Taste can trigger our most intense memories, like the bit of petite madeleine that instantly evoked a dreamy past in Proust's A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu. Food-focused trips stimulate all the senses: eyes feast on colourful markets, loud with the call of traders and sizzle of food stalls, with a local guide to help you bargain – or banter. Tempting smells waft everywhere, while hands cradle on-the-go snacks or sun-warmed fruit. Take a break from the stove – or take a cooking lesson with passionate locals eager to share favourite recipes.
Food reveals many secrets about a place: the people's connection with the land, the barter of the markets, the love poured into the preparation – and the rituals of serving and eating
![]()
But you don't need to be a foodie zealot to adore a foodie trip. Our cooking and food vacations offer a global menu for every taste: squeezing ripe fruit at the market as your tour leader helps you haggle; weighing out a rainbow of spices to bring to your lunchtime cookery class; browsing street food stalls by day or night; living with a farming family whose lives revolve around creating food from the ground. This cooking & food vacations guide helps you hand pick the ingredients to whip up the perfect food-focused trip for you.
