HELPFUL HINTS FOR PILGRIMS GOING TO MEDJUGORJE

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: A valid passport is required for each traveler. If you do not have a passport and you are a United States citizen, one can be obtained by presenting a completed passport application, two pictures, a certified copy of your birth certificate and a fee to the nearest passport office. For detailed information and application form downloads, please visit the State Department’s Website:
http://travel.state.gov/passport We recommend that you make a photocopy of the first four pages of your passport and keep it separate from the passport itself. Citizens of the US, Canada and most Western European Countries do not need any visas to enter Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Carry your passport, eticket receipts and all other documents with you. Do not pack your passport in your suitcase.
Be sure to check your documents and airline e-tickets for dates and other important information when they arrive. Please double check your name on the e-ticket against your passport! Please arrive at the airport 3 hours prior to departure. When checking-in please ask to check your luggage all the way to your final destination.
TIME DIFFERENCE AND FLY TIME: Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are six hours ahead of New York and nine hours ahead of California. The flight time between The United States and Split or Dubrovnik
is around 16 to 18 hours (counting connection time). After that, there is a two hour bus ride to Medjugorje.
MEDICATION: Keep all medication with you in your flight bag, it is very important that you do not loose your medications since prescription medicines are not easy to get. If you wear glasses, take an extra
pair with you. NEVER pack your medication in your suitcase.
PAY PHONES, MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET: Pay phones are located to the left of St. James Church across from the Information Center. Phone cards are available for sale at the Information Center.
Only local phone cards can be used in Medjugorje. Regarding Cellular phones, please contact your wireless telephone services provider to ask if your phone works in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. You
need a "four band" mobile phone and need to have the "international roaming" feature turned on. Wi-Fi is available at the hotel and at most restaurants and cafe's in Medjugorje.
ELECTRICITY: Virtually all of Europe is served with 220-volt, 50-cycle alternating current. If you bring items that work at home, you'll need a transformer, as well as a plug adapter. We recommend that you
purchase a multi-international kit from Wal-Mart, Target, etc. for about $15-$20.
CLOTHING AND PACKING: The maximum allowance of baggage is One piece of luggage not to weigh more than 50 lbs. One carry-on bag is also allowed along with a purse/briefcase/laptop bag.
Optional and recommended for older travelers: Use wheeled suitcases - they are available at department and luggage stores. Comfortable, plain clothing is the order of the day. Jeans and pants are acceptable for ladies and extremely comfortable walking shoes and/or sneakers (two pairs are suggested) are an absolute MUST for this trip for both men and women.
It would be wise to take clothing which can be layered so that you can add or remove layers as the changing temperature warrants. Medjugorje has a Mediterranean climate similar to the one in Rome, meaning that it is milder than Continental Europe. Summers are warm and winters are mild. A plastic poncho with hood or a folding umbrella in case of rain, toiletries, slippers are recommended. A backpack to carry personal items while touring and to carry purchases you might make. Please pack what you think you will need but do not to over pack!!
Put 1 complete outfit, extra underclothes and medication in back pack that will be on the plane with you in case your luggage misses a connection. IT DOES HAPPEN.
Carry On: Economy Class passengers are only permitted one piece of hand luggage and one personal item like a purse, briefcase, or laptop bag. Your hand luggage may not be larger than 22 x 14 x 9 inches
(including handles and wheels).
SUGGESTED Items to bring along: For your flight: an inflatable head & neck rest, eye mask, earplugs. Portable alarm clock. For Medjugorje: a flashlight. Old towel or small plastic bag to sit on outside. Hand
wipes - freshening up during the day. Travel pack size Kleenex. Camera, recorders. Optional tape recorder or journal for Mass, and talks. Travel size poncho. Optional grocery size plastic bags for dirty clothes or
items you purchase. A hat and suntan lotion.
ITEMS TO CONSIDER: Soap-small bar travel size; shampoo-travel size or put some in a small container; wash cloth; toothbrush & travel size toothpaste; travel size deodorant; chopstick; comb or brush; razor;
aspirin/pain relievers; feminine protection; band-aids; laxative, dramamine, bepto bismol, allergy or cold medicine, etc. (place all medicines in a zip-lock bag).
WHEELCHAIRS: The airline will transport your wheelchair free of charge in the cargo compartment. People in need of a wheelchair should bring their own. There are very few wheelchairs available in
Medjugorje, and they are taken most of the time. Handicapped people should travel with an escort to assist them while in Medjugorje. A lot of walking is done in Medjugorje, and facilities for the handicapped are not up to US standards.
LODGING AND MEALS: We stay in a privately owned hotel in Medjugorje (also known as, pansion). They are simply furnished, with the bedrooms having beds, dressers, bedside tables, and private bathrooms.
Breakfast and dinner are served in your hotel. If you require a special diet, please inform your hosts, they will try to accommodate your needs.
LAUNDRY: We recommend that you bring enough clean clothing for your whole stay in Medjugorje. Laundry facilities are not available in your hotel.
HAIRDRYERS: If it has a switch for 220 volts then you only need a plug adapter. Move the switch to 220; then plug into the adapter, and the adapter into the wall outlet. If the hairdryer has no 220 switch you will need an ADAPTER and a CONVERTER. We recommend purchasing a multi-international converter/adapter kit from Wal-Mart or Amazon. The hairdryer plug goes into the converter (the converter is bigger then the adapter) the converter into the adapter, the adapter into the wall outlet. HAIRDRYERS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE ROOMS.
WEATHER – Medjugorje has a Mediterranean climate. This means that summers are longer and hot. And winters are shorter and milder. To get the latest weather forecasts, please visit
http://www.accuweather.com
PREPARE FOR YOUR PILGRIMAGE: A couple of weeks before your pilgrimage, one should begin preparing physically as well as spiritually.
- If not accustomed to physical activity begin walking "briskly" 1-2 times a day; build up to 2-3 miles with no discomfort.
- If possible attend daily mass or attempt to spend quiet time in church during lunch or after work.
- Pray and ask Jesus and Our Lady to open your heart and mind to receive all that God has to offer you
during this pilgrimage.
- Begin praying the rosary daily or at least the Apostle's Creed, 7 Our Father's, 7 Hail Mary's & 7 Glory Be's as Our Lady first requested of the visionaries in 1981; takes about 5-7 minutes.
MONEY: Euros are the preferred currency in Medjugorje. US. Dollars are also accepted. We recommend that you carry your money in small denominations (i.e. one, five, ten, and twenty dollar bills). Please be sure money is free of rips, tears, and missing corners. We do not recommend traveler's check as very few places accept them. Credit cards are accepted in the majority of the stores and restaurants in Medjugorje. You will use your money mostly to buy souvenirs, pay for lunches, for personal expenses, for taxis (around $8.00 anywhere you go in Medjugorje regardless of how many passengers in the car), and for tips (around $5-6 per person per day for the hotel staff, $5-7 per person per day for the tour guide, and $5 for the bus driver). In Dubrovnik and other parts of Croatia, American Express, Diners Club, Visa and Master Card are accepted. There is a bank in Medjugorje with an ATM which you can use to get emergency cash from your credit card. Do not exchange money unless you have to, Bosnian money can not be exchanged outside of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
YOUR PILGRIMAGE PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Lunches, tips, insurance, and any personal expenses like phone calls, laundry, taxis, etc. We recommend putting a total of $75 aside per person for tips
on your trip, which is divided between our host house ($35), our local guide $35), and the bus drivers ($5). We provide envelopes for this purpose, which is included in your travel package sent about 2 weeks prior to departure via Priority Mail.
Personal Expenses That May Occur: Taxis, $8 wherever you go in Medjugorje whether 1 person in the car or 4; lunches, personal expenses.
Toilets: (WC), Water Closet is located on the far right of St. James church, on the other side of the votive area to light candles. They are modern clean rest rooms.
RELAX, SMILE AND ENJOY YOUR PILGRIMAGE – Go with an open mind. You will encounter and experience new cultures, ways of life and philosophies, as well as different traditions. You will be amazed
on how far a smile and a good sense of humor will take you.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO NOW? Prepare yourself by prayer, and do as Our Lady, The Queen of Peace has asked .....come to Medjugorje .....and renew yourself.

THE PARISH SCHEDULE IN MEDJUGORJE (more or less):
1- ENGLISH MASS everyday at 10 a.m. Feast Days and Sundays at noon. All religious articles are blessed after the Mass.
2- ROSARY AND CONFESSION begins at 5pm (winter) 6pm (summer).
3- APPARITION is approx. 5:40 (winter) 6:40 (summer) towards the end of the 3rd or 4th mystery there will be a short pause. This is the apparition time. During this time offer all your prayers and intentions to
Our Lady and ask Our Lady to bless any religious items that you brought with you. Daily apparitions are private and no visionary will be at St. James during the apparition time.
4- EVENING MASS is at 6pm (winter) 7pm (summer); Gospel reading is read in several languages, including English.
5- IMMEDIALTELY FOLLOWING THE MASS the Apostles Creed, 7 Our Father's, 7 Hail Mary's and Glory Be's will be prayed, about 5-7 minutes; then all religious objects will be blessed, 1-2 minutes; then
prayers for the sick and handicapped, 6-8 minutes; then the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary will be prayed, 20 minutes; you can leave anytime after the Mass is concluded.
6- ADORATION: Tuesdays & Saturdays 10-11 pm (Summer time) or 9-10pm (Winter time) in the Church. And from 2-5pm everyday in the Adoration Chapel.
7- VENERATION OF THE CROSS: Fridays immediately following mass after the Apostles Creed, 7 Our Father's, 7 Hail Mary's, Etc. and the blessing of the religious objects.
8- ADORATION: Thursday immediately following mass and after the Apostles Creed, 7 Our Father's, 7 Hail Mary's, Etc, and the blessing of religious objects.
Our local guide will work with us on all scheduling and arrangements during our trip. A daily schedule will be posted for the following day, in our dining room at dinner time. Announcements of any daily talks and
activities are also made at 10am English Mass. Next to the Franciscan Book Store (to the left of St. James) is an Information Center that also posts the times speakers will give talks. To Have a Mass Offered For Someone: Go up the steps at the side of the rectory; go inside, 1st door on the left. Each Mass offering is currently $16. Petitions: There is a basket inside the Information Center for all petitions. To Light a Candle: To the right of St. James Church outside is the votive area for lighting candles. The parish asks $.60 donation for each candle. No one is permitted to light candles anywhere on the mountains.

We at Croatian Mir Center hope that the above information has answered some of your questions. If you require further information please call our office at (800)220-7729, and we will be happy to help