Dig for Dinosaur Fossils
Ever visited a museum and been amazed by millennia-old dinosaur skeletons and fossils? If so, then plan a trip to Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park and take part in the paleontology and research activities. Some 58 dinosaur species have been found in the park to date. Spend time with a paleontologist, discover how fossils help our understanding of prehistory, and make your own fossil replica. You can also hike trails through the park’s badlands landscapes and look for relics buried in the planet’s most diverse fossil bed.
Learn to Sail
Life on the ocean offers freedom and non-stop adventure. No matter how experienced you are, you can learn to sail. From the parts of the boat to sail trimming and knot tying, experienced guides can teach the basics. Mystic Seaport in Connecticut has programs geared toward adults, teens, and younger kids plus boat building workshops. Or, if you want to go a bit farther, why not work toward an RYA certification while cruising around the Greek islands for a week with Nautilus Yachting?
And don't forget about Mystic Pizza!
Work as an Archaeologist
Uncovering facets of the world’s past and people does wonders for broadening our minds. Combine this with traveling and you can think of yourself as a real-life Indiana Jones. In the United Kingdom it’s possible to join the Council for British Archaeology as a member of an archaeology dig. You might stumble upon relics that date back to Roman, Viking, and Anglo Saxon settlers. At the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Colorado, experts are happy for you to tag along as they explore the life of the Ancestral Puebloans.
Learn to Ski
So all you heard about this year was your friend’s spectacular ski vacation. But even if you’ve never set foot on a piste it’s never too late to do so. Skiing improves agility, balance and strength and burns calories at the same time. It’s an activity to enjoy alone, with friends and as a family. It will also make you like winter more and thus expand your year-round vacation options. If you want to stay in the U.S. then check out Beaver Creek, Colorado and Deer Valley, Utah. Or if you're going abroad, try Alpe D’Huez, France and Arinsal, Andorra.
Live Like a Cowboy
Follow in the footsteps of Billy Crystal in City Slickers and give up the urban life to stay on a ranch. You can learn to ride a horse, if you don’t already know how, reconnect with nature, go fishing, and take part in cattle round ups. Here in the U.S, dude ranches such as Dixie Dude Ranch in Texas and The Ranch at Rock Creek in Montana welcome anyone willing to experience cowboy life. Head south into the wilderness of the Argentine Patagonia for authentic gaucho activities at Estancia Huechahue.
Perfect Your Photography Skills
Travel and photography go together like macaroni and cheese. While there are hundreds of smartphone filters that can make our shots social media-ready, truly capturing the beauty of a place takes time and practice. Combine your love of adventure, photography, and travel by joining trips that specialize in honing your camera ability. Linblad Expeditions organizes trips to Alaska, the Amazon, Baja California, and the Galapagos with National Geographic photographers. Airbnb also offers photography experiences in multiple cities, where you can explore with a local photographer to find the best spots to snap your photos.
Hone Your Painting Ability
When a photograph isn’t enough, why not spend time creating your own impression of a landscape or urban scene on canvas? Finding the time for art classes might not be the easiest task during your everyday life. Fortunately, painting and drawing is easy to mix with tourism. Take the Shenandoah Art Destination in Virginia. It offers all inclusive drawing, painting, and printmaking courses with a backdrop of the lush Shenandoah Valley. For something more exotic, you can book art safaris across Africa and Asia.
Study International Literature
Whether it be a first-hand memoir or a crime novel set in a far-flung land, literature, both fictional and non-fictional, is full of travel inspiration. By visiting the places that we have read, or are reading about, we can appreciate them better and uncover much more than is in print. Classical Pursuits has tours to some of the world’s acclaimed literature destinations. Book one and you’ll be given a reading list to brush up on before heading to Flannery O’Connor’s Savannah and Marquez’s Columbia, among other places. Or, create your own literary roadtrip to discover the places that inspired some of your favorite works.
Forage for Wild Foods
In a world of growing mindfulness and sustainability, more are turning to alternative, natural and organic food options. Foraging is the act of searching our immediate surroundings for foods and edible plants, of which there are thousands in both urban and countryside settings. Award-winning ethnobotanical researcher Robin Harford arranges Foraging Courses around southern England, including London. Join Wildman Steve Brill on a food hunt in New York State or hunt for truffles around Croatia’s Istria peninsula.
Taste Wine Like a Pro
Struggle with knowing a Malbec from a Merlot and a Riesling from a sauvignon blanc? Wine tasting classes can teach you this with the added bonus of gaining an understanding of the history of the wine region you choose and wine theory. Sure this kind of thing is available in major cities but you’ll feel more fulfilled when surrounded by the vineyards themselves. This could be anywhere from California’s Napa Valley to Argentina’s Mendoza wine region and Georgia (the country), the world’s oldest wine-making destination.
Attend a Space Camp
Trips to the moon may be limited to astronauts and those wealthy enough to board the forthcoming Virgin Galactic space flight. Nevertheless, at Space Camp, in Huntsville, Alabama, it’s possible to get a feel for what happens in the solar system. Residential 2-night and week-long workshops allow attendees to train like astronauts, construct rockets and engage with people that have been involved in NASA missions. There’s camps for kids, too.
