Even Lent my Catholic Culture: Traveling during Lent gets super popular. I get it, Lent (especially Ash Wednesday) is a time where Catholics become acutely aware of their “otherness” in America. Oftentimes, we can easily blend into the Protestant/Evangelical culture but Lent sets us apart. This is not a negative thing! We should be reminded we are called to live differently, often counter culturally. This topic came up in the mothers small-group at my church when sometime said they wished they were more “Catholic” at work. We all discussed this topic and, as a public school teacher, I have an extra lens to this: my student’s know I am Catholic (it comes up in what I teach) but I should never try to influence their religion. So for me, what does “living more Catholic look like”? And in thinking about travel, are they ways to “travel more Catholically”? I think so.
Note: in no way should this list/blog post be seen as my daily living as some almost-saint. Anyone who knows me in real life knows I am a flawed human. But this is my way of processing how can one “be Catholic” while traveling.
Get Thee to Church
I would be remiss if I did not start here. Attending church every Sunday (yes, every Sunday) is an obligation and attending church on Holy Days of Obligation are a requirement. Travel can make this difficult and I for sure have used the inconvenience of going to mass on vacation as an excuse. Heck, this past winter we were in the middle of a road trip and we skipped mass because we wanted to get to our destination faster. I have found that if we are going to make church attendance a priority, we have to do the research, make the plans and schedule it ahead of time.
Read more: Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
The first thing is to pack an outfit that is acceptable for church that can fit into your larger vacation plans. The second step is to know where you are sleeping Saturday night and find an accessible church (nearby and with times you can make). While home, we usually go to 8 am mass but I find that early of a mass time does not work out well for us. Instead you might explore going to church Saturday night or find a slightly later time you know you can make. Set out the clothes ahead of time, set your alarm and mentally prepare yourself to wake up and “get thee to church” the next morning.
Tip: I like to find pretty or interesting churches while on vacation, even if it not the closest one to us. I feel it doubles as “something to see/do” while also fitting in my religious obligations.
Not Eating Meat on Friday
As a lifelong American Catholic I had no idea we were not supposed to eat meat on ANY Friday – yes, even Fridays outside of Lent. The loophole is that the Fridays outside of Lent you are allowed to substitute meat for another penance, which you cannot do on Fridays during Lent. Well, let’s be honest, I would totally forget or pick something that is not really a penance. I have tried over the past years to take up this practice, but I kept failing. I failed because I wasn’t prepared. Well this past year I just decided to grind my teeth and do it. I would not eat meat on any Friday. I had to make sure to have meatless dinner plans and leftovers (pasta and Alfredo/pesto/red sauce has been a lifesaver here).
Read more from Catholic All Year: Why I Love Friday Abstinence, Meat Fridays, & the Sacred Heart of Jesus
So while traveling, I also keep to this vow. Meatless foods are in abundance so you should have no problem finding vegetarian fare while traveling, but certainly some restaurants are more catering than others. For example, I would personally avoid BBQ. Now I do not force my husband to go meatless too. However, I am in charge of dinner when home so that is meatless and I pack my kid’s lunchboxes so those are meatless but if he picks a meat heavy restaurant while traveling (picking restaurants is his forte) then I just have to find something I can eat. Is it annoying? Yes. Do I sometimes bemoan not eating something yummier? Yes. But it ensures that I am confronted, weekly, with sacrifice. And when you think of it, this is a really tiny sacrifice when you compare it to Jesus’s Good Friday sacrifice on the cross.
Tip: there are a few Friday’s a year that are meat days (when a Solemnity, like Christmas, falls on a Friday) so go all out and enjoy those days!
Visit Churches & Pray
I love visiting churches, especially old and ornate Catholic Churches; even if I wasn’t religious I believe they would capture my attention. For many people, however, churches are no different than museums: places that house art. I encourage all Catholics to fight back on that and never forget that a church is a sacred space that happens to house art (not the other way around). Make it a practice to donate, light a candle and say a prayer. Even momentarily it can realign your soul and remind you of the primary purpose of that space: to worship the almighty Lord.
Now that I have two little boys, I am also instilling that in them. Never forget you are in God’s house. I have observed tourists watching us, noticing how we do little things to respect the space we are in: genuflecting, bowing, praying, kneeling, kissing statues, putting on holy water, etc. What a more beautiful way to share the reverence that our world has so often forgotten.
Tip: one thing that has helped me remember the sacred while in church is head covering. About 7 years ago, I started wearing a mantilla to mass and now I make sure I always travel with some light scarf in order to cover my head if the blessed sacrament is exposed.
Connect with Living Culture
If you are traveling to a place with a deep catholic culture (like most of Europe, certain US cities), I encourage you to connect to the local and living culture. For example, there are many family friendly Carnival parades in New Orleans or St. Patricks Day parades in Boston or NYC and definitely look into the St. Joseph Italian traditions if traveling for the Solemnity of St. Joseph (March 19). Yes, many of these originally religious traditions are secularized today but their roots are religious. Being there is celebrating Catholicism and how it has seeped into cultures that today feel antagonistic towards it.
Read more: Visiting the Bronx Lourdes Grotto
Museums too, although I would not classify them as living cultures, are full of Christian and Catholic art. Treat your museum visit as a historical and religious event. You could walk away learning and reflecting on the beautiful devotional images of the past. The pre-industrial world did not segregate secular and religious, you don’t have to either.
Tip: if you are a shirt-collecting/wearing individual up your Catholic game by repping a Catholic-themed shirt at said event. Who says you can’t quietly evangelize while having fun?
Travel with Resources
If you are a Catholic in 2026 I am sure you are being bombarded, as I am, with ads for the Hallow app. Well this is not going to be another commercial for that phone app. But if you forget to pray while traveling or want to keep up with the mass readings, there are many apps you can use. Do I use them? No. Do I forget to pray? All the dang time. Am I getting the app? No. lol. I don’t have a solution for my cycle for lack of prayer but I am so not a phone app person.
Read more: Catholic Culture: Sponsor Gifts for someone in OCIA
If, like me, you don’t want to pray with your phone, pack a book (it doesn’t have to be the whole Bible) or keep a rosary or prayer card with you. I always have a decade rosary on me or a Chaplet for the Dead that can easily be prayed for a few minutes. Praying in the car (family rosary anyone?) can also be a great way to fit it in and make a roadtrip “useful” (again, I am not this good at remembering prayer in my daily life, but go forth and surpass me!).
Tip: There are two things our family does that are short and so easy anyone can do: 1. if you hear a siren do the sign of the cross and 2. when passing a cemetery say the Eternal Rest Prayer.
JMF
