Meaningful Vacations

There are many obvious and tangible benefits to learning a new skill while traveling. Combining leisure with personal growth brings a new and different level of rest to your break. It gives depth to the transformation one expects after having been on vacation, allowing a person to return a more extraordinary being who treads this earth with a new experience under their belt.

Then there is the exhilaration of being immersed in the culture of the place you are visiting and of course, being able to return with a souvenir born of your imagination and self-made with only the help of time and the guidance of an expert.

We’ve done our research and found some options to help satisfy your inner life and craving for purpose while on holiday:

Cape Malay Cooking Classes:

Cape Malay cuisine has its roots in the 17th-century exiled people brought to South Africa from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other parts of Southeast Asia by Dutch colonists. Over time, their cooking styles blended with local influences, creating a distinctive South African culinary tradition. Rich in aromatic spices such as cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and cloves, a sweet and savoury balance is achieved along with having a lot of fun.

IMISO Contemporary African Ceramic Classes:

The studio was co-founded by acclaimed ceramic artists Andile Dyalvane and Zizipho Poswa. Both artists bring their own cultural heritage and creativity to their work, making IMISO a hub of innovative African ceramics. The pieces that are meticulously handcrafted in this space often feature vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and organic shapes.

Translated, IMISO means 'a better tomorrow for future generations'. Come and tell your own story by making a masterpiece that is not only functional and artistic, but also embodies all your precious holiday memories.

Blomendahl Gin Masterclass & Distilling:

Blomendahl Gin is a premium craft gin that represents the rise of craft distilling in the Western Cape. This boutique distillery focuses on small-batch production using locally sourced ingredients such as botanicals native to the Cape Floral Kingdom.

Here you’ll get to unleash your inner mixologist. Can you imagine a more exceptional gift or keepsake! You'll be sipping on memories of the beautiful Cape for a long time after returning from your travels.

Learning a new skill while we have the time to fully savour and embrace every moment, rewires patterns of mental laziness we are often prone to when not engaged in our usual routines. It wakes up the mind in miraculous ways while at the same time deepening our connection to the place we are visiting. This means that we actively transform a travel experience into that travel experience when I learnt to make gin or that trip when I discovered that I love sculpting.

This holiday season, make every second count.