Looking to visit another country to feel their food? Or do you want to stay in the U.S. and see what life is like on small farms that practice sustainable methods and grow heirloom produce. This and more is available in the facinating world of culinary vacations. Think of how exciting it would be to take a vacation centered around one of the greatest passions of all time — food!

For a culinary holiday you can start out by selecting a location to visit or by a type of food, or cooking style you want to learn and understand. You could spend a week in the Napa Valley touring and learning about Napa Valley wines. Or you could travel to beautiful Boulder, Colorado and take a cookery class at the Culinary School of The Rockies. There are even restaurants around the country, like Kuleto’s Italian Restaurant in San Francisco that have a Chef for a Day program, allowing foodies to toil in their kitchens for a shift, letting them experience life in a professional kitchen.

Hotels, restaurants and cruise ships are responding to the increased interest, offering up experiences like scuba diving for your diner and working with well know chefs. People have even been know to pester chefs, at European fine dining restaurants, to get them to instruct them on making a favorite dish their restaurant serves.

Many of the Four Seasons Hotels offer some form of culinary programs that relate to their location. Like the Four Seasons in Thailand provides instruction on a few Thai favorites like Pad Thai.

While this type of vacation is exciting and very educational it’s not for the faint of wallet. These can really cost. But if this is your passion and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, you might be happy to give up your hard earned cash.