Recently updated on January 4th, 2024 at 05:54 pm
Travel is one of life’s greatest teachers and your next trip is the perfect time to pick up a new skill. Learn how to cook a new cuisine and impress your friends and family when you get home. Join a dancing lesson and show off your hidden skills to your partner. Kickstart a new health practice like tai chi and yoga and make it part of your routine in your daily life. Whether you want to learn how to make the perfect cocktail or pick up a unique hobby like food foraging, get inspired by these 6 experiences that are all about learning new things, together.
1. Foraging in the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
Foraging for your own food is an incredible and unique skill, and you’ll learn how to do it with a local horticulturist, Oonagh, along the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. Oonagh will share the secrets on how to forage for the best wild produce and talk about the importance of sustainable food production and the ‘Leave No Trace’ movement. You’ll then head back to a family-run restaurant overlooking Liscannor Bay where you’ll enjoy a delicious meal using some of your foraged ingredients. As you discover how everything in your meal has been bought or produced locally, you might be inspired to start foraging or buying more locally-grown produce when you return home.
Learn how to forage with Oonagh on: Irish Experience
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2. Tai chi in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Tai chi is a martial art renowned for its gentle, controlled movements and fantastic health benefits. You’ll learn all about this graceful practice on board a boat in Ha Long Bay. Spend the night on the boat then start your morning with a tai chi class, led by a Local Specialist, surrounded by the spectacular landscape. You’ll learn a few key movements and sequences that you can take home with you and make a part of your daily relaxation practice.
Learn tai chi on: Vietnam and Cambodia Uncovered
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3. Gold leaf painting in Kanazawa, Japan
When you travel to Japan with Trafalgar, you’ll learn lots of new skills from sushi making and traditional tea preparation to washi paper making and taiko drumming. You’ll also have the chance to learn a stunning new art form known as gold-leaf painting. We’ll visit a gold leaf painting museum in Kanazawa, home to almost 100% of Japan’s gold leaf art production. You’ll meet a Local Specialist who will share the secrets of gold leaf painting and how the region has been perfecting this precious craft since the 16th century. You’ll see how the local artists beat the gold into extremely thin sheets and create intricate designs on vases, tableware and even important buildings. If you’ve been looking to pick up a new hobby, this just might inspire you.
Learn how to create gold leaf art on: Splendours of Japan
4. Making cocktails in Lima, Peru
Perfecting a good cocktail is an essential skill for anyone who loves to host parties or get-togethers. When you travel to Lima, you’ll meet chef Ignacio Barrios and learn how to prepare some of Peru’s most popular dishes – and cocktails. He’ll share the secrets of making two delicious cocktails – the Pisco sour and the Chilcano. The Pisco sour is Peru’s national drink, made with Pisco (a type of wine), lemon juice, egg white, and simple syrup. The Chilcano is an internationally lesser known but more popular local cocktail made with Pisco, lime juice, Ginger ale and bitters. They’re both so tasty and you’ll love whipping them up for your family and friends back home.
Learn how to make Peruvian dishes and cocktails with Ignacio on: South America Revealed
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5. Folklore dancing in Osojnik, Croatia
When you travel with Trafalgar, you’ll experience lessons and shows displaying many remarkable dance forms such as tango in Argentina, samba in Brazil and flamenco in Spain. But we also get off the beaten track to learn some of the lesser-known dance traditions. We’ll take you to meet the Muhoberac family in Osojnik, a rural Croatian village near Dubrovnik. The family and their ancestors have lived in their stunning home for over 500 years, and still practise many ancient family traditions, including cooking local dishes like zelena menestra and peka (meat roasted under an iron bell) and producing homemade liqueurs and wine. You’ll learn how to grill over the fire and after dinner, learn some local folklore dances. Tiny plays traditional music on his mandolin while you learn the steps. It’s a wonderful gift to take home and share with your own family and friends.
Learn how to dance with the the Muhoberac family on: Balkan Delight
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6. Cooking classes – all over the world
Whether you already love to cook or you’re eager to learn new cuisines, there are dozens of opportunities to take cooking classes on Trafalgar trips. Learn how to make the best Italian cuisine in Tuscany or discover the five flavors of Thai cuisine with a traditional cooking class in Thailand. Make authentic creole cuisine at the New Orleans School of Cooking or learn the secrets of Khmer cuisine in Cambodia. From baking traditional bread in Turkey to learning about food and wine pairing in South Africa or Portugal, there’s a whole world of incredible culinary experiences out there.
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Have you learned any new skills on a Trafalgar tour? Let us know in the comments below!