Study Tours to Israel and Turkey

We currently offer study tours in even-numbered years (2024, 2026, etc.) as Marty takes the odd-numbered years to be with family and have a rhythm of rest. Sign up for the BEMA Messenger (using this form) to be the first to know when we release information about upcoming tours. Any currently available tours will also be posted here, but not until the Messenger is published.

BEMA Israel 2024 (Low Contact) — REGISTRATION FULL

Dates: March 23 – April 6
Cost: $5,390
Orientation: March (BEMA Messenger #46)
Registration: May (FULL)
Waitlist: FULL

BEMA Turkey 2024 — REGISTRATION FULL

Dates: June 2–14
Cost: About $5,090
Orientation: June (BEMA Messenger #49)
Registration: August (FULL)
Waitlist: FULL

BEMA Israel 2024 (Full Contact)

Dates: August 31 – September 14 (subject to finalization*)
Cost: About $5,000 (subject to finalization*)
Orientation: September* (Sign up for the BEMA Messenger)
Registration: November* (Sign up for the BEMA Messenger)

*Finalizing Details

Dates and Cost: These details cannot be finalized until about ten months before the trip. The last elements to fall into place are the airline schedule and ticket prices. Once those are released by the airline, we can lock in dates for flights, hotels, and so on. When we have dates, we will publish them as best as we know, but they could change by the time registration is open. Trips in 2022 were between $4,580 and $5,090, and we expect 2024 trips to be in that ballpark, but we cannot know the final price until registration is open. Either way, a deposit is due upon registration, which was $500 for trips in 2022 (again, subject to change).

Registration: The best and only way to know about registration opening is by signing up for the BEMA Messenger. There is no pre-registration for previous trip participants. While the Messenger is normally sent early in the morning, registration editions will be sent around 9 am PT / 12 pm ET. And while the Messenger is normally sent the first or second Wednesday or Thursday of the month, registration editions may not follow that pattern.

Waitlist: These trips are filling up registration very quickly: 5 hours for Israel (Low Contact) and only 40 minutes for Turkey. GTI does offer a waitlist for participants who are not able to register in time, but this is not something to count on. Just a small handful of people have been able to move from the list in the past; please be ready to register. Watch the orientation video ahead of time and be fully informed.

What’s Included: Flights from Chicago. (You will be responsible for getting to Chicago.) Hotel accommodations with breakfast and dinner buffets. Lunches are provided on site. (Water will be available throughout the day. Other beverages may be purchased by participants at meals.) Transportation, entrance fees, taxes, and tips. Other miscellaneous items (detailed when registration is announced).

Itinerary: This depends on the dates and is determined when the airline schedules are released. In general, Israel trips include time in the desert around the Dead Sea, in the Galilee, in Jerusalem, and possibly other sites (basically the content of Sessions 1–3 of the podcast). Turkey trips include time in the cities of the letters of the New Testament and the seven churches of Revelation (basically the content of Sessions 4–5 of the podcast). The itinerary is always subject to change, even while on the ground, with safety as a priority. For example, the itinerary for BEMA Israel 2022 (Low Contact) changed during the trip to account for possible flash flooding in the desert.

Orientation Videos: These are almost an hour long, but they are designed to be informative and comprehensive; if you’re interested in going on a trip, we ask that you watch its video in full to make an informed decision. Please watch before registering.