Byrnes - Student Choice

 In my research paper, I wrote and studied about the differences between long distance hiking and pilgrimages, and tourism or religious tourism. In my work, I found a marked difference between those who make great journeys to sacred sites, and those who go on guided tours. These differences are more profound than just "one worked harder" but instead, I found that the testimonials given were vastly different. When looking at guided tours, finding moving testimonials was rather difficult, as most people seemed rather unimpressed, while reading accounts of pilgrims and hikers, it was hard not to find people describing the life-altering experience they had. This gave me a newfound interest in hiking or pilgriming myself, and a newfound disdain for guided tours that commercialize deeply personal and spiritual events. 

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