Reviews

Baltimore Sun
Date: June 29, 2008

Faith-based travel is the choice of some 300 million tourists annually. This book targets those who are considering travel to Christian sites worldwide. The author, Kevin J. Wright, an authority on Christian travel and tourism, sees such vacations as "the newest ministry of the 21st Century," and his listings are addressed to ministry leaders as well as individual travelers. There are chapters on travel to the Holy Land and revered Christian sites in Europe, but also on "fellowship vacations," such as themed cruises, leisure vacations and adventure trips. Another chapter covers Christian retreats, camps and stays at monasteries. The volume is capped with a rundown on Christian travel Web sites and other resources. From getting the most out of a visit to the Vatican to a tour of churches in China, the scope of this travel guide is, one might say, almost of biblical proportions.

Associated Press
Date: Fri Apr 18, 2008

A guide to faith-based trips is out called "The Christian Travel Planner."

The $16.99 paperback includes information about missions and ministries; Christian cruises, camps and retreats; and Christian heritage sites overseas in the Middle East, Greece, Italy, England, Germany and other places.

Domestic attractions noted in the book include the Holy Land Experience biblical park in Orlando, Fla., and "The Great Passion Play" performed in Eureka Springs, Ark. Listings for monastic guest stays include the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, N.M., and the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Ky.

The book from Nashville-based publisher Thomas Nelson was written by Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association.

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Denver Post
Date: 04/03/2008

Book Your Vacation

"The Christian Travel Planner" by Kevin J. Wright (Special to The Denver Post)
"The Christian Travel Planner" ($16.99, Thomas Nelson) makes it possible to plan a trip around specific interests, including tours of biblical areas, retreats, pilgrimages and missionary work, as well as vacations that incorporate stops at religious sites throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. Author Kevin J. Wright, who lives in Littleton and is the founder of the World Religious Travel Association, has organized the planner in a logical way, starting with the reasons for going to a particular area, the religious significance of the sites, the time and logistics involved, and the costs. He also offers relevant Bible passages and historical information, as well as practical tips, such as his suggestion for taking warm clothing if you plan to hike to the top of Mount Sinai in Egypt in the early morning, as it can be chilly even in the summer. Helpful websites, lodging recommendations and other activity options in each area round out this thorough guide.
Kyle Wagner

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The Salt Lake Tribune
Date: 03/08/2008

The Christian Travel Planner
By Kevin J. Wright
415-page paperback,
$16.99, Thomas Nelson

Since the World Tourist Organization estimates that more than 300 million people embark on some sort of religious travel each year, spending more than $18 billion in the process, it makes sense that Christians would want to seek out a guidebook meeting their needs. This extensive book by author Kevin Wright offers a variety of ways Christians can enjoy travel experiences, including pilgrimage tours, mission trips and conference cruises. There is information on service and short-term mission trips or tips on faith attractions such as The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Fla., California Spanish Missions or the Creation Museum outside Cincinnati. Chapters include how to plan travel, touring biblical lands, cruises, Christian events and Christian Attractions. Resources such as Christian travel Web sites and resources, trip planning tools and travel ministry resources are found in the appendix. There are even testimonials from people who have participated in some of the suggested trips.

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The Boston Globe
Date: February 19, 2008

Where Jesus went, and Paul, and Martin ...
By Julie Dalton
Globe Travel Staff

This seemed like the book Mike Huckabee would be picking up in the next couple of weeks – oh, OK, maybe months – but his grandly paid Presidents Day weekend in Grand Cayman for the price of a 20-minute speech may have affected his tastes. . . . Nah, Huck still will love “The Christian Travel Planner” by Kevin J. Wright (Thomas Nelson, 416 pp., $16.99, paperback), an encyclopedic and friendly presentation and exposition of sites around the world to entice and inspire travelers uninterested in Sodom, Gomorrah, or Vegas. Pilgrimage tours, mission trips, retreats, conference cruises, camp vacations, religious festivals, solo itineraries devised by the reader alone or with friends are all possible with the materials Wright has meticulously assembled. Jesus (Israel, Jordan, the Egyptian Sinai), Saint Paul (Turkey and Greece), early Christianity (Rome and the Vatican), John Knox (Scotland), Martin Luther (Germany), Thomas Becket (Canterbury Cathedral), John Calvin (Switzerland) are all historical pieces of the worldwide reach of Christian religions and their shrines and remnants.

With each selection, including the Creation Museum outside Cincinnati and the Holy Land Experience in Orlando and the Amish community in Pennsylvania, Wright includes almost all the information an interested traveler, armchair or otherwise, might require in order to take the next step. With some, he goes further: Why should I visit? What should I see and do? How much time should I spend? How can I get there? All are answered succinctly (and none too theologically). In the section on cruises, for instance, Wright summarizes trips by length, cost, when best to go, with whom, and adds a list of “Demands and Benefits”: spiritual focus, fellowship opportunities, physically demanding, intellectually stimulating, emotionally rewarding, culturally enriching. The book has other virtues, though not pictorial (it is truly a paperback, black and white): maps showing itineraries, be they Paul’s or Moses’; a detailed index; pages of notes; a varied bibliography; a list of tour operators; and more websites throughout than you can imagine. Then, again, the religious travel industry is a multibillion-dollar business with hundreds of millions of participants each year. Thinking again of the job-hunting former governor of Arkansas traveling with homo sapiens restores my faith in humanity.