Top 10 vacations for the unemployed

Top 10 vacations for the unemployed


Lost your job Travel could be just the opportunity needed to expand your horizons and build some new skills. A travel website has come up with a list of the top vacations for the newly unemployed, ranging from snorkelling for science in the Bahamas to working on an organic farm in New Zealand.

Farm your way around the world

Join the non-profit network Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. In exchange for your room and board, usually in a family home, youll work part-time on one of 1,200 organic farms around the world. Grow kiwis in New Zealand, for example, while learning the basics of self-sufficient farming, organic cooking and alternative energy.

House swap

Home swapping allows you to exchange your house or apartment for someone elses , anywhere in the world. Whether you trade for a 400-year-old stone house in medieval Padua or a ski condo in Aspen , you wont pay a penny beyond the small registration fee.

Sail off into the sunset

Volunteer to work with a yacht delivery crew. Find opportunities around the world through the classifieds on Crew File, a free web resource that links yacht crews with sailing opportunities around the world. You dont need sailing skills or experience. Captains will often accept novices, if they have the right attitude, and teach them everything they need to know.

Stretch your savings with yoga teacher training

Yoga teacher training is available around the world at prices to suit any budget, but if you can afford it, do it in style in Thailands palm-canopied Koh Samui island. Some of the instructors are former investment bankers, so theyll know just where youre coming from. They say that most graduates recoup the cost of the tuition within four months.

Finish your novel in a medieval French village

Got a half-written novel in your drawer Find inspiration at a writers retreat in Labastide-Esparbairenque , in the heart of Cathar country in the Languedoc. Its location in a quiet, secluded medieval village means there are no distractions here beyond the rustic food, the local farmers markets, the nearby wineries, and the company
of other writers.

Good works with woodwork

Learn basic carpentry, acquire fluent Spanish, and help children with special needs by volunteering at a Peace Village centre for handicapped children in the heart of La Gran Sabana National Park in Venezuela. Youll help construct a playground and therapeutic horse-riding facilities, renovate rooms and gardens, and learn wood and stone working techniques.

Become a chef or just eat like one

Study the classic repertoire of Italian cuisine at the Casa Ombuto , a restored luxury villa high in the tranquil hills of the Casentino valley, just south of Florence. Youll make gnocchi, roll pasta, bake pizza in a wood-burning oven, prepare a wild boar with polenta, and whip up a warm lemon pie with Italian meringue. If these skills dont get you a job, they will at least make you very popular.

Save the whales

Protect the worlds endangered animals and habitats by volunteering with Earthwatch . Youll work with scientists on a field research or conservation project in one of 50 countries around the world. You can band penguins in South Africa, tag endangered sea turtles on the beaches of the Pacific, or snorkel for science while monitoring coral reef health in the Bahamas . TNN