I weighed the advice of a local tour operator in Cusco, Peru. He was helping me plan the next leg of my trip to La Paz, Bolivia. “I suggest you take an airplane,” he said. I considered my options: a 14-hour overnight bus ride or a one-hour flight. “I think I’ll… take the bus,” I said. I made my decision for a combination of reasons, including my concerns about airplane travel: its heavy carbon emissions and its insulation from the local experience of place and journey in which I believe.

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.

Pictured here are the hands of Mr. Demetrio Limachi who, at around 70 years old, is the only surviving brother of three that assisted Norwegian explorer and scientist Thor Heyerdahl in the construction of traditional South America vessels that were used in his famous adventures.