Maria Katrina Paras

Banner Pilgrimage as Wellness Travel Camino

Article (news)

<p>When I usually think of <strong>wellness travel</strong>, I think of retreating into a beautiful beach resort, switching your phone to silent, having a wholesome meal for breakfast, and hoping that after three days of sleep, spa treatments, and quiet, you would feel renewed and completely refreshed.</p><p>But lately, another kind of wellness trip has been gaining popularity among travelers. It’s less about pampering and more about being present. It doesn’t promise an instant reset, nor does it ask you to optimize your body or return home transformed. <strong>It just asks you to walk</strong>.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784865165032Pilgrimage.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Pilgrimage travel offers a unique wellness experience that takes one out of their usual comfort zone.</span></span></span></div><p><strong>Pilgrimage travel</strong>, once seen mainly as a religious practice, is finding new meaning among people who may or may not consider themselves spiritual, but are tired and overstimulated, craving a slower way to move through the world. <strong>For some, the journey is prayer. For others, it is grief, gratitude, curiosity, a self-challenge, or the need to hear their own thoughts again. </strong>The reason doesn’t have to be dramatic. Sometimes it is enough to go to a destination slowly.</p><p>That is the appeal of routes like the <strong>Camino de Santiago in Spain</strong>, the<strong> Kumano Kodo in Japan,</strong> and the <strong>Shikoku Henro</strong>, also in <strong>Japan</strong>. These are ancient paths, walked long before wellness travel became a booming industry. What feels new is the way modern travelers are approaching them—not as conquests, but as journeys of attention, humility, and healing.</p><p>And no, you do not have to be an athlete, a monk, or someone with a month to spare. You can begin with however you can. Baby steps (pun intended).</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Why pilgrimage feels like wellness now</strong></div><p>The beauty of pilgrimage is its routine. Wake up. Pack your bag. Walk. Eat. Rest. Repeat. But in that routine comes the adventure.</p><p>In everyday life, we are constantly multi-hatting. We put on our work hats, family hats, and social hats.<strong> On pilgrimage, we can just take it all off. The body has one main task. The mind, eventually, follows.</strong></p><p>Wellness here does not come from comfort. You may need to catch a breath. You may get blisters. You may question yourself with your overpacking tendencies. But something shifts when your day is measured not by productivity (hard, I know), but by weather, distance, meals, kindness of strangers, and listening to your body. Wellness that’s holistic, wellness that reminds you of the beauty in the simplicity of living. </p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>Camino de Santiago, Spain: Best for first-time pilgrims who want community</strong></div><p>The Camino de Santiago is often the easiest entry point for beginners because it has the most established pilgrim infrastructure. It is not one single trail, but a network of routes leading to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. The most famous is the Camino Francés, which begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France and runs roughly 780 kilometers to Santiago.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17848630169013.png" style="width:700px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false"></span></span></span></div><p>Camino de Santiago offers ease and connections for beginner pilgrims who are courageous to take on the journey.</p><div><br/></div><p>But beginners do not need to do the entire route. Many start with the final stretch from Sarria to Santiago, which can be done in about five to seven days and covers the minimum walking distance needed for many pilgrims seeking the Compostela certificate.</p><p>This is the pilgrimage for those who want support without losing the sense of adventure. Along the way, there are pilgrim hostels, guesthouses, cafés, pharmacies, luggage transfer services, and other fellow walkers. You can spend the morning in silence, then end the day sharing dinner with strangers you can connect with.</p><p>The Camino’s gift is its easy humanity. People ask where you started, how your feet are, where you are sleeping that night. Small talk becomes sincere very quickly when everyone is a little tired and walking toward the same place.</p><p>For a first Camino, keep it simple. Choose a manageable route. Train by walking several days in a row prior to your trip. Break in your shoes. Pack lighter than you think. Get a pilgrim passport, or credencial, and collect stamps along the way. Book ahead during busier months if you prefer private rooms or want less uncertainty.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17848633137821.png" style="width:700px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Cathedrals make solemn and meditative pit stops in Spain.</span></span></span></div><p>Most importantly, do not over-romanticize it. Some parts are beautiful. Some are ordinary. Some days may feel meaningful; others may simply feel long. That, too, is part of the lesson. The Camino does not need every moment to be profound for it to stay with you.</p><p>Start here if you want a gentle but meaningful first pilgrimage, with enough community to make you grounded.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Kumano Kodo, Japan: Best for nature, quiet, and cultural depth</strong></div><p>If the Camino feels like conversation, then Kumano Kodo feels like listening.</p><p>Set in Japan’s Kii Peninsula, the Kumano Kodo is a network of ancient pilgrimage routes leading to the Kumano Sanzan, the three grand shrines of Kumano. The most beginner-friendly route is the Nakahechi, often called the Imperial Route, which moves through forest paths, mountain villages, mossy stone steps, shrine gates, and onsen towns.</p><p>It is shorter than the Camino, but it can be more physically demanding than beginners expect. The climbs can be steep. The weather can change quickly. Accommodations are limited in some areas, so proper planning matters.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17848634622822.png" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Sacred stillness is what Kumano Kodo’s journey is all about.</span></span></span></div><p>The reward is atmosphere. The Kumano Kodo has a sacred stillness to it: tall trees, mist, running water, old stones, small shrines tucked into the landscape. It is not a route you rush; it nudges you to pay attention.</p><p>A common beginner approach is to walk a <strong>three- to five-day section of the Nakahechi route, beginning around Takijiri-oji and continuing toward Kumano Hongu Taisha</strong>, with the option to connect to other sacred sites such as Kumano Nachi Taisha by bus. Staying in small inns, soaking in an onsen after a long walk, and eating local meals are part of the experience.</p><p>This pilgrimage rewards preparation. Learn basic shrine etiquette. Carry cash. Bring rain gear. Stay on marked trails. Do not assume there will always be a shop nearby. Unlike the Camino, where you can often improvise, the Kumano Kodo asks for a little more care.</p><p>It also shares a beautiful connection with the Camino through the Dual Pilgrim program, which recognizes those who complete both traditions. But even without a certificate, the meaning is clear: across cultures, people have long understood that walking can be a way of returning to oneself.</p><p>Start here if you want forests, quiet, hot springs, and a shorter but more contemplative pilgrimage.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>Shikoku Henro, Japan: Best for slow immersion and ritual</strong></div><p>The Shikoku Henro is the deepest commitment of the three, but it can still be approached by beginners with the right mindset.</p><p>This pilgrimage circles the island of Shikoku and connects 88 temples associated with Kobo Daishi, also known as Kukai. The full route is around 1,200 kilometers and can take several weeks on foot. It is not really a trip you squeeze in. It is a rhythm you enter.</p><p>But beginners do not have to complete the entire route in one go. Many pilgrims do it in sections over time, or combine walking with public transportation. Showing up sincerely matters more than doing it perfectly.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17848636519644.png" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">The most challenging of the three pilgrimages: Shikoku Henro.</span></span></span></div><p>For a first experience, consider starting in <strong>Tokushima Prefecture at Temple 1, Ryozenji,</strong> and walking a short cluster of the early temples. This introduces you to the flow of the <strong>Henro: arriving at a temple, purifying your hands, offering incense or candles, praying or quietly observing, receiving stamps in a temple book, then continuing on.</strong></p><p>The Shikoku Henro is especially meaningful for travelers drawn to ritual. There is the <strong>white pilgrim jacket, the sedge hat, the walking staff, the temple stamps, and the tradition of osettai, or gifts offered to pilgrims along the way.</strong> These are not travel accessories. They are part of a living spiritual practice, and beginners should approach them with respect.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17848637067866.png" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Immerse yourself in spiritual practice when journeying through Shikoku Henro.</span></span></span></div><p>Compared with the Camino, the Henro can feel more solitary. English may be less common in rural areas. Distances between accommodations can be longer. Planning is important. But the tenderness of the route often appears in small moments: a local pointing you in the right direction, a temple stamp carefully written into your book, a simple meal after a hard road.</p><p>Start here if you want a more immersive pilgrimage that can unfold slowly, one section at a time.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>How to begin without overthinking it</strong></div><p>The beginner&#x27;s mistake is thinking you need to become a different person before you go—fitter, calmer, more spiritual, more outdoorsy, more prepared. You don’t.</p><p>You only need to be aware. Aware about your fitness level. Aware about your comfort with solitude. Aware about your finances and budget.</p><p>Train by walking regularly with the shoes and bag you plan to bring. Practice back-to-back walking days, because pilgrimage is less about one heroic hike and more about waking up and doing it again. Learn how your feet respond. Learn which socks work. Learn what you can live without.</p><p>Pack for function: broken-in shoes, good socks, blister care, rain protection, light layers, an emotional support tumbler, usual meds, and a small notebook. <strong>Bring humility, too. It weighs nothing and helps everywhere. </strong>And remember: pilgrimage is not a race. Someone will always walk faster. Someone will always pack lighter. Someone will always look more prepared. Let them. Your pace is not a flaw—it is the point.</p><p>None of these routes needs to be completed in full to matter. That may be the most freeing thing about pilgrimage as wellness travel. <strong>You can begin with what you have: your body, your questions, your tiredness, your hope, your willingness to take the next step.</strong></p>

<p>Pilgrimage travel, once seen mainly as a religious practice, is finding new meaning among people who may or may not consider themselves spiritual, but are tired and overstimulated, craving a slower way to move through the world.</p>

Pilgrimage travel, once seen mainly as a religious practice, is finding new meaning among people who may or may not consider themselves spiritual, but are tired and overstimulated, craving a slower way to move through the world.

Why More People Are Choosing Pilgrimages for Wellness and Self-Discovery

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Why More People Are Choosing Pilgrimages for Wellness and Self-Discovery

Danah Gutierrez

Published July 24, 2026 11:00 AM PHT

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Updated July 24, 2026 11:53 AM PHT

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