Every trip is the chance to learn a new skill, and these destinations will help you expand your life résumé.
With the world finally freed from unpredictable travel restrictions and many people adapting to vacation-friendly hybrid and freelance work patterns, the desire to make travel experiences feel particularly special has become increasingly important. As travel technology group Expedia declared in its most recent Travel Report, “In 2023, travelers are ditching the conventional and veering off course for all-new experiences. Prepare for the year of the no-normal.”
One way you can make your upcoming trips stand out? Use them as an opportunity to pick up a new skill.
“Travel creates an environment that is incredibly conducive to learning,” says Samuel Doran, a trip designer for Indagare, an Equinox Circle partner and members-only, boutique travel-planning company. “When you’re in a familiar environment, you fall into monotonous daily life and habits — it’s kind of inevitable. When you’re abroad, all that monotony falls away, and your mind becomes really sharp as you become aware of everything around you. It creates a mental attitude that sets you up to learn and absorb new information and skills.”
In curating its travel experiences, Indagare uses local specialties and expert tutors to take advantage of this openness to learning. Through its Insider Journeys (small-group trips led by hand-picked specialists), travelers can master seasonal Italian cooking in Puglia, explore the practice of memoir writing in a French chateau, or even push their hiking skills with a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro.
But amongst the various escapes on offer, Indagare’s experts have noticed a particular burgeoning interest in wellness-focused retreats.
“Perhaps due to COVID or a general generational change, we’ve seen an incredible shift in people’s prioritization of their mental health and the understanding of the connection between mental and physical health,” says Doran. “We get so many requests now for wellness-related trips, whether that’s to a wellness retreat in Sedona or a health retreat, like the Palazzo Fiuggi, a medical center in Italy where you learn about your diet, your body makeup, and how best to [apply] lessons about healthy practices into your daily life.”
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By taking wellness practices abroad, there is an opportunity to truly immerse yourself in different traditions that have been shaped by local cultures for generations. The Modern Elder Academy retreat in Baja’s Punta Lobos, for example, is designed to help inspire new ideas and approaches to navigating midlife by focusing on spiritual exercises. During the week, guests take daily mindfulness workshops, visit with a shaman, and practice yoga, with the option to add on extra lessons in surfing and hiking — all with the aim of building skills to lead a more mindful life.
Even when it involves staying a little closer to home, going on a retreat creates a space to disconnect from the everyday grind and truly focus on harnessing new self-care skills. This October, Indagare is leading a four-night retreat at Canyon Ranch Lenox in Massachusetts to help women find new practices to navigate menopause. Led by Robin Noble, M.D., an ob-gyn and lifestyle medicine practitioner, the retreat educates attendees on how hormonal changes impact mood, sleep, and bone and cardiac health and helps them find the right exercises and practices that they can weave into their at-home routines.
Ultimately, the opportunities to expand your horizons and get inspired by new experiences through travel are endless, says Doran.
“Whether it's fly-fishing in remote Patagonia or learning about animal conservation in Africa, we want to create the kind of experiences you can’t put into words,” he adds. “I wouldn’t describe the trips as once-in-a-lifetime, but as life-changing, because once you’ve experienced it, you can’t wait to do it again.”
Need inspiration for your next vacation? Here are a few destinations that are ideal for learning new skills, curated by Indagare.
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1. New Zealand
Famed as one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, New Zealand is home to a diverse landscape of beaches, mountains, rolling hills, and rainforests, all of which make it the perfect place to pick up outdoor skills. It’s an ideal location to try your hand at surfing, and you can explore the countless hiking routes — including those that cross through the spots where The Lord of the Rings was filmed. For Indagare’s Insider Journey, travelers can hike a section of the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand’s most famous alpine walks, in the company of expert mountaineer and Olympian Mark Inglis.
2. Sicily, Italy
Sicily’s capital, Palermo, is known to be the most conquered city in the world. As a result, the ancient city’s architecture is a rich mixture of styles, weaving together Arab, Byzantine, and Baroque influences with extraordinary results. With enthusiastic local experts and plenty of fascinating museums to explore, it’s one of the best places in the world to study art and architectural history. "Whether you love Italian food and wine and want to take cooking classes or are interested in archaeology and history, the island is full of intrigue and instructors," says Melissa Biggs Bradley, the founder and CEO of Indagare.
3. Tanzania
While safaris are one of the most popular options when visiting Tanzania, there’s also an opportunity to dig into the country’s conservation efforts. A third of East Africa’s largest country is protected, and it’s home to scores of species across 16 national parks and community wildlife management areas. “Just being on safari is like being in a thrilling living laboratory, you soak up information about flora and fauna, wildlife behavior, and ecosystems while having the time of your life," says Biggs Bradley. If you’re considering going to see some of these incredible animals — many of which are endangered — up close, be sure to find a trip with a group that is focused on leading conservation efforts so you can learn first-hand the work it takes to protect them.
4. Camino de Santiago, Spain
One of the three Christian pilgrimages, the Camino de Santiago is an ancient network of paths that winds through Galicia, the northwestern region of Spain, and ends in the city of Santiago de Compostela. Here, you can not only hone your hiking skills, but you can also immerse yourself in a historic experience that is meant to help travelers find peace and healing. “If you want to embark on a new chapter and gain a different perspective on your life, walking the Camino allows you to join the path walked by countless pilgrims over the centuries who found answers in surrendering to the Way of Santiago de Compostela," says Biggs Bradley. In fact, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has been credited as a spiritually transformative experience for hundreds of thousands of individuals, making it the perfect destination for those looking to reconnect with themselves.
Through Equinox Circle, Equinox members have insider access to Indagare’s curated journeys, a 30-day complimentary trial of Self Planner membership, and $100 off annual subscription, plus access to VIP benefits including upgrades, complimentary breakfast, spa credit, and more.