Every month, we delve into the travel experiences of people in the extended WHL Group network. This month we talk to Chrysa Paparnakis of Odyssey Tours, a family business that is the whl.travel local connection based in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The Muslim festivals of Eid can be said to be the Islamic equivalent of Christmas. They are the most important religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, and Eid al-Adha celebrates the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. In the Maldives, like all other Islamic nations all over the world, Eid is celebrated in a unique way, but one quality everywhere is the importance of the traditions of generosity and hospitality in Islam.

Spiritual travel runs the gamut of transcendental experiences, from traditional religious pilgrimages to yoga retreats and shamanic healing. The global religious travel market generates almost $20 billion per year and is growing fast, however, religious belief is not a prerequisite. An interest in the culture and history of the world’s most mystical places is reason enough to visit our top five picks of spiritual travel destinations.

The first time I stepped into St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican, I remember feeling overwhelmed by its beauty. The domed ceiling was so immense, so beautiful, so adorned with murals from master artists and tons of marble, gold and other precious materials, that for a few precious moments I found myself dumbstruck. When I write about it now, even though I’ve forgotten much about what the ceiling actually looked like, I still remember that feeling.

With Easter as the most festive holiday on the Orthodox Church’s calendar, Christmas is not as widely celebrated in Greece as in the rest of the Christian world. The people of Athens, however, do take pride in some of the celebratory trappings, including their Christmas tree in Syntagma Square, some colourful local traditions, a rich table full of great sweet treats and attention given to Saint Nicolas (patron saint of sailors) and Saint Basil, also known as Santa Klaus.

Pilgrimage is a common and important practice for adherents of many of the world’s major religions. By the hundreds and thousands, the Sikhs visit Pakistan each year to pay homage to the founder of their ancient religious order, Guru Nanak Dev. On three holy occasions, the government of Pakistan allows Sikhs to visit holy sites and ancient religious shrines, including the great Gurdwaras, meaning ‘Gateway to the Guru’.