About JOY Tours

Journeys led by people who know the story behind the place.

JOY Tours was created for travelers who want more than a checklist of destinations. Our journeys are shaped by history, faith, culture, music, sacred architecture and the human stories that connect places across time.

The People Behind JOY Tours

Meet the founders

Behind JOY Tours are two people whose lives have been deeply shaped by travel, culture, faith, history and hospitality. Stacey Minor and Yacoub Ghazzawi bring different backgrounds and perspectives, but share the same conviction: meaningful travel should help people understand the world more deeply.

Stacey Minor, Founder of JOY Tours
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Founder

Stacey Minor

Travel has been woven into Stacey's life since her earliest memories. Growing up in the USA, she spent every summer of her teenage years visiting historical landmarks across the country with her family — and at just 14 years old, she took her first international trip. That journey lit a fire that has never gone out.

Since then, Stacey has traveled to destinations across every corner of the world. From the ancient temples of Asia to the sweeping landscapes of Africa, from the cobblestone streets of Europe to the sacred sites of the Holy Land — she has walked the ground, heard the stories, and felt the weight of history firsthand. Every destination has left its mark on her, and she carries those experiences with her into every tour she leads.

Among all the wonders she has encountered along the way, it is the great churches and sacred spaces of the world that hold a special place in her heart. She is drawn to the history, the architecture, and the living faith that these places represent — and she brings that genuine reverence and knowledge to every group she guides through them.

With over a decade of experience as a trip manager, Stacey has designed and led journeys to Israel, Europe, Asia, and Africa. She understands not just the logistics of travel, but the deeper meaning it holds — the way a single place can connect centuries of history, cultures, and people in one profound moment.

Through JOY Tours, she shares not just destinations, but the invisible threads that connect them. Because for Stacey, the world is not a collection of separate places — it is one extraordinary, interconnected story, and she cannot wait to share it with you.

Yacoub Ghazzawi, Co-Founder of JOY Tours
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Co-Founder

Yacoub Ghazzawi

Travel has shaped Yacoub's life from the very beginning. Growing up in Israel, he spent his childhood and teenage years exploring destinations around the world with his family — experiences that planted a deep and enduring love for discovery, culture, and the stories that connect us across borders.

Yacoub's path is as rich as it is remarkable. A polyglot fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, French, and Spanish, he holds a PhD in Music and has performed as an organist in churches and concert halls across the globe. Music, for Yacoub, is inseparable from place — every cathedral, every ancient street, every sacred site carries a sound and a story.

His career in tourism began in 2012, and it was an immediate calling. He quickly became a licensed Holy Land tour guide, developing an exceptional depth of knowledge in the history, archaeology, and living culture of the region. Since then, he has led tours across numerous countries, with a particular expertise in the Holy Land, Egypt, Italy, and Greece.

Today, Yacoub divides his time between the Middle East and Asia, continuously expanding his cultural horizons while working across music, humanitarian NGO work, and tourism. What drives him above all else is the moment a guest recognizes how the past and present are connected — how the places we visit have quietly shaped the world we live in.

With Yacoub as your guide, history doesn't just come alive. It becomes personal.

Moments From The Road

Guiding groups through places that matter

From sacred sites to cultural landmarks, JOY Tours is built around shared moments of discovery, reflection and connection.

Stacey Minor with a JOY Tours group
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Stacey with a tour group
Yacoub Ghazzawi guiding a tour group
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Yacoub guiding a tour group
JOY Tours group at a historic site
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Historic places, shared stories
JOY Tours group moment
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Travel that connects people
JOY Tours travelers with their guides
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Guided with care and context

Ready to walk through history with us?

Whether you are dreaming of the Holy Land, Egypt, Italy, Greece, or another meaningful destination, we would be honored to help shape your journey.

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