Pilgrimages for millennials: less solemn, more luxe, with yoga, meditation, fine dining, and other wellness activities such as Ayurvedic massage on the itinerary
- Pilgrimages to places of worship are not new in India, but a growing number of millennials and younger people are adding the usual elements of a holiday to them
- People are taking part in yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic massages and other wellness activities, and eating fine food, during their trips to visit religious sites
Neeti Mehra, 40, a Mumbai-based slow living coach and sustainability strategist, took her first praycation – or spiritual holiday – in 2020.
“We decided to make it a multigenerational holiday with my sister and her kids, staying at a luxury hotel with a swimming pool,” says Mehra. “We did food tours and took in cultural sights like the famous silk weavers of Varanasi, and visited temples and the Buddhist sites of Sarnath.
“It became a holistic experience with three generations enjoying different aspects of Varanasi.”
Mehra has since taken other praycations – a portmanteau word combining “prayer” and “vacation” – in India, to Trivandrum, Odisha and Rishikesh, that mix visits to temples, ghats and mountain passes with food and cultural experiences.