Spiritual Restoration

Vacation Ideas

When you’re slogging through daily life, losing motivation at work, or drifting away from your goals and dreams, then it’s time for a break! Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, a vacation is an opportunity to step back from the daily grind, clear your head, recommit to your passion, or find creative inspiration.

Wellness & spiritual restoration vacations should be guided by your passions and personal needs. Where do you picture yourself?

  • In a beach-side villa, sipping well-made daiquiris and napping to the sounds of waves between dips in a crystal clear pool.
  • Finding zen at meditation and yoga retreats, led by insightful guides who help you recenter yourself through gentle movements and quiet reflection.
  • Hiking trails among ancient ruins, letting the physical exertion reinvigorate a tired mind and bored muscles while revelling in the mysteries of long-gone cultures.
  • Visiting ancient sites of your faith—or other faiths—to better understand the history and journey of those who came before you.

Outward Travel can help plan just the right mix of relaxation and activities that suit your personal journey. During our initial consultation, tell us what inspires you, what gives you joy, how you find peace, and we’ll help you plan a vacation that will leave you ready for the year ahead.

Use that PTO!

Science Shows Vacations Improve Health & Productivity

A four-night vacation reduces stress and improves well-being.

A 7-10 day vacation helps manage stress and reduces burnout.

Work-related stress packs less of a punch the closer you get to a vacation.

People who take annual vacations have lower risk of heart disease.

A relaxed state of mind in different environments improves creativity.

Riviera Maya Meditations

Other Ideas:

Stretching along Mexico’s Caribbean coastline is the beautiful Riviera Maya region. The natural beauty—with birdsong lofting through the fresh air and turquoise ocean lapping at the shore— is enough to soothe the weariest travelers. Fresh fruits rich in flavor, soft nighttime winds, and a wide range of activities from beachside yoga to exploring truly incredible natural and ancient sites, all contribute to a restorative and inspiring break from day to day life.

Swim-up to your hotel room
Relax with a drink in the tub
White sand beach steps from the hotel
Hotel bar at night

Your home for this journey is a stunning, all-inclusive resort. On your first night, settle into your room and grab a drink from the minibar—which has been pre-stocked with your preferred libations and soft drinks (and are free!). Start each day with a dip in the dip in the pool that meets your back patio, or let your mind wander as you saunter along the white sand beach. Enjoy a pool-side lunch, and dinner at whichever on-site restaurant strikes your fancy.

Spa at Hotel Unico
Swimming in a cenote
Yoga
Shaman ritual
Cave meditation

The beautiful setting is just the start of your wellness & spiritual restoration experience. Fill yourself with the good vibes of ancient harmony doing yoga in a natural setting. Drain away the toxins of daily life with a Mayan steam bath ritual guided by a local shaman. Marvel at the ancient ruins of Tulum or Uxmal led by a descendent of the people that built them. Float peacefully in an exclusive natural cenote—a below-ground natural pool—hidden in the nearby jungle. If you prefer to destress through exercise, swim with dolphins and whale sharks, or set sail across the bay to Isla Mujeres where you can SCUBA in an underwater museum of natural wonders and fallen statues.

Return home with a deeper sense of yourself, and a broader view of the world. Carry the wisdom of the ancient people who were here before. Breathe deep knowing that the stress of daily life has no strength against the peace found in the Riviera Maya.

Hotel description based on UNICO 20°87°; pictures © AIC Hotel Group. Described activities are a mix of local experiences. Speak with Outward Travel and we’ll get the latest offers available only via travel agents, and help you plan a relaxing and restorative vacation.

A Sojourn Through North India

Nestled in the shadow of the Himalayan Mountains, hidden from history and far from the hustle and bustle of a typical trip to India, are the quaint and meditative villages of the Kumaon region. You've traveled far for an escape from the stress of your daily life, to meditate, to experience a completely different culture and learn from its people. For a short while, nothing else matters but this moment. And that is the essence of the Buddhist philosophy that permeates this Tibetan journey.

Terrace outside 360 Leti
360 Leti Cottage House
Interior of 360 Leti Cottage House
Shakti Deora House Exterior
Shakti Deora House Exterior
Shakti Nimoo House Exterior

Dotted throughout the Northern region of India are charming villages where you are an honored guest. Fully renovated, stylishly simple but well-adorned guest homes are waiting for you, complete with a private chef. Experience the deep sense of calm that imbues the region as you sip a fine wine, watching the sunset light up the tallest mountains in the world.

Sikkim monastery
Hiking Near 360 Leti
Thiksey Monastery Monks
Rafting a River in India

This vacation is customized for you. Throughout the journey, you may be driven, raft, or even trek by foot to the next location—with the experience tuned for your health and desires that day. Visit ancient monasteries that have stood for a thousand years, experience the deeply fulfilling ritual of morning Buddhist prayers, or arrange a private yoga or meditation session. Spend an afternoon sauntering through a rhododendron forest after a delightful, lazy picnic.

Street performers
Shakti Kumaon Village Walks
Local life in Kumaon
Spring in Ladakh

Throughout your journey, the local people will share their way of life with you. The natural beauty abounds, as you hike or raft along rivers passing by local, sustainable farming communities. Learn to cook a traditional Indian meal from your private chef. Visit a women's weaving cooperative, a flourishing social enterprise that provides a sustainable income for local women.

Experiencing a calmer and simpler way of life, you might not want to leave. But as you return home, take with you the insights of a world apart from your norm. The experience travelling through Northern India will stay with you for the rest of your life.

This description is based on the Shakti experiences, photographs provided by Shakti. The details of each Shakti journey are customized to your desires and needs. Outward Travel will help you plan your journey to this hidden land.

Visit Ancient Sites of Faith

"History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future." - Robert Penn Warren

The world’s oldest faiths are rich in history, with the stories of those who came before written in scripture, and the monuments they built still standing today. To better understand your faith—or other faiths—consider a voyage to the ancient lands to see the same places where history once tread.

Meteora monastery
Agora of Ephesus
Temples at Delphi
Acropolis
In the Footsteps of Paul the Apostle

Paul the Apostle was an early leader of the Christian church, and he journeyed far and wide across the known world of the Mediterranean. Your tour will follow in his footsteps as you sojourn across beautiful Greece: the epicenter of thought and society. Begin with a three-night cruise along the islands of Mykonos, Patmos, and Santorini. You’ll stand in the ruins where Paul himself stood—where his letters in the New Testament were sent—like Ephesus, Thessaloniki, Crete, the Agora in Corinth, and the Cave of the Apocalypse where John the Evangelist wrote the Book of Revelation. See the astounding architecture of the Meteora monasteries and learn about the monks still serving there today. And all along the way, you’ll sample the finest modern cuisine Greece has to offer.

basilica of san francesco d'assisi, by Cezar Suceveanu
Abbey of Montecassino
The Basilica of St. Therese of Lisieux
Avignon Bridge with Popes Palace and Rhone river
Kylemore Abbey
See the Shrines of Italy, France, or Ireland

Old Christianity spread throughout Europe, and on this continent rich with history you’ll find many shrines and important sites still standing today. In Italy, step underground to the catacombs of Rome where early Christians hid and buried their dead; then travel to the cathedrals throughout the country and celebrate Mass in the oldest churches of the faith. France is home to towering Gothic cathedrals where the saints first experienced their divine revelations; and of course, throughout the French countryside you’ll taste the finest cuisine and a nature-driven peace that drew so many others here over the last two millennia. Ireland, too, is rich with Catholic and Gaelic tradition; touring through the Emerald Isle will show you the churches, monasteries, and artifacts from the land and life of Saint Patrick.

Throughout these historically rich tours you’ll be guided by experts of history and faith, with hotels, most meals, and airfare from major US cities all included. Return home with a deeper understanding of the places and challenges faced by the early Christian church, and let that reinvigorate your own faith in today’s challenging world.

These example itineraries are based on separate guided tours provided by one or more operators we work with. To customize your own journey, speak with Outward Travel and we’ll find you the latest offers available only via travel agents, and help you plan an enriching, faith-filled journey.