Travelers Are Trading Sightseeing for ‘Skillcations’

For generations, vacations have been about seeing famous landmarks, lounging on beaches, and collecting souvenirs.

But today’s travelers are looking for something more.

Across the country, hotels and resorts are embracing the growing trend of “skillcations” — trips built around learning a new skill rather than simply visiting a destination. Travelers can learn how to fly fish, arrange flowers, garden, surf, and much more. More people are seeking experiences that allow them to participate in a destination rather than simply observe it.

You can see why it’s popular. Photos capture a moment, but a skill can last a lifetime, and the experience you can have during a “skillcation” is one to remember.

In Burlington, Vermont, the locally owned Hotel Vermont created experiences around connecting visitors to the community. The hotel is known for its locally sourced furnishings, local artwork, and bath products made in Burlington, which allow guests a meaningful look at life in Vermont.

One of its most unique partnerships is with AO Glass, a working glassblowing studio in Burlington’s South End Arts District.

Once in the studio, guests enter a world of roaring furnaces and burning hot molten glass. Rich and Hannah were the tutors for my son and me, and they helped us select colors and shape the glass into vases.

The process is as difficult as you might suppose. Glass must be reheated, rotated, and shaped before it cools. You watch the experienced glass blowers first, and it looks fairly easy, but you quickly learn that it is almost impossible for an amateur. But with lots of guidance and lots of patience, you will learn how to blow glass.

I love my crooked vase that is unlike a souvenir purchased in a gift shop; it carries the memory of the experience itself and a new appreciation for the skill of the glassblowers at AO glass.

About 90 minutes south, another Vermont property is building an entire vacation concept around learning.

In Woodstock, Vermont, the Woodstock Inn & Resort recently launched Passion Pursuits, a program designed to help guests discover new hobbies and interests through hands-on instruction. These Passion Pursuits include everything from gardening and birding, skiing and fly fishing, and even antiquing. The program was inspired by research suggesting hobbies can improve wellbeing, personal growth, and social connection.

“We’ve always encouraged our guests to engage with the people and places around our storied resort through activities and experiences. It’s a big part of what makes time spent here so memorable,” says Bruce Grosbety, president of Woodstock Inn & Resort.

“The Passion Pursuits program encompasses all of that in one place. What I love most is that it gives our team a chance to share what they’re passionate about, too. We have people here who care deeply about what they do, and sharing that with a guest is the best part of our work. Those are the moments we hope people carry home with them. The joy of discovering something new about a place, or even about yourself.”

One of the program’s most popular activities is fly fishing.

Participants are outfitted with waders, rods, and flies before heading to local rivers with experienced guides. As a beginner, my learning curve was steep but still rewarding.

Although I left empty-handed, I gained an appreciation for the skill involved in reading a river, selecting a fly, and making a precise cast. As one instructor joked to me after a particularly challenging afternoon, I was far from the worst student” he had ever seen.

At Spectrum Resort Orlando, skill-building is all about food.

The resort’s residential-style accommodations come with fully equipped kitchens that become the classroom during private chef experiences. Guests work alongside professional chefs or Mixologists to prepare delicious meals or drinks in their own kitchen.

Executive Chef Sean Marzan, who leads many of the experiences, says,” The goal is to create an environment where guests feel comfortable participating. Rather than sitting down to a prepared meal, visitors become part of the process, asking questions, experimenting with ingredients, and learning techniques they can recreate at home.”

During my recent experience, I learned how to make some delicious mocktails while discussing flavor combinations, homemade syrups, and creative garnishes. Marzan later shared recipes for drinks, including a Strawberry & Raspberry Kombucha Smash and a Strawberry-Vanilla Berry Fizz, along with tips for creating professional-quality alcohol-free beverages at home.

The atmosphere is intentionally relaxed and feels less like a class and more like spending an evening cooking with friends who happen to be professional chefs.

Along Maine’s coast, travelers are finding another way to learn by doing.

At Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, an eco-luxury resort overlooking Crescent Beach, guests are encouraged to connect with the ocean nearby and to learn all about the birds of the region.

One of the most memorable excursions takes place aboard the Lucky Catch, a lobster boat operating from nearby Portland Harbor.

Instead of simply ordering lobster at a restaurant, guests head out onto Casco Bay to learn firsthand how Maine’s lobster fishing works. I learned how to help haul traps, measure lobster sizes, prepare bait bags, and place rubber bands around their claws.

It was fun and educational for adults and kids.

For kids who want to learn a skill, they should head to San Diego.

Families staying at Loews Coronado Bay Resort outside of San Diego can tap into the skillcation trend through the new Loews Little Legends STEAM Explorers program.

Little Legends makes vacation an opportunity for learning about the coast and sea life with hands-on activities. Young travelers receive Discovery Kits filled with tools like binoculars, a compass, a magnifying glass, and an interactive activity book that help them on their way.

Kids can learn how to fly a kite on the shores of Coronado Bay and learn the science behind it, or they can go on a guided nature walk at one of California’s state parks. Plus, they can complete a scavenger hunt at the resort.

For hotels and resorts, skillcations are a great way to create experiences that are both memorable and authentic. By partnering with local artists, chefs, guides, and experts, properties can showcase what makes their destinations unique while giving guests something tangible to take home.

For travelers, the appeal is equally clear.

A visitor might return from Burlington with a handmade glass vase, leave Vermont with a newfound appreciation for fly fishing, head home from Orlando with a collection of new recipes, or return from Maine understanding exactly what goes into bringing lobster from ocean to plate.

The souvenir is no longer the point.

The experience is.

And increasingly, travelers are discovering that learning something new may be the most valuable thing they bring home from vacation.