Learning vacations are taking off

We’ve been conducting what we term “Education on Location” learning tours at Ohio University Southern for the last 12 years. Our classes have been conducted domestically and internationally, on beaches, boats, busses and byways.

Now it appears that the concept of travel plus classes is expanding countrywide. According to a 2006 survey conducted by the Travel Industry Association 56 % of travelers said they were interested in taking an educational trip.

For me a working definition of a learning vacation is when you participate in lectures, instructions or activities. This means that you have classes or hands on workshops in the subject of your choice. At OU we have focused on art, music, literature and history. Many travel to learn programs feature courses in foreign language, classical music, art, cooking, religion and so forth. The list of topics is almost endless.

One on-line source of information concerning educational vacations that I am familiar with is Shaw Guides. They have a fairly complete listing of trips plus an Internet should also provide plenty of responses.

A word of caution before you plop down any money is to thoroughly research the supplier. For most folks this is a difficult if not impossible chore so here’s where I recommend that you talk with your travel agent. There’s a good chance that they’ve heard about this company and can steer you away from trouble and into a great travel learning experience.