The Spirituality of Travel

Post Author: Rev. Ashley Updegraff

We don’t often realize it, but Jesus traveled a lot. He was always on the move in the Gospels, from Jerusalem to Galilee to Samaria to Nazareth. He traveled places his disciples didn’t want him to go. He traveled by himself when he needed a rest. He traveled where there were crowds depending on him. He traveled with the crowds who depended on him. 

But even though Jesus was constantly traveling, we don’t think of travel as a biblical concept or a spiritual one. In the biblical narratives it’s simply a way to get from point A to point B. That is quite unlike the trillion-dollar industry that travel has become in the United States. We are bombarded, constantly, with advertising about the latest destinations, the hottest rental homes, and the most exotic activities. We are encouraged to use our money–whether we have a little or a lot–on travel. 

Perhaps that sounds trivial to you. Perhaps travel sounds like a frivolous privilege that isn’t accessible to everyone. Perhaps you roll your eyes at the flashy, expensive advertisements luring us to places around the globe. 

Yet if we look beyond those manipulative advertisements, we might find that traveling–which can take many forms–is an essential spiritual practice. We might find that traveling–around the globe or to the city next door–is one piece of the formula for living an abundant life. 

Before we explore why that might be, let me clarify what I mean by “traveling.” Traveling could mean packing up and leaving town for a week or two, heading to a different state or country. Traveling can also mean driving to the next town over and trying a new restaurant you’ve never been to. Traveling could mean flying on an airplane or simply walking around a neighborhood you haven’t visited near your home. Traveling could mean camping in the backyard or visiting a museum. You don’t even have to physically move to a different place to “travel.” You can do so through the eyes of a friend as they share their photos and experiences of a recent trip. You can log onto a computer at the library and research a location you’ve always wanted to see. In fact, in 2010 Dutch researchers published a study that discovered that planning a trip makes you happier than actually going on it.¹ So no matter your ability to pick up and leave, you can travel. 

Here are some reasons why you should:

1. Travel is important to our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Taking vacation time, practicing rest (even if it’s for an afternoon!), and trying new things that empower you are all components of well-being.
2. God’s world is beautiful and vast, and God wants you to delight in all that God has made. It’s true. God wants you to enjoy the world God has made. Think about it this way—if you spent time and energy creating a beautiful clay bowl for someone you love, and then you gave it them as a gift and they never, ever used it, putting it away in a cupboard somewhere instead of using it to hold salad or keys or simply as a decorative item, you would be disappointed. You want the recipient of your gift to enjoy it, to take delight in it, and to use it. The same is true with God. God has created a diverse world, filled with all kinds of animals and plants and people, and God wants you to explore and enjoy it. 
3. Traveling reminds us that we are wired for connection and relationship. Having uninterrupted time with our partners, children, or friends gives us the opportunity to invest deeply in relationships without the demands of a schedule or the lure of electronics. Again, this is not about where you go, but it is about taking the time to invest in relationships. Even if you prefer to travel alone, you can’t help but create connections with the people around you–or a deeper connection to yourself!
4. When you travel somewhere new, that place and its people become meaningful to you in a way they were not prior to your travel. The world becomes a little smaller and your compassion becomes a little greater. When you explore a new neighborhood or a new state or a new country, suddenly the people who live there are not just strangers in a far-off place. They are people who have given you directions, served you dinner, welcomed you to hotels or campgrounds, and told you their stories. They are real people who have impacted you in some way, big or small. When you return home and there is something on the news or you hear something on the radio about what is going on with those people in that place, you can’t be unmoved. A hurricane or a tornado or a war or a shooting isn’t just happening in some random place to some random people. It’s happening to a place you know, to a people you’ve encountered. To travel is to expand understanding and compassion. It’s to make the list of people and places you care about longer with each destination. And the world needs more of compassion more than ever.

So do it. Travel somewhere new. Take some time off, be it a week or a day. Learn something you didn’t know before. Explore somewhere you’ve never been. Meet people who are different from you. Delight in the world God has made. Be shaped and changed by who and what you encounter. 

When we do this–when we explore the next block over or our dream-destination–we are inviting God to meet us in new people and in new places. We are expanding our compassion, focusing on our connections, and taking time to rest. Seen in this way, travel becomes a spiritual practice, drawing us closer to the God who is constantly creating and the people God so loves. 

Happy traveling! 

Ravello, on Italy’s Amalfi Coast

¹  James Ware, Why Planning A Trip is Good for You Even When You Can’t Travel