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.

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.

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 cycling around Zanzibar, are all just a few of the busy and sometimes bizarre beauties on offer, when you are looking to do something different on holiday.