Some inspiring pilgrims
A carefully curated selection of inspiring and uplifting videos about pilgrimage and sacred travel: The extraordinary 14th century story of Ibn Battutah, walking the Kumano Kodo in Japan, a 3 part BBC series about the history of Christian pilgrimage and dancing around the world with Matt. (2 min read)
I find travel inspiration and ideas all over the place. And there are some sources I go back to over and over. Below you will find 4 film projects that I find deeply inspiring and moving.
WHERE THE HELL IS MATT?
Matt Harding quit his job to travel the world in 2003 and 2004. The following year he released a video of himself dancing with people from around the world. This and a further 4 videos have reached hundreds of millions of people. Matt offers an extraordinary celebration of our shared humanity. Here’s my favourite video and the photo in the header of this post comes from a 2012 article about Matt in the Smithsonian magazine.
PILGRIMAGE WITH SIMON REEVE
For centuries pilgrimage was one of the greatest adventures on earth, involving epic journeys across the country and around the world. Written and presented by Simon Reeve, this series of three episodes, explores famous pilgrimages to Canterbury, Jerusalem and along the Camino de Santiago de Compostella. Here’s the first episode.
THE MAN WHO WALKED ACROSS THE WORLD
In 1325, Ibn Battutah set out from his native Tangier on a pilgrimage to Mecca. By the time he returned, nearly thirty years later, he had seen most of the known world, covering three times the distance travelled by Marco Polo – some 75,000 miles in all. Captivated by Battutah’s account of his journey, the Arabic scholar and award-winning travel writer Tim Mackintosh Smith followed in his footsteps and recorded the experience in books and on film. This is the first episode.
KUMANO KODO – A PILGRIMAGE JOURNEY INTO THE ANCIENT HEART OF JAPAN
For over a thousand years, emperors, monks, and humble travelers have walked the paths of the Kumano Kodo in Japan, seeking renewal, connection, and transformation. The Kumano Kodo isn’t just a physical path—it’s a bridge between worlds, connecting us to the ancient wisdom that lives within each of us. It’s a ritual of purification, a shedding of what no longer serves us, and a step-by-step recreation of the self. This film celebrates the beauty of nature, the resilience of the human spirit, and the universal truth that life itself is a pilgrimage.
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