- 1). You will first need to decide your destination and the culinary school you wish to take a course. You can find many schools that offer one or two week courses on the Internet. Many times the schools will offer accommodations for those who enroll in one of their courses, or have arrangements made by nearby communities to house their students at a discounted rate. (See resource below)
- 2). It would be wise to choose a few of your favorites and compare their pricing. Determine what you are getting with each package and what additional needs you may have that are not covered in their costs. A good way to help you with what you are looking for is to go on-line and do a search for culinary vacations. (See resource below)
- 3). You need to determine what you want to learn in your course. Are you looking just to create a few additional recipes or are you wanting to add to your skills as a chef? Once you have determined what you want to study. Find out what materials you will need from the school. Possibly get a cookbook that will coincide with your lessons. Do a little history on the culture if you are learning to cook a dish from a different country.
- 4). There was a time when you would have to sign up for a full week of classes. Now many culinary schools offer classes as short as a half-day. It makes it much easier to make sightseeing plans and be able to have the best of both worlds. (See resource below) So choose wisely, so you can get the full benefit of your culinary vacation.
- 5). Schedule some sightseeing tours for the times when you aren't in class. When scheduling your time, make sure you leave enough time to do this. If you aren't taking full day classes, schedule your classes in the mornings. This will give you the afternoon to enjoy the rest of your day visiting attractions. If possible, plan trips to various restaurants of what you will be taught in your classes. You can get a "first-hand" experience of those dishes.
- 6). Pack well for your trip, especially if it is overseas. Unlike the United States, some countries don't offer trial size soaps, toothpaste and other toiletries. They can be very expensive and/or you will have to ask for directions to a store to purchase them. You want to spend most of you time enjoying your vacation and not shopping for incidentals.
- 7). If going out of the country, make sure you know what the currency and rate of exchange is. The rates are often very different than what you are accustomed to in the United States. Doing a little research on the Internet prior to the trip will save you a lot of headaches, plus allowing you to have sufficient income to meet your expenses. (See resource below)
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