The Guide To Learning Vacations

The World Is Your Classroom

The phrase “learning vacation” seems oxymoronic at first, like having classes during recess when you were a schoolkid. But an educational travel experience can be rejuvenating. Learning actually creates new brain synapses (whereas, lying on a beach drinking piña coladas for a week does not). That may be one reason learning vacations are such a hot tourism trend. According to the Travel Industry Association, about one-fifth of all American travelers have taken an educational trip in the past three years, whether it was roping steers in Arizona, cruising in hang gliders in North Carolina, digging for relics in Israel, or sipping wine they made themselves in Sonoma County. Another bonus: Learning vacations are social events. “You get to meet people who share your interests,” says Dorlene Kaplan, editor of ShawGuides.com, a Web site specializing in educational travel. “You learn as much from the participants as you do from the teachers.” One more thing: There’s no test at the end. So get going, and start learning … to enjoy yourself.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job Just Yet

The Archaeological Institute of America offers dozens of archeological tours around the world (such as the 16-day Remote Capitals of the Ancient Maya tour in January 2009). Get your hands dirty by doing some fieldwork at a site in Caesarea, Israel (near Tel Aviv), for example. No experience is required. Click the Fieldwork link at the AIA Web site. 800.748.6262; archaeological.org

Ever been tempted to flee your cubicle at the investment bank and hit the road as a country music singer? Now you can get a preview of what it would be like. The Web site/tour operator Vocationvacations.com will pair you with a mentor, such as country singer Angela Hurt, in Nashville. You’ll write the music and lyrics to your life story, record your song, meet music executives, and attend the Grand Ole Opry. If the singing career doesn’t work out, you can always go back to the bank. 866.888.6329

Cowboy College

Cowboy College, in Scottsdale, Ariz., offers one- to five-day sessions in which students learn to ride, rope, and herd cows. “Half the people who come are Fortune 500–type men,” says owner Lori Bridwell. During the longer sessions, cowboys spend several days working an actual ranch, trade stories over supper, and go to sleep in bedrolls. “The lessons learned aren’t so much about the horse and cows,” says Bridwell, “but mostly about the people themselves.” 480.471.3151; cowboycollege.com

By the Numbers

20
Percentage of participants in Vocationvacations.com programs who switched careers as a result of their experience

6,000
Number of listings in the Shaw Guides that are related to educational travel

630
Number of grapes it takes to make your own bottle of wine at Sonoma Grape Camp

On and Over the Water

• Steve and Doris Colgate’s Offshore Sailing School can get landlubbers trimming sails in three- to six-day courses held at various East Coast ports and in the British Virgin Islands. 800.221.4326; offshore-sailing.com

• If you prefer the sky to the sea, try hang-gliding camp at KittyHawk Kites (the largest kite store and hang-gliding school in the world) on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. 877.FLY.THIS (359.8447); kittyhawkkites.com

Howl with the Wolves (or Just Chant “Ommmm”)

Search for and learn about wolves and elks on Yellowstone National Park’s Northern Range during the four-day Winter Wolf Discovery or Wildlife Expedition. Spend the day snowshoeing or hiking to the animals’ habitats with a naturalist as your guide. yellowstoneassociation.org/institute/lodging/programs.aspx

You know those voices in your head? The ones reminding you what to do? Meditation can help you quiet them. Plus, isn’t it nice to know there are learning vacations that teach you how to do nothing? The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, in Stockbridge, Mass. (130 miles from Boston), offers weekend-long Introduction to Meditation workshops throughout the year (the next one is October 24–26). 800.741.7353; kripalu.org/program/view/ITMR91

Learning the Ropes

Rob Miron can scale a 250-foot Douglas fir in about five minutes using arborists’ ropes. During a guided tour by Miron and partner Jason Seppa at the Pacific Tree Climbing Institute in Eugene, Ore. (about two hours from Portland), you’ll learn to “inchworm” your way up — and then spend the night sleeping near the top in a “Treeboat.” Day climbs and overnight expeditions run from late spring through midfall. 866.OLD.TREE; pacifictreeclimbing.com

— Jamie Stringfellow