with your dates, size, and preferences.
Receive a detailed, personalized proposal with full pricing and itinerary.
We walk through the proposal together and answer every question.
Confirm the itinerary, open registration, and start recruiting your group.
We handle logistics on the ground so you can lead with a clear head.
Complete our group planning form with your dates, size, and preferences.
Receive a detailed, personalized proposal with full pricing and itinerary.
We walk through the proposal together and answer every question.
Confirm the itinerary, open registration, and start recruiting your group.
We handle logistics on the ground so you can lead with a clear head.
What pastors say after traveling with us.
Leaders who've made the journey share what the experience was like for them and their congregations.
"We'd tried two other operators before finding CIT. The difference was night and day. Every family in our group got an automated payment reminder — I didn't have to send a single follow-up. Our church administrator couldn't believe how little work it required on her end. We had 52 people traveling and it felt like a small group."
"I was two weeks out from departure, convinced something was going to go wrong. Our guide met us at the airport with signs, our hotels were better than described in the proposal, and every site we planned to visit was accessible and prepared for us. My job on that trip was to teach and pray with my congregation. That's exactly what I did."
"What sealed it for me was the transparency. I asked hard questions about margins, cancellation policies, and what happens if a traveler drops out late. Every answer was clear and in writing before I signed anything. I sent the proposal to our church board, they approved it in one meeting, and we launched registration the next week. Forty-one people joined us."
Common questions from church leaders.
If you don't see your question here, our planning team is happy to answer it on a call.
Ready to lead your congregation to Israel?
Request a proposal today. We'll have a personalized plan in your inbox within 48 hours.