3 Spiritual Shake-Ups

If you feel your higher purpose is cleaning up after your other half, keeping your boss happy and meeting your mortgage repayments it’s probably a sign that you need to leave the rat race and inject a spiritual spring into your step.

Luckily salvation is at hand – for your redemption there are three destinations simply so awe-inspiring you’re bound to return rejuvenated, reflective and re-inspired.

Be warned though, we accept no responsibility if your new lease on life sees you rashly divorce your spouse, ditch your job and move to a commune in the country.

India

Travelling to India is a juggernaut to the senses, and arrival to New Delhi will see you swiftly subsumed into a riot of colour and chaos. Pay attention though and you’ll notice this is a place where a multi-limbed Ganesh beams benevolently from every corner and locals are armed with an appropriate deity for every eventuality.

Spirituality has saturated every aspect of the country and there’s no doubt it’ll sweep over you too. From New Delhi head to Shakti in the remote Uttaranchal region and stay in the incredible 360 Leti hotel.

Perched at 8,000 feet in the Himalayas, you’ll be able to witness clouds curl beneath you and shooting stars fly above; you’ll feel as though you’ve ascended to heaven.

Damascus, Syria

Civilisation doesn’t stretch much past Damascus, it’s one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and you’ll see the marks of time etched deeply into its labyrinthine side streets and ancient buildings.

Its tumultuous past and successive occupations have bequeathed it a wealth of mosques (some estimate there are more than 2,000 within the city, including the Umayyad Mosque, one of the world’s largest), as well as numerous churches, shrines and points of pilgrimage.

Feel yourself return to biblical times as an exploration of the city’s unmatched heritage sees you lose your sense of time and history. As you walk through the ages you’ll have ample opportunity to consider your past and present.