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360º of Spirituality at the Luxe Sunset Hotel

I had an unexpected encounter last week with the Luxe Hotel Sunset, the new hotel in tony Bel-Air, in Los Angeles. And to pay homage to the awesome Signature 360º Package, here’s a 360 word blog post!  A little fantasy to take you away from work and into a daydream:

Whether you call Los Angeles or Louisville home, it can get stressful. Sure, you had New Year’s resolutions, now long forgotten in the daily shuffle of office, appointments, and, well… life.  While it will be nice to whisk yourself off on our Eat Pray Love Bali tour in April, you’d like to do something sooner… closer.

The Luxe Sunset Hotel is a retreat from your hectic, everyday life, a surprisingly spiritual oasis in the heart of LA.  They picked you up in a Town Car from LAX, so the relaxation started before you walked into the understated, elegant lobby.  Now you feel a further downshift into comfort and tranquility.  The desk clerk is knowledgeable, smiling as she upgrades your room. The personable bartender makes you a drink he invented… Strawberry Fields, a tall glass with vodka, strawberry-ginger syrup, and fresh berries. As you sip, you relax to the sounds of the live jazz guitarists.

At the restaurant, dinner is delightful — fresh and delicious.  You sit at a table under the night sky, pampered by the waiters and the heater that takes the edge off the last of LA’s winter.  Afterwards, the 360º package means there’s a bottle of Shiraz waiting for you in your room.

Oversized and plush makes for a cozy combination, and this space is designed as a retreat from your regular life.  The marble bathroom has clean, zen-like lines, with a soaking tub and a separate shower, and cushy towels and a spa robe wait to envelop you.  The bed has the greatest mattress, the thread-count on the sheets makes you want to sleep in, and there’s a proper European duvet, along with plenty of pillows for reading or watching TV. The room is spacious enough for your yoga routine.  (The iPad2 proffered during your stay tempts you to sit at the desk and book a reservation for the Getty Museum, right down the road).

The next morning, enjoy a complimentary American breakfast, then relax by the pool, soaking in the California sunshine.  The best part? With a two-night minimum, you get to stay another day! Okay, now you can wait until April for Bali…

 

Written on February 6th, 2012 , Dispatches from the Road, Hotels & Resorts, Travelers' Tips
Experiencing Spiritual Awakenings Through Travel

My whole life, I was an atheist.  I didn’t believe in anything, except that their might be some “energy thingy” out there that made the universe tick.  After all, if there wasn’t something, why couldn’t science create life?  It was not until my first trip to Egypt, where I went as an unwitting tourist, that Spirit smacked me upside the head and, in one incredible moment of clarity, made me understand that I was a soul having a human experience, and not a human just grappling with existential dialogue.

This was a powerful transformation for me, and, twelve years later, continues to be the most important moment of my entire life.  In fact, I finally sat down to write a book about my experiences.  Red Goddess Rising is being released this month, and I am thrilled with how it turned out.  But sitting at my computer the first time, wondering what the story was going to be, I realized it was about a lot more than my own spiritual awakening.  That moment of pure Spirit energy led to spiritual tours that I co-lead with my partner, Greg Roach, of Spirit Quest Tours. And on those trips, we have seen people have their own experiences, healings, and awakenings, often just as powerful.

Many of these spiritual travel shifts occurred with women who needed some sort of heart Spiritual travel Egypthealing.  They had been through a traumatic divorce, the death of their spouse, or in some way lost part of themselves to the “stuff that happens along the way.”  Like the woman whose husband had an affair.  She had left him nearly ten years ago, but on some level, still thought it was her fault and had been punishing herself ever since.  Or the women whose husbands or loved ones committed suicide, and years later, they still felt horrific guilt and agonized over what they could have done to stop it.  Sometimes, it’s a man – like the guy who went to prison for something he was only peripherally involved with, then no longer understood his purpose.  For all these people, a single week or two on a spiritual tour with us, and they have gone home lighter, freer, having forgiven themselves.

In some cases the healing that takes place during spiritual travel is so profound they are literally no longer the same person they were when they arrived.  We had one couple who came to Egypt with us, and when we told the wife how much we liked her husband, she replied, “Oh, that’s not my husband.  I don’t know who that man is.  I just hope he comes home with me!” And he did.

So why does this happen so quickly, on what most people believe is just a great vacation? In my observations, it’s because there’s a letting go that occurs when you are taken out of your routine during spiritual travel.  Flying so far away from your “normal” life gives you permission, and the time, to dream.  Once this opening takes place, you can shift, even just a little. And then a little more.  We structure our trips to facilitate the most opportunity for awareness and healing (like on our Eat Pray Love Bali  spiritual tours, where we have daily themes from the book) but it’s more than that.  It’s the allowing and encouraging of your spirit.

Red Goddess Rising BookWe forget—as we drive to work, keep up with our errands, deal with screaming children or bosses, and continue to grind away at our daily lives—how much we need to give ourselves room to grow, to hope.  Getting away from the daily minutiae enables us to stretch, and to remember the truth underneath everything: we are spiritual beings, and our only real job is to experience joy.  As long as we accomplish that, the rest of it falls in line.  On spiritual travel, whether solo or in groups, we are granting ourselves permission to be who we really are in some small way.  Once that seed is planted, it flourishes quickly and powerful shifts occur.  I am blessed to have witnessed so many on our own spiritual tours.

Red Goddess Rising comes out January 18th. Join author Halle Eavelyn at Mystic Journey bookstore for a launch party and reading January 20th at 6:30 pm for excerpts from her spiritual travel memoir, wine, and Egyptian appetizers.  RSVP here: http://www.halleeavelyn.com in the EVENTS section.

This blog was originally published on the Mystic Journey Blog.

 

Written on January 10th, 2012 , Ask the Expert, Travelers' Tips
Eat, Pray & Love the Bliss of Bali – Part II

This is a follow on to a post from a guest blogger who was with us in Bali last year.  This came about very organically. One of the guests on our Eat Pray & Love Bali tour in May, Kiya Cote, wrote this wonderful report about the trip and sent it out as an ongoing newsletter to her clients. I so loved her writing and her experiences that I asked if she would allow me to repost her wonderful stories here, and voila!

The Bliss of Bali Part II

by Kiya Cote

Through the book and movie, the entire world knows the story of Elizabeth Gilbert, who went on a year long search for herself across Italy, India, and Indonesia. Her spiritual journey ultimately brought her to Bali, where she found true love for the first time in her life! She tells her inspirational story in the autobiographical best seller, EAT PRAY LOVE. Thus far, more than 8,000,000 people worldwide have read her story!

Elizabeth Gilbert’s personal transformation touched me deeply, as a woman…and as a Holistic Practitioner who empowers people to live the lives they truly want to live. Across the pages of EAT PRAY LOVE, I saw her doing what so many yearn to do…namely getting in touch with her “true self.”

When given the opportunity to travel to Bali on an EAT PRAY LOVE tour with Spirit Quest Tours, I had to say YES! I followed in her footsteps, having private sessions with Ketut Liyer, and Wayan, the Balinese healers who contributed so greatly to Elizabeth’s spiritual
awakening.

 

KETUT, the medicine man, read my palm, and offered his wisdom…“You smart woman, you draw on energy from the Universe. Live very long life.” He looked at me intently and  said, “I will dream of you.” I returned his gaze and said, “And I will dream of you!”

And yes, we visited WAYAN, the healer who befriended Elizabeth…who in turn raised funds for Wayan to buy her very own house. At Wayan’s tiny café, we had energy readings, ate one of her famous Vitamin Lunches, and partook of her herbal remedies!

For eleven days, I lived within the pages of EAT, PRAY, LOVE! The fun and excitement was enhanced by meeting Yude, the musician who drove Elizabeth around Bali. And then…Kitty Yancey, travel writer for USA TODAY, interviewed the leaders of Spirit Quest Tours, and other members of our group!

The EAT PRAY LOVE phenomenon, and power of personal transformation, has spread around the world. To enthusiastically join in, you can read EAT PRAY LOVE (again, or for the first time!) See the movie, once or over and over again. And of course….travel to Bali with Spirit Quest Tours!

My life has been forever changed by Bali. And it is out of sheer delight that I share my stories with you! Live the life you long to have…!

Om Swastiastu (Balinese for “God’s blessings be upon you.”)

KIYA

Kiya Cote Photo

 

Kiya Cote is a transformational healer and teacher—and a magical, mystical explorer oFrangipanif life. Highly accomplished the field of healing arts, she guides her clients and students to fully living and embodying their Soul Path in life. Her adventurous spirit has taken her on sacred journeys in both the inner and outer realms.

Her ability to tap into the higher plane of awareness has blessed her life, and the lives of others as well! The sheer joy of that spiritual connection, translates into creative endeavors—such as writing, teaching, healing and mentoring. Her enthusiasm for life opens a gateway for her to share her wisdom and wonder with the world!

Kiya feels truly “blessed and blissed” by her travels to Bali with Spirit Quest Tours, and is thrilled to share her stories with you! You can learn more about her at her Bali Blessings web site!

Copyright 2011 by Kiya Cote

Written on October 20th, 2011 , Dispatches from the Road, Travelers' Tips
Excerpt from my forthcoming book, Red Goddess Rising

Karnak Temple DogsI’ve been working on my spiritual travel memoir for over two years, and I think it’s finally ready! I’ll be publishing the book this fall under the Spirit Quest World publishing imprint – in the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from the chapter, The Dogs of Egypt…

The first dog I met in Egypt didn’t want to have anything to do with me. That was a surprise. I am by nature an animal person, so drawn to them that I am distracted from anything else until I make friends with whatever critters are in my sightline (I will skip the embarrassing story about trying to chat up a wild mule outside a temple). We have three dogs right now, all strays, all found within a block of our home: a German Shepherd/Pit Bull mix who was badly abused by the asshole who owned him before we did, a Black Lab who worships me, and a butter-yellow Chihuahua mix who actually came running in the front door. You know how hobos make a mark on the entrance to a house that will give them refuge? Greg thinks our house has a hobo dog mark: the redhead’s a pushover.

I’ve noticed each temple has its own dog pack, except Philae, which is a haven for dozens of cats; I have never seen a dog in the years I’ve been coming. Since Philae is out on an island, someone must have brought the animals in originally (cats are not known for swimming). But now there are many, all flea-ridden and crusty; sweet, friendly creatures who will sit with you and be petted, and then are off to greet another visitor. On a visit to Philae, two cats accompanied us right into the sanctuary, and just as we started our ceremony, began yowling at each other in the most strangulated tones. It was hilarious, listening to a kitty cacophony as we were trying to do our ceremony to awaken the energy of the temple. You could almost imagine what they were saying:
“I got here first, dammit!”
“Temper, temper — you’re on sacred ground, remember?”
“But this group of legs belongs to me — you can take the next one!”

The dogs are different. I noticed my first temple dogs at Sakkhara. Despite almost starving, they kept their distance, wary. Greg and Lyra and I all had brought Power Bars with us — those so-called energy bars that are a cross between a Fig Newton and a Sugar Daddy. So we started feeding the dogs bits of Power Bars, which was the only way we could get them to come near us; Greg nicknamed it “Food of the Dogs.” Egyptian dogs are vaguely domestic, but half-wild and it appears that all have been mistreated in some way or another. Over the years I have seen guards kick dogs, throw rocks or sticks at them, yell and drive them off, but I have also seen others pet them or share their lunchtime sandwiches, even though that is all they (or the dogs) will eat during the day.

The energy of each of the temples may have something to do with the dogs’ behavior, (although possibly the guards’ as well). At the Temple of Horus I have only heard dogs, never seen them. They keep far away from the visitors, but they bark and howl at us. On my first trip, I found only one dog who would talk to me, and, like a little child with a black dog called Blackie, I named him Egypt. He was what I came to consider the typical Egyptian male of the species: medium-sized, the color of the desert, and popular with the ladies. I met Egypt the Dog at Karnak, which we visited at dawn…

Written on August 16th, 2011 , Dispatches from the Road, Travelers' Tips
Change Your Perception, Change Your Life

This week’s blog is a guest post from Spirit Quest Tours’ partner, Geoff Edwards, The Success Coach.  Geoff has been a terrific coach for me for many months now, and he has started helping our clients expand their comfort zones and build success!  He wrote this great (and very useful) article on how your perception can hold you back, and how much changing it can improve your life.  Check it out!  At the bottom, there’s more info on Geoff, too.

This article originally appeared in Oxygen Magazine, to which Geoff is a regular contributor.

IT’S VERY EASY TO TAKE YOUR PERCEPTION AS REALITY. IF SOMEONE GREETS YOU DIFFERENTLY YOU DECIDE THAT THEY’RE ANNOYED AT YOU, OR A COMMENT FROM YOUR MANAGER MAKES YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE NOT DOING A GREAT JOB AT WORK. WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO BE OUR OWN WORST CRITICS, AND THEN EVERYONE BUT US MOVES ON.

By Geoff Edwards

One of the major factors in reducing stress is to change your perception. The good news is that it’s a very simple thing to change.

INCREASE YOUR AWARENESS How you experience life is controlled by your perception of yourself. One of the first things you need to do to change your perception is to improve your awareness.

Do any of the following sound familiar? “I know I will mess this up,” or “I never achieve enough.” Do you always see the problem – or the solution – in every situation? Do you have a “glass half empty” perspective? If you’re not sure what your answer is, then you need to pay more attention to how you react to certain situations. Be aware of when these thoughts come and address them before they happen, so you can control them.

I have achieved great success with clients in increasing their awareness, changing their perceptions and developing their inner potential. The idea is to become aware of situations that arise daily. Note how you feel and perform over a week. Typical things you could consider include:

• Why you feel the way you do

• How you manage your thoughts

• Unproductive patterns of behaviour

• Triggers that you react to

• Fears and beliefs

• Self-esteem

With this information, it is important to then trace the root cause of any unproductive states and perceptions. You can do this by taking notice of a number of things:

• How often are you running at less than optimum?

• What situations are drawing on your power?

• What are your underlying habits, fears and beliefs?

• What thinking are you engaging in?

• How successful were you at turning negative situations around?

• Overall patterns of behaviour.

From this, you will then gain an idea of how you feel on a weekly basis and whether the state you are in is productive, supports your perception and will ultimately lead you to success Another way of increasing your awareness is by gathering information on your achievements and to seek the views of others on your performance. Quite often this closes the gap on your preconceived views, enables you to adjust where appropriate and to become aware of the amazing potential you have to offer.

CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS Once you have built an awareness of your perceptions, it’s time to make the decision to control your thoughts for an improved outcome. You mightn’t have the power to control other people but you do have the power to control yourself – and especially how stressed you may feel. Any stressful thoughts should be disposed of. You can do this by creating more positive thoughts to replace negative thoughts that enter your head. Start to think about new thoughts that make you feel better about yourself. So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you think “I’m such a fool,” replace that thought with “I’m clever and more than capable of doing this.”

CREATE NEW HABITS If you want to stay focused on changing your perception, you need to create new habits. The only way you can create a new habit is to persist through, and face, every stressful event that stands in your way. It’s important to remember that this will not happen easily but you can do it – all you have to do is believe in yourself. To create momentum for changing habits, a “reasons why” list is also very important. Below are some great reasons to change your perception.

• To overcome fear

• To feel great about yourself

• To increase your self-esteem

• To see the value in yourself

• To let go of the past through release

• To better accept other people

• To feel independence

• To let go of reasons, fears and projected obstacles as to why something cannot be done.

Typical obstacles to change can occur during this process:

• Change may be difficult and painful

• Worrying you might fail or make mistakes

• Not understanding your emotions

• Fear that you will be different after the change

• Fear of leaving your comfort zone

The key to changing habits is to be conscious of your behaviour. Decide if a change is necessary and then move out of the undesirable habit by taking the following steps:

• Decide you definitely want to do this

• Ascertain reasons why you must do this

• Seek an alternative perception

• Repeat the process until your state changes

CELEBRATE SUCCESS Part of the change process is to acknowledge what you achieve on a regular basis. This provides an opportunity to build on and accumulate successes, like interest in the bank. Then, it is important to reward yourself! Remember, you are not your perception! So the next time something stressful comes your way, remember that stress has more to do with your own personal perception and your beliefs. More importantly, remember that you have the ability to change. Always look for the solution and the opportunity in every problem – don’t close yourself off to the possibilities! Manage your perception to feel good, be empowered and discover your true state!

“There are things known and there are things unknown and in between are the doors of perception.” Aldous Huxley

Geoff Edwards is an internationally accredited Life Coach with over 25 years and 3000 hours of coaching experience. He can support you on your journey to success with results that last.

SpiritQuestTours.com/SpiritualLifeCoaching

Written on July 19th, 2011 , Ask the Expert
Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan: Happiness at the Roof of the World

Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan: Happiness at the Roof of the World

Bhutan Tiger's Nest

This week’s blog is from a guest blogger, the wonderful Joshua Liberman, world travel photographer and lover of all things Bhutanese.  The photos in this story are his. Josh is leading our upcoming tour to the Land of the Thunder Dragon. You can see more of his photographs at Tao of Photography.com

Step on to the path climbing 3000 vertical feet to Taktsang Palphug (known commonly as “Tiger’s Nest”) and you will begin a trek that the people of Bhutan have been making for over 300 years.  The way isn’t easy, but it’s also not hard, and, thankfully, the path is clearly marked.  But to get to one of the world’s highest and most beautiful Buddhist monasteries, you must commit yourself to the path, and steadfast, keep climbing.

Since the building of the temple in 1692, Mahayana Buddhist monks and practitioners have been climbing to Bhutan happiness: the spot where, legend holds, Guru Rinpoche brought Buddhism to the country in the 8th Century BC on the back of a winged tiger.  There he vanquished the Evil Demoness to the Bhutan mountain.   He then confined himself to a cave on the spot and sat in meditation for three months.  When he emerged (in 8 incarnations), the cave became holy and the land became a Buddhist nation.  Nine hundred years later, monks climbed to this spot and built the temple known today as Tiger’s Nest, one of the most sacred sites in the entire country.

As I begin my winded walk to Bhutan happiness, up the Himalayan path up the mountain, I can’t help but begin to contemplate how the ascension to Tiger’s Nest is much like the ascent toward happiness itself; Bhutan is making that clearer for me.  In a way, the desire to find something beautiful and precious must start with a subtle mixture of risk and dedication, and then persist with complete dedication to the goal.  The payoff, however, is well worth the effort, and usually comes with a few good stories along the way.

And what more perfect place to set out on a search for Bhutan happiness?  For over a hundred years, the country has been considered a modern-day Shangri-la; the birthplace of a contentment so profound, it has evolved into a codified political system known as the Gross National Happiness of Bhutan.

The climb to Tiger’s Nest is roughly two hours (don’t even ask me how long the climb to happiness takes).  Once you’ve reached the overlook, your goal is in full view, the four main buildings of Tiger’s Nest impossibly clinging to the side of a cliff, perched atop a nearly 2000ft sheer drop to the valley floor below.  And just when you think your Bhutan happiness journey is nearly complete, there are still 700 hand hewn stone steps to traverse to finally reach “the top.”

If you are willing to make the climb, and stand at the door of the great Bhutan temple of Tiger’s Nest, and you will know in the core of your being that it was well worth the effort.

Bhutan Happiness Boys PlayingAt the entrance to Tiger’s Nest, sits a giant gold prayer wheel, over 15 feet tall and 6 feet across.  That prayer wheel is said to contain over a billion hand-written blessings.  With each turn of the wheel, a (Bhutan happiness?) bell is rung and the devout believe that with that chime, the billion blessings ring out into the world, carrying with them peace and harmony to all.

Once you are within the walls of Bhutan’s Tiger’s Nest, there are literally dozens of small temples, alters and catacombs to explore.  Brightly colored frescos depict the stories of the Sutra, Buddhist legends of guru, demons, madmen, and heroes.  Monks wrapped in their traditional purple robes chant the Sutra in constant harmonious contemplation.  The smoke from a thousand sticks of incense fills the air with the pungent aromas of amber, beeswax, and flowers: a fragrant reminder that Bhutan happiness is tangible and visceral, and available to your with all your senses.

Like an afternoon climbing a mountain to reach a remote and sacred place that few ever travel to, in Bhutan or anywhere else, I am reminded that there are places we can travel within, that with a little effort and an amount of perseverance, are definitely worth the journey.

 

Written on June 16th, 2011 , Dispatches from the Road, Travelers' Tips
What’s New on Our Eat Pray Love Tour?

 

We’ve been doing our Eat Pray Love Bali tour for almost 3 years now, and over time, we’ve changed it up a bit, based on feedback and our own experiences. Here’s what we’re doing on our September (and probably future) tours!

Our Welcome Dinner in “Italy” has moved to Ubud! Though we had some incredible experiences and wonderful meals at the Amanusa’s Italian Restaurant, Bali traffic can be truly unbelievable.  We’ve moved the welcome dinner to the more accessible  Terazo Restaurant in Ubud, where we’re working with the executive chef to prepare a custom meal with Italian wines – of course, on the Eat Pray Love Bali tour we will end with Tirami su for dessert, unless your taste runs more to local sorbets. Passion fruit, anyone?

Next, we’re trying something new with our hotel.  Honestly, we really looked hard at the Ubud Inn, where book author Elizabeth Gilbert stayed when she was writing about Bali.  Despite stunning grounds, we were just underwhelmed with the rooms, and didn’t love the location.  It’s in very busy Monkey Forest Road, set too close to the street.  We wanted something more tranquil, even in the heart of Ubud’s bustle.  The Pertiwi Resort & Spa seemed like a great spot for our Eat Pray Love Bali tour, and it’s located a little further along Monkey Forest Road,.  However, we may also return on future trips to our beloved Alila Hotel – the staff and the food and the environment are really incomparable!

 

Another big shift is in the temples we’ve chosen.  We teach our guests how to pray like the Balinese, and show them what to wear and how to wear it so that we can enter the inner sanctuary of each temple, and be blessed by the local Pedanda, or priest (who is sometimes a woman, which I just love!) On every other Eat Pray Love Bali tour, we’ve gone to Besakih Temple — called the Mother Temple, it’s nestled at the base of Mount Agung, about a 3 hour ride from Ubud. So this trip, we decided instead to visit our very favorite temple, Tirta Empul. It’s a delightful day trip (about a 2-hour drive) to the pool where all the sacred waters in Bali are gathered for the local temples.

Tirta Empul is an incredible experience, and we are often the only non-Balinese woshippers!   We’ve even witnessed a Balinese exorcism here. We can go into the streams and be cleansed during our Eat Pray Love Bali tour, under each of the 13 rushing fountains – an amazing experience of bliss.

Of course, we’ve still got the visit to Ketut Liyer, to Wayan the healer, to a pizza restaurant that will make you think you’re eating your Margarita ‘za in Napoli, yoga and meditation to make you feel like you’re in India (for an hour at least!) and even spa treatments at the very spot where the film crew for Eat Pray Love got all their massages.  It will be another incredible tour – I hope you can join us!

 

Written on June 7th, 2011 , Ask the Expert, Dispatches from the Road, Hotels & Resorts Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
7 Important Reasons To Take a Spiritual Tour

Most people travel for vacation or for work.  Then there are those who travel because it’s a calling; they need to visit that place, that country, even if they have no idea why.  Maybe it’s because they read about it as a kid, or have heard stories from other people who visited, or maybe it’s somewhere they lived in a past life. Whatever the reason, they just have to go.  That’s where Spirit Quest Tours comes in.  We offer life-changing travel to exotic locales all over the world.  So we know the reasons people take spiritual trips — well, a lot of them, anyway.  Here are the top 7 reasons, even needs, that we’ve seen make people take spiritual tours:



7) Traveling to a place with a different culture can make you really appreciate your own.  When we go to places like Bali or South Africa, we can see the rest of the world, the one where there isn’t a Target in every suburb – where there isn’t even a suburb.  Being outside of our usual community, and outside of America, can make us really appreciate what we’ve got.


6) Traveling outside your comfort zone expands your boundaries and your horizons. While this is related to the reason above, it differs in that stretching yourself can make you grow, and there’s no better way to do that than a spiritual tour visiting a country where English is not the first language (or perhaps even spoken — though it is the “Lingua Franca” of modern day.  Or where perhaps the toilet facilities aren’t what you’re used to, nor is the food, nor the sounds of the forest – and you find it pushing all your buttons.  Sure it’s uncomfortable at first, but eventually, you will find that you are a better person for it – more tolerant, perhaps, or at least have some really interesting stories.

5) Spiritual travel can help you get over the hump. Transitions – we’ve all got them.  You’ve left that job and now you’re considering a career change.  Or you’ve left that old relationship behind.  This is a chance to bridge that gap and give yourself permission to dream for a moment, create your future, and step into the abyss to see where you land. “Leap, and the net will appear” is one of my favorite expressions.


4) A spiritual tour group can help you meet new friends, bond with like-minded people, and see a richer itinerary than one you might seek out on your own. In other words, you can have a deeper experience than on just any old vacation.


3) Spiritual travel gives you room to remember who you are. Sure, you’re a parent, a colleague, a gardener, a hobbyist.  But you’re also a dreamer, a thinker, an artist.  Get back to the truth of you by taking some time away from your daily life – part vacation/part retreat.


2) It gives you a chance to look at the 60,000 foot view of your life. Sure life’s going along okay.  But remember when you didn’t just have plans, but dreams? A Spiritual tour can help you focus on those dreams again, remember them, and take time to put them into plans of action that you can take home with you.


1) It helps you heal. We’ve seen this one over and over again.  My favorite story is the widow who called us after she got home and said she would now celebrate her husband’s life, and no longer mourn his passing.  What a shift! This is the kind of thing that makes me grateful for my work every time!


We hope you’ll join us on one of our upcoming spiritual tours to Bali, India, Egypt, Cuba, South Africa, or Italy (coming in Summer 2012!)  We look forward to seeing you!

 

Written on June 1st, 2011 , Ask the Expert, Travelers' Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Top 10 Reasons To Travel To Cuba

Ever since President Obama was elected, there have been rumblings that America will finally be ending the decades-old embargo on Cuba travels.  Back in the ’40s and ’50s, Havana was a haven for American travelers who wanted to travel to Cuba — only an hour’s flight from Miami, it was gorgeous, catered to tourists, and was in another country with an exotic culture.  In the musical Guys and Dolls, where does Sky Masterson take his dame to impress her? Why, Havana, of course… just for the evening.  Then came the ’60s, the Bay of Pigs — the end of a very long party.  Cuba is almost frozen in time since then, and Americans have mostly forgotten about Cuba travels to the magical land once billed as “Year-Round Paradise.”

So before the borders are flung open, here are our Top 10 Reasons To Travel to Cuba:

10)    The people are warm, friendly and amazing.  From old ladies sucking on fat stogies in downtown Havana to street musicians playing impromptu concerts to barefoot kids running around the whole country, Cubans are smiling, happy, and very glad to see you.

Havana Antique Car

9)   Squint and it could be the 1940s — the cars look fabulous and they’re all antiques!

8)   Havana features wonderful architecture, little surprises like a Chinatown and horse-drawn carriages.

Waterfall Spiritus Sancti

7)   Cigars! Cuba travels would not be complete without visiting a world-class Cuban cigar factory.

6)   Sancti Spiritus is a whole region you should visit when you travel to Cuba. Rivers, beaches, and mountains abound, as you can see from this photo.

5)   Food! From empañadas to Mojitos to the best paella ever, Cuba’s offering are rich in culture and delicious to boot!

Musicians

4)   Music! Ever heard of the Buena Vista Social Club? This award-winning group was put together from local Cuban musicians, and their music is truly a delight.  Music is so steeped in the culture that on your Cuba travels you might find a streetside salsa festival, a local band of neighbors, or a couple guys with guitars, playing on their barstools. This is why to travel to Cuba!

3)   Trinidad is not just in the Caribbean. Sancti Spiritus is home to the “city that time forgot,” unchanged for over 400 years.  You’ll stroll cobblestone streets where pirates might have walked, or at least the Rat Pack.

Sancti Spiritus Cuba

2)   Spiritual Cuba — it’s imbued in the very air, especially in Trinidad and the mountain regions. Cuba is very Catholic, a you will see on your Cuba travels, but they have a variety of religions and a deeply spiritual approach to their lives.

1) Spirit Quest Tours is taking you there! Why go on your own, when you can travel to Cuba with our humanitarian tour in January, 2012. Experience the culture and spirituality of Cuba, and bring much-needed medicine to the locals. Did we mention the farewell dinner performance at Club Havana, with the Buena Vista Social Club? Get all the info on our site and you’ll find that very soon you’ll stop dreaming and start living your best vacation ever while on our Cuba travels!

Written on May 10th, 2011 , Ask the Expert, Travelers' Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Spiritual Travel – keeping your life in perspective

China Spiritual TourFrom Brave New Traveler on the Matador Network, comes an excellent article!

NO DISCUSSION ABOUT returning from a lengthy time abroad is complete without talk of reverse culture shock. And, from my experience, this discussion inevitably turns to perspective. Specifically, that many people don’t seem to have any. Perhaps this isn’t a fair statement, but returning home after long-term travel in the developing world often leaves me in a fastidious state of mind.

There is something to be said about travel also crystallizing your perceptions, honing suspiciously naïve sentiments into firm sets of belief. Even within the context of culture shock, it can help keep life in perspective. And if you concentrate enough, it can help mold you into the person you strive to be.

Read the rest of the article here: How Travel Helps to Keep Life in Perspective

The above article is about how being dropped into the deep end of the pool gave that writer perspective.  From my perspective, there’s nothing better than spiritual travel to give you a greater understanding of your own life.  It can really make a difference.

There are two kinds of perspective switches when you experience spiritual travel, especially when you take a spiritual tour:

Eat Pray Love Bali

1) The 60,000 foot view kicks in

2) Your view once you return home can be radically altered.

Let’s look at each of these in more detail…

What is the 60,000 foot view?

When we’re home working, cleaning, taking care of our families, even writing, we’re focused on the task at hand.  Usually, we’re putting one foot in front of another and we’re not paying much attention to our lives.  When you get away – really get away, like to Bali, Cuba, China, Bhutan by experiencing spiritual travel… you are focused not just on seeing new things, but if you make it a spiritual tour, it’s an opportunity to look at your life not as the ant, but as the human looking down at all the little ants, saying, “Wow, they’re sure busy.” Sometimes it takes a mid-life crisis (“OMG, what the hell am I DOING with my life?”) or a strong pull to make a huge shift overnight (“Hey, this wasn’t supposed to be the game plan!”). These moments of panic go hand-in-hand with not setting goals, forgetting your dreams, etc.  If you can avoid getting to this moment of panic, and experience a spiritual tour or spiritual travel sooner, you can gain perspective which may be less profound, but will ease you to the next level as opposed to drop-kicking you.  The freedom this type of trip affords you, the chance to breathe, can make all the difference in your world when you return.

What about when I go home?

Many of our guests have what we call “re-entry shock.” Going to a country where the culture is different seems simple, but step anywhere outside of Europe (even there sometimes); you will find that once you go home again it’s all different, even more so when returning from a spiritual tour or coming back from spiritual travel.  Maybe too big, too loud, too consumer-oriented suddenly.  After my first trip to Egypt 12 years ago, I couldn’t stand radio advertising.  It was like my nerves were mysteriously sensitized to it.  However it affects you, be gentle with yourself.  Journal, talk with other people who were on the spiritual tour with you, be kind to yourself and give yourself extra sleep and downtime.  It will usually right itself in a few days or weeks, but the residual you are left with is wonderful: a better perspective on our place in the world, and our understanding of ourselves as one country, not THE country.

Happy trails and have fun!

Written on May 3rd, 2011 , Ask the Expert, Travelers' Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Spiritual Journey | Confessions of a Cruise Director

News from Spirit Quest Tours: The official blog of "Julie the Cruise Director"