Cultural holidays

Travel is all about broadening the mind and experiencing the culture of a new destination is a highlight of any holiday. Culture can of course mean music, crafts, food and sight seeing around Europe or staying in a tribal hut in the African bush or a mountain village in Nepal!

Take time to meet local people wherever you go – talk to them about their way of life and immerse yourself a different environment, visit their houses and meet their families.  Don’t go on holiday and complain that ‘the food is not British’ – sample the local specialties!!  Food holidays are a great way to experience local culture, whether it’s a cookery school in Italy or a wander round the markets of south east Asia and cooking with the locals.

Spending time with indigenous tribes in particular, is an enriching experience on all levels.  It also means that by leaving your luxury resort maybe and travelling off the beaten track, you are contributing to local economy, buying food, drink and supplies from people along the way.  There are many great examples of community tourism and conservation efforts all over the world.  When on an African Safari I can suggest the right places to stay where your safari camp will be on community lands, run by local staff and guides and locations that with enrich your stay in many other ways than just watching the wildlife! I highly recommend spending time in Namibia with Conservancy Safaris.

There are lots of options for walking or cycling holidays around the world where you follow trails well off the beaten track and stay in small villages with local people.  There are donkey trails in Spain or guided trails in the Himalayas … lots of options for real cultural experiences around the world!

Family holidays can be particularly rewarding when you spend time with families from other cultures and backgrounds.  Take your children to meet others of their age in their local schools – they’ll be pen pals for life!

Volunteering holidays are also a great way to learn from other cultures and teach them as well.  Many destinations offer projects where you can spend time sharing your skills – that could be medical training, teaching English, sharing cooking skills or teaching sewing and other crafts for example. There are also volunteer projects in village communities and wildlife sanctuaries.  Ask me about including some volunteer work in your travels, particularly if you want to journey around the globe for an extended period, and we can work some projects into your itinerary.