25 holidays that could change your life
The 25 tours listed below can change your life by opening up new possibilities.
They're aimed at beginners, but similar courses can be found for all levels. Prices quoted are the cheapest available and often assume you will be sharing a room with spouse, or partner.
These tours cover much of the world and include tried-and-tested formulas, such as immersing yourself in a foreign language or painting or photographing inspiring landscapes and cultures. They also include imaginative cultural itineraries such as learning about the way of life in Ghana – an experience guaranteed to transport you far from your own fraught life – or exploring the contemporary arts scene in Berlin.
1. Learn Spanish in Barcelona
Live and breathe Spanish 24 hours a day on a week-long course based in your tutor’s house (private room with shared bathroom – own bathroom extra). Students receive 20 one-hour, one-to-one lessons but the key is the continuous immersion in the language. Based in beautiful Barcelona (with free time to explore the city).
From £1,051 including seven nights’ accommodation, 20 one-hour, one-to-one lessons, all meals. Flights extra. Weekly slots throughout 2017. GoLearnTo (020 8144 5990; GoLearnTo.com).
2. Cook authentic Thai food
A tour of one of the world’s most seductive cuisines that takes you deliciously beyond the realms of Pad Thai and green curry – into new tastes such as “boat noodles” and khao soi. Based in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, it includes market shopping (on railway tracks, canals and night markets), cookery demonstrations and classes.
From £565 including seven nights’ accommodation (one in sleeper train, one in homestay), some meals. Flights extra. Departures throughout 2017. Intrepid Travel (0808 274 5111; intrepidtravel.com).
3. Capture the colours of Kerala
You’ll need to pack a vibrant palette for this painting course in southern India’s most visually appealing state. Susanna Bailey is the tutor on this 14-night itinerary of Kerala’s varied landscapes, from ocean to backwaters to the many greens of the Western Ghats.
From £2,595 (£2,995 with flights) including 14 nights’ accommodation, all meals, eight full days and three half-days of tuition, services of a tour manager. Departure Nov 11, 2017. Authentic Adventures (01453 823328; authenticadventures.co.uk).
Inspiration | Bucket list adventures
4. Indo-China through the viewfinder
The landscape and travel photographer Neil Buchan Grant is your teacher on this 12-night tour of Vietnam and Cambodia, while local guides play a key role in finding the most photogenic places and times. The tour takes in Hanoi, an overnight cruise on Halong Bay, Hoi An and Siem Reap (for Angkor Wat and other temples).
From £3,209, including 12 nights’ accommodation, some meals, photography workshop, feedback session, sightseeing, flights. Departure November 7 2017. Kuoni (0800 140 4827; kuoni.co.uk).
5. Plain sailing in Croatia
Learn the ropes at the Agana sailing school on the Dalmatian coast. Accommodation is in a shared cabin aboard the yacht as you sail the coastal waters of the Adriatic on a RYA Competent Crew course (introducing the complete beginner to cruising under sail). The route explores islands, beaches and remote moorings – with dinner ashore every night.
From £518, for five days’ tuition, breakfast and lunch. Flights extra. Departures from April to September. Sunsail (0333 258 0270; sunsail.co.uk).
6. Write in inspiring surroundings
The Arvon courses for writers and aspiring writers are simply the best and sell out fast. The five-day residential courses, based in rural Devon, Shropshire or Yorkshire, cover all levels of ability and many genres, from fiction to short stories and poetry. The tutors are all highly regarded writers in their field.
From £760 (in single room) for 2017 courses including all workshops, tutorials and full board. Arvon (020 7324 2554; arvon.org).
7. Dive in the Red Sea
The Red Sea is perfect for first-timers, with calm, uncrowded waters and great visibility, and you can dive it year-round. Based at the Marina Plaza Hotel in Aqaba, Jordan, you complete your PADI Open Water course in three days - and are then free to carry on diving or visit such sites as Wadi Rum.
From £1,475, including 8 nights’ b&b, tuition, equipment and certification fee, and flights. Departures daily throughout the year. Dive Worldwide (01962 302087; diveworldwide.com).
8. Tennis in Greece, Sardinia and Corsica
Complete beginners quickly get up to speed with the LTA’s Tennis Xpress programme, available in Mark Warner resorts in the Med. The programme uses slower-bouncing balls and aims to get you serving, rallying and winning points by the end of the course.
Four 1-hour Tennis Xpress lessons cost £80. From £549 at Lakitira Beach Resort, Kos, including 7 nights’ half board, transfers and flights. Departures May to October. Mark Warner (0333 1220 918; markwarner.co.uk).
9. Ghana for beginners
This imaginative tour is a crash course in the Ghanaian way of life and a sure antidote to the faster-paced Western variety. Guests immerse themselves in local villages, try their hand at glass-bead making, basket weaving, fishing and cooking - and make a salutary visit to a former slave “castle”.
From £1,140 (sharing), including 11 nights’ b&b, private guiding, excursions and transfers; flights extra. Departures any time (wet season April-June and Sept-Nov). Travel Local (0117 325 7898; travellocal.com).
10. Strictly ballroom in Tenerife
A hotel on the north coast near Puerto de la Cruz is the location of this dance-themed tour on which guests learn the basics of Ballroom and Latin American under the tutelage of Nick Miles, co-principal of the Star Dance Club.
From £889 (sharing), including seven nights’ full board (and free bar), five lessons, five dance evenings, flights and transfers. Departures from various regional airports Sept 25. Saga (0800 096 0084; saga.co.uk).
11. Hill navigation in the Lakes
Based at Hassness Country House in Buttermere you learn how to use map and compasses properly as a vital part of safe fell walking. At the end you’re assessed for the Bronze Award in the National Navigation Award Scheme. Includes both classroom work and the chance to put newfound skills to the test in beautiful landscapes.
From £205, including three nights’ full-board, tuition and use of equipment. Departures April 1, May 10 and Nov 4. Chapters Holidays (01707 246666; chaptersholidays.co.uk).
12. Charcuterie in France
Learn how to prepare Toulouse sausage and pâté at a farmhouse in Gascony. Meat-lovers joint and section a whole pig and produce sausages, pies, terrines and other meat dishes from scratch under the instruction (in English) of local chefs – then sit down to lavish meals cooked by the hosts.
From £680, including three nights’ full board, tuition and meals; flights (to Toulouse) and transfers extra. Multiple departures April to September. GoLearnTo (020 8144 5990; golearnto.com).
13. A cappella singing in Bulgaria
The natural singing voice is particularly prized in Bulgaria and on this tour, based in a spa hotel in the Pirin Mountains, you stretch your vocal chords in the mornings and your legs in the afternoons, on a series of gentle high and low-level walks. A free day is built in.
From £1,199, including seven nights’ full board, five half-days of tuition, walks, airport transfers; flights extra. Departure July 29. Authentic Adventures (01453 823328; authenticadventures.co.uk).
Inspiration: Our favourite beaches
14. Horseriding in Arizona
The Tanque Verde Ranch near Tucson caters for all levels, including beginners, and offers plenty of other activities (hiking, mountain biking, tennis) which makes it ideal for families. There are morning and afternoon rides (one to six hours) and private sundowner rides can also be arranged. Under 11s have their own kids’ club with a special riding programme.
From £1,951, including seven nights’ full board, riding, activities; flights, transfers and gratuities (up to $500pp) extra. Departures all year. In the Saddle (01299 272997; inthesaddle.com).
15. Knitting in the Faroe Islands
The land of sheep and chunky sweaters, where knitting is a way of life, is the location of this week of intensive knitting under the tutelage of international textile designer Katrina i Geil. Based in Torshavn, you will also explore the history, culture and natural beauty of the islands on guided excursions.
From £1,849, including seven nights’ b&b (with some other meals), workshops and equipment, visits, transfers and flights (from Edinburgh). Departure June 29. Arena Travel (01473 660800; arenatravel.com).
16. Meditation in East Sussex
This is a retreat rather than a holiday – shared rooms, vegan meals, no phones, no coming and going. But these Introductory Weekends offer a chance to learn more about Buddhism and meditation – and decide for yourself if they are right for you – in a structured, reflective environment.
£175, including two nights’ full board, meditations, talks and discussion groups. Four weekends between July and Sept. Rivendell Buddhist Retreat Centre (01825 733764; rivendellretreatcentre.com).
17. Birding in the Camargue
Spring in this beautiful wetland in the south of France is peek breeding season, when flamingoes, herons and other waterfowl abound, as well as raptors such as the honey buzzard – the perfect time and place to inspire novice birdwatchers. The Camargue’s famous white horses will also be in your binoculars.
From £995, including four nights’ full board in a hotel on the outskirts of Arles, guiding with expert ornithologists, flights and transfers. Departure May 7. Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk).
18. Yoga in Puglia
Stretch mind and body in the gorgeous heel of Italy, where you stay in a lovely restored 16th-century farmhouse with indoor studio and outdoor platform, swimming pool, and picturesque adjacent trulli houses. There is also a massage room (treatments are extra), and free time to just relax or explore some of the beautiful surrounding countryside.
From £995, including seven nights’ full board (vegetarian meals) and twice-daily yoga classes; flights and transfers extra. Multiple departures between April and August. Destination Yoga (020 3235 0122; destinationyoga.co.uk).
19. Go wild in West Cornwall
A weekend that “bridges the gap between hedgerow and plate”, teaching foodies (including “wild food” novices) to forage for edible roots, flowers, herbs, fungi and much more, and then demonstrating how to cook with them. Highlight is the Saturday Night Feast, when you dine on foraged fare you have helped to cook.
From £195, including two days of cookery demos, hedgerow and seashore foraging, two foraged lunches and one dinner; local accommodation extra (recommendations available). Departures April 29 and October 7. Fat Hen (07767 792417; fathen.org).
20. Dance like a Greek
The owners of a holiday apartment complex in the Peloponnese are former semi-professional dancers who host learning weeks in traditional dancing, from Messinian and Aegean island to Thracian and folk: four sessions plus dinner and dancing. The apartments, with swimming pool, are above Chrani beach and well located for exploring the Messinian Peninsula.
Dance workshops £314; apartments from £700, including seven nights’ self-catering and flights. Departures May 6 and Sept 17. Sunvil (020 8758 4758; sunvil.co.uk).
21. Make your own jewellery in France
Learn to make jewellery using precious metal clays, a technique that enables you to mould precious metals before they are fired. Students produce pieces of pure silver which they have designed and made themselves.
From £1,229, including seven nights’ full board in a farmhouse, four workshops, daily access to the studio, materials and equipment, various excursions, transfers to and from Agen railway station; flights extra. Several departures between May and October (020 8144 5990; golearnto.com).
22. Tee off in Madeira
The Galo Resort near Funchal is a good place to get into the swing of golf, with two courses, an indoor driving range and a putting green. In between daily lessons there’s a host of other activities on offer including diving, windsurfing and hiking, and there are several other golf courses nearby.
From £725, including seven nights’ b&b, seven private golf lessons, access to fitness club, flights and transfers. Departures any time. Health and Fitness Travel (020 3397 8891; healthandfitnesstravel.com).
23. Become bee-savvy in Wales
Experienced beekeepers from the National Beekeeping Centre Wales instill basic skills and promote responsible practice on a weekend course that enables the novice to get started. The course is based at the Field Studies Council’s historic property in Snowdonia.
From £220, including two nights’ full board (with picnic lunches) and tuition. Departure May 26. FSC (01743 852100; field-studies-council.org).
24. Understanding contemporary art
Immerse yourself in Berlin’s cutting-edge art scene on a tour that promises to “take you right to the creative heart and soul” of the city. Activities include a guided walking tour of art galleries, dinner made by a chef-turned-artist, drawing or photography classes, studio visits – and learning to dance ballroom in a Thirties dance hall.
From £799, including three nights’ b&b, city transport and transfers, guides; meals and flights extra. Depart June 16. Frui Creative Holidays (020 8123 4559; frui.co.uk).
25. Surfing in Fuerteventura
The island has surf suited to all levels as well as year-round sunshine, and the Surf Camp on the north coast at El Cotillo makes a great base for beginners. Not only does it have access to 30 surf spots but the adjacent fishing village is a great place for eating and just hanging out.
From £435, including seven nights’ half board in a double room, five three-hour lessons, kit, equipment; flights and transfers extra. Departures any time but October to March is best. Errant Surf (020 8133 6438; errantsurf.com).
