Singaporeans really love to travel and explore the world. According to data from travel company Skyscanner, top destinations include: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

While bustling cities and food holidays top the list of must-dos, you may want to rethink your next holiday concept. A rising trend in recent years is spiritual travel. Traditionally, it is a religious pilgrimage, a good example is the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Today however, the spiritual travel experience has become more a form of personal investment, focusing on inner exploration and introspection.

Here are 10 wellness retreats located in the top destinations preferred by Singapore travellers.

Gaia Retreat

New South Wales, Australia
gaiaretreat.com.au

Set against the breathtaking Bundjalung Country hinterland of Byron Bay, also known as the healing heartland of Australia, Gaia Retreat & Spa promises to revitalise your mind, body and soul within its endless vistas and unsurpassed natural sustainable design. Co-founded by Australian icon, singer Olivia Newton-John, this boutique lifestyle retreat offers experiences from spa treatments to art therapy to sound healing.

Purnam Meditation

Chennai, India
purnam-meditation.com

This lavish retreat allows you to destress and relax your mind through their various transforming meditation and life programmes. Structured programmes include Chakra meditation, Neti Neti, spiritual contemplation and sat-sang. Customised and non-structured programmes are available on request.

Capella Ubud’s Confined to Quarters

Bali, Indonesia
capellahotels.com/en/ubud-offers-confined-to-quarters

Part of the Capella Curates programme, Ubud’s Confined to Quarters is an experience for couples to escape daily life. Spending total solitude within uniquely styled tents, the retreat starts with a traditional Balinese blessing ritual and yoga session, followed by a sunrise purification ritual at the property’s Wos River Temple designed to leave a lasting feeling of calm and positivity.

Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage

Koyasan, Japan
walkjapan.com/tour/kumano-kodo-pilgrimage

Follow the ancient pilgrimage routes that crisscross the Kii Hantō, the largest peninsula of Japan. The routes are UNESCO World Heritage and are an integral part of the pilgrimage process. Walking the sacred Kumano Kodo is a fantastic way to experience the unique cultural landscape of Kumano’s spiritual countryside, offering an immersion into more than a thousand years of Buddhist history.