The annual vacation standard of lounging poolside with a cocktail is being replaced by a growing trend: learning holidays. Modern travellers are seeking deeper, more authentic experiences that combine skill-building with relaxation – with a host of new experiences that enrich the mind and spirit while fostering personal growth. Whether it’s riding waves, mastering ancient arts, or gaining new certifications, these journeys provide lifelong memories and skills. They are a way to pursue new (or old) hobbies or even a means to launch a new career.

Learn to surf in the Maldives

I slip on reef booties and head down to a strip of sugar-white sand at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa for a beginners’ surf lesson. As instructor Julien Passard of luxury surf outfit Tropicsurf takes me through the basics, he says it doesn’t really matter whether I get to my feet or not today. “The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun,” he says.

Tropicsurf aims to make surfing safe, accessible and comfortable. So, if you’ve always yearned to catch a wave but (like me) found surf culture intimidating, it’s worth exploring whether Tropicsurf has a presence at your dream destination. Odds are good it will: after opening at Kuda Huraa in 2002, the Noosa-based company has since expanded to include other luxury resorts, including in Indonesia, Fiji, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Seychelles and more.

Kuda Huraa is located within easy reach of some of the Maldives’ best surf breaks. Passard provides plenty of individualised feedback designed to improve my technique so by the end of the lesson, I’m standing on the board, albeit briefly. Student progress is tracked across different properties, so if you later stay at a different destination, the instructors can pick up where you left off.

Go to Greece to undertake yoga teacher training

The Ionian islands in Greece are often seen as places to party hard, but for people seeking to build new skills, there are still pockets of peace, serenity and enlightenment to be found. On Zakynthos island, retreat provider Nomadikas offers yoga teacher training in a serene Mediterranean setting. Participants complete a 200-hour program while staying in luxury villas, enjoying activities like swimming with turtles and dolphin spotting.

Nomadikas CEO and founder Darina Angelow leveraged her fashion industry background to travel the world, seeking out hidden gems where nature dominates. “Nomadikas aspires to curate the perfect balance between activities, culture, wellness and me-time,” she says.

Yoga teacher trainees participate in a 200-hour training program, staying in luxury villa accommodation. Off the mat, they swim with loggerhead turtles, explore stunning cliffs, spot dolphins and monk seals, and savour the sunsets. Graduates leave with a globally recognized certification to teach yoga.

Improve your photography skills in Iceland

Fremantle-based landscape photographer Adam Monk runs photography tours to a range of destinations, including Tasmania, Bhutan and Japan. But one of the destinations he finds most compelling is Iceland. “It’s a unique landscape,” says Monk. “Photographically speaking, pretty much everywhere you turn, there’s something to shoot.”

Monk leads small-group tours in Iceland, focusing on off-the-beaten-path landscapes that you’re less likely to see in postcards. Participants of all skill levels receive personalized guidance while capturing the country’s dramatic scenery, from lava fields to glacier lagoons. Each tour is limited to six students, to ensure everyone receives ample feedback. Accommodation is provided in a range of character-filled farm stays and swish hotels.

Monk caters for a variety of skill levels. “I’ve had everything from someone who’s literally turned up with their camera in its original box, still with the shrink wrapping on it, going, ‘I don’t know how to work this,’ to retired professionals,” he says.

Master the language of love in the French Alps

Keen to push your understanding of French beyond bonsoir and parlez-vous anglais? The Alpine French School in Morzine and Les Gets, combines language lessons with outdoor adventures. Students can ski in winter or hike in summer, all while improving their French in small, interactive classes. Each adult class is capped at eight students and teachers focus on students’ use of French in real-life settings. They cater for beginners as well as more advanced students. “We work on relevant vocabulary and pronunciation to increase your ability to express yourself in French,” says founder Helen Watts, a British expatriate who set up the school almost 20 years ago. Students can stay with a French host family, in self-catering chalets, or in local three- and four-star hotels.

For a more bespoke experience, Language & Luxury offers private immersion programs in destinations like Bordeaux and Lisbon. Tailormade language and cultural immersion programs are delivered in conjunction with upscale accommodations, in multiple destinations. Learn French in the wine country of Bordeaux, Spanish in the Mediterranean port city of Malaga, Portuguese in Lisbon, Italian in Rome or German in Berlin.

Explore the beauty of calligraphy in Japan

Calligraphy is an important Japanese art form, as demonstrated byu dedicated museums and art gallery exhibitions of what’s also known as shodo (the way of writing), in Japanese culture. In the hands of leading practitioners, calligraphy is even considered an expression of Zen, with philosopher Nishida Kitaro suggesting that masters’ work was not the product of intense effort but rather a state of flow called mushin (no mind state).

Seeking to emulate the elegant brushstrokes of the masters? There’s probably no better place to learn Japanese calligraphy than in Tokyo, which is not only the country’s largest city, but is home to the specialist Calligraphy Museum. At Tokyo’s Hotel Chinzanso, a luxury property set on 16 acres of Japanese botanical gardens, guests can learn shodo using traditional techniques. Lessons incorporate cultural elements like haiku (poetry writing) and origami (paper folding), with the option to relax afterward in the hotel’s onsen or spa.

Discover lomi lomi traditions in Hawaii

The Hawaiian island of Maui is the perfect place to learn the healing practice of lomi lomi. Falling somewhere between a style of massage incorporating spiritual and energetic aspects and an all-encompassing heart-centred approach to life, lomi lomi is a popular inclusion on spa menus.

Lomi lomi was originally a practice passed down from one family member to the next. But after studying under six lineages of Hawaiian elders, Kumu Jeana Iwalani Naluai of Ho’omana Spa Maui resolved to share this knowledge with anyone eager to learn it. Ho’omana Spa Maui offers a month-long immersion program into the Hawaiian healing art of lomi lomi, integrating healing bodywork and cultural education alongside workshops focussing on specialist techniques such as pregnancy massage or Kua Lua Hawaiian back walking. Students learn traditional techniques, visit sacred sites, and participate in cultural rituals, all while staying in tranquil accommodations on Maui.