Catholic Trips corporate office is located in a wonderful farming community area known as the Illinois Valley, which is located in the small town of Spring Valley in the diocese of Peoria.

OUR MISSION statement is "To use this company as ministry for providing quality, affordable travel packages for Catholics, and at the same time, help generate money for the Catholic schools, newspapers, charities and other Catholic non-profit organizations in the diocese the travelers lives in."

WE ARE an innovative, progressive and experienced travel company.

JIM WEST, who is founder and CEO of the company brings over 18 years of experience in the travel industry. The entire staff of agents at Catholic Trips are all seasoned travel planners who are genuinely interested in seeing that your trip is the best it can possibly be.

OUR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY is "plan each and every trip as if we were planning it for ourselves and our own families. Look for the best value, best price and exhaust every possibility before we arrive at the final vacation package."

WE BELIEVE Catholic Trips is God-inspired. We also believe that what we do is a ministry, using our gifts to serve Him. On our pilgrimages, we laugh, we hug, we pray, we may even shed a tear. We are a family and we open our arms and our hearts and invite you to be part of our family as well.

THANK YOU so much helping us help others. May God bless you on all your journeys through life.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

JIM WEST

Personal cruise expert and event planner!

JIM WEST is a devoted follower of Christ. He helps coordinate weekend retreats that sharpen relationships with Christ and has participated on many WATCH (We Are the Church) programs with his church. Jim is certified in Basic Youth Ministry from the University in Steubenville, Ohio and has been actively involved in TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) for the past 25 years.

Jim is one of the most sought-after cruise professionals and tour guides in all of North America. As a professional Cruise Director for ten years, and having worked onboard the cruise ships of Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Orient Lines and Fantasy Cruises, Jim has logged over 1400 cruises in his nautical diary. He has sailed to all seven continents (including a three-week cruise to Antarctica with Sir Edmund Hillary), explored over 72 countries around the world, and has had the unique opportunity as a Cruise Director to fulfill the needs of over one million cruise passengers who sailed with him.

Jim is the author of four cruise/travel books: The Essential Little Cruise Book (now in its 3rd edition and rated #1 with www.amazon.com), CRUISE CONTROL-Secrets from a Cruise Director for the Perfect Cruise Vacation, Talk Like a Sailor on a Cruise Ship and the newly released Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul, for which he has contributed the story “Dancing with Isabel.” He has also received the honor of being selected as the 2004 “cruise expert” on the Travel Channel’s show Cruise Ships FAQ, during their Cruise Week presentation.

Jim is the chairman of Travel Alliance, Inc., which owns and operates On Holy Waters and several dozen cruise websites on the Internet. He is involved with every cruise that is planned through his office, from a family of two to a large company of two thousand. And because of Jim’s longtime relationship with nearly every cruise line, he is able to offer discounted pricing that other travel agencies can not obtain.

Jim West is a cruise expert with first-hand, unmatched knowledge, that people can utilize to enhance their vacation at sea.

To personally contact Jim, email him at Jim@CatholicTrips.com