If your vacations have become routine, try a little special interest
travel. Many companies package a whole learning experience into a
luxurious, stress-free week in the hills of Italy or the valleys of
California.
Culinary Vacations
- Cocina Castellana - Cooking and Wine Tasting in Spain
Learn all about Castilla culinary specialties, Spanish culture and
wines from Spanish-speaking American guides. Accommodations are in
the Infanta Isabel, a first class hotel done in Belle Epoque style.
Program highlights include countryside excursions and culinary
instruction.
- Cuisine International
Vacation packages include destinations throughout Europe. Each
package strives to offer superb culinary instruction, as well as
experiences in art, history and culture. Travelers can make their own
arrangements or have it done by Cuisine International.
- Culinary Vacations
If daily cooking classes, shopping and cultural adventures in
Normandy, France and Tuscany, Italy sound appetizing, check out this
company. After your daily lesson on an 18th-century estate, you'll be
rewarded with gourmet picnics and trips to nearby vineyards.
Athletic Adventures
- Experience Plus
Experience Plus sends vacationers on cycling and walking adventures
in Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Switzerland, the United States,
Canada and Costa Rica. Participants can join a group tour or assemble
friends for a private party. The company provides routes, equipment
lodging, meals and event planning, such as stops at wineries.
- Bicycle Adventures
This tour company sets up biking and hiking trips in Washington,
Oregon, California, British Columbia, Utah and Hawaii. Adventurers
can add activities such as kayaking and rafting to tours featuring
volcanoes, waterfalls, mountains and valleys. The company has
different levels of tours to accommodate various experience levels.
- Sun Dog Tours
This site is a jackpot for the jack-of-all-trades vacationer. In
addition to custom tours featuring whatever adventures you can
devise, they offer trips for ice fishers, walkers, waders, golfers,
hikers, campers and rafters. For those who prefer to watch the world
go by, investigate their air sightseeing tours, boat cruises and
wildlife tours.
The list of possibilities for athletic adventurers goes on. If these
sites haven't piqued your interest, try similar operators, such as
Iguana Mama,
Sheri Griffith Expeditions or
Ultimate Rocky Mountain Adventure Tour.
Golf Vacations
If the word "vacation" tees off mental pictures of little white
balls, caddies and lush grass, consider these options. Several tour
companies send vacationers to world-renowned golf courses and events.
PGA Travel touts itself as the
official travel company of the PGA Tour and arranges excursions in
Europe and North America, as well as to professional tournaments and
participatory competitions like the Father and Son Tournament in
Ireland. If resorts nestled in the Caribbean are more your game,
Resort Golf Vacations will line up the
accommodations, tee times and carts.
SGH Golf Inc. arranges trips to
catch the pros in action.
Photography Retreats
Learning Vacations
offers an inspirational trip to Greece, where the Aegean Center
instructs not only budding photographers but also painters and
writers. La Maison Rose offers exotic
photo opportunities coupled with experienced instruction in southwest
France.
Expeditions for the Outdoor Sportsman
Try a Yellowstone Country Adventure from
Montana Guide Service. Hunting, elk
bugling, fishing, wildlife photography, wilderness pack trips and
cattle driving are all on their agenda. For more hunting and fishing
options, take a peek at
Pine Portage and Kaby Lodges or
Worldwide Fishing Adventures.
--- J.H.
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