Sure, a great meal is a definite vacation highlight, but if you’re a true foodie, then your travel likely revolves around food. Culinary-focused vacations can feature multiple Michelin-starred meals, hands-on cooking classes, truffle-foraging adventures, and more – anything that allows travelers to experience a destination’s soul through its cuisine. Several hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, and destinations around the globe specialize in culinary travel, and they’re ready to sate travelers with novel experiences and award-winning restaurants that give them a taste of their surroundings. If you want your next trip to be a culinary extravaganza, consider one of these ideas:
Travelers looking to go beyond restaurants and food markets are seeking out opportunities to visit locals’ homes, cooking alongside them and even sitting down at their dining room tables to enjoy the fruits of their shared kitchen labor. Not only do these in-home cooking and dining experiences offer a true taste of traditional local life, but they provide income for host families who participate too. Travel advisors can work with Virtuoso on-site tour connections to arrange these private, one-of-a-kind experiences.
Figuring out where to find authentic food when you’re traveling can be overwhelming. The solution: Sign up for a food tour led by a reputable, local, and native guide. Many tours are themed – spicy foods, make-you-squirm dishes, and desserts only, to name a few – while others focus on loved-by-locals spots where you’re unlikely to see tons of tourists.