Kirkridge is committed to providing transformational travel. We are committed to travel that allows you to grow and learn, to witness and return home enriched by travel to uncommon places and in uncommon ways.  Our trips, both domestic and foreign, are in the nature of a pilgrimage journey, an opportunity to not simply follow well beaten tourist track locations, but to connect in a deeply spiritual and personal way, in a way that respects the local community and promotes cross culture understanding and dialogue.  We offer pilgrimage trips to visit some of the world’s most inspirational locations, explore the beauty of nature, connect with local people or steep ourselves in history and culture.
 

Our pilgrimage journeys are a source of enjoyment and inner growth. These pilgrimages may focus on witnessing peace and social justice in the world as you explore new places and people.  For some, travel with Kirkridge is a return to their roots, for others it is simply a vacation, for others it is a chance to rest deeply.  Our pilgrimages may take you to sacred, ancient sites, revered islands, vibrant cities, quiet beaches, fertile landscapes, historic towns, holy places that have inspired poets and beckons would–be pilgrims from all walks of life.  For many travel with Kirkidge is an experience of ‘coming home’ ,,,where the inner and outer landscape meet.
 

Travel with Kirkridge is an adventure in the spirit.  There is always the possibility of the unexpected.  Each pilgrimage has a basic itinerary, and yet time is spaciously allowed for special stops along the way, or just to pause and reflect.
 

Once you register for a Kirkridge pilgrimage, you will receive background information about your destination well in advance of your departure date along with a suggested reading list and details to prepare you to fully enter the pilgrimage experience.
 

A unique joy of traveling with Kirkridge is small groups of between 15 to 20. We stay in family operated guesthouses, small hotels and other suitable accommodations that support a warm and friendly atmosphere.
 

Our seasoned pilgrimage leaders seek to create a rhythm for the journey, with a pace that is relaxed and unhurried.  We want each person to be fully present to the pilgrimage experience, with time for quiet reflection and group discussion about what we have seen and heard.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON PILGRIMAGE AND SPIRITUAL TRAVEL
FEBRUARY 2010
PREPARED BY VALERIE BROWN, CHAIR, PILGRIMAGE WORKING GROUP

There are many wonderful books on pilgrimage travel.  Below are some titles and authors I like and recommend reading prior to traveling:
 Camino Footsteps, Reflections on a Journey to Santiago de Compostela by Kim and Malcolm Wells
 Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Chronicle of Love by Jack DeGroot
 Pilgrimage, Meditations on a Journey of Faith by Patricia Brown
 Walk in a Relaxed Manner, Life Lesson from the Camino by Joyce Rupp
 The Road to Emmanus, Pilgrimage as a Way of Life by Jim Forest
 Pilgrimage to Chimayo by Sam Howarth and Enrique R. Lamadrid 
 Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
 Any book on travel by Pico Iyer
Happy Travels!
 

v  Have you had the experience of being somewhere where time stood still?  

v  Do you long for the type of travel that supports your values?  

v  Do you want to share travel with like-minded folks?  

v  Do you seek to find Spirit while on the adventure of traveling to a new and different place? 

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then travel (Pilgrimage) with Kirkridge is a ‘must.’ 

Kirkridge offers affordable domestic and foreign fully-guided trips to such unforgettable locations as, Belize , Iona , Scotland , New Mexico , Israel and Palestine , Taize , France , and many more.
 

Whether you join a peace and social pilgrimage to the Middle East, a pilgrimage to the Central American island of Belize for rest and reflection, the sacred island of Iona in Scotland , or explore Native American culture in northern New Mexico , you will never forget your pilgrimage journey.
 

Come with us and experience transformational travel with Kirkridge…..you will return with us again and again.
 

Contact Kirkridge at www.kirkridge.org or 610-588-1793

Here is a list of books on pilgrimages that may interest you:

The Art of Pilgrimage, A Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred by Phil Cousineau; The Journey, A guide for the Modern Pilgrim by Maria Ruiz and Michael Scaperlanda; The Barn at the End of the World, The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepard by Marie Rose O'Reilly; Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto by Victoria Abbott Riccardi; The Rope in the Water, a Pilgrimage to India by Sylvia Fraser and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.