Unusual holidays travel tips
Mongolia tips
John Williamson from our supplier, Zavkhan shares his unusual holiday travel tips for Mongolia: “To visit a genuine, nomadic family and experience their incredible traditional hospitality will be the pinnacle of your trip to Mongolia. They will offer you salty, milky tea, which doesn’t sound too appetising, but is actually quite pleasant, and they’ll offer you preserved milk products like yoghurt and dried cheeses. There’s a whole myriad of cultural dos and don’ts, but a few to get you started are: you don’t hesitate on the threshold of a ger because that questions their hospitality, instead you walk straight in; men walk round to the left and women to the right; the most respected members of the party sit at the head of the ger – having a local guide and translator with you is invaluable because it’ll save you doing anything wrong and accidentally causing offence and it will help you understand the intricacies of their fascinating way of life.”
Our Unusual Holidays
Spanish course & walking holiday, Picos de Europa, Spain
Walk and talk on this small group language holiday in Picos de Europa National Park
From
€659
7 days
ex flights
Cuba salsa dance holiday
Learn to salsa with the pros in Santiago de Cuba, with tuition, day trips and nights out included
From
£1560
15 days
ex flights
Georgia & Armenia cultural holiday
Journey to the furthest reaches of Europe
From
£2325 to £2450
16 days
ex flights
Luxury fitness holidays in Spain
Luxury weight loss, detox, fitness & wellness retreat Spain
From
£1145 to £1245
7 days
ex flights
Peru tour, off the beaten track
An cultural small group tour to the Northern region of Peru.
From
£3035 to £3245
14 days
ex flights
Sicily history tour, Italy
One of the most fascinating islands in Europe
From
£1449 to £1749
9 days
inc UK flights
Learn Spanish and walk the Camino de Santiago, Spain
Spanish Course + walking in the Camino del Norte
From
€699
7 days
ex flights
Vietnam small group cycling holiday
The best of Vietnam on two wheels
From
£2199 to £2849
16 days
inc UK flights
Alaska adventure holiday, salmon run
Active small group adventures in a retrofitted school bus
From
US $3640 to US $3690
20 days
ex flights
Northern Lights photography holiday in Iceland, coast & ice
Photographic trip in the stunning west and southeast Iceland
From
£3250
10 days
ex flights
Cross-country skiing holiday in Finland, Russian border
Guided hut-to-hut cross-country skiing holiday in Finland
From
€1030
7 days
ex flights
Ivory Coast small group tour
Explore the little known but welcoming Ivory Coast
From
£2895 to £2995
13 days
ex flights
Devon eco lodge accommodation, England
Quirky eco lodges, 1 with Hot Tub, on a Devon nature reserve
From
£205 to £810
per accommodation per week
Albania holidays, small group tour
An incredible history set against a rugged landscape
From
£1049 to £1379
10 days
inc UK flights
Burma sailing holiday, the Mergui archipelago
Adventurous exploration of the Myeik Archipelago in Burma
From
£1180 to £1720
9 days
ex flights
Petra and Wadi Rum by bike, Jordan
Cycling trip through stunning desert scenery
From
£1749 to £2069
9 days
inc UK flights
Coast to coast cycling holiday in Costa Rica
Take in the variety of Costa Rica by bike
From
£3449 to £4099
15 days
inc UK flights
Burma cultural holiday
Discover a side of Burma hidden beyond the tourist trail
From
£2075
15 days
ex flights
Sintra Natural Park accommodation in Portugal
Eco-friendly B&B, in Sintra Natural Park near lovely beaches
From
€90 to €120
per room per night
Western Mongolia tour, the Altai mountains & eagles
Culture and adventure in the landscapes of western Mongolia
From
US $2500 to US $2995
13 days
ex flights
Activity holiday in Montenegro
An active villa holiday at stunning Lake Skadar, Montenegro
From
£645 to £745
7 days
ex flights
B&B self drive tour of Tasmania, meet the locals
Explore coastal expanses and mountainous magnificence on this Tassie tailor made trip
From
AU $1100 to AU $6000
14 days
ex flights
Self guided biking tour in Croatia
Explore the amazing island's coasts, medieval town on bike
From
€440 to €905
7 days
ex flights
Altiplano de Granada activity holiday, Spain
Family Multi-activity cultural holiday in rural Andalucia
From
€380 to €490
8 days
ex flights
Transylvania holiday accommodation
Stay at a Count's guesthouse
From
€100 to €174
per person per night
Kerala homestay tour, India
Stay in homestays in various destinations in Kerala
From
£1610
15 days
ex flights
Sao Tome discovery tour
Explore these paradise islands with the Bradt Guide Author
From
£3225
10 days
ex flights
Family holiday in Burma
A fabulous family holiday including the best of Burma
From
£1500 to £2000
16 days
ex flights
Tips on getting up close to wildlife
Mark Huggins, from our supplier Undiscovered Destinations, shares his advice about their Burma cultural holiday: “Near Kalaw there is a locally-run project which looks after former working elephants. It was one of the best things I did – you learn about the elephants and help wash them in the river which is amazing – and in a really beautiful setting. It also supports local community projects and microfinance initiatives. The elephants are very well looked after, a vet comes to see them every week, and only a certain number of tourists are allowed to see them every day. It’s not well promoted; the local people are just trying to use the project to protect the forest. After visiting hours, the elephants wander back into the forest, and the mahouts fetch them the next morning. It looked very well done; you can see the medical books for all the elephants with the vets' notes about their conditions.”Northern lights tips
Laura Greenman, founder of Magnetic North Travel, which leads unusual Northern Lights holidays: “Our Northern Lights guides in Norway have started to favour places a little further afield from Tromso now as the roads near to this small city have become quite congested at times. Although harder to get to, Alta can be a superb spot to see the Lights. Also, we are seeing a change in Northern Lights visitors – they want to stay longer now and discover more of the country, get involved in other adventures such as dog sledding and horse riding. More people are seeking an autumnal aurora experience too, which is great for the local economy as the tourism season is stretching. Travelling at this time gives you a wonderful chance to enjoy the changing Arctic scenery in transition too as the ice freezes, the first snows arrive and the wildlife slowly hunkers down for winter”.
Vietnam tips
Khanh Dinh, group leader with our supplier Intrepid, shares his unusual holiday travel tips for his home country – Vietnam: “We take overnight trains three times on this trip. So if you don't like that, this is not the trip for you. They give you clean bed sheets, pillows, blankets, and it's air conditioned as well. But it doesn't mean it's always clean, the toilets may be dirty – in Vietnam, the train is not the highlight of the trip, but it's something you should try when you're here… I also remind my group that they can buy sleeping sheets at the local market, it's easy to find. They can also bring their own big bottles of water so they can brush their teeth and use it during the night. I also remind them to bring toilet paper as well. And the train is quite noisy, so bring earplugs with you.”Lanzarote tips
Catherine Mack, guide author at Responsible Travel and big fan of not so grotty Lanzarote:
“Staying at the eco yurt resort in Lanzarote opened up a whole new world to me, one that was green and so not grotty. Inspired by the work of sustainability pioneer Cesar Manrique, who sought to keep this volcanic island free from overdevelopment and pollution, the owners of this finca are not only fun, family orientated and funky, but also feisty in their mission to keep this beautiful island as responsible as possible.”
“Staying at the eco yurt resort in Lanzarote opened up a whole new world to me, one that was green and so not grotty. Inspired by the work of sustainability pioneer Cesar Manrique, who sought to keep this volcanic island free from overdevelopment and pollution, the owners of this finca are not only fun, family orientated and funky, but also feisty in their mission to keep this beautiful island as responsible as possible.”
Our top Unusual Holiday
Spanish course & walking holiday, Picos de Europa, Spain
Walk and talk on this small group language holiday in Picos de Europa National Park
From
€659
7 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2020: 16 Mar, 23 Mar, 30 Mar, 6 Apr, 13 Apr, 20 Apr, 27 Apr, 4 May, 11 May, 18 May, 25 May, 1 Jun, 8 Jun, 15 Jun, 22 Jun, 29 Jun, 6 Jul, 13 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct
2020: 16 Mar, 23 Mar, 30 Mar, 6 Apr, 13 Apr, 20 Apr, 27 Apr, 4 May, 11 May, 18 May, 25 May, 1 Jun, 8 Jun, 15 Jun, 22 Jun, 29 Jun, 6 Jul, 13 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct
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.
Holiday reviews from our travellers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the unusual holiday travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your trip.
We have selected some of the unusual holiday travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your trip.
Think CAPSULE wardrobe! Cabins are bijou on board and storage is at a premium. So minimal is good!![]()
– Deborah Hancock on our Yogo Gulet Cruise in Turkey
“It was good, for a week we lived like Hobbits in our home under the hill. For fans of Bilbo Baggins this is the place to be. It's also a very good centre for walking and discovering the area, Huescar for its market, Castril is an area for long walks in wonderful scenery. A great place to go and stay” - Susan Clack on our Cave accommodation in Andalucia, Spain
“This was a tour of great variety. The agent handpicked for us 'off the beaten track', quirky homestays which fulfilled my brief perfectly. Being an outdoors, country lover type my favourite homestay was the Dewalokam Resort which offered the opportunity to try numerous activities ...yoga, swimming, trekking, massage, cooking. And more! But my husband enjoyed the two nights drifting peacefully through the backwaters on our own private rice barge. Had I been a town lover I would have said The Bungalow on Vypeen Island which was the total home experience and near to the hustle and bustle of Cochin” - Daphne Donkin on our Kerala Homestay Tour.
“The stay at the Tree Hotel was brilliant. The accommodation is great, the food delicious and the people wonderful. The whole experience was great, but probably the dog sledding outing was the stand-out element. Make sure you have a turn at driving the dog sled. If you're thinking of a visit to the Ice Hotel, go for a day trip, or stay in the warm accommodation. You can see all of the rooms in the actual Ice Hotel, but staying in one of the cold rooms involves a lot of hanging around as you only use your room to sleep in - you can't really relax at -5 degrees!” - Carole Thomas on our Treehotel and Northern Lights holiday, Sweden
“This was a tour of great variety. The agent handpicked for us 'off the beaten track', quirky homestays which fulfilled my brief perfectly. Being an outdoors, country lover type my favourite homestay was the Dewalokam Resort which offered the opportunity to try numerous activities ...yoga, swimming, trekking, massage, cooking. And more! But my husband enjoyed the two nights drifting peacefully through the backwaters on our own private rice barge. Had I been a town lover I would have said The Bungalow on Vypeen Island which was the total home experience and near to the hustle and bustle of Cochin” - Daphne Donkin on our Kerala Homestay Tour.
“The stay at the Tree Hotel was brilliant. The accommodation is great, the food delicious and the people wonderful. The whole experience was great, but probably the dog sledding outing was the stand-out element. Make sure you have a turn at driving the dog sled. If you're thinking of a visit to the Ice Hotel, go for a day trip, or stay in the warm accommodation. You can see all of the rooms in the actual Ice Hotel, but staying in one of the cold rooms involves a lot of hanging around as you only use your room to sleep in - you can't really relax at -5 degrees!” - Carole Thomas on our Treehotel and Northern Lights holiday, Sweden
Just be ready to let yourself go and enjoy being in a very different authentic existence for a while. The locals were key to the whole trip and were very happy to be sharing their culture![]()
– Dave Redfern on our Genghis Khan warrior training in Mongolia
More about Unusual
This unusual holidays guide takes you on a journey of eclectic adventures, one of which is guaranteed to wow you into doing something different.
To help you work out how to choose an unusual holiday, we've picked out some favourites that come up on our reviews as total dream come trues.
We love our quirky, fun and unusual places to stay on holiday because accommodations like these are created by people who really care.
Our unusual family holidays range from kayaking in Montenegro to monkeying around in Africa, sleeping in the Sahara to donkey trekking in the Alps.
Choosing a top ten unusual holidays list is nigh on impossible, but not when you ask our responsible travel experts to pick their quirky leaders in the field.
Unusual holiday destinations are about people who are providing out of the ordinary experiences in places that you might not usually think about visiting.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Paul Vinten] [Mongolia tips: Jeanne Menjoulet]
[Tips on getting up close to wildlife: V. Belov]
[Lanzarote tips: catherine mack]
[Deborah Hancock quote: Joselu Blanco]
[Dave Redfern quote: Pioneer Expeditions]
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