Rest, Relaxation And Religion

A beautiful beach makes the perfect vacation for lots of travelers. But for those who want a truly religious experience, there is a whole world of opportunity.

Faith-based travel is turning into a booming business. A rafting trip on the Colorado River describes the Grand Canyon from a creationist perspective, for instance. A tour of Central American can turn into a volunteer mission. And a vacation in Israel can be a study tour instead.

The Early Show correspondent Debbye Turner checked out some of these faith-based vacation sites around the world, starting with a visit to the Holy Land Experience, a biblically-themed park in Orlando, Fla.

Turner visited the broadcast to share some of her discoveries and says there are indications that these faith-based destinations are getting more popular. In fact, she says, U.S. evangelical groups are negotiating with Israel to build a Christian theme park by the Sea of Galilee.

"What most people are, especially now, experiencing and wanting is a balance between traditional sightseeing and faith based travel," Kevin Wright, religious tour director of Globus Tours told Turner. "So when they go to Italy, although they want to see the Vatican, they want to experience some nice Italian meals."

To explore some options for faith-based travel plans, check out the following web sites.

www.demossnewspond.com/tmc

www.globusfaith.com

www.theholylandexperience.com

www.family.org

www.goisreal.com

www.see-jordan.com

www.egypttourism.org

www.italiantourism.com

www.greekembassy.org

www.christiantravelfinder.com

www.jp2cc.org