Page 48 - Holyland Magazine - 2019 Edition

Visitors at Masada. Photo: Itamar Grinberg
Redefining Immersion
T oday’s travelers have an insatiable
desire to immerse themselves within
the places they wish to explore in every The ideal immersive travel program actually
way. In particular, when it comes to
the Holy Land, it’s life-changing. This
trip is a physical, emotional, personal and
spiritual change that happens to travelers on
immersion-focused itineraries.
For a truly immersive journey, the key is to
experience culture up close and see how it
ties into historical and biblical teachings, as
well as modern day life.
Immersive Travel Defined
Immersive travel is about experiencing
cultural interchanges firsthand, such as
enjoying the Sabbath with a Jewish family
or visiting a Kibbutz communal living area.
Such experiences take travelers deeper into
the kaleidoscope of each place visited, to
better understand how each element relates
to the history and religious significance of
this sacred land.
Tying it all together, by taking travelers to
sites that they have only read about in books
and to live the places mentioned in biblical
references, is a revelation that refreshes and
renews the spirit.
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Bringing the Cultural and Spiritual Together Seamlessly on Tour
Knowledge is power
commences long before sojourners depart.
Instead of just reading an itinerary, helping
travelers understand the history of each
place they will visit beforehand – via DVDs,
news, books, and personal stories – offers
them an unparalleled perspective that you
can see illuminates them as they journey
along.
A Model Immersive Holy Land
Travel Program
A popular option is to head directly to
Tiberias and start an immersive adventure in
the Northernmost Part of the Holy Land. The
program ventures down through the Golan
Heights, then the Sea of Galilee and on to
Capernaum and Jerusalem, before exploring
Bethlehem and Nazareth. It’s a continual
walk, the same way Jesus walked through
the Holy Land in a progression southward.
The journey continues on to The Dead Sea
to look at The Dead Sea Scrolls and to enjoy
the therapeutic, saline waters before heading
to Masada, where Herod’s summer palace
was located before the Jews took over after
the death of Christ. Then participants set off
across the bridge of Jordan to visit the lost
city of Petra.
for the Israel Ministry of Tourism
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Photo: Noam
Chen for the Israel Ministry of Tourism
Then it’s on to the River Jordan where John
the Baptist baptized Jesus, and where
travelers can have a baptism as well, bringing
more religious depth into the program. Then
the group heads to Jericho where Joshua
marched along the walls and the walls fell
down. Throughout the tour, travelers will see
the juxtaposition of old and new at every
turn.
In essence, immersion-focused Holy Land
trips present a whole new dimension - where
culture, history and religion all come together
seamlessly, and participants gain a whole
different perspective of what the Holy Land
is and why it is also the Promised Land.
By Beverly Marshall-Luney of Platinum Tours
International and Adam Greis of Central Holidays