Time off work for soul rewards

Spiritual and religious travel is booming as busy Australians shun beachside holidays in favour of finding their inner self.

Pilgrimages to Ashrams in India have hit the mainstream following the success of such books as Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, which is to become a movie starring Julia Roberts.

Two major religious events also are attracting huge interest. The once-a-decade Oberammergau Passion Play, in which more than 2000 Bavarian villagers bring the story of Jesus of Nazareth to life, takes place in July, while the canonisation of Australia’s first saint Mary MacKillop will be held in Rome in October.

Religious travel was identified as a key niche area in a recent Industry Business Needs survey by travel company Amadeus. Odyssey Travel spokesman Ausilia Cristiano said: “The Passion Play is the biggest event on the Catholic calendar but it doesn’t just attract Catholics. It attracts people from all ages and backgrounds.”

Salisbury East school teacher Arlette Taylor, 46, took time out this week to attend a spiritual retreat at Shiva Ashram in Mt Eliza, Victoria.

She spent most of the time meditating and taking part in yoga and chanting. “I think people are a bit disenchanted with what’s going on in the world and starting to question what we’re doing with the Earth and looking towards themselves for answers and realising material things are not always the answer,” she said.

“Even where I work I am surprised with the amount of people open about spirituality, which spreads it more.”

The surge in popularity in spiritual and religious travel comes as Australians take advantage of the strong Aussie dollar and record low airfares. Latest data from the Bureau of Statistics shows more than 554,400 Australians were travelling internationally in February.

New Zealand was the most popular destination, followed by Indonesia, the US, Thailand and China.