Learning holidays: come home with a new skill

Book a learning break

Need a holiday? Worried you never have time to do the things you really want to do? It\'s time to address both issues - by booking a fabulous trip where you can learn something new, too. From perfume-making to pig-farming (yes, you did read that right), here are 10 of the best ideas...

By Jane Murphy

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25 life-changing weekends

Learn photography skills in Italy

Hoping for the most impressive set of holiday snaps ever? Join a small group for a five-day photography holiday in the breath-taking Abruzzo region - otherwise known as \'the garden of Italy\'. While you\'re there, you\'ll be encouraged to try out new camera techniques - but it\'s not all about taking pictures. You\'ll stay at Villa Danilo on the edge of the Majella National Park, where you can sample the very best local food and wine, swim in the outdoor pool and relax in the grotto-themed spa.

The details: The next trip leaves on 14 April and costs £899, excluding flights. Find out more at www.frui.co.uk.

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Run a smallholding in Herefordshire

OK, that may not sound like much of a holiday, but bear with us... Guests staying at the gorgeous 16th-century Grade II-listed Hareley Barn can join a free half-day \'Starting a Smallholding\' course at the owners\' rare breeds farm. You\'ll get an overview on land management, choice of livestock and breed, regulations, marketing and all the ups and downs of being a smallholder - plus you get to meet some of the Southdown sheep and Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs. So if you\'ve ever fancied a move to the countryside, this could be the time to find out whether it\'s really for you.

The details: A week\'s self-catering in the two-bedroom barn conversion costs around £625. Find out more at www.premiercottages.com.

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Get clued up on the cuisine in Vietnam

Get a real taste of Vietnam on one of Buffalo Tours\' tailor-made gourmet trips. You\'ll see all the country\'s cultural highlights, take part in cookery classes (including one with a local family in Saigon and another in a beautiful villa in tropical surroundings) and dine in top restaurants along the way. Want a quick taster of the recipes you\'ll learn while you\'re there? Fresh rice paper rolls of shrimp, Vietnamese eggplant in a clay pot, and crispy Hoi An pancakes with shrimp, herbs and peanut sauce. Delicious!

The details: Nine-day tours cost from around £1,895 per person, including flights. Book through www.bridgetheworld.com.

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Learn flower-arranging in Nottinghamshire

Thoresby Hall Hotel & Spa is a stunning country mansion complete with rose gardens, a croquet lawn and roaming deer. So it provides the perfect setting in which to brush up your floristry skills. Throughout the two-day course, you\'ll be taught how to create gorgeous floral bouquets and gifts. You\'ll also learn which shapes, colours, fragrances and vases complement one another best. Oh, and you can also indulge in some TLC in the spa plus gourmet food in the award-winning Blue Room restaurant.

The details: The next flower-arranging courses start on 14 March and 4 July 2011, and cost £60 per person. A four-night hotel break, including dinner, bed and breakfast, costs from £309 per person based on two people sharing. Find out more at www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk.

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Make your own fragrance in Switzerland

The luxurious Kulm Hotel in St Moritz is offering a seasonal fragrances course with French perfumer Nicolas de Barry in March. The details? You\'ll get to include your own unique scent and receive an introduction to aroma oil therapy so you can create your own blends back home. The trip also includes three nights\' accommodation with breakfast and dinner every day, plus an aromatic oil massage in the hotel\'s Panorama Spa. Smells good to us!

The details: The next course is scheduled for March, and prices start from around £875 per person. Find out more at www.kulmhotel-stmoritz.ch.

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Go wine-tasting in Gloucestershire

No, you don\'t have to leave the country to learn more about wine at an award-winning vineyard. A two-night stay at Three Choirs near Newent includes dinner, a bottle of sparkling wine in your room on arrival, tasting notes, a self-guided tour of the vineyards and free wine-tasting in the shop. It\'s a very romantic setting, too: double rooms all have their own patios overlooking the vines, or stay in a lodge room 500 metres away from the main buildings.

The details: A two-night break as above costs from £440 for two people. Find out more at www.threechoirs.com.

Paint the scenery in Kerala

Beautiful Kerala in Southern India is a painter\'s paradise - thanks to its lush landscape, brilliant birds and butterflies, and the colourful hustle and bustle of its towns. Authentic Adventures\' two-week painting trips are led by experienced tutors, and take in waterside locations, Periyar Tiger Reserve, the tea gardens of the Western Ghats, and the old European settlement of Cochin. Beginners\' courses are run in parallel with trips for more experienced painters - so don\'t be put off if you haven\'t put brush to paper since you were at primary school.

The details: There\'s a trip leaving in mid-January, price £1,985 including flights - or save up for the November 2011 tour, price £2,685. Find out more at www.authenticadventures.co.uk.

Become a housekeeper in West Sussex

Fancy coming over all \'Upstairs, Downstairs\'? CV Travel offers certified courses in household management or butler-training during your stay at the historic Tythe Barn in Ovingdon near Brighton. Take your pick from the two-day Entry Level Certificate or three-day Advanced Level courses, both of which include instruction from a former royal butler. (Top etiquette tip: it\'s not acceptable to ask for gossip on the Royal Family, unfortunately!)

The details: The two-day course costs £600 per person, including one night\'s accommodation and all meals. Or you can simply rent the house for £1,750 per week and hire your own cook and butler for an extra fee. Find out more at www.cvtravel.co.uk.

Make vegetarian meze in Turkey

Exclusive Escapes offers vegetarian cookery breaks on which guests learn to create traditional Turkish veggie dishes alongside one of Turkey\'s leading chefs, Semra Aydeniz. The highlight of each day is a six-course evening banquet - prepared by the guests, of course - featuring plenty of olives, local cheeses and home-baked bread. The location? The six-bedroom Yediburunlar is set on one of the most dramatic sections of the Lycian Way, with stunning views across the mountains and down to the sea.

The details: The next course runs from 3 July 2011 and costs £1,200, including flights, transfers and full-board accommodation. Find out more at www.exclusiveescapes.co.uk.

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Get naturally snappy in Northumberland

Why not combine a break in wild and wonderful Northumberland with a tailor-made photography course? Photo-journalist Andy Craig teaches the art of taking natural snaps on the area\'s amazing beaches. He\'ll demonstrate how to capture the atmosphere and light, and how to see the potential in any landscape. The course also includes a short section on Photoshop skills. While you\'re there, stay in award-winning B&B St Cuthbert\'s House in Seahouses, a great base from which to explore the coastline.

The details: Andy\'s courses start from £60 for half a day; get more information at www.acphototraining.co.uk. And one night at St Cuthbert\'s House starts from £90 per room; see www.stcuthbertshouse.com.