(TRAVEL) Bibles used to be ubiquitous in hotel rooms. But a 2017 survey by STR revealed that 79% of hotels had religious materials in their rooms, down from 95% of hotels in 2006. Indeed, as America becomes more secular and Wi-Fi more common, the need for a physical Bible inside your nightstand drawer has grown more obsolete.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Italy’s national airline — known for its near-impeccable safety record and sometimes-appalling customer service — will officially shut down on Oct. 15. The announcement, made this past summer, marks the end of an era for an airline founded in 1946 that became the pontiff’s official airline.
Read MoreAfter more than two decades struggling with a post-Soviet economic recession and destabilization brought on by war and anti-terrorist operations, Georgia’s Pankisi Valley is rebuilding its reputation and attracting tourists — enough to secure a coveted spot in the world’s most popular guidebook, “Lonely Planet,” in 2020.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The economies of countries dependent on tourism are clearly hurting, with visitor numbers plummeting as a result of the pandemic. The Thai government estimates $100 billion in losses to GDP but the actual loss cannot be captured in these numbers alone. Many cross-cultural exchange opportunities have been lost as well.
Read MoreSamia Omar Bwana, 36, had always dreamed of traveling the world, but as a Muslim woman she was looking for extra accommodations on holiday: halal food, hotels with women-only swimming pools and spas, and prayer facilities nearby. Traveling solo and with her female Muslims friends was difficult, so she started her own company, Halal Safaris Africa, to help religious women find travel arrangements that will uphold their ideals of modesty and sobriety.
Read MoreA new Holocaust Museum in Porto, Portugal tells the story of the more than 100,000 Jewish refugees who passed through Porto and Lisbon desperate to book passage from the neutral country to the United States during WWII to escape the Nazis.
Read MoreEvery year on Holy Saturday, the day before Pascha (Easter), Orthodox Christians believe that the Holy Fire appears inside the Tomb of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They believe this light, captured by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, is the confirmation of the Resurrection. For them, it’s a miracle, a manifestation of Holy Spirit.
Read MoreAs the pandemic subsides and travel becomes easier thanks to massive vaccination efforts, here are five churches you can visit this summer that were featured in major Hollywood flicks.
Read MoreA humble Congregationalist minister, with a Bible in one hand and a geologist’s pick in another, was at the center of discovering one of the richest troves of fossils in the world. He is Thomas Condon, the only clergyman with a national park visitor center named after him and a man who understood early on how religion and science could fit together.
Read MoreFranciscans in the Holy Land, a Catholic order that’s preserved Christian sites in Jerusalem since the Middle Ages, have celebrated Lent for years by following the path step by step that Jesus may have taken nearly 2,000 years ago on his 40-day fasting journey through the Judean Desert.
Read MoreA rock formation in rural Kenya attracts pilgrims from a variety of Christian sects that mix Catholic and Anglican practices with traditional African paganism. Some even receive angelic messages, they say.
Read More(TRAVEL) Aside from its rich history and architectural majesty, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception may very well be one of the most under-appreciated places to visit in Washington. In a city dominated by so many architectural wonders connected to politics, it’s easy to neglect that it also has a very large Catholic presence.
Read MorePope Pius XII’s role during World War II is still in dispute, but evidence from the Vatican archives opened this year shows the German pope played a key role in saving thousands of Jewish lives in Palestine during World War I.
Read MorePopular pilgrimage destinations like Jerusalem and Rome have seen a massive drop in religious travelers, especially during Passover, Easter and this past summer.
Read More(TRAVEL) Taizé is a small, rural village in France popular for the presence of an ecumenical Christian monastic fraternity. A Muslim woman from Lebanon shares her experience after spending a month in the interfaith community.
Read MoreHere are four sacred journeys, some open but with country travel restrictions, that will brighten your “quarantine life.”
Read MoreAn ancient site on Israel’s Golan Heights is revered by Druze and Christians, who honor the site as the place where Jesus tells St. Peter: “on this rock I will build my church,” but Jews revile the site as a place of pagan worship.
Read MoreThe devotion to Saint Anthony in Mhow is very rich and dates as far back as when the British arrived in 1818. The construction of an army base about a mile from the village drew workers from across the country. Many of them were Tamil Catholics.
Read MoreFor the last 12 years, on the anniversary of Miriam the Prophetess’ death, artist Maureen Kushner has led a boat full of women to the spot on Lake Kinneret where, according to Jewish lore, the mystical spring known as Miriam’s Well now rests. Though the pandemic altered the group’s plans this year, it didn’t stop them from making the pilgrimage.
Read More(TRAVEL) Based on chemical analysis of resin found on the limestone altars of a Tel Arad shrine, researchers in Israel recently published a study that suggests the ancient Israelites used cannabis mixed with animal dung to spark a level of ecstasy during worship.
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