The body must tire for the soul to soar. And miles to go before I sleep. In spite of jetliners, global communication, CNN and the instantaneous transmission of images, huge throngs of the devout still journey to the Kaaba in Mecca, to the Ganges at Benares, to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem or to Mount Kailas, in Tibet. A pilgrimage in its highest form is a spiritual act. The act of travel can teach us about tolerance, flexibility and struggle.
Pilgrimage connects the temporal with the spiritual.
Such bonds between levels of reality and our own perception show that there is a difference between pilgrimage and tourism. A pilgrimage requires a sacred place, an outer journey and an inner aim. Without the sacred we are mere tourists but the common thread is the travel itself. A tourist cannot even be that without traveling somewhere. The pilgrim knows that a journey is essential.