If your soul could do with some saving, or you are just interested in learning more about the history of your religion, then you may want to consider taking a religiously inspired pilgrimage or tour. In general you will travel with like-minded people who want to re-affirm their faith, or educate themselves. This sort of travel may not be for everyone, but themed travel is a growing market and what bigger theme than religion!
The term pilgrimage refers to a visit or journey to sacred places for religious motives and since the second century, such journeys have been made as acts of devotion, penance, thanksgiving or in search of blessings or miracles. For some religions, like Islam, it is an obligation. Ironically perhaps, despite the conflicts and apparent discord between many of these religions, holy sites often overlap, especially in cities of the Middle East, and in particular Jerusalem.
I have focused on the "big four" religions here but your individual house of worship may also have ideas and options for you to consider. Also keep in mind that certain tours may be more devout or actively religious than others, (i.e. daily prayer, accompanying clergy, dietary restrictions) so choose one that is appropriate for your needs.
Muslim
There are three main holy cities in Islam -- Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, as well as several other lesser sites dotted throughout the Middle East. Pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and one of the most significant acts of worship in the lives of Muslims.
A visit to Mt Arafat, near Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj is the pinnacle of Islamic pilgrimage. It is a time when up to three million Muslims from around the world, come together to worship in a very small place. There are certainly hazards, problems and traffic congestion associated with the sheer number of visitors. You would be best advised not to attempt a visit to the Hajj without expert travel assistance.
The Philadelphia-based Al Mu'adhdhan Hajj Group (tel. 215/457-8006; www.makehajj.com) provides specialized packages to the Hajj with departures on January 4 for the 2005 Hajj and late December 2005 for the 2006 Hajj. The 21-day tour which includes all the holy site visits (Jeddah, Medinah, Mena, Mecca and Arafat) and preparation for the Hajj is priced at $3250 from New York, based on a quadruple share room. Accommodation, breakfast and all transportation are provided. Non-Muslims are not permitted to attend any Hajj rituals.
Christian
There are countless Christian inspired tours to destinations throughout the world, in particular, Israel, Western Europe and Central America so you will always have a wide choice.
Three Coins Travel (tel. 800/258-3041; www.3coinstravel.com) has a tailored itinerary for its Holy Land tour that takes in a number of holy and religiously significant sites it Israel but also offers extensions to Turkey and Egypt. Their Complete Israel Tour is $1499 per person plus taxes of approximately $170. It includes round-trip airfare from New York, accommodation for seven-nights, breakfast and dinner daily and tours taking in cities such Caesarea, Megiddo, Tiberias, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masada and Jericho. Admission to archaeological sites and museums is also included. Sightseeing is by air-conditioned coach with English speaking guides who orientate their commentaries around the Old and New Testament. A six-day extension to Turkey taking in Byzantine and Ottoman empire sites and the seven churches of the revelation is $699 or a four-day pre-tour extension to Egypt is $499 and includes visits to Cairo, the monastery at St Katherines, Eilat and Beer Sheba. The scheduled departure date for 2005 is March 8 or their Complete Israel plus Petra Jordan tour is $1699 and departs on October 24, 2005.
Jerico Catholic Journeys (tel. 877/453-7426; www.jericojourneys.com) provides Catholic pilgrimages and tours worldwide for parishes, prayer groups or individuals. Their tours are conducted throughout the year not only to Israel, but various other Christian holy sites throughout Europe including France, Italy, Ireland and Russia. For example, their 12-day Italy Pilgrimage tours departing from Minneapolis on May 2, 2005 ($2,595) and October 5, 2005 ($2,645) take in the greatest shrines, churches and cathedrals of Italy including Rome, Assisi, Siena, Padua, Montecassino, Milan and Venice. The package includes round-trip airfares to Rome and from Milan, accommodation in superior and first class hotels, local English speaking guides, breakfast and dinner daily, entrance fees, and daily Holy Mass with a priest in the group. They also run an Italian Saints tour in March ($2,299), May ($2,349) and November ($2,299) with visits to Venice, Padua, Florence, Assisi, Norcia, Cascia, Perugia, Rome and the Vatican. Departures for these tours are from Minneapolis in March and May, and from New York in November.
For a more Protestant perspective, try Journeys of Faith Christian Tours (tel. 866/708-1708; www.joftours.com). Their European itineraries offer unique Christian heritage tours that encourage self-discovery and a greater understanding of the evolution of Christianity in Europe. For example, their Heart of France Christian history tour takes place in April and features visits to Paris, Normandy and the Loire valley. Priced at $2695 per person for land content only, it includes 12-nights accommodations, daily breakfasts, six lunches, seven dinners, all entry fees and ground transportation, but airfare is additional.
Other sites to look at include www.206tours.com/main.html, www.pilgrimtours.com, www.replace.com/holyland and www.christiantravelfinder.com.
Jewish
Most religion-inspired Jewish tours are conducted in Israel, however there are many Jewish cultural tours available in Eastern and Central Europe and North Africa. These often celebrate the richness of Jewish culture in the diaspora (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco and France) or commemorate the atrocities of the Holocaust or 19th century pogroms (Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary).
The Totally Jewish Travel website (www.totallyjewishtravel.com) is like a mini-travel search engine offering links to a wide selection of tours to European destinations, Israel and even obscure Jewish themed tours to places like Cuba and South America. Some of their tours offer strict kosher catering, whilst on others, kosher food can be requested. Their eight-day Images of Israel package from Azra Travel (tel. 888/811-2812) includes round-trip flights from New York to Tel Aviv, six-nights accommodation in deluxe hotels, all transfers, eight meals, an English-speaking tour guide and entrance fees per itinerary. Special features include a visit to Independence Hall, Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem and the holy Western Wall. Prices range from $1797 to $2133 plus taxes based on dual occupancy depending on the season with various departure dates between April and December. The site also provides Passover and high-holiday tours, kosher cruises -- even kosher African safaris!
Other Jewish travel and tourism sites include www.ajctravel.com, www.momentuntours.com, www.nobhilltravel.com, and www.jewishtours.com. The Machers Directory (www.machers.com/directory/Jewish_travel) provides even more listings.
Buddhist
The four main holy sites of the Buddhist religion are Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar all located in India and Lumbini (the birthplace of Lord Buddha) in Nepal.
Buddhism inspired tours can include visits to holy sites, shrine and temples as well as retreats for meditation and yoga. Many follow in the footsteps of Buddha, geographically retracing his journey to enlightenment. Most are in India and Nepal but some include visits to Tibet, China and Thailand.
The most concise list of tour companies and travel agencies that specialize in Buddhist tours can be found at www.destinationindia.com/india_tours/buddhist_tours.html. Most are locally based operations and almost all of these tour companies will only provide prices once an online tour enquiry has been filled in and submitted. This may take several days, which can be quite frustrating, Unfortunately it is also quite difficult for me to suggest particular companies or itineraries based on pricing. Of the forty or so travel companies whose websites I researched, none provided prices.
Holy sites and pilgrimages for some of the world's other religions include:
- Bahai -- Haifa and Akko, Israel. Pilgrimage cities are Shiraz, Iran and Baghdad, Iraq
- Hinduism -- Visits to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in India are considered the Chardham, or four holy pilgrimage sites.
- Shintoism -- Kyoto, Japan
- Sikhism -- Amritsar, India
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