How to choose an unusual holiday

Unusual holidays usually tap into dreams that we have had for years, sometimes since childhood. So in helping you work out how to choose an unusual holiday, we have picked out some favourites that come up on our reviews as total dream come true holidays. As well as some of our suppliers' and staff’s dream boat breaks.

Home\Unusual

How to choose an unusual holiday

When you set about starting to choose an unusual holiday, it can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. The world is not only your oyster, it is a veritable seafood banquet when it comes to finding something unique and special. However, some people are allergic to seafood, and might opt for meat. Others are vegetarian. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea to sit in a classroom learning Spanish or getting up at 5am to survey beaches during their holiday, for example. Others may have dreamed about climbing Everest or wondered what it’s like to live with an African tribe. Whether it’s thrill-seeking or self-discovery, few people have regretted making childhood dreams come true. Here are some of the things you might want to take into consideration before you start diving for those oysters. They might help you find the quirky pearls more easily and not just take the quick route out and just book a run of the mill ‘could be anywhere’ resort holiday.

See all our Unusual Holidays

Give us a call

Our Unusual Holidays

Going against the flow

This is when you go to a mainstream tourism destination, such as Spain or Croatia, but do something a little different to the norm when you are there. You can avoid the queues to get on board the island boats in Croatia, for example, and just spend a week island hopping by kayak. Or go walking and talking in Spain, on a language course where you also hike the hills at the same time as learning the lingo. Seeing Petra in Jordan is at the top of many travellers’ list now, but doing it on a bike is the cool, cultural way to go.

Going off the beaten path

Sometimes you are just tired of the old tourism map. All the silver bits on your scratch map have been scraped off, and you crave pastures new. The media is always jumping on board the ‘best new destination’ bandwagon. But we like to highlight ‘different’ destinations because they are in a position to bring high quality, exciting responsible tourism offerings to the table. Not just because it appears in the latest blockbuster movie, or because some celeb has opened a hotel there. Some favourite places for being really different but at the same time still feel very real, are Mongolia, inland Montenegro, Haiti and Alaska.

Quirky mix

We are not only getting quirkier in our travel tastes, but we are also getting more demanding. Trekking the Camino de Santiago isn’t enough anymore; we have to combine it with an intensive Spanish course. People love the idea of learning a new skill on holiday, or find breaks that exercise their bodies, minds and soul. You can do yoga just about anywhere these days, on a boat or up a mountain, with saluting the sun on a traditional Turkish gulet boat the ultimate pose. You can even go on a running holiday with a bit of whale watching thrown in. Beware though, don’t try and tick too may boxes but concentrate on one thing at a time. The last thing you want is to spend time recovering from your holiday after trying to cram too much in!

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about Unusual or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.

01273 823 700

Calling us from outside the UK?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

01273 823 700

Calling us from outside the UK?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Do something different

These are holidays for active types, who don’t just want to go off the beaten path, but want to build the path while they’ re at it. Going on a family volunteering holiday with turtles in Costa Rica, learning how to cook in a Kerala homestay, sledding with huskies through Finnish Lapland, learning yoga on a gulet in Turkey or going on an Arctic diving holiday, are all just a few of the busy and sometimes bizarre beauties on offer, when you are looking to do something different on holiday.

Bizarre beds

Unusual accommodation is always a top of our list when it comes to unique holidays. Not only because they tick that ‘got to do something different’ urge, but because they are often created by people who have ambitious visions when it comes to responsible tourism. Such as an eco yurt holiday in Lanzarote, a tree hotel in Sweden, a straw bale house in Yorkshire, a barge in Bruges or an Ecuadorian ecolodge.

Travel & learn

Learning something new or volunteering can be a most rewarding form of travel. You’ll gain so much when volunteering, whilst also giving something back to the local community or the environment. And you can now learn almost any new skill in the stimulating environment of a new country and different culture – from languages to cooking, game ranger skills to journalism.

More about Unusual

Unusual holidays guide

This unusual holidays guide steers clear of trends for ‘what’s cool and different right now’ but takes you on a journey of eclectic adventures , one of which is guaranteed to wow you into that ‘let’s do something different this year’ mode.

Unusual accommodation

We love this section of the guide. Not just because they are unusual and fun places to stay, but also because accommodation like these are created by people who really want to blend with their environment, tie in with traditional culture and also offer a memorable holiday for people.

Unusual family holidays

From kayaking in Montenegro to monkeying around, literally, in South Africa. Sleeping in the Sahara to trekking with a donkey in Alps. Keep scrolling until you see those grins get bigger and bigger.

Top 10 unusual holidays

Choosing a top ten unusual holidays list is nigh on impossible, but not when you ask all of our responsible travel experts to pick their quirky leaders in the field.

Unusual holiday travel tips

This q (uirky) tips section is very useful, with lots of unusual holiday travel tips from expert suppliers who know that what they do is a bit different, but are doing it anyway because eventually people try them out, and that’s it - they are hooked.

Unusual holiday destinations

Unusual holiday destinations are not all about where’s cool to go this year. They are about people who are providing out of the ordinary experiences in places that you might not usually think about visiting.

More relevant guides

Written by Catherine Mack

ABTA member P7085 so you are fully protected

Photo credits: [Page banner: Paul Vinten] [Intro: MAKE IT KENYA PHOTO / STUART PRICE.] [Going against the flow: DavorLovincic] [Do something different: TriplexAdventures]

How to choose an unusual holiday