• Introduction
• 1. Spa Renewal
• 2. Health and Wellness
• 3. Academic Excursions
• 4. Extreme Sports
• 5. Volunteer Vacations
• 6. Photography Expeditions
• 7. Yoga Retreats
• 8. Wilderness Skills
• 9. Cooking Schools
• 10. Mountain Highs

Academic Excursions

Southeast Asia: Stanford University’s Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Suitcase Seminar, led by a former Stanford art history professor, includes tours of the Forbidden City in Hue and Buddhist temples in Luang Prabang. The 20-day trip is immersive, featuring traditional welcoming ceremonies, water-puppet performances, and visits to monasteries and the Phnom Penh university. Dec. 28-Jan. 16 and Feb. 15-Mar. 5; from $7,765, which includes visas and airfare from San Francisco or L.A. 

The Nile: Smithsonian Journeys’ Splendors of the Nile is a 12-day excursion that includes a stunning visit to the Pyramids of Giza. A Smithsonian Egyptologist brings to life the region’s religion, art, and recent archaeological discoveries. Four nights are spent in hotels in Cairo and Luxor, four on the Mirage II ship cruising the Nile, and the last at Aswan’s Elephantine Island Resort. Various departures Jan.-Apr. and Sept.-Nov.; from $1,849, based on double occupancy.

See Argentina Travel Guide | See Costa Rica Travel Guide | See Ecuador Travel Guide | See Egypt Travel Guide | See India Travel Guide | See U.S. Virgin Islands Travel Guide | See San Diego Travel Guide | See New Mexico Travel Guide | See The Big Island Travel Guide