The best arts and crafts classes for travellers
Do more with your next overseas holiday, and learn a new DIY skill from traditional artisans
If you want something more from your holidays than sipping beers on the beach or taking on extreme sports challenges, then you’re not alone. Travellers have long dipped into local culture with cooking classes and tastings of wine, beer and chocolate. But, perhaps because of a DIY-mad millennials or the current vogue for worldly, fair-trade goods and fashion, there are increasing options to learn regional crafts, too.
Some courses consist of an hour or two of demonstrations by a local craftsperson – a Japanese paper maker, a North Carolina woodworker – with a chance to try your hand at their art and create your own memento. Other classes might take all day or a few days, depending on your level of interest and available vacation time. Some programmes employ refugees or people who might otherwise be living in poverty; all let you interact with locals in a deeper way than a stop at a souvenir stand.
“We try to create immersive experiences with not only hands-on crafting but also cultural and culinary opportunities,” says company founder Angela Ritchie. “You’ll get to take home a handmade souvenir, but you also leave with a collection of local experiences and fresh ideas.”
Here are several places you can exercise your creativity as well as your curiosity. Booking in advance is recommended.