Don't Pull a 'White Lotus.' Sacred Travel vs. Spiritual Tourism. + Pico Iyer

Don't Pull a 'White Lotus.' Sacred Travel vs. Spiritual Tourism. + Pico Iyer

Author: Religion News Service May 8, 2025 Duration: 47:11
You don't want to be THAT tourist. We all need a vacation and many of us are seeking more than rest or fun on our next getaway. Pilgrimages, retreats, wellness centers — an industry has grown up around the desire to to find transcendence — or at least a bit of mindfulness — while escaping real life. On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy explore the cringe factors inherent in spiritual tourism — selfies in temples anyone? — and the true rewards that sacred travel can offer. We are joined by travel writer and spiritual seeker, Pico Iyer, who has turned his curiosity about the world's religions into a lifetime of finding grace in far-flung sacred spaces. GUEST: Pico Iyer is an essayist and author, perhaps best known for his travel writing. He has written 15 books and appeared in the pages of Time, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, among many others. His most recent book "Aflame: Learning from Silence," recounts his many visits to The New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Saved by the City, hosts Roxy and Katelyn explore a spiritual journey that defies expectations. Produced by Religion News Service, this podcast delves into their personal experiences of moving from the white evangelical heartland into the heart of a major metropolis, a transition they were told would threaten their faith. Instead of finding a spiritual wasteland, they discovered a complex, challenging, and ultimately enriching landscape that forced them to re-examine everything. Each episode is a conversation about navigating belief in a place where Sunday mornings look different and old certainties are constantly questioned. They talk about the surprising ways their faith has been both strengthened and stretched by urban life, confronting topics from community and service to doubt and belonging. This isn't a theoretical discussion; it's grounded in the real, sometimes messy, day-to-day life of seeking purpose and connection in a city that never sleeps. The podcast offers honest reflections for anyone who has ever felt their beliefs were too small for the world they inhabit, proving that sometimes faith doesn't need to be sheltered to survive-it needs to be tested to truly grow. Tune in for candid stories and insights that resonate far beyond city limits.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Saved by the City
Podcast Episodes
Best of SBTC: Rethinking Our Drinking + Sarah Bessey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:35
Let's get a drink sometime! New York's a drinking town. Happy hours. Boozy brunches. Martinis and oysters. The city's social life revolves around artisan cocktails and bubbly toasts and late night dive bars. And while th…
Best of SBTC: How We Survived the Great Evangelical Betrayal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:43
From Jesus Freak to freaked out. In this episode, we grapple with "the e-word" and why we struggle to claim the evangelical label. Having grown up fully immersed in that culture and going on to dedicate much of our caree…
Best of SBTC: Asking Better Questions + Krista Tippett [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:35
This episode, Katelyn and Roxy are joined by the GOAT, the legend who arguably started the spiritual podcasting genre, the longtime host of On Being, Krista Tippett. This wide-ranging conversation lingers on some of the…
Q's Shift, Keller's Legacy and Our Negative World + Collin Hansen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:16
Founded in 2007 as a "learning community that mobilizes Christians to advance the common good," Q was part of a broader movement of Christian cultural engagement in the mid-aughts and early teens. Much of it influenced b…
Good Breakups, Bad Makeups & the Evangelical Ex [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:22
First, we set the scene with our our most movie-worthy post-breakup moments — we're talking ice cream binging, sad song belting, pillow weeping melt downs. Next up, we get into your break-up stories. It's our long-awaite…
The Real Trad Wives of Instagram + Kelsey Kramer McGinnis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:01
Have you ever found yourself mid-doomscroll, suddenly enthralled by a beautiful woman baking a pie and arranging an armful of flowers freshly picked from her garden, while in the background her children play with adorabl…
Is It OK To Not Like Kids? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:56
Chappell Roan says all her friends with kids are in hell. A popular subreddit asks "does anyone else just… not like kids?" A crowd of the usual suspects — pro-natalists, theo bros and mom influencers — pounce on these ex…