Paul’s Prison Journey—Malta, Sicily, Italy (29 Oct-8 Nov 2022)

.

Participants: 30 (from England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, Canada, and 9 US states)

.

The apostle Paul was no stranger to prison. As he famously declared, "The Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. However, I do not account my life of any value... if only I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus..." (Acts 20:23-24). In fact Paul faced imprisonment on multiple occasions (2 Col 11:5), including years incarcerated in Caesarea, Ephesus (quite possibly), and Rome (twice).

The sea voyage to Rome was interrupted by shipwreck at Malta (Acts 27:1-28:1). A few months later the company made their way to Rome, by way of Sicily and southern Italy (Acts 28:11-16). We will be tracking Paul's final journey in the book of Acts. Although our accommodations are always on terra firma, we'll be traveling by a combination of land and sea.

Join us on this incredible voyage through a truly beautiful and historically fascinating part of the world. 

INCLUDES: Sightseeing as per the itinerary (below), daily open-buffet breakfasts, 10 dinners at the hotels, transportation by private bus, ferry tickets Malta-Pozzallo and Messina-Reggio Calabria, entrance fees to the sites and museums, headsets for 9 days, city taxes in Malta and Italy, service charges and local taxes, all tips to drivers and guides, travel Bag, t-shirt, luggage tag, and tour map.


HOTELS (European 4-star accommodations)

2 nights in Malta: Golden Tulip Vivaldi
1 night in Syracuse: Mercure Siracusa Prometeo
1 night in Reggio Calabria: Grand Hotel Excelsior
1 night in Pompeii: Hotel Palma
1 night in Naples: Grand Hotel Oriente
4 nights in Rome: Hotel Diana

EXCLUDES: Flights (to arrive Malta & depart Rome), lunches, travel and health
Insurance, any other services not mentioned above.

EXTRA NIGHTS: If you're arriving early or departing late and would like our agents to arrange your hotel, these are the prices:

Pre-tour hotel (Malta)—George Hotel
Post-tour hotel (Rome)—Best Western Universo

EMERGENCY NUMBERS
TUTKU MAIN OFFICE: +90-232-4418676/77. TUTKU MALTA/ITALY OFFICE: Nataliya Braila +39-328-467 46 62. TOUR GUIDES: TBA. TUTKU PRESIDENT: Levent Oral +90-532-296-6921. Douglas Jacoby: +1678231888.

ITINERARY

Oct 29 Sat—ARRIVE MALTA, OPENING DINNER / ORIENTATION
Arrive at Malta International Airport. Meeting and assistance at airport by English-speaking guide.
Airport-hotel transfers: 12 noon – 3:00pm – 4:05pm – 5:00pm – 6:00 (1200, 1500, 1605, 1800)
For early arrivals, private airport-hotel transfer service available at extra cost.
[Transfer]       Transfer to Golden Tulip and check-in
1930              Dinner

Oct 30 Sun—MALTA: PAUL'S SHIPWRECK, HOUSE OF PUBLIUS
0800            Buffet breakfast at hotel
0830            Church / communion at hotel
0915            Visit possible places of Paul's shipwreck: St Paul's Bay, Mellieha Bay, St Thomas Bay
1300            Lunch at leisure
1400            Rabat and House of Publius (Domus Romana)
1615            Head back to hotel
1930            Dinner at hotel

Oct 31 Mon—MALTA (continued)—FERRY TO POZZALLO, SICILY—SYRACUSE
0730            Breakfast and check-out
0900            Explore Valletta
1300            Lunch at leisure
1430            Transfer to port
1700            Ferry from Malta to Pozzallo (Sicily)  
1845              Arrival to Pozzallo port. Drive to Syracuse.
2000              Check-in to Hotel Mercure
2030              Dinner

Nov 1 Tue—SYRACUSE—FERRY TO REGGIO CALABRIA
0800            Breakfast and check-out
1000            Ortigia island 
1300            Lunch at leisure
1400            Drive to Messina (165km)
1700            Ferry to Reggio Calabria, transfer to Grand Hotel Excelsior for check-in
1930            Dinner

Nov 2 Wed—REGGIO CALABRIA—PAESTUM
0730           Breakfast and check-out
0800           Cathedral of Reggio Calabria and the Roman Baths.
0930           Drive to Paestum (435 km)
1530           Visit archaeological site
1730           Drive to Pompeii
1830           Check in to Hotel Palma
1930           Dinner

Nov 3 Thu—POMPEII—HERCULANEUM – NAPLES
0730           Breakfast and checkout
0850           Walk to Pompeii
1200           Lunch
1300           Herculaneum or Vesuvius
1600           Continue to Naples
1645           Check in to Grand Hotel Oriente
1900           Dinner

Nov 4 Fri—POZZUOLI—BAIA—ROME
0845            Check out
0900            National Archaeological Museum
1015            Drive to Pozzuoli (242 km)
1045            Pozzuoli
1215            Lunch
1330            Drive to Rome (3 hours)
1630            Check in to Hotel Diana
1930            Dinner 

Nov 5 Sat—ROME WALKING TOUR
0730            Breakfast
0900            Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli, Domus Aurea, Mamertine Prison, Arch of Constantine, Palatine Hill, Arch of Titus, Forum
1245             Lunch
1345             Colosseum, Mithraeum / Basilica San Clemente
1630             End of tour
1930             Dinner

Nov 6 Sun—OSTIA and ROME
0730            Breakfast
0830            Leave hotel
0930            Visit the archaeological site of Ancient Ostia
1300            Return to Rome for lunch & free time
1700            Transfer back to hotel available
1900            Church / communion service
1930            Dinner

Nov 7 Mon—VATICAN—ROME
0730            Breakfast
0900            To Vatican City
0930            Visit Vatican Museum and Pio Christian Museum, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
1245              Lunch
1400              To the Catacombs of St. Sebastian
1530              Shopping or back to hotel
1930              Farewell dinner

Nov 8 Tue—Departures
Breakfast and check-out
Transfer to airport

Payment
Payment is most easily made by check (US and UK citizens), credit or debit card, PayPal, money order, bank wire, Venmo, or Western Union.

Checks: make out to T&R and mail to 957 Shy Ln, Marietta GA 30060. Bank wires: use exchange rate for day you post check, for example at xe.com. Or pay with any major credit or debit card (+3%), or by PayPal (3.5%, 4.4% [international] processing). Debit & credit: send your details (no., exp., amount) in two separate emails (for security). For international bank wire (there's a $15 bank charge), contact us. Or pay by Western Union or Venmo (@douglas-jacoby-1 —no charge). Choose the method best for you, and email your choice.

The deposit of $400 is due. If you’re paying in full, of course, the deposit is included in the total. (Please read this, even if you are sure you won't cancel.)

Payment in full due 1 July 2022: $4040
After 1 July, please add $75
Single room supplement: $995               

DEPOSIT
$400 saves you a place on the tour. See the Payment section above for how to send this.

REQUIRED INFORMATION
Everyone on the BST should send in the following details:

• Full legal name (as it appears on your passport)
• The name you would like to appear on your name badge (first name and surname).
• Gender
• Your country or countries of citizenship.
• Passport number
• Passport expiration date. Your passport must have at least 6 months remaining (past date of end of tour).
• Your birthday: day, month, and year
• Please also send us the name of the city and nation where you reside.
• If you are signing up for another person, be sure to include his/her email address.

CANCELLATION

Before 31 Mar 2022—100% of balance and 90% of deposit refundable
Before 1 May 2022—100% of balance (only) refundable
By 1 Jul—80% of balance...
By 1 Aug—60%
By 1 Sep—50%
By 1 Oct—40%
After 1 Oct 2022—no refunds

TRAVEL INSURANCE (US members)
Travel insurance is available as a separate package at an extra cost. The cost of travel insurance is approximately $210 to $350, depending on length of tour, tour inclusions, etc. Tour participants may call our agents' associates' office in New Jersey, Prime Travel, to purchase travel insurance and obtain the exact rate for your tour. The travel insurance policy is a contract between traveler and Insurance Company (Travel Guard, Allianz etc). Tutku Tours has no role in booking or in the payment of the travel insurance. When you call to inquire about travel insurance, please mention your group name (Tutku—BST Jacoby). Prime Travel’s phone number: 1-201-825-1600. Contact: Mrs. Armagan Ayata or Mr. Sal Kesedar.

You may also want to check out the insurance plan with Faith Ventures. This is a less expensive option, with wider benefits. And of course you may want to purchase "trip protection" when you get your air tickets — though this normally covers only the cost of your flights.

ARRIVAL
We are all arriving at different times—though it’s bound to happen that some of us will be on the same flights. I believe most of us have each other’s cities and email addresses, so you may want to work out taxi sharing. Regardless of when you arrive, the BST begins officially with our Saturday evening dinner, at the hotel.

TIME
For the vast majority of us, Italy is not in our home time zone. A useful website for checking the time anywhere on the planet is WorldTime.

JET LAG
If you want some practical tips on beating jet lag, see what I've written at my website. See the jet lag article.

MONEY
Europe is expensive. But fortunately, you will need to cover only lunches and perhaps souvenirs. The currency of Malta and Italy is the euro. Accordingly, I suggest that 100-200 euros (not counting money for airport transfers) should be plenty. There are several handy websites to help us navigate foreign exchange. One useful website tool is www.xe.com.

ELECTRICAL
Not all plug ends are equal. If you are unsure which to use on your appliances overseas, you might want to visit Voltage Valet. As for voltage, European levels are normally 220v. Modern computers and phones are smart enough not to get fried if this is higher than your voltage back home, so converters are unnecessary. Hotels usually have some adapter plugs, but they often get lent out, so if you have a set, pack what you need.

CHURCH
We will have a communion services on both our Sundays (in Malta and in Rome).

TELEPHONES
Most European countries make it easy to phone when you're abroad. Not so for those arriving from North America. International calls on cell phones, unless you have arranged an international roaming package, are very dear. The easiest way is to phone using a computer or smartphone. Skype or WhatsApp work well. 

WEATHER
Expect gorgeous weather at this time of year, probably in the 15-25 C pocket. (For those who are living in the 19th century, that's 50s to mid-70s F). There is a small chance of rain. (The Mediterranean wet season kicks into gear in November and December.)

CLOTHING & FOOTWEAR
Dress for comfort. We're roaming over some rocky / uneven ancient archaeological sites. There is only a moderate amount of climbing, apart from the slope of Vesuvius. Bring comfortable walking shoes. (Hiking boots are not required.)

Since we moved back to Europe in 2020, we’re walking a lot more. When we lived in the States, we had two cars, and pretty much drove everywhere. We took out the dog daily, but there were plenty of days when that’s the only walking we did. The American (summer) heat isn’t always inviting. Here in the Old World it’s a lot cooler. People amble, stroll, hike, perambulate… There are parks and walking paths everywhere. We’re probably walking 1-2 miles a day, as when we used to live here in the ’80s and ’90s. We have only one car—and many days when we don’t even use it. So, for our American friends, if walking isn’t normally part of your lifestyle, please consider walking daily now, so you don’t get winded as we explore the sites, climb hills (and stairs), and walk 1-2 miles a day (maybe more). And if you’ve recently bought hiking boots or sturdy, comfortable walking shoes, be sure to break them in before the trip!

Lately Vicki and I have been using walking poles—light, telescopic (retractable), and adjustable for height. They’re great for balance, for involving the upper body, and negotiating rough terrain. We’ve noticed that it’s not just older folks who use walking poles; so do many younger ones (think 20s). The poles, retracted, take up very little space in a suitcase. If you do decide on this, perhaps you’ll want to take a few strolls with the poles before you fly, so that you’re used to them.

Another suggestion—especially if both your hands are holding your walking poles 😊—is to bring along a small backpack. That makes it easier to carry our tour materials, personal things, and water. (Water bottles will be available every day, so that we stay hydrated.)

LANGUAGE
If you work hard, there may still be time for you to become fluent in Maltese and Italian before the tour begins. Please let me know once you are; we can use your translation skills. DuoLingo is an excellent app to get you on your way. And if you every get lost in Malta, just say "Hawn xi ħadd jitkellem bil-Ingliż?" (You're asking if anyone speaks English....)

NAME BADGES
We will be creating your double-sided name badge. You will receive it at the opening dinner. Please wear your name badge / lanyard at all times. This identifies BST members, makes it easier for interactions (who has a perfect memory when it comes to names, after all?), and enhances group cohesion.