You only have two precious weeks of vacation time per year. Will you use it to travel or enjoy your favorite hobbies?
Don’t choose. Take a hobbiday instead.
Resorts worldwide give travelers the best of both worlds by embracing the luxury travel experience that lets vacationers enjoy their favorite pastimes in exotic new locales.
What’s a Hobbiday?
“Hobbiday” is a portmanteau, or clever mash-up, of the words “holiday” and “hobby.” Its creation and usage celebrate the overlap in vacations and activities.
Vacationers no longer sacrifice their favorite leisure activities to visit their bucket list destinations; travelers select itineraries and resorts that cater to their favorite things, such as wellness, fitness, music, food, and the arts.
Passion Travel Trend
Traveling has long been a great way to explore outdoor and cultural hobbies. Adventurers flock to natural parks to hike, boat, and try other outdoor activities, while tourists swarm historical sites and museums.
Current travel trends see tourists prioritizing hobbies and passions when traveling. Many vacationers book trips to destinations that align with personal interests and allow them to engage in preferred activities like yoga, music, and crafting. Resorts worldwide want guests to get the best of both worlds by offering premium hobbiday experiences.
Resorts Catering to Hobbies
To transform your next holiday into a hobbiday, consider booking a trip that promises engagement, enrichment, and personalized self-care.
Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe
The all-inclusive Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe allows travelers to enjoy their favorite hobbies under the Caribbean sun.
Wellness enthusiasts will enjoy guided yoga on the beach and signature treatments at the on-site spa, while foodies can learn culinary secrets at weekly cooking classes.
The weekly event calendar includes activities for nearly every hobby, from salsa lessons and Spanish classes to handicraft night and beach volleyball.
Art’otel
Europe’s trendy Art’otel allows visitors to immerse themselves in the arts while they explore history’s most iconic cities.
Art’otel collaborates with the lead figures in contemporary art to immerse guests in the current art scene. The hotels curate on-site galleries, decorate guest spaces with artistic decor, and offer workshops and classes.
Some locations offer vacation experiences focused on the arts. The Amsterdam Art’otel cooperates with the Straat Museum, and offers visitors admission to the world’s biggest street art museum as well as a free copy of Quote from the Streets, the museum’s photography book.
The chain has properties in Amsterdam, London, and Berlin, with new locations in Rome and Zagreb scheduled to open this year.
Casa de Campo Resort and Villas
The luxurious resort in La Romana, a gorgeous coastal community in the Dominican Republic, offers tourists the opportunity to engage in traditional wellness hobbies you’d expect from a luxury Caribbean getaway while providing so much more for those on the lookout for a hobbiday experience.
The resort works alongside NCG Experience to offer art workshops, crafting classes, cooking experiences, dance lessons, and plenty of outdoor adventures.
Guests can try their hand at painting, pottery, food preparation, and tree planting. Guests interested in education and history can learn cultural dances and other unique activities.
Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Resort
Maui’s luxurious Grand Wailea lets lucky guests indulge in health-centered hobbies, history, handicrafts, and natural resource preservation.
One of the best holiday activities at the Grand Wailea relates to natural resource preservation. The resort partners with Hawaii Land Trust, a non-profit organization working to protect the native ecosystem, to allow tourists to participate in volunteer days, helping restore and clean protected lands.
However, the resort offers far more. It bursts with cultural activities that immerse visitors in traditional Hawaiian culture. Learn Hula, weave authentic bracelets, participate in a morning e ala e chant, and enjoy a grand Luau.
The resort offers a variety of other activities related to your favorite hobbies as well. Book an astrology reading, join group yoga on the beach, or take a garden tour with the head landscaper.
Hobbiday Cruises
Resorts aren’t the only travel industry leaning into the hobbiday experience.
Cruise ships also emphasize hobbies, with entire voyages dedicated to niche interests.
Royal Caribbean’s Crafty Cruise Getaway
Setting sail in February 2025, the Crafty Cruise offers interactive workshops with some of YouTube’s biggest crafting influencers. Mingle with Kay and Trish from Crafting Cousins, Brandy from Making it My Own DIY, and Kendra from Late Knight Creations as you learn how to fashion wreaths, bows, and wooden signs from the experts.
The cruise departs from Galveston and visits Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, allowing travelers to visit two iconic destinations between crafting nights.
Crafting isn’t the only activity available on the niche cruise. The festivities occur on one of Royal Caribbean’s flagship voyagers, the Mariner of the Seas, which features a luxurious spa, escape room, live orchestra, ice skating, art gallery, and other enticing amenities.
Pop Culture Cruises
Some cruise lines allow guests to rub elbows with the stars of their favorite shows while enjoying a sea-faring adventure. Wrestling fans can set sail on the Rock n Wrestling Rager, and Trekkies can mingle on the bridge of Royal Caribbean’s annual Star Trek cruise. Numerous cult-classic shows, including Supernatural, Schitt’s Creek, and Game of Thrones, host cruises for dedicated fans
If you can’t decide, book a trip on the Comic-Con Cruise, scheduled to set sail from Tampa in February 2025. Join actors, writers, and illustrators onboard Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas as you enjoy cosplay contests, karaoke battles, game nights, and whiskey-tasting. Bring your most iconic D&D characters and join random pop-up tables with folks who share your passion for all things geeky.
Niche Cruises
These larger cruises cater to hobbies with massive audiences, but smaller cruise lines celebrate niche hobbies on a more personal level.
Charter an art journey with European Waterways to learn plein-air painting techniques along the Canal du Midi in southwest France, or join one of CraftCruises‘ knitting expeditions to mingle with other needlework enthusiasts and expand your skills. Those looking to get their sea legs can also find cruises highlighting scrapbooking, golfing, wellness, and other concentrations.
Enjoy Your Hobbiday!
With the rise of hobbidays, tourists no longer need to choose whether to spend their precious vacation days traveling or indulging in a favorite hobby. They can do both.
