Spirit and Adventure

That's what drew Ann and Ron Richards to MTS's Footsteps of Paul tour of Greece, Turkey and Rome. The couple, who belong to the Congregational United Church of Christ in St. Charles, Ill., were particularly moved by a ceremony in which they were baptized in the same River Lydia in northern Greece where Paul is believed to have baptized Lydia, a merchant who, after hearing Paul's Gospel, became the first woman to embrace Christianity. Seeing where John the Evangelist is believed to have written the Book of Revelation also enriched their understanding of Scripture. But not all of their journey was religious. "We also took a five-day Mediterranean cruise to Mykonos, Ephesus, Crete and Santorini," says Ron, 65, "and all of that was pretty much standard tourist stuff."

Although pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to the shrines of Europe top the charts in popularity, almost any type of trip can be cast as faith-based travel, even white-water rafting. One of the most popular trips organized by the Windfall Outdoor Center in Maine is a run down the state's Kennebec River through rugged wilderness. The outing includes lunch and devotionals around a campfire. "What better place to talk about the beauty of God's creation," says Bob Chaffee, 50, who has taken his family on the rafting trip numerous times in the past 15 years, as part of a weeklong outdoor adventure arranged by Windfall.

For those who want to combine the luxury of a cruise with the spirit of a mission, there's the Cruise with a Cause, offered by Christian Travel Finder. Joan Tidwell, 53, took her daughter Lindsay, 18, on the voyage as a high school graduation gift. Mother and daughter, who are Baptists, boarded Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas for a five-day voyage and enjoyed cruise-ship amenities, concerts by such contemporary Christian artists as Todd Agnew and New Song at night, a day of missionary work in Freeport, Bahamas, and a day of snorkeling, sunbathing and swimming on CocoCay. "There were about 2,000 of us, some with church groups, some traveling alone, some there for the mission, some there for a cruise with no alcohol or gambling and good family entertainment," says Tidwell. For her, the highlight was going into the Freeport public schools to meet kids and talk to them about having a personal relationship with God.

As for Lindsay, mission work may have also bought her 15 minutes of fame: a reality TV show was being filmed during the cruise. The 12-episode program, Cruise with a Cause, hosted by JCTV's Brandon Crouch and Reba Toney, is a behind-the-scenes look at the mission effort as well as chats with guest artists and passengers. "It was totally cool watching the show being filmed," Lindsay says. "Of course we're all hoping to see ourselves" on television. But forget the typical cat fights, foul language and sexual tension of MTV's reality shows. This program will be good, clean fun--just like the cruise it captures.