Proximo Travel

First of all they bill themselves as a Catholic travel agency. I took 2 back to back tours in June and July with them and learned they don’t even have anyone from the Catholic Church employed as guides or employees.
If you check their website they say «our priests» they don’t employee priests only they help priests with vacation tour fundraising. I was told I would have a priest in Italy and didn’t. Also, I would be with 2 priests in Fatima and Lourdes only they booked me on a church’s private trip which is in poor taste for a travel agent. My post research revealed that if one wants to join someone’s tour, they need approval from the organizers. I only asked if I could go to France after Italy. They cold have put
me by myself I was traveling alone. The priests treated me so poorly, I wrote a letter to the archbishop of that diocese when I returned always politics when you join a private Catholic Church group as an outsider from another state and diocese. I was charged more as well.
Then as a group leaving from Orly, France to Toulouse, the agency forgot to pay for 40 tickets and we almost missed our connection. Then they forgot to pay for our luggage from Lisbon to Paris and we had to pay when this was supposed to be included. I was not told I could charge my vacation and I overnighted cash. My mistake. I found out later as I was not told when I charged a small $ 1,500 i could have charged the full amount for an extra $ 150.00 and had he ability to dispute charges that were not delivered per the travel disclosures. I left 2 weeks after payment and they did not tell me the Trevi Fountain was closed and that when I got to Fatima, the Basilica would be closed until 2017 and we had 3 days there.
The guides we had in Italy were good even though a Phd could not count to 11 and after telling her I was going to the toilet, I was left in the middle of nowhere while they went to Assisi. Then everyone in the group was mad at me because they had to turn around.
Proximos guides are hired on an as needed basis and also work for other companies. So, you get the luck of the draw as far as education and ability to translate. What worries me the most is they do not own their own vehicles. So they don’t know the maintenance records of the vehicles they contract
I worked for the USDOT and audited the safety of bus companies. The one driver we had in Italy in the beginning wore the same clothes for 5 days and had a pillow and blanket in the bus. His tachographs looked very full and so did his logs. I know it was Italy but a fatigued driver is just that anywhere. I don’t know if he was driving tours in between ours. I was e mailing and calling the manager and I got «sorry you are having problems» blamed the tickets and the baggage fee on the airlines and then had me scheduled on an Alitalia flight that ended up being TAP air Portugal
All 800 numbers go to the same call center and I have written the NY and MA attorney generals
I believe they are using the Catholic religion to exploit money but what is worse is I believe they are using the money to Ponzi. You just don’t forget to pay for 40 passengers and your guide their one way airline tickets. They probably used the money on another tour and then baggage fees! Yikes
Ponzi schemes do happen with travel agents it happened to my parents with a different company and normally you do not get your money back when they go out of business
Their paperwork states to buy insurance which I did and I told them about my allergies and so did others about food allergies etc and they got for dinner what they where allergic to.
According to the MA State Attorney General’s office they have been in business for 4 years. I saw they stated 20.
To be Catholic means to have travelers, pilgrims be met by clergy not just visit churches with a guide who says they are Catholic. I expected that to state this, they would abide by it. They told the private group «someone was coming in from Rome» to a Catholic that usually means clergy. I was finishing my trip in a Rome.
They say transfers from anywhere. It is padded in the price and once you are oversees you are forgotten.
To be Catholic is Rosary in the bus, mass everyday and a priest or Sister as a guide or both. Also, someone in management who is at least a Deacon to coordinate and answer questions. Don’t talk the talk and insult people who follow their religion.
No deals here’s, just lip service and lots of headaches.
They operate in every state and their PPOB is Worcester, MA