Get your hands dirty and learn new skills while supporting local creatives through Intrepid's new cultural craft experiences.
Craft experiences are one of the best ways to connect with local people in a meditative, meaningful way. As you try to experience the experience with distant Finnish farmers, or stop to learn new skills from experienced Cambodian potters, history, culture and identity are intertwined, leaving you with a deeper and more lasting impression of a country than just admiring the scenery. Workwear is ready: Here are ten new craft experiences worth considering in 2026.
1. Try calligraphy with a Tunisian artist
The artful strokes of Arabic calligraphy date back centuries—but it's far from a dying art. New Nine Days for the Intrepid Superior Tunisia During the adventure, you will enter the studio of a local artist and painter who practices the art of calligraphy every day in a traditional dar (house) in the historic medina of Tunis, the capital. Before trying the craft yourself, admire the tools he has spread out on the table, including special ink pots made from silk fibers and stacks of sharp bamboo pens. You'll learn how the French avant-garde Letterism movement of the 1940s influenced this skill, resulting in modern interpretations such as “calligraffiti” (a hybrid of graffiti and calligraphy) that can be seen throughout Tunisia today, if you know where to look.
2. Try felting from sheep to souvenirs in Finland
Unleash your child's creativity with a brand new hand-making workshop as part of the course Finnish family vacation. On a trip to a Wild Neighbor estate in a remote part of Lapland outside Rovaniemi, you'll learn the art of felting with wool from your own sheep, while mastering basic skills such as washing, carding and styling wool. You'll also learn how to bake the traditional Finnish campanisu pastry using a family recipe, and enjoy it with a hot drink (of course) when you're done. In between, you can relax by the open fire and meet the local farm animals.
Read more: Take a calligraphy course with a master in Tunisia
3. Learn Edo Period textile technology in Kyoto
From flower arrangements to ukiyo-e woodcuts, Japan is home to countless unique crafts. And now, in Premium Japanese On this tour, you will have the opportunity to be part of this thousand-year heritage. The tour will visit Marumasu Nishimuraya, a 1920s Kyoto townhouse with a handicraft workshop. There, as part of a new experience for 2026, you'll try out kyo-yuzen, a textile dyeing technique that dates back to the Edo period. Choose from over 3,000 templates and create your design by layering colors to create sophisticated gradient effects. Even better, you can take home whatever you make.
4. Stylish art of marine debris in the Galapagos Islands
As one of the world's most fragile yet biodiverse destinations, the Galapagos Islands have long been at the forefront of marine conservation – and this year, your whole family can get involved in the archipelago's ongoing efforts. as part of a new experience Galapagos Family Vacation During your adventure, you'll meet a local Galapagos artist, attend a sustainability workshop, and transform waste plastic collected from the beach into meaningful art. Through storytelling and hands-on experience, you will begin to see discarded materials not as trash but as resources for beautiful creative works.
Read more: 11 new family trips and experiences
5. Knit your own tartan in Scotland
Whether you're looking for tribal roots or just love plaid, Intrepid's Premium Scotch This tour will help you understand what it means to be Scottish. New for 2026, you'll visit Radical Weavers in Stirling (so named for its unorthodox approach to deploying handmade products to combat low trust within community groups) for a dedicated tartan workshop. You'll learn about tartan and its connection to Scottish home and identity, try traditional weaving techniques and make your own tartan piece to take home.
6. Korean handmade hanji
Delicate in appearance but durable, Korean paper has been a part of Korean history for over 1,000 years. It is woven from the reticulated fibers of mulberry bark and hibiscus flowers and can be used for everything from lining doors, windows and walls to decorating lanterns. Now, thanks to new experiences Must visit Korea Travel and you will better understand its meaning in Korean culture. At the Jeonju Hanji Museum, you'll learn how hanji has impacted life in Korea past and present, see ancient hanji-making tools, manuscripts, and books, then attend a workshop to try your hand at making your own hanji.
Read more: 10 new premium tours and experiences
7. Assembling Cocoa Bark Potpourri in Thailand
this The real Thailand and Laos Travel for ages 18 to 35 offers a true glimpse into rural Southeast Asia, and starting in 2026, this includes a visit to Coco Valley, a local farm and tourism project that provides sustainable livelihoods to farmers in Thailand’s Nan province. Here, they use more than just coffee beans to make delicious chocolate. During the workshop you will learn how to use the bark of the cacao tree (usually discarded as waste) to create a bag of fragrant potpourri, lip balm or a candle. If time permits, you will try your hand at making chocolate.
8. Discover the secrets of Uzbekistan’s Silk Road artisans
When transiting from Tajikistan to Uzbekistan central asian explorer On this tour you will uncover the secrets of two artifacts that traders once carried along the Silk Road. In a new experience for 2026, you'll visit a factory in the eastern city of Margilan – once a crossroads for trading caravans heading west from China. At a factory specializing in the production of tie-dyed silk, you'll see weavers at work, learn about each stage of the tie-dyed silk production process, and explore local markets and workshops. In Rishton you will also have lunch with a potter and learn about the 9th century origins of the local ceramics industry.
9. Try basket weaving on a family safari in Botswana
new Botswana Family Safari Comfort Hotel The itinerary includes a stop at the Shorobe Basket Co-operative, just outside Maun, the gateway to the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta. You'll join a local artist who will introduce you to the harvesting, dyeing and weaving processes, learn the meaning of different patterns, get your hands on the weaving, and learn how the cooperative helps women support their families. You will then head to the Planet Culture Cafe for a traditional Tswana lunch of seswaa (mashed meat), phaleche (cornmeal) and mebele (sorghum).
10. Meet artisans in Cambodia’s ceramic capital
this A true culinary adventure in Cambodia Slow down – and let yourself take in the sights (and flavors) of Southeast Asia. A new stop for 2026 is Kampong Chhnang, a less-visited city known as the “Port of Pottery” or the pottery capital of Cambodia for its centuries-old ceramic tradition. You'll visit local creatives in a pottery village with 300 artisan families, then watch demonstrations to see first-hand traditional Cambodian crafts and techniques passed down from generation to generation. Afterwards, you'll visit a local family and enjoy a homemade lunch.
Find out what else is new in 2026 goods – A series of new trips and experiences to inspire a year of adventure.
Photo Credit: Basket Weaving Pictures Courtesy travel influence.
