Millennials and spiritual journeys

Abstract

Religion and spirituality are among the most common motivations for traveling (Timothy & Olsen, 2006; Sharpley, 2009). Inserted in a phenomenon of contemporary pilgrimages to travel religious paths, the Ways of Saint James witness an exponential growth of tourists and pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela, considered by many to be a mystical route, referring to a path of interior transformation, being combined with other motivations, characterized by new forms of tourism that distance themselves from conventional tourism. The Ways of Saint James found in the north interior of Portugal, such as the Via da Prata, the Torres Way, the Portuguese Interior of Santiago (PIWSC) and the various secondary paths, are pilgrimage routes that in recent years have experienced a profound revitalization. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the importance of the Ways as a pilgrimage route and that it is increasingly visited by tourists and pilgrims, especially young people, namely Millennials, who want to live a spiritual experience and where this journey, carried out either on foot or by bicycle, it is understood as a challenge, because when travelling to places which are considered “sacred”, they experience something different, reaching a connection with themselves (Graburn, 1989). In addition, young people walk the Path as a sense of freedom, authenticity, being in contact with nature and escaping from routine. It is a way to get to know the world in a pure and authentic way. Furthermore, as far as we are aware, this study is original. The methodology used will be linked to interviews with tourists and pilgrims, especially young people; fieldwork; and fundamentally participant observation will be applied. This methodological triangulation (Richards & Munsters, 2010), based on a qualitative perspective, will allow the analysis and characterization of the importance of Millennials for these Paths, framed in a contemporary pilgrimage.