A comparison between an April, 2023 Octagon Tour and Pilgrim's "Best of Israel" retail tour in the same month. 

 

The following data is pulled directly from Pilgrim's website.  Their retail tour visits 32 sites, where 56% of these sites are tied to Jesus.  In contrast, the Octagon Tour visits 53 sites (66% more), where 98% of them are tied to Jesus.

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You should also note that the Pilgrim retail tour does not have Bethlehem on their itinerary (where Jesus was born), nor Jericho, nor the West Bank (which is rich in Jesus sites), nor any of the historic sites in Nazareth, nor many other important places.  Also, the Octagon Tour limits the number of scheduled souvenir shop visits (where guides get kickbacks) to two.  The Pilgrim Tour offers no such restriction, leaving that choice up your guide, and much of your touring time can be potentially wasted on shopping trips that are typically designed to provide income for the guides.

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Finally, we are passionate followers of Christ with decades of touring experience.  Each site we visit is presented from the unwavering conviction that the Bible is God's truth, and that a miracle -working man from Galilee literally walked out of His own grave. Understandably, the vast majority of guides in Israel do not embrace these values, and Pilgrim Tours does not offer any such guarantee with their retail tour.

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Here is the literal difference between the two itineraries. (The chart below is best viewed on a computer. Viewing it on a mobile device may require swiping back and forth.)

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