How-To Vacations: Educational Vacations

If you're yearning to learn a new skill and love to travel, a how-to vacation might be just the thing for you! Whether you're traveling alone, as a couple or as a family, how-to vacations can let you exercise your mind in an exciting new location. While some people like to indulge their whimsies with crafts and cultural activities, others enjoy learning how to kayak or herd sheep!

With all of the opportunities how-to vacations offer, it's no wonder that they continue to rise in popularity. The best part about how-to vacations is that after time spent learning, there's still plenty of time for rest and relaxation, as well as traditional sightseeing and exploration.

Learning Skills on Vacation

Whatever your heart's desire, there's surely a how-to vacation that will meet your needs. Whether you want to learn how to make cheese or drive a racecar, how-to vacations offer fun learning experiences in unique locations. As a plus, you won't endure boring lectures or endlessly droning instructors during your adventures. How-to vacations offer hands-on experience, with you at center stage learning from a talented mentor.

While you could probably find books, magazines and local workshops relating to your activity of interest, how-to vacations allow you to experience things first-hand. Also, by visiting another region or country, you'll get information from those who are well-versed in the history or traditions of a particular activity.

For instance, if you take an educational vacation to Italy's vineyards, you can study winemaking under someone whose family has been in the business for hundreds of years.

How-To Vacations for the Entire Family

Many areas around the world incorporate family activities into their learning packages. While some will feature classes in which the entire family can participate, others will offer age-appropriate groupings.

Ideas for how-to vacations that are family-friendly include:
  • archeological digs
  • birding
  • canoeing
  • hiking excursions
  • sailing
  • skiing.

Educational Vacations for Adults

If you're an adult looking for a how-to vacation, you also have many options. Travel experts can guide you toward "soft" excursions, which require little to no physical activity. For those looking to exercise their muscles while learning, there are "hard" vacations, which require a lot of physical activity.

Favorite "soft" how-to vacations include:

  • art workshops
  • culinary courses and wine-tasting
  • historical tours
  • photography
  • whale-watching
  • writing retreats.

If you're looking for a "hard" vacation, you might consider:

  • bull riding
  • dancing
  • diving
  • wind-surfing.
Most Popular How-To Vacations
While the list of things you can learn while on an educational vacation is virtually endless, some of the common favorites include:
  • Food-centric vacations are among the top contenders for travelers. You can stay closer to home or seek a worldly spot to expand your culinary skills, as well as your palate.

  • Language is a fascinating subject, and many countries offer workshops. Language-focused vacations can be pretty intense, however. Keep in mind that if you have only a few days, you may enjoy the experience more if you already have more basic skills of the particular language you plan on studying.

Educational Vacations: Making Your Plans

When planning for a how-to vacation, you'll want to make sure that you make your reservations as much in advance as possible.Most immersion-style tours keep group numbers to a minimum to increase the learning and enjoyment. If you act early enough, you may even be able to schedule a one-on-one session with your teacher.

When you begin searching for the perfect tour or how-to vacation, you'll find a wide array of companies. Here are some tips to help you sort through and find the most legitimate companies:

  • Ask about guide-to-group-member ratios.

  • Find out how long the company has been in business: the longer, the better.

  • Research the company's amenities if you will be staying with a company or group for more than just a few hours. You'll want to research rooms, food, etc.

  • Study the travel schedule, especially if you want time on your own.

  • Understand which charges aren't included in your package. While some how-to vacations cover travel costs and more, others cover only the class fees.
A reliable how-to tour company should be able to easily provide you with all of this information and more.

Costs of How-To Vacations

When booking a how-to vacation, always ask what is covered in the price of your vacation package. In many cases, you'll be responsible for travel and lodging in addition to the instruction. Fees will vary according to the length of the course, as well as the mentor and location.

Prices will also range drastically, depending on the location you choose and the time of year you travel. Here are some approximate figures:

  • A single U.S. traveler could enjoy a culinary adventure in Tuscany for approximately $3,000, or he could have a culinary tour of New England for approximately $700.

  • A week abroad to study landscape painting might average $1,500 per person.

  • An archaeological dig in the United States could cost less than $1,000 for kids, with adult fees averaging $1,200.

  • Family-oriented how-to trips within the United States that incorporate a campus atmosphere may be as little as $1,000 per person.