Top 10 holidays for the newly unemployed 
Top 10 holidays for the newly unemployed
Yoga teacher training is available around the world at prices to suit any budget.
Lost your job? Travel could be just the opportunity needed to expand horizons and build some new skills.
Travel
+ Leisure has come up with a list of the top holidays for the newly
unemployed, ranging from snorkeling for science in the Bahamas to
working on an organic farm in New Zealand.
1. Farm your way around the world:
Join
the nonprofit network Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. In
exchange for your room and board, usually in a family home, you'll 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.
2. House swap:
Home
swapping allows you to exchange your house or apartment for someone
else's, anywhere in the world. Whether you trade for a 400-year-old
stone house in medieval Padua or a ski condo in Aspen, you won't pay a
penny beyond the small registration fee.
3. 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 don't need
sailing skills or experience. Captains will often accept novices, if
they have the right attitude, and teach them everything they need to
know.
4. Take classes in a US national park:
Camp for a
nominal fee, or stay in an inexpensive park cabin and take classes
offered by the US Park Service. Study the technical aspects of winter
wildlife photography at Yellowstone National Park, learn new fishing
techniques from the marine biologists at Biscayne, or hone your
wilderness orienteering skills in the Great Smoky Mountains.
5. 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 at Absolute Yoga on
Thailand's palm-canopied Koh Samui island. Some of the instructors are
former investment bankers, so they'll know just where you're coming
from. They say that most graduates recoup the cost of the tuition
within four months.
6. Finish your novel in a medieval French village:
Got
a half-written novel sitting in a drawer? Find inspiration at La Muse
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.
7. Good works with woodwork:
Learn basic
carpentry, acquire fluent Spanish, and help children with special needs
by volunteering at a Peace Village center for handicapped children in
the heart of La Gran Sabana National Park in Venezuela. You'll help
construct a playground and therapeutic horse-riding facilities,
renovate rooms and gardens, and learn wood and stoneworking techniques.
8. 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. You'll 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 don't
get you a job, they will at least make you very popular.
9. Work the slopes:
The
Base Camp Group offers ski instructor training courses around the world
from Banff to Verbier, at prices to suit every budget. It provides
coaching on the slopes, exam preparation, instructor shadowing, work
experience, and credentials in first aid and mountain safety. When you
finish, you'll have an internationally recognized qualification.
10. Save the whales, or whatever else needs saving:
Protect
the world's endangered animals and habitats by volunteering with
Earthwatch. You'll 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.
Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/top-10-holidays-for-the-newly-unemployed-20090325-99xy.html