Why we exist
To help people encounter God in their travels
By connecting them to the places, people, traditions and experiences that bring the Catholic faith to life.
How it started
TripCatholic started in 2023 with a family trip to Rome, Florence and Assisi, and far too long spent planning it. Dozens of websites, most of them out of date and none of them agreeing. Pages of personal notes on every church on the list: why it mattered, and which artwork to look for inside, so there would be something to say when everyone was standing in front of it.
The notes were not good enough. Some churches had something important inside that never got found. Other places were missed entirely, because they never turned up in the first place.
It was an impactful trip. But too often it still felt like sightseeing.
More context would have made it even more meaningful. Knowing what you are standing in front of, and why it matters, gives you so much more to bring to prayer.
So we set out to build the guide that trip needed. Not only to make the planning easier, but to inspire travelers to be pilgrims in all of their travels, the way we are all called to be pilgrims in this life.
How we make it
From the source
Each place is researched from the shrines' and religious communities' own pages, diocesan calendars, the local Catholic press and writing in the local language, not only English travel blogs.
All of it connected
A church links to the saints buried in it, the prayers and devotions that belong to it, and the places nearby. Collections and itineraries tie sites together by theme. The layers are joined up so you can plan, prepare and then pray when you are there.
Real prayers
Every prayer here is an existing prayer of the Church from a source we can name. None of them are written by AI.
Tell us what changed
Places change. If something is out of date or wrong, use “Submit information update” on the site’s page, or write to team@tripcatholic.com.
Where it goes
Our dream is a platform that does not only serve faithful Catholics, but reaches the people who find themselves in these extraordinary places without knowing why they matter, and shares Jesus with them there.
