Welcome to the hood: the Buddhahood. Some sects of Buddhism believe you can attain Buddhahood by chanting certain purification chants over and over. Others, such as Shingon, use pilgrimage as a method of achieving divine enlightenment and understanding of the world.
As a matter of fact, the Shingon sect do pilgrimages for almost everything: compassion, the search for enlightenment, relief from sickness, and even sometimes as a passageway into the afterlife. It seems that long ago, going on pilgrimages would have been a full-time job for those opting for the highway to enlightenment.
"Therefore, wander!" scream the Vedas. We do seem to be built for traveling and I am not one to deny this. Especially in springtime I feel the urge to wander. And I have to admit that pilgrimages are not just a hobby, but have become a lifestyle. I go on pilgrimages three times a week during the springtime, take a break during the hot summer months, then start up again in the fall. No wonder sometimes it seems my life is going in circles.