For more a decade the UUPCC Pilgrimage Service has helped to cement the bonds between North American UUs and their partners overseas. In recent years we have expanded our portfolio of travel services in order to provide multiple and varied pilgrimage opportunities for Unitarian Universalists of all ages. However, the focus and core offering of our service remains Congregational Pilgrimages. The past five years has seen almost 1000 US and Canadian UUs representing more than 150 congregations travel with us to visit partners around the globe. These pilgrimage groups ranged in size from 4-40 and we worked with each of them to customize an itinerary that met their time frame and interests.
To begin planning your pilgrimage click here. If your church is not partnered or you are not able or willing to organize your own group we offer a number of group tours for UUs of all ages and interests. Click here to view our working list of 2008 congregational trips that may have space for you to join and then scroll down to view our group tours for individuals. These are annual trips specifically designed for travelers from multiple congregations.
Now is the time to begin planning your own customized
2008 & 2009 Pilgrimage
If you are considering organizing a group from your congregation and would like to get started - we can help! Our in-country experts work with you to develop an itinerary and recruitment materials. We make all the logistical arrangements for accommodations, transportation, meals & guides & interpreters, and then deliver a life-changing experience. For more information about small or large group pilgrimage, or to start planning your pilgrimage, contact John Dale (jdaleuupcc@yahoo.com)
The following pilgrimages are still open for the 2008 season:
UUPCC Annual Youth Pilgrimage
Transylvanian Thanksgiving Pilgrimage
India - The Golden Triangle & The Unitarians of NE India
UUPCC Annual Youth Pilgrimage
July 21 - August 05, 2008. Our Ninth more-or-less-Annual Youth Trip for North American UU Youth ages 15 - 19.
Travel with other UU youth from around the country accompanied by long-time UUPCC Networker Lee Boeke Burke and other chaperones.
Learn about Unitarian history in Transylvania and get to know the people in your partner village.
Prior trips have had rave reviews from parents and youth alike.
Click here to read what others have had to say about their experiences and memories from previous Youth Pilgrimages.
The trip starts with an overnight stay in the Boston area where you meet your fellow travelers and get oriented before your departure for Romania.
Arrive Bucharest Otopeni then take a motor coach to Transylvania. The trip includes a 3-day visit to your partner church.
Along the way you will learn about the roots of our Unitarian faith, hike in some beautiful country, meet and work alongside Transylvanian Unitarian youth and have a great time.
Don’t pass up this life-changing travel experience. Click here to read the detailed daily itinerary.
16 days, $1,870 per person, includes ground transportation in Romania, meals, lodging, guides, interpreters, and fees. Cost does not include transportation from your home to/from Boston or round-trip airfare from Boston to Bucharest. (UUPCC Pilgrimage Service will work with a local agency to procure discounted group rates for the international portion of the air travel).
Personal spending money is not included.
Transylvanian Thanksgiving Pilgrimage
September 23 – October 3, 2008
Eleven days of spectacular scenery, loving hospitality, and unique architecture in Southeastern Transylvania. Discover the singular beauty of the Carpathian Alps and the fascinating history of the walled churches of the region. Beginning and ending in Bucharest, this tour will visit the walled Unitarian churches of Szekelyderz (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Arkos, and the Reformed church & model village at Illyefalva. You will spend a weekend with your partner congregation and worship on this special Öszi hálaadas Sunday - the traditional Transylvanian Unitarian Thanksgiving. The tour also includes two nights at mountain resorts high in the Carpathians, architecture as varied as Peles Castle (home of the former King of Romania), the sprawling Black Church in Brasso, and the Saxon fortress church at Biertan (a UNESCO World Heritage site). You will also participate in discussions with and local ministers about life under Communism & with local experts about the Transylvanian Unitarian Church today and the future of the Unitarian villages.
Ten days, $1,450 per person, double occupancy + $150 registration fee. (Add $250 single supplement). Includes ground transportation, meals, lodging guides, interpreters, and fees. Cost does not include airfare to/from Bucharest, Romania, gratuities, alcoholic beverages, departure airport transfer, or expenses incurred during free periods. You can read the entire itinerary here.
Trip Coordinator Warren Bailey
Khasi Hills portion Coordinator Dee Idnani
Trip includes 7 days visiting some of the most famous Hindu and Muslim sites as well as the Gandhi Memorial and Museum before flying on to the Khasi Hills to visit with our partner churches and the Unitarians of Northeast India. An additional 8 days will be spent getting to know the Unitarians there and visiting their villages and schools. Click here for detailed itinerary & costs.
Travel Grant Program
The UUPCC Pilgrimage Committee is pleased to solicit your grant applications for its new Travel Grant Program. The fund was established by the UUPCC Executive Committee in 2005 from proceeds of its travel program. In 2006 5 grants were awarded to member institutions and individuals to help defray the cost of partnership related travel. The purpose of these grants is “to serve as a catalyst for travel and programs that would otherwise not occur and which will make a difference in the lives of the individuals and their communities”.
The application process is open to all qualified individuals and congregations both overseas and here in North America. There will be two funding rounds in 2007 with an initial deadline for proposals of April 1st and a second round due October 1st. Currently the awards are capped at $500 each, but it is our hope to grow the fund and the commensurate awards through additional travel proceeds, the voluntary contributions of UUPCC pilgrims, and other funding sources. A complete description of the program along with application materials can be found here.
The UUPCC Travel Guide – A compendium of Travelers Wisdom.
We have compiled the Wisdom collected from UUs who have traveled to Transylvania and elsewhere into a handy Guide for those contemplating a trip to visit their Partner Churches or the sites of Unitarians elsewhere in the World. This Guide is available as a Microsoft Word document and as a PDF file.
