The anticipated cost per person for the pilgrimage is approximately £3000. This includes flights, accommodation, insurance, meals, travel and WYD costs.

We hope that your parishes and local communities will help and support any fundraising initiatives. We are also happy to provide ideas and thoughts on what can be done.

There are some ideas here on why and how to fundraise.

We cannot stress enough how important it is that you try to fundraise.

Payment will be made in instalments directly to the Youth Ministry. These details will be made available at our first meeting.

Ahead of the pilgrimage we have planned two in person days for pilgrims at the SPEC Retreat Centre in Pinner. These are compulsory so please make a note of them when booking. Times will be communicated in advance.

• 31st October 2026
• 22nd May 2027

We envision the pilgrimage to last about 10 days (inclusive of travel). The current plan is to start with some time in Japan and discover the history of Japanese Catholicism, before travelling to South Korea for the main portion of World Youth Day.

The current plan* is as follows:

29th July: leave the UK

30th July: arrive in Japan

31st-1st August: Nagasaki

2nd-3rd August: Hiroshima

4th August: travel to Seoul, South Korea

5th-8th August: World Youth Day events

9th August: travel back to UK

_{* subject to change}

Jet-Lag, Humidity and WYD activity

There is a 9 hour time difference with Japan and South Korea. Therefore jet-lag is to be expected. The start of August is also a very hot and humid time in South Korea, so please bear this in mind.

Please be aware that WYD requires mental and physical robustness. There will be large crowds, long journeys, lots of walking and sleeping outside for the Vigil with the Holy Father. We do not state this to put you off, but rather so that you are aware of the demands of the trip. If you have any concerns, please contact the Youth Team at youth@rcdow.org.uk.

Food

Approaches to food allergies in Japan and Korea are quite different to what we have in Europe. There may be cases where allegries are not specified or accommodations cannot be made. If you have severe allergies, please consider this before booking. If you have any questions or concerns please email youth@rcdow.org.uk.

Change to information

As we begin booking the trip, some information may change. If this happens we will communicate it appropriately.

Over 18s

The pilgrimage is open to anyone who will be over 18 from the 15th of July 2027.

Active in Parish

Due to limited space, we would like to prioritise those young people who are actively serving in their parish, whether you read, altar serve, welcome people, serve teas and coffees- the opportunities are endless. If you currently are not, perhaps its a good opportunity to get started!

Meetings in preparation

The pilgrimage does not start and end with the dates mentioned above. In order to build community among your fellow pilgrims we will be organising at least 2 sessions in preparation for WYD in Seoul. These will be mandatory (barring exceptional circumstances). These sessions will also communicate important information in relation to WYD.