2023 BibleTelling Seminar in Turkey-Greece-Rome

Why BibleTelling?

BibleTelling Seminars in Turkey-Greece-Rome include several distinctions:

• Seminar participants will learn and tell ~50 Bible stories on ~20 sites where they occurred
• Expert commentary on the Biblical significance of each Bible story and site
• Pre-Seminar BibleTelling training
• Each participant shares 2+ Bible stories during the tour
• Optional extension to Rome
• Each Seminar participant will receive 2 beautiful, full-color booklets:
  • 80-page Footsteps of Paul BibleTelling Seminar Guide with a calendar of events, a daily itinerary (travel stops, titles of the stories to be told), travel maps, Bible study charts, photos, maps, genealogies, and more. 
  • 140-page Imagine Tours Footsteps of Paul Study Guide with background information for most sites visited.

Seminar Dates and Fees

October 9-21, 2023 – Turkey-Greece
October 21-24, 2023 – Rome

Includes air fare from Chicago O’Hare to Istanbul, and all other tour flights, tour bus, guides, hotel, entrance fees, and tips.  Buffet breakfasts and buffet dinners are included (drinks are extra). Lunches and Visa to Turkey are not included. 

• $4973/person Turkey-Greece Only, Double Occupancy
  • $5768/person Turkey-Greece Only, Single Occupancy
• $1743/person 3-day Rome Extension, Double Occupancy
  • $2138/person 3-day Rome Extension, Single Occupancy
• $4423/person Land Only, Double Occupancy
• Small Group Surcharge
  • Turkey-Greece: $295 (if 15-19 registered), $95 (if 20-25), $0 (if 26 or more)
  • Rome: $95 (if 15-19 registered), $0 (if 20 or more)

• $50/person for Visa to enter Turkey (NOT included, apply individually–see Payment section below for instructions)

• Registration:
  • Print Form
  • Online Form (Tour Code is BibleTellingG23)
  • Registration deadline:
    • June 15 (to guarantee group flights from/to Chicago)
    • July 11 (not guaranteed, must make own flight reservations)

Payment

Imagine Tours will send an updated invoice to each registered participant in early June.
Full payment is due July 11 (check, money order, cashier’s check or wire transfer–no credit cards):

• Imagine Tours and Travel
• 509 W. County Rd. 540A
• Lakeland, FL  33813

Visa for Turkey

Tour participants also need to obtain their own visa for Turkey (tour agencies are not permitted to provide these visas). Apply online: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ $50 – between July 10 and October 7 (within 3 months of arrival date and at least 48 hours before departure date).

Tips:

• For the Country/Region drop-down, select “U.S.A” 
• Entering your parents’ names is optional
• Completing the on-screen application is only the first step
• The second step is clicking a link in an email sent to you to “Approve” the info in your application–this must be done within 1 hour of receiving the email
• The third step is paying $50 for the visa – (you may need to notify your credit card provider in advance of this international charge–to Turkey)

Details

• Seminar Brochure:
  • Front Cover
  • Daily Itinerary
  • Fine Print (important details)
• Calendar 
• Story Itinerary (travel stops, titles and tellers of the stories)
  • See Stories to be Told (click for free download) for the scope of each story and a sample narrative to learn)
    NOTE: These are the stories as crafted to be told in the Seminar
    OPTION: Purchase a copy of all stories told in BibleTelling Seminars
  • Send us a note when you’ve selected your stories. info@BibleTelling.com
  • No more than 1 story/day, no more than 3 stories in Turkey-Greece
• Turkey-Greece Map (daily travel and stops–match to Itinerary) 
• Rome Extension Map (link)
• Group Flights:

NOTE: If any flights are delayed or canceled (affecting your arrival time), please email the new flight arrival information to info@ittworld.com (so they can notify your hosts meeting you at the airport)

NOTE: Lufthansa does not support registering our Group Flight booking code or individual e-ticket numbers in their mobile app or on their web site. So check-in and seat assignment is only available upon arrival at the airports (not online). We should still check the status of our flights 24 hours in advance (need to enter the flight # in the mobile app or on the web site) to learn whether the flight times have changed.

• Van to/from Chicago (leaving from Central Illinois):

Monday, October 9, from EFree Church to O’Hare Airport Terminal 1
Meet at the church at 11:00AM – 2910 East Lincoln, Bloomington, IL
Van Riders (10): Walsh(2), Andris(2), Maughmer(2), Miller, Kaufman, Sauder, Schmidgall

Tuesday, October 24, from O’Hare Terminal 5 to EFree Church
Pickup around 1:30PM, arrive in Bloomington around 4:30pm
Van Riders (10): Walsh(2), Andris(2), Maughmer(2), Miller, Kaufman, Sauder, Schmidgall

Preparing 

• Watch the BibleTelling Training videos (recorded July 15, 2023):
  • Part 1 Learning the Epistles, General Storytelling Instruction
  • Part 1 Slides
  • Part 2a Learning “regular” stories
  • Part 2b Discussion of the trip 
• Practice telling your assigned stories 5 times–to a different listener each time.
• Review the messages and watch the recommended videos in the Preparatory Archive

• Currency exchange
  • You may want to exchange dollars for local currency, but many businesses accept credit cards or even U.S. dollars. 
  • Recent exchange rates 
    • TURKEY – Lira (TRY)
      • 1 Lira = 5¢ USA; 200 Lira = $10.00 USA
      • $1 USA = 20 Lira; $200 USA = 4,000 Lira
    • GREECE / ITALY – Euro (EUR)
      • 1 Greece/Italy Euro = $1.10 USA; 200 Euro = $215 USA
      • $1 USA = .93 Euro; $200 USA = 286 Euro
• Credit/Debit Cards
  • To avoid unwelcome credit/debit authorization rejections in Israel-Jordan, please contact your card issuers and let them know of your travel plans (may not necessary for some cards).
  • To avoid surprise charges, ask about their foreign transaction fees (sometimes no fee, often 3%, sometimes waived if purchase is made in US$$ rather than the foreign currency).
• Laundry
  • Some hotels offer laundry service, but we are rarely staying in the same hotel more than 1 night (only in Athens and Rome). So unless they can guarantee overnight service before the bus leaves the next morning (generally 8am), this isn’t likely an option.
  • Consider packing 8-10 days of undergarments in order to make it to Athens for laundry service. Or wear quick-drying garments to wash in the hotel room sink and drip-dry over night?
• WhatsApp text messaging group
  • We use the WhatsApp smartphone messaging app to stay in touch during the Seminar (and, to a lesser extent, before and after the Seminar).
  • You do not need an international calling program to use it–we will have wi-fi in the hotels, although not likely on buses.
  • If you have a WhatsApp ID, you are included in the “Footsteps of Paul 2023” WhatsApp group. Please let me know if you prefer not to participate (or if you want to only participate during the Seminar). 
  • If you don’t have a WhatsApp ID, please let Roger know if you create one (simply download the WhatsApp mobile app to any smartphone to get started).

Considerations that can hold us back…