Eat, Pray, Love Inspired Tours on Rise in Bali - 404

Ubud-Bali, Photo by Lori RiceIf you haven’t read the memoir Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, chances are you have heard about it.  According to an article from Time.com, tour companies and resorts are taking advantage of the best seller’s popularity, and offering guests an experience straight from the pages of the book.

Resorts such as Ubud Hanging Gardens, Ayana and tour companies such as the Las Vegas-based Spirit Quest Tours have created Eat, Pray, Love packages and excursions. These trips are intended to mimic the activities, self-discovery and transformation experienced by Gilbert herself. They are for guests who want to do the things the author did and see the things she saw.

As part of these expeditions, travelers take part in yoga, meditation, massage therapy, journaling and beach dinners. If you want to mix in a bit of Hollywood with your transformative trip, you can take an outing and see where the memoir-based movie was filmed which is set to open in the theaters this August.

The book which was released in 2006 has likely had an influence on the increase in spiritual-focused tourism for Bali. According to the article, when comparing January through March of 2006 to January through March of this year, the number of foreign tourists increased from 237,260 to 551,186.

What do you think? Are you up for an Eat, Pray, Love tour of Bali, or would you rather explore the island and find enlightenment on your own?

Lori Rice is a freelance health and travel writer, and Galavanting travel news and reviews correspondent. You can follow her adventures at 3 Star Traveler or explore her thoughts as a nutritionist, wellness advocate and foodie traveler at Fake Food Free.