Travelujah Connects Christian Pilgrims, Holy Land Travelers, in a Lively Social Platform

JERUSALEM, Israel, Sept. 9, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Helping pilgrims walk in the footsteps of Jesus, visit early biblical sites and find others with the same desire to "live" their faith, is something that former Huntington Woods resident Elisa Moed is doing as founder and CEO of Travelujah, the leading faith-based social travel network for Christian Holy Land travel.

"Experiencing one's faith in real time, on the site of biblical stories they've heard again and again, is one of the best ways to connect believers to their long-held faith," says Moed, who is encouraging travelers to register for the March 17-27, 2012 Israel Pilgrimage and Study Tour at www.travelujah.com/groups/entry/Israel-Pilgrimage-and-Study-Tour-2012. This comprehensive tour will take visitors on the path of where Christianity began visiting Jerusalem and the Old City with stops at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and then north to Nazareth where Jesus spent most of his life, The tour will study and travel along the Sea of Galilee and visit the Baptism site on the shores of the Jordan River and Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity.

"Travelujah is not only a travel site -- though we do help people plan their best trips, with special tours and site visits. It is a community of like-minded people who want to understand the Jewish roots of their Christian faith and visit all of the biblical places in Israel to make their faith come alive," says Moed, who moved to Israel six years ago with her family.

Travelujah was borne out of Moed’s more-than-two-decades as a tourism consultant. After conducting research for the Holy See in Jerusalem, she realized there was no one central site for Christian religious Holy Land travel. So she created a platform for connecting people over faith, Israel and their roots.

"Israel is the cradle of faith," says Moed. "We want Christians to see the land because it solidifies their connection to their faith." A trip to the Holy Land will impact how you view your lives, your families, your faith, your heritage and your spiritual growth enabling you to discover all the sites, culture and spirituality the region has to offer.

** Elisa Moed is available for interview about Christian Holy Land travel, the Travelujah pilgrim social network, Fall/Holiday 2011, Study Tours in 2012 Christian travel tips and tours. **

Indeed, real-time experience with the land and the people creates cultural connections which transcend fear-based propaganda. Travelujah encourages visitors to create their own groups online and build communities around their faith-based interests.

In 2010, Israel welcomed 3.4 million tourists, an 18 percent increase over 2009 numbers -- and a 400-percent increase in Christian tourism in the last five years. And the trend continues to increase in 2011, with year to date visitor arrivals through May up another 4%.

Travelujah is the leading faith-based social network for comprehensive Holy Land travel information, providing everything from trip-planning research, expert blogs, a comprehensive holy sites index, exclusive booking services for more than 30 church-run guesthouses, user blogs, and advice on relationship-building across geography and time borders.

Travelujah's experts design each itinerary according to the group’s specific goals, selecting tour guides who match their focus. "We try to weave in a narrative that includes the historical and the modern, and to relate everything to Scripture," it's important to create a program that is ideally suited to the denomination or goals of the group. Moed says.

At the invitation of The Office of the Quartet Representative Tony Blair, Travelujah participates in a 7-member Holy Land tourism operating panel focusing on the development of new markets for joint tourism and creating and implementing joint programming and other initiatives that encourage tourism/ economic development and cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

The Israel-based company's mission is to enhance one's connection with their own faith, and with others, through extensive, Christian-interest content and community features that make the Holy Land more accessible. Pilgrims and travelers can learn, plan and share Holy Land tour and travel experiences on Travelujah.

For publication purposes, please include the following:www.travelujah.com.

Media Inquiries:
Lynne Golodner: 248:376:0406, lynne@yourppl.com