Dress warmly. Start in Christchurch and drive south to Queenstown in a crappy car that has trouble getting into second gear. Stop at the ethereal blue Lake Tekapo, and Aoraki Mount Cook—New Zealand’s highest mountain. Take frequent breaks in front of undulating meadows specked in yellowed sheep to smoke cigarettes in the low light. Remind yourself this is Lord of the Rings territory: Look for hobbits among the vast, green sweeping mountains and jagged crags. Observe ice-green glacial rivers incise a place along the bottom of formidable ravines. Sigh audibly and often. Stop the car somewhere on the side of the road. Think: “No one in the world knows exactly where we are right now.” Sit in the warm car reeking of cigarettes, and listen to dated rap with a hoodie pulled up snug over your head. Be without movement, just for a moment, and watch the daytime moon, grey…

The Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has many wonders enveloped within the young fold mountains that traverse through its heart and one of those exquisite wonders is the alpine valley of Spiti. Situated at an average elevation of 12,000 feet above sea level, this cold desert is home to the snow leopard, Himalayan blue sheep and few of the toughest people on the planet who inhabit this dry, barren snow covered land and wear the warmest smiles on their faces.  Maybe this was the reason that made Rudyard Kipling define Spiti as a ‘world within a world’ befitted for the Gods and Gods alone. Spiti was a part of lesser Tibet in the 10th century and shares its eastern border with the Tibet Autonomous Region. Some of the nuances of the Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism that are being sadly brushed off the face of Tibet have found a warm womb…

I wouldn’t call the Japanese stoic, nor is their culture especially passive, but the country’s reputation for acceptance of things as they are, rather than as they might be, has led to many cultural misunderstandings between Japan and the west. Much of this has to do with long suffering implicit in a Shinto-infused outlook on life. Simply put, this is a striving for perfection knowing that it cannot be reached, always falling short, and in this creative process establishing a richly symbolic duality. The Japanese aesthetic has a vision of how things ought to look and their best art is as much about what is missing as what’s seen.This is one reason why it is so spellbinding to travel to Japan and why it has inspired Western writers and artists--such as Roland Barthes, Angela Carter, Henry Moore--who appreciate the tangle of signs and silences, the way nature in Japan is felt intuitively…

The northernmost point a tourist can visit in India is in the village of Panamik, in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh. We have just driven three kilometres further. There is a festival going on in Ladakh and everybody is drunk. Even the policemen who work at the checkpoint did not bother to show up for work today, so we happily drove past Panamik and arrived in another village three kilometres further north. Here, a group of merrily drunk local men quickly gather around the Royal Enfield motorbike we’re traveling on and invite us to join the festivities. However, the owner of what seems to be the only shop in the village thinks we should turn back — it is a sensitive border area and we’ll be in trouble for coming here.

I Drove from Boston to the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts filled with excitement and anticipation; I finally arrived at Kripalu, a well-known center for yoga and health. I was attending a three-day intensive yoga retreat combined with a four-part lecture series given by Bestselling author, New Age guru, and pioneer of mind-body health, Dr. Deepak Chopra. I Drove from Boston to the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts filled with excitement and anticipation; I finally arrived at Kripalu, a well-known center for yoga and health. I was attending a three-day intensive yoga retreat combined with a four-part lecture series given by Bestselling author, New Age guru, and pioneer of mind-body health, Dr. Deepak Chopra. Three hundred people were confirmed to attend the weekend retreat, I was fortunate to get one of the last spots before they sold out. I would be sleeping with 21 other women in a large room with no…

Paz Y Luz in Pisac, Peru is a healing retreat located near the Urumbamba River and surrounded by mountains. It is close to town and also relatively close to the Incan ruins on the mountainside, overlooking Pisac and the whole valley.

Nestled in the temperate mountainous region of the Western Highlands, Lake Atitlan is a haven for locals and tourists alike. Being only a two and half hour drive from Guatemala’s capital, Guatemala City, and popular colonial town of Antigua, makes Lake Atitlan a very accessible destination. The winning combination of being 15 degrees above the equator and 1,560 meters above sea level makes it the ideal climate - not too hot and never too cold! The sun shines throughout the year, even during the rainy season.

I came to Le Puy after being inspired by a book written by Paulo Coelho entitled The Pilgrimage, which chronicles the author’s mystical quest along The Way of Saint James (Le Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle) or El Camino a Santiago de Compostella – its commonly referred-to Spanish equivalent. This lengthy pilgrimage from France across the Pyréneés and traversing Spain is rough, challenging, cultural, and it is isolation from the external world for le pelerin (the pilgrim).

Situated on one of the most brilliant beaches I’ve seen on the Yucatan peninsula, this eco-resort offers a relaxing retreat. If you are searching for a place to really unwind, practice yoga daily, receive some spa treatments, and lounge on the beach, this may be your place.

Years ago I ended up on a river boat in Kerala – India’s ‘Venice’ – and disembarked in Amritapuri to find Amma’s Ashram. I was traveling through India visiting various Ashrams without knowing much about the gurus beforehand. I visited Sai Baba who could change water to gold, the spiritual community of Auroville and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in the southeast, and Osho’s Ashram near Pune. The guru I felt most connected to in the end was Amma (Mother).

Coming from a Southeast Asian country myself, I find it difficult to think of any destination in Asia as “exotic” or completely removed from what I know. The intermingling of cultures in our corner of the world is so beautifully prevalent that, standing on a busy sidewalk in the humid tropical weather of Bangkok, with car horns blaring and vendors displaying their wares, I almost fancied myself back home in my native Manila. The familiarity of Thailand and its warm, welcoming atmosphere was altogether comforting.

If you are looking for a quiet, beautiful, and inspiring retreat, I would suggest Wisdom House in Litchfield, Connecticut. Wisdom House was once a convent for the Daughters of Wisdom. Still run by the order, it has been transformed into a peaceful retreat center where individuals or groups can come and stay.

It's another humid daybreak in June in the city of Pula on the north-west coast of the Croatian Adriatic. The sun is about to rise above the silhouette of a city that only seems silent and sleepy. A motor ship is leaving the port, headed about 300 miles to the south. Its final destination: National Park Krka River, whose best-known natural landmark is Skradinski Buk.

Panacea de Montana, a yoga retreat in the northwest of Costa Rica on the Pacific coast, was a fabulous place to forget about the Boston winter. My husband and I felt like we were staying with friends at a luxurious outdoor camp. Three gloriously gentle and aware individuals run it, each bringing something different to our visit. Debbie, Mary, and Peter have created a no-fuss, no-pressure yoga retreat in a restful rural setting and are great at accommodating guest requests. I was so relaxed by the end of this retreat that just breathing felt like deep meditation.