Vacations used to be simple: fly, flop and drop. These days, though, travelers want more. And this more comes in the form of something enriching. Skillcations answer that call with trips designed around learning hands-on skills that connect you to where you’re visiting.
Travel inspires wanderlust, and skillcations add wonderlust: the urge to explore not just a place, but what you can do there. The curiosity shows up in the numbers. Hilton’s recent research found that 72% of travelers want time off to explore personal passions, skills or hobbies.
Hotels quickly caught on, offering pottery and glassblowing sessions with master artisans, falconry programs with trained hawks, or experiences such as gladiator training and traditional Japanese papermaking. These skillcations turn a room with a view into a room with meaning.
Why Learning on Vacation Feels So Good
A skillcation gives back in ways a beach chair never could. When you step away from your usual routine, your brain starts to pay attention in new ways. And suddenly the world feels bigger and more inviting.
Learning a skill draws you into the moment in a way that poolside lounging can’t. Unlike passive downtime, it leaves something behind: a dish you’ll actually make in February, a painting you hang on the wall, a move you can finally land in the water.
There’s a quiet thrill in trying something unfamiliar and walking away with even a shaky grasp of it. Growth doesn’t need months of practice or hidden talent—just a willingness to show up and maybe look a little foolish for an afternoon.
The social aspect adds yet another layer. You meet instructors who’ve spent years perfecting their craft, fellow travelers who signed up for the same reasons and locals whose stories don’t make it into guidebooks.
Here’s Where to Skillcation
Ready to take on a skillcation? The eight hotels and resorts below have designed skillcation programs around what their locations do best. The skills are yours to keep.
1. Sundance Mountain Resort — Utah
Beneath Mount Timpanogos, Sundance Mountain Resort’s Art Studio & Gallery offers classes in jewelry making, pottery, journal creation, perfume blending and soapmaking for all skill levels.
The Glassblowing Studio takes discarded glass from the resort’s bars and restaurants and transforms it into art pieces, vases and dinner plates. Popular offerings include wheel-thrown pottery, silversmithing, watercolor painting and natural perfumemaking using essential oils and French-style techniques.
2. Sea Island — Georgia
At this coastal Georgia resort, guests can experience “The Falconer’s Apprentice,” an exclusive 120-minute private program covering the history, traditions, training and techniques of falconry. Participants work directly with Sea Island’s master falconers and experience hawk walks with Harris hawks.
The programming extends to younger guests, too. Archery classes offer kids one hour of instruction and target practice, while the Turtle Technicians program allows children to learn about local turtle species.
3. Enchantment Resort — Arizona
Inspired by Sedona’s healing energy, Enchantment Resort offers spirit animal painting with oracle cards and pottery classes. The resort also provides pyrography (wood burning) workshops.
One particularly creative offering allows guests to bring their dogs to pottery class to create paw print keepsakes. Many of the classes can be paired with wine selections from the resort’s sommelier (don’t mind if we do)!
4. Hotel del Coronado — California
On San Diego’s iconic Coronado Island shores, Hotel del Coronado partners with the Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience to offer world-class surf instruction.
The surf school specializes in beginner lessons on the gentle, rolling waves that make Coronado Beach ideal for first-timers. Private lessons, group sessions and family experiences are available, with surfboards and personalized instruction both on land and in the water.
5. Mohonk Mountain House — New York
Mohonk Mountain House operates like an adult summer camp set in a Victorian castle, with a rotating roster of skillcation experiences that change with the seasons. Guests learn tomahawk throwing techniques, tackle via ferrata rock climbing or work with horses during riding sessions.
Winter programming includes embossed medallion workshops, art history lectures and Qigong classes. The resort’s 85 miles of hiking trails offer guided nature experiences where naturalists teach you to identify flora, track wildlife or read the landscape.
6. Fogo Island Inn — Newfoundland
Perhaps no property embodies the skillcation ethos better than Fogo Island Inn. This architectural marvel offers guests an extraordinary array of hands-on experiences rooted in Newfoundland culture.
Guests can visit the Fogo Clay Studio for pottery sessions led by an expert potter with over 30 years of experience. Sessions adapt to your skill level, and glazes reflect the island’s natural palette. The inn also offers foraging workshops, jam and jelly making, boat building introductions and bushcrafting.
7. Rome Cavalieri — Italy
For travelers seeking an immersive historical experience, Rome Cavalieri offers its unique Gladiator School program. Guests receive training in ancient combat techniques in the hotel’s gardens (a far more pleasant setting than the Circus Maximus of 2,000 years ago).
Participants train in full gladiator garb, complete with tunic, Roman sandals, belt, protective gloves and wooden training sword. The experience covers the history of gladiatorial combat and gladiator types (like Gallus, Thracian and Provocatores).
8. ROKU KYOTO — Japan
In the foothills of the Takagamine Mountains, ROKU KYOTO offers guests authentic Japanese cultural experiences, such as washi papermaking workshops. The hotel’s location honors the area’s history as a water source for this craft, dating back to the ninth century.
Workshops in kintsugi (restoring pottery with gold), traditional ceramic art and other cultural experiences are led by local shokunins (master craftspeople) in generations-old ateliers specializing in pottery, gold leaf art and Nishijin textiles.
Snapshot
- Skillcations combine travel with hands-on learning experiences that teach you pottery, falconry, surfing or traditional crafts rooted in regional culture.
- Research shows 72% of travelers now seek vacations that explore personal passions and develop new skills.
- Learning a skill on vacation draws you into the moment, unlike passive downtime. You leave with something tangible: a pottery piece, a new technique, or connections with instructors and locals.
- The eight properties listed offer skillcation programs grounded in their locations. Options include glassblowing in Utah, falconry in Georgia, gladiator training in Rome and Japanese papermaking in Kyoto.
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