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Today, many people are looking for more than just sightseeing on holiday. Adventurous people like to venture beyond typical tourist attractions, and delve deep into a destination’s culture, history, and cuisine. This is immersive travel – and luckily, you don’t need to go far to experience it.
Immersive travel doesn’t just allow you to see a place, but experience it. It’s about developing meaningful connections with your destination, and exploring the world on a deeper level. When you break away from tourist traps and connect with local cultures, you can uncover the true heartbeat of a place, and journeys are transformed into richer, more rewarding experiences.
To explore the joys of immersive travel, we’ve partnered with travel company Intrepid, who has been taking people around the world since 1989. Proudly carbon neutral since 2010, this B Corp company believes that purpose-led travel can be a force for good, and on Intrepid trips, local people and places are supported through The Intrepid Foundation.
On these journeys, you’ll discover secret places, make new friends, and experience countless magical moments. Small group sizes ensure trips are intimate, and people from all walks of life can connect. There are thousands of adventures to choose from, and while some take you to the furthest corners of the globe, many of the most exciting experiences are only a short flight away.
To get you inspired, here are six immersive travel experiences closer to home. If you haven’t finalised this year’s travel plans, there’s still time to book yourself onto these trips for autumn 2025 – or why not start planning your 2026 travels early?
And, for a limited time, you can save £100 per person when each person spends over £1,000. Use code 697168 to apply this discount on your Intrepid holiday. Terms and conditions apply.
1. Italy Real Food Adventure
Few countries rival Italy when it comes to cuisine. Italians are the masters of creating simple dishes that burst with flavour, and, if you’d like to discover the local culture, tasting your way around the country is the way to do it. On Intrepid’s eight-day Italian food tour, you’ll travel from Venice to Rome via Bologna, Modena, and San Gimignano, feasting on all manner of culinary delights – from unique street food and hearty meals to local wines and Venetian cicchetti.
On this adventure, you won’t just see and taste; you’ll learn and discover. Stay in a Tuscan farmhouse and sample their own wines and olive oils; take a cooking class to learn the secrets of authentic Bologna pasta, and visit a traditional acetaia in Modena to sample their aged balsamic vinegar. And, when you’re not feasting, you’re either exploring or relaxing: tour Venice’s canals, wander Rome’s ancient streets, and unwind in the rolling Tuscan hills.
2. Walk the highlights of the Lycian Way, Turkey
Home to forested valleys, rugged mountains, dazzling beaches, and shimmering turquoise waters, Turkey is a hiker’s dream. The Lycian Way is particularly famous for its beauty, and, on Intrepid’s eight-day trip, you’ll walk and swim, and explore the Turkish coastline’s natural scenery. Following in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks and Romans who first trod this path, you can uncover thousands of years of history, too.
With a local leader to guide you and your luggage taken care of, you’ll visit ancient cities like Olympos, Aperlai, and Sidyma, and discover what life was once like here. There are breathtaking coastal views to admire as you hike – and when you want to cool off, the glittering Mediterranean Sea awaits. Take scenic boat tours, relax on pristine beaches, visit sunbleached ruins, feast on local food, and enjoy the perfect balance between adventure and rest.
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Turkey | 8 days | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
3. Morocco Real Food Adventure
Another one for foodies – this time, a gastronomic adventure to Morocco. Intrepid’s tour is a wonderful way to discover this cuisine’s fragrant flavours; a delicious blend of Arabic, European, and Amazigh influences. Over 12 days, travel from Casablanca to Marrakech, enjoying hands-on cooking classes, savouring street food from souks, and dining with locals in their homes. Moroccan hospitality, you’ll learn, is uniquely warm!
Discover the art of spices and seasoning as you tuck into a traditional home-cooked dinner in the beautiful ‘blue city’ of Chefchaouen. Feast on Morocco’s most iconic dishes – tagine, pastilla, and couscous – and follow the aroma of food in bustling medinas as you browse for souvenirs. Plus, watch the sunset during a camel ride, meet local goat cheese producers, master recipes taught by local chefs, and camp under the Saharan stars.
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Intrepid Morocco Real Food Adventure*
Morocco | 12 days | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
4. Walk the Camino de Santiago, Spain
If you’re a hiker looking for your next adventure, why not think about embarking on one of the world’s greatest pilgrimages, and join Intrepid’s Walk the Camino de Santiago tour? The trail weaves through some of Spain’s most beautiful countryside, passing quaint hamlets, Roman ruins, and ancient bridges, and the experience is as much a meaningful spiritual journey as it is an invigorating physical challenge.
Over one week, walk the final 100km of the trail, admiring the serene, bucolic beauty of Galicia, and learning about the path’s profound historical significance from your local leader. Savour delicacies like empanadas, cheese, octopus, and wine, and learn how to make the traditional queimada – a fiery drink rooted in the region’s Celtic past. Finish in the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela to collect your Camino certificate!
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Intrepid Walk the Camino de Santiago*
£273 off | Spain | 7 days | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
5. Montenegro Sailing Adventure from Dubrovnik
Montenegro boasts one of the world’s most spectacularly beautiful bays, the magnificent Kotor. Circled by soaring mountains and World Heritage-listed villages, and fringed with idyllic beaches, this fjord-like bay is the perfect spot for a sailing adventure…and that’s exactly what Intrepid’s eight-day tour is. Setting sail from Croatia, you’ll begin and end in the medieval city of Dubrovnik, which is a joy to explore.
As you sail along the Croatian and Montenegrin coastlines, stop for daily swims in secluded bays, kick back on beaches, and snorkel in the Mediterranean’s clearest waters. There’s plenty of culture and history, too; visit Kotor’s Castle of San Giovanni, Budva’s 15th-century Podmaine Monastery, and enjoy a homecooked meal with a local family. For foodies, the waterfront restaurants serve up some of the world’s freshest – and most delicious – seafood.
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Croatia & Montenegro | 8 days
Includes taxes and fees
6. Croatia & Slovenia
Boasting azure seas, snowcapped peaks, and cascading waterfalls, Slovenia and Croatia are astonishingly picturesque – and Intrepid’s eight-day Croatia & Slovenia tour takes you to the best of both these Central European countries. Travel from medieval cities and rustic villages to enchanting forests and glimmering lakes – and, along the way, soak up the culture, delve into the history, and sample the fabulous cuisine.
In Croatia, admire Split’s gothic architecture, enjoy the vibrancy of the capital, Zagreb, and lose yourself in historic Zadar, where you can visit a Benedictine monastery to learn about the monks and sample award-winning produce. Marvel at the beauty of Plitvice Lakes National Park before crossing into Slovenia, where you’ll tour the lively capital, Ljubljana, and visit the lakeside town of Bled, which looks like it’s fallen from the pages of a fairy book.
Final thoughts…
From Spain’s Galicia countryside to Turkey’s Lycian coast, these six trips take you to some of the world’s most beautiful and bewitching destinations. You don’t need to endure long-haul flights to get there, either, as even the furthest destination is just over a four-hour flight from the UK.
Each Intrepid trip offers something different, but all venture beyond the usual travel experiences, allowing you to connect with your destination in a truly memorable and meaningful way. With local leaders to guide you, you’ll discover hidden gems, delve deep into history, culture, and cuisine, and share stories with the local people.
Whether you choose a gastronomic experience like the Italy or Morocco food tours, a hiking tour like the Camino de Santiago or Lycian Way, or a scenic journey through Central Europe, each trip will ignite your sense of adventure. With Intrepid, it isn’t just about having a good time; it’s about travelling with respect, connecting to the pulse of a place, and creating positive change through the joy of travel.
To browse more Intrepid trips, head over to their website.
Are you tempted by any of these travel experiences? Do you like the sound of immersive travel? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.