Life is full of adventures, personal challenges, goals and dreams. Would you step out of your comfort zone and embark on a vacation that could change your life?
Learning to sail aboard a beautiful yacht in a glorious destination is something many people only dare to dream. Nautilus Sailing encourages fellow sailors, whether novice or sea dog, to live their best life of adventure. You'll follow cutting-edge curricula that combine the luxury of yachting with the intensive hands-on experience needed to be a confident, careful, and capable sailor.
The week-long sailing course will put you aboard a beautifully appointed catamaran or monohull in The Grenadines, Bahamas, Mexico, South Pacific, Spain or Croatia. The patient crew guide you through knots, pullies, sailing terminology and the physics of the wind and ocean so that you can, with confidence, sail your own boat or charter a yacht anywhere in the world. Although the course is intense, it’s a lot of fun, with activities such as snorkeling, diving, paddleboarding and hiking interspersed between learning.
Nautilus Sailing is a multi-award-winning sailing school that boasts only the finest sailing vessels and instructors who were first and foremost teachers. When combined, they give you the best educational programs in the world. You'll learn how to sail to hidden bays and anchor just off tiny islands with white sandy beaches or explore small seaside villages and meet the locals. A Nautilus Sailing sailing course is a truly incredible journey that will challenge you in all the best ways. It’s a holiday, but a learning one!
Nautilus Sailing, various destinations, https://www.nautilussailing.com/, approximately $6,000 for seven days
Imagine stepping back in time to an era of tribes and money made from seashells. The Solomon Islands has changed little, apart from the tribespeople now trade in coins. Bilikiki is one of two liveaboards that sail the undiscovered seas of the Solomons, an archipelago of almost 1,000 islands. The untouched waters are one of Oceania's Seven Natural Wonders of the World and perfectly described as the Amazon of the Ocean.
If you are learning to SCUBA dive, then learn the Bilikiki way. Before journeying to The Solomon Islands, study the PADI theory classes and practice your diving skills with your local dive centre. When you arrive in the Solomons, you can finalize your PADI Open Water certification with Tina and Oli. Marovo, the largest saltwater lagoon in the world is perfect for newly qualified divers to find their balance. Munda and Poviana lagoons are fringed by a chain of barrier reefs that give way to rich slopes, beautiful coral walls and deep, crystal clear water.
As one of the only liveaboards in the Solomon Islands, Bilikiki strives to impact the area with nothing but positivity. The instructors enforce environmentally sound diving practices to protect the beauty and biodiversity of the extraordinary landscape. Be one of the very few to experience world-class diving in untouched waters, walk beside local tribespeople and live freely in nature.
Bilikiki Cruises, Solomon Islands, https://www.bilikiki.com, approximately $5,000 for seven nights
Do you have a keen eye for photography and want to learn about various camera angles, shutter speeds, positioning your subject and how to use your camera discreetly for award-worthy images? Ross Grieve, the founder of multi-award-winning Ross Grieve Photography, can guide you through his fascinating insights into street photography in his tailor crafted street photography courses.
Street photography is described as photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents. Documenting people in their everyday environment requires compassion, patience and sometimes even bravery. Ross provides endless helpful tips and tricks so that your photography begins to tell a story. His bespoke training courses are fun and fluid; he teaches you various techniques in one of the most challenging genres of photography. Learn how to think on your feet and react quickly whilst following the principles of photography such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, symmetry, use of negative space, framing and composition.
Explore the bustling streets of London with Ross as he takes you to iconic places of interest, through undiscovered cobbled lanes, along river banks, through quirky boroughs and underground mazes. He'll provide guidance on editing your images using color balancing, moody monochrome and cropping techniques. Enjoy being taken out of your comfort zone with a master photographer as you journey through your own story.
Ross Grieve Photography, London, https://www.rossgrieve.com/street, approximately $2,700 for three days excluding accommodation
Explore the finest cuisine on guided culinary journeys through Italy with foodie sisters Gina and Mary. The sister's run small culinary tours during which they explore traditionally local food and wine and visit some of the country's interesting history. You'll venture to daily farmer's markets, moreish vineyards and cantinas, and pretty ancient hill-top villages. They'll take you off-the-beaten-track so that you can live like a true Italian local. Ecco La Cucina, when translated, means 'here's the kitchen'.
Ecco La Cucina offers hands-on Italian cooking classes and wine tours through some of Italy's most renowned wine regions. The small culinary tours are carefully curated so that you get the best out of picture-postcard destinations such as Tuscany, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna and Puglia. The tours are run throughout the year and have various unique highlights, including an in-depth discovery and tasting of various wines and an artisan food tour where you might discover local cheese or hazelnut farmers and go behind the scenes with a chocolatier. The sisters have an extraordinary sense of each region and take you to tiny villages, remote farms and bustling town markets to discover various hidden gems that only a local will know. You’ll stay in beautiful well-hosted historical homesteads throughout each of the tours and enjoy the company of your hosts and other like-minded enthusiasts.
Ecco La Cucina, various locations, www.eccolacucina.com approximately $5,200 for seven days
Thailand is renowned for its breathtaking scenery, white sandy beaches, clear, azure waters, and friendly locals. There is no better way to explore the coastline and the outlying mangroves of the southernmost islands than on a paddleboard. Not only does it allow you to be at one with nature, it gives you a sense of peace and is a core-strengthening exercise.
Modern-day SUP is a sport born from Hawaiian surfing and dates back less than a decade. Standup paddleboarders stand on their boards and use a paddle to propel themselves forward. There are different variations of the sport, including surfing, racing, flat, coastal and whitewater, yoga and fishing. It's thought that SUP dates back to 3000 BC when boarders would use boards made from tightly bundled reeds.
With iSUP Samui, you’ll learn how to confidently paddleboard, manage different conditions and master technical paddling techniques. You’ll embrace a new way to explore Samui’s shores and appreciate the spectacular array of colors as the sun rises or sets over the Gulf of Thailand. Husband and wife ASI qualified team Ian and Tammy will take you on some extraordinary adventures. One of their favorites is Koh Si Koh Ha, which translates into four-islands five-islands, because one island is hidden by four others! The islands are inhabited by sea gypsies and are known for their swifts nests which Asians use in bird's nest soup.
ISup Samui, Koh Samui, Thailand, https://www.isupsamui.com, approximately $2,000 for five days adventures excluding accommodation
Disclaimer Please note that the rates quoted do not include flights or other travel expenses, additional accommodation, visas or taxes.
