Frequently asked questions

FAQ about Spiritours trips

To all those who need to take time to stop and recharge their batteries, who want to discover themselves, to grow internally, to get to know other people and other cultures, to marvel at new landscapes or at the beauty of Life. For us, it is important that each traveler feels respected in his beliefs, values and uniqueness.

  • Thematic trips: each trip addresses a particular theme by suggesting experiences, workshops or reflections related to that theme.
  • Slow pace (slow travel): the pace of our tours is slower than traditional tours. The goal is to allow everyone to immerse themselves in the places, to recharge their batteries and to discover the local culture in greater depth.
  • Silence: during the journey, moments of silence are sometimes encouraged in order to promote a deep resourcing.
  • Specialized guides: our trips are led by guides trained in group travel management and carefully chosen for their human qualities, their experience, their knowledge and their life experience related to human and spiritual growth.
  • Sharing time: usually at the end of the day, we propose to the participants to share what they have experienced during the day or during the trip. Each participant is invited to express themselves, but no one is obliged to do so.
  • Human-sized groups: in order to offer you a personalized service and to encourage interaction within the group and with the local population.
  • Responsible tourism: in order to encourage the local economy, we favor the tourism professionals of the visited country. We are sensitive to the respect of the environment and the local culture and try to act concretely and consciously in this sense.

Our trips are primarily spiritual; some are religious, but not all. We have voluntarily created two sections, At the Sources of Being and At the Sources of Faith, in order to distinguish between wellness trips, which are focused on personal development, and pilgrimages, which are focused on deepening the Christian faith. In both cases, our trips are for anyone who feels challenged, regardless of their religious affiliation.

Spirituality and religion are not to be confused. From the outset, it is important to emphasize this to clarify the language. The field of spirituality is broader than that of religion. The word Spirituality comes from the word spiritus, which means spirit. Spirituality can neither be seen nor touched, but concerns everything that gives meaning to life, everything that touches the deepest and most authentic part of the human being. It implies the idea of personal growth and it is possible to perceive its effects in all spheres of life. One can feel the need for a spiritual life and to engage in a process of inner growth without belonging to any religion or/and practicing it. On the one hand, the religious need takes its source and can be deepened in a spiritual process. On the other hand, the spiritual need can very well spring up, blossom and be situated outside of religion. By establishing this distinction, we simply want to open ourselves to the truth of the spiritual path that reaches the whole being and collaborates to its greater and better well-being. Thus, in this universe that we call spirituality, faith is a value among others and prayer is an expression among others of a spiritual experience. The so-called spiritual person is not primarily the one who adheres to a religion but rather the one who is capable of interiority and the one who believes in a transcendence.

Religion was first defined by Cicero as the act of attending to and worshipping a higher nature that is called divine. In languages where the term is derived from the Latin religio, religion is most often understood as a phenomenon that concerns the relationship between humanity and the deity. Impalpable, this relationship can neither be seen nor touched. This is why humans use symbols, religious rituals and worship to express this relationship between humanity and God, between Heaven and Earth.

Source: Health and spirituality text, by Father Gilles Godbout

Small group travel experiences are always more intense. In small groups, bonds become more personal than in large groups, and because of the intense moments together, deep friendships are often formed. We are talking about small groups in particular, because in large groups, the bonds may remain more impersonal and less enriching. In fact, in a large group, there is not the familiar and intimate atmosphere that can be created in a small group of ten to fifteen people. Therapists who work with groups say that it is not by chance that an individual ends up in the same group as another. It is as if Providence allows certain people to come together to share, exchange and help each other. Each individual has something to contribute to the other and vice versa. Mutual welcome is encouraged by the guide within the small group which, as the days go by, can become a circle of brotherhood, respect and listening. During our trips, moments of silence are encouraged to allow each person to go inward, to draw from his or her Source and to grow internally.

This is an additional mandatory fee of 0.1% ($1 per $1000) for the contribution to the Fonds d’Indemnisation des Clients des Agents de Voyage du Québec. This fee will be automatically added to your invoice.

Tourism services paid for, but not received, may be reimbursed by the Travel Agents’ Customer Compensation Fund. It is administered by the Consumer Protection Office. It is a financial protection for travellers.

Find out more: www.opc.gouv.qc.ca/

After receiving your registration form, we will send you an invoice. We will collect your final payment 60 days prior to departure for air travel (with some exceptions) and 45 days prior to departure for bus travel. Your check will be deposited or your credit card will be charged and you will receive your final invoice. A few weeks before departure, you will receive an invitation to the pre-departure meeting which will take place between 3 weeks and 1 month before your departure.

The documents will be given to you at the pre-departure meeting. If you cannot attend this meeting, the documents will be mailed to your home.

Consult the following site for entry and exit requirements for the country you wish to visit. Travel Reports and Warnings are the official Government of Canada source of information depending on your destination. They offer important advice to help you make informed decisions and travel safely abroad.

travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

The documents will be given to you at the pre-departure meeting. If you cannot attend this meeting, the documents will be mailed to your home.

People traveling with a Canadian or American passport, as long as it is valid for at least 6 months after the date of return, do not need a visa. For all other nationalities, please consult the website of the Israeli Embassy.

http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ConsularServices/Pages/Visas.aspx

Visit the Passport Canada website. There is a 24-hour rapid renewal service if necessary.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/passeport/demande/renouvellement/

Spiritours will inform you about the procedure to follow to obtain your visa, but it is the traveler’s responsibility to obtain the necessary visa before your departure within the required time frame. Visa fees are not included in the cost of the trip.

Travellers must declare all purchases made abroad: personal purchases, gifts and items purchased at duty-free stores in Canada or abroad. Keep original receipts. Canada has restrictions on the importation of certain products: meat, dairy products, plants, vehicles, weapons, cultural property, endangered species or products derived from them. After an absence of 7 days or more, you can bring back goods worth a total of $800 CAD duty and tax free (including a maximum of 1.5 liters of wine or 1.14 liters of spirits and a maximum of 200 cigarettes). Although you may include tobacco products and alcoholic beverages on your exemption, a partial exemption may apply to cigarettes, tobacco products and manufactured tobacco. Only tobacco products and alcoholic beverages are required to accompany you upon arrival.

For more information please visit the following site:

https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/what-you-can-bring-home-to-canada

Airfare is always calculated in economy class. You must contact the person in charge of the trip to obtain the difference in price of the first class ticket. We will contact our flight provider to obtain a price, and make sure you are on the same flight as the group.

You must list your food intolerances or allergies on your registration form, and we will forward this information to our suppliers. However, we cannot guarantee that all restaurants will be able to prepare special meals for you.

Yes, it is possible to offer the package without the flights, so that the person can buy their own plane ticket from their country of departure. Please note that when we sell the land portion, neither the flights nor the airport-hotel transfers are included. The person who books his flights by himself must make sure to join the group by his own means or his flight times must correspond with those of the group. We strongly recommend that you wait until the group is confirmed before purchasing your flights.

You must contact the company with which you hold your points (Airmiles, credit card, etc.) who will book your flight. We advise you to wait until the group is confirmed before purchasing your flight and to book the same flights as the group if possible.

Traveling with Spiritours is not so much a question of age as it is of physical condition. If the person is able to walk and follow the program he/she is signing up for, he/she can join the group. Spiritours clients between the ages of 80 and 90 have already traveled.

In order to receive your full name and correct spelling as it appears on your passport. For some countries visited, we need to provide our local agency with several important pieces of information that appear on your passport (place of issue, citizenship, expiration date).

In some countries, you can drink tap water but this is rare. This information will be included in your pre-departure documents.

The vast majority of our trips depart from Montreal, but sometimes some of our trips leave from another airport in Canada. In this case, the information concerning the airport of departure will be indicated in the detailed program. If you ever wish to depart from an airport near your home, you must ask us at the time of registration (as long as you register 60 days before departure). We will contact our flight provider for availability and price, so an additional cost may be applied to the initial price of the trip.

We strongly advise you to insure yourself for all the trips you will make abroad. We offer this option to our travelers, but you are not required to purchase the insurance offered by Spiritours. You may already be insured through your work or you may already have your own insurance. In this case, simply decline the travel insurance offered by Spiritours by checking the box provided for this purpose on the registration form and adding your initials.

We recommend that you check with your own insurance company to see what conditions and coverage they offer.

If you are traveling alone and wish to do so, we can try to match you with another person in double occupancy (2 beds). If we cannot find someone to pair you with, we will assume the cost of your single occupancy (for registrations more than 60 days before departure only).

This excludes cruises, trips to India and Israel, and customized groups.

Upon request, it may be possible to extend your stay with a supplement ($) and with the authorization of the airline. These changes must be made at the time of registration and are subject to airline availability.

We usually organize a pre-departure meeting two to four weeks before you leave, where you will receive all the necessary information as well as your travel documents and will have the chance to meet your travel companions as well as the guide.

We invite you to a meeting with your guide and fellow travelers to integrate and anchor what you have received during your stay. This meeting takes place approximately one to two months after the return, whenever possible. It’s a great opportunity to get together and exchange photos.

Our specialists are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but in case of an emergency, our telephone service staff will answer you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

N’oubliez pas vos achats! / Don't forget your shopping!

Avant de partir, n’oubliez pas de vérifier votre panier d’achats, réserver le voyage de ressourcement de vos rêves aujourd’hui avant qu’il n’y ait plus de place. / Before you leave, don't forget to check your shopping cart, book your dream retreat today before it sells out.