Wellness Travel Trend: Pilgrimages and “Epic Walks” See Further Momentum

If you only got your wellness and wellness travel news from the media, you might think that *everything* now is about expensive, high-tech longevity and biohacking programming. In our 2024 trend report, we go deep into the unprecedented surge for that new “hardcare” in wellness. But we also explore how new desires for “softcare” are rising, with people seeking lower-pressure, simpler, cheaper, more profound, tech-free wellness experiences—where emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing matter most.

Our 2024 trend, “The Power of the Pilgrimage,” is a compelling expression of this rising hunger for simpler, deeper and more profound wellness in travel. Journalist Eric Wilson beautifully details how a record number of new and revitalized pilgrimage trails worldwide are luring new generations to the most ancient, slow, communal and spiritual form of travel. And the pilgrimage trend is only seeing momentum and new directions since January.

Record numbers of people are hitting the famous, ancient pilgrimage trails, whether the 9th-century Camino de Santiago in Spain (in 2023, a record half a million people walked it) or Japan’s 88-temple Shikoku Trail. But a wave of new walking/hiking trails globally are creating cultural, historical and nature “pilgrimages”—because what the majority of modern pilgrims now seek lies beyond religious devotion. Recent data about the Camino de Santiago revealed that only 40% of walkers hitting its trails were walking for purely religious reasons. Most modern pilgrims are seekers, but they’re seeking a blended form of wellness: challenging physical activity, finding inner peace, being immersed in nature and local culture, and spiritual and personal growth. The line between the pilgrimage and the “epic walk” is blurring. And more countries are creating new epic walks and pilgrimages to fight their serious overtourism crises.  

READ MORE FOR HOW:

• New pilgrimage trails are blending history, culture and spirituality, in a non-denominational way

• Epic new trails are expressly designed to fight overtourism

• Wellness resorts are fast embracing walking and hiking retreats

• Wellness destinations have major opportunities in the pilgrimage and ‘epic hike’ trends

The Trend in the News

These sacred paths have attracted a new set of pilgrims: fitness buffs– National Geographic
This article provides a look at both ancient and new pilgrimage routes globally (i.e., in the US, Ireland, Sri Lanka and Bhutan), that are attracting a surge of walkers seeking that powerful blend of physical activity, spirituality and personal growth that pilgrimages uniquely deliver. 

Walking trips aren’t just for hard-core backpackers. Just ask these Boomers– The Wall Street Journal

Multiday walking trips, where the emphasis is on taking in the sights rather than crunching miles, are rising fast—and not just among the young and sprightly. According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, trips that involve walking are trending more than all other types—including food-focused vacations or safaris—for people over 45 years. For its walking trips in Europe, Macs Adventure reports a 200% spike in bookings this year. 

Sri Lanka has a new walking trail with wild forests and centuries-old wellness retreats–Travel and Leisure  

Sri Lanka’s new Pekoe Trail covers 186 miles, winding through tea estates and national parks, Buddhist temples and waterfalls, connecting 80 hamlets and villages, so people can discover the rarely seen “soul of the country.” Designed as a laid-back walking holiday (a slow 22 days), it was created to revive Sri Lanka’s tourism industry in the aftermath of the terrorist bombings that took place in 2019.  

Portugal is launching the world’s longest circular walking trail to combat overtourism– Timeout

More on Portugal’s forthcoming 1,860-mile trail, which winds its way around the entire country. With destinations like Lisbon and Algarve swarmed with tourists (mostly in summer), it will send travelers to lesser-known idyllic spots.  

Turning 25, 50, 75? Consider taking an ‘extreme vacation’– The Wall Street Journal 

Many people mark their milestone life events with luxury vacations that are all about pampering. But now more people are choosing to push themselves (with family and friends) on epic hikes and “endurance milestone” trips, whether hiking Peru’s Inca Trail or crossing the Greenland ice sheet on skis. People want to escape their quotidian lives and prove that they’re not 50 the way their parents were. Prepping and training together before the epic trip is a big part of the excitement.