Six years ago, I founded The Design Tourist blog and video series on the idea that as travelers we can experience a culture through art and craft. Creativity speaks a common language. No matter what the language barrier, we can express ourselves working with our hands, which opens our hearts and our minds to a bigger world and another way of being.
As a writer, my art is expressed in words. I’m in awe of the artisans and craftspeople who create things of beauty with their hands and imaginations. I’ve spent the past half of this decade trying to draw attention to artists and another way to travel that immerses you into the cultural fabric of a place where its history, heritage and traditions are expressed in craft.
As The Design Tourist, my goal is to bring you a global dose of design inspiration by exploring the links between culture and creativity. I’m thrilled to see this idea is catching on in the form of Artisan Travel. Several travel companies are leading the movement with programs that allow travelers to apprentice with an artisan, craftsperson or maker.
Artisan Travel is about creating real local connections while discovering a new destination, learning a new skill and culture, history and heritage of craft.
Companies such as The Thread Caravan are helping preserve and promote lost arts, indigenous traditions and handcrafts through travel. The Thread Caravan offers trips for travelers to apprentice with an artisan practicing craft handed down for generations. The company offers regular trips to Oaxaca, Mexico where travelers can learn natural dyes and weaving, fiber art, ceramics or hammock making.
Photo credit: The Thread Caravan
There’s also a trip to India to learn natural dyes and block printing. The Thread Caravan Founder hopes that by connecting travelers with artisans continuing ancient traditions often in marginalized communities, it can foster sustainable partnerships.
Photo credit: The Thread Caravan
“Our trips show participants firsthand the effort that goes into making the goods they purchase, allowing them to cultivate an appreciation for the intricacies of the craft. This knowledge allows consumer values to shift from quantity to quality,” says Caitlin Ahern, Founder of The Thread Caravan.
Photo Credit: Vacation With An Artist
Another company at the forefront of Artisan Travel is Vacation With An Artist (VAWAA) which offers mini-apprenticeships with 69 master artists in 23 countries around the world. Travelers spend time inside a master artist’s studio making something with their hands while learning a new creative skill. VAWAA offers artist apprenticeships are around the world in a wide range of artforms from painting to leather shadow puppet making. Each one-on-one masterclass immerses the traveler into the artist’s daily life.
Photo Credit: Vacation With An Artist
One example is a trip Oaxaca to apprentice with Juana, an award-winning master of traditional Zapotec natural dyeing and weaving. Her family has been weaving in Teotitlan del Valle for hundreds of years and is dedicated to preserving this indigenous tradition.
Photo Credit: Vacation With An Artist
Travelers stay with Juana in her home to learn and experience the rich cultural traditions of the indigenous Zapotec people. Some of the many ways travelers can experience a destination, reconnect with creativity, ignite a passion, and get inspired include paper mache clay sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, photography, street art, Japanese calligraphy, bookbinding, and rattan weaving.
Photo Credit: Vacation With An Artist
Trafalgar tours recently launched a travel initiative to help preserve and promote the work of artisans and support their local communities through its partnership with TreadRight and JoinTrafalgar trips. One trip that intrigued me is the Italy Bellissimo tour featuring a visit to Giuditta Brozzetti Studio in Perugia Italy, where the owner is working to preserve an ancient heritage of woven tablecloths created on jacquard wooden looms. The tour invites visitors to partake in a private demonstration of the medieval art form. It’s the perfect example of this growing movement underway that explores the craft and cultural heritage of a destination through authentic experiences that connect with local culture, cuisine, art and craft.
Photo Credit: Vacation With An Artist
Travel that explores a culture through its creativity and craftsmanship forges real connections and helps promote and preserve fading art forms and heritage craft techniques that have endured for generations. If you are want to be a Design Tourist, I highly suggest starting with one of these Artisan Travel experiences to open your heart and inspire your imagination.
This place provides unusual vegetables and exotic fishes at an affordable cost. The soups are tasty and mouth-watering. You can also try strange foods like shark and zebra here. It serves as the perfect destination for the people who go for adventures. The jazz band is also significant. The environment is pleasant and, the staff is hospitable. You can also try other exotic foods. You can cherish the combination of mojitos and beer with the brilliant music played.
In this restaurant, you can dine amidst the luminosity of golden buddhas. The ambiance also includes dwarf palm trees and giant peacock feathers. The place also has a sensuous fragrance. Their hallmark dishes include python, crocodile, and kangaroo with fine blended whiskey such as
This restaurant affords the view of the swarming Borough market. It has both a bar and a cafe with a terrace. Its menu is composed of innovative cocoa cocktails. It also offers a load of present-day dishes which influences from the culinary of the Caribbean and Britain. It uses the freshly coated cocoa as the delicate. The coffee shop situated downstairs is rather popular. Their menu divides into a summer menu, drinks, breakfast, light bites, and afternoon tea. Their afternoon tea is exceptional as the cocoa is at its best here. The terrace brings in the Saint Lucian party essence. The terrace is perfect for get-togethers and enjoyment with a room of 60 seats. You can lay back and luxuriate in the warmth of the hot sun. They believe in originality, authenticity, and ethics. Unlike most restaurants, they grow their cocoa. They make far from ordinary sandwiches and fresh-baked scones.
It resides in the convent garden and promises a fantastic experience. The actors are dazzling. It is an appalling party-time homage. The music played is fabulous and you can dance all night. They have a welcoming atmosphere and brilliant decor. You can laugh, dance and sing all night. It is a worth visit for those people who hates the typical table food. The starters are mouth-watering. They offer a combination of meat, muffins, and fruits.
Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium in London was in development for quite some time, which for a while forced this Premier League football team to play its home matches at Wembley Stadium. It’s now open for business though, and has been referred to by some 
There are several iconic horse racing venues around the world, but Kentucky’s Churchill downs – the home of the Kentucky Derby – is the most striking of the bunch. The actual racing track and infield are simple yet immaculate, and the tiered grandstands overlooking it all are simply majestic. Multiple layers and ample seating area showcase the large crowd that attends the event, and the centerpiece, so to speak – the two spires in the middle of the grandstands – are such a defining image that 
The Chase Center is the only stadium on this list that hasn’t actually been used by its primary tenant yet – even if that’s going to change about a month from the time of this writing. Nevertheless, we can already tell that it’s a gorgeous stadium, and perhaps the prettiest basketball arena in the world. Built to house the dynastic Golden State Warriors as they make the short move from Oakland to San Francisco, it represents a dream of a modern stadium. It sits pearl-white and almost saucer-like near the San Francisco shoreline, with a large windowed area facing the water. It’s surrounded by what almost looks (in a pleasant way) to be an outdoor mall of a pavilion, and its interior is bright, inviting, and almost theatrical in the ways it draws the eye to the basketball court.
The Monte-Carlo Country Club is different in that it is, literally, a country club, and not used as a professional sports stadium at all times. It also isn’t a single stadium so much as a complex. However, once a year it is built up for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, which is one of the biggest and most important tennis tournaments in the world. Its combination of green seating, wide-open areas, and orange clay courts makes for an intriguing image, though not one entirely unique during professional tennis’s clay-court season. But it’s the setting that makes it arguably the most beautiful sporting venue in the world. The Monte-Carlo Country Club’s courts are situated between the inviting waters of the Mediterranean and some of the small mountains around the city, making 
In this northeastern region of France, you’ll find one of the biggest artificial lakes in Europe, Lac de Charmes, which is surrounded by beautiful trees boasting vibrant foliage. Although it’s not too far from Paris, Haute-Marne is still off the beaten track and truly breathtaking, full of forests, fields, rivers, and ancient towns that feature some of the quaintest autumnal aesthetics.
Located in Southern France, Limoux is covered in vineyards, which make for a splendid sight of varying shades of gold and burnt orange. You may have heard of the area for its invention of sparkling wine, and fall is the best time to come and drink it. Various small wine shops and bars allow for a lovely day of exploration and relaxation while you take in the fall air.
Capital of the Grand Est region in northeastern France, Strasbourg is full of tree-lined streets—so a midday stroll will provide you with beautiful views and wonderful memories. Head to the city’s two largest public parks, Parc Palais du Rhin and Parc de l’Orangerie, for blissful views
You may have doubts about this urban locale, but Paris is actually a marvelous haven for autumn-lovers. Strolling the streets is an option, but there are also plenty of opportunities for leaf-peeping in the city’s many beautiful parks. Some of our favorites are as follows: Jardin des Tuileries (or the Tuileries Garden), Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Bois de Boulogne, or—if you’re feeling spooky—Cimetière de Montmarte.
The charming region of Aveyron is a place full of magical villages located on high ridges, where you can get lost in the fall feel. It’s a wonderful destination for people who love painting or photography, but it also makes for a soothing vacation of long and beautiful walks where the scenery constantly changes. You’ve never seen a wider spectrum of colors than on the trees in Aveyron.
France’s Provence region is a beautiful place to behold. Hundreds of vineyards showcase their dazzling fall colors, and the various quaint towns offer some of the most quintessential French village vibes. We love the Luberon, a mountainous area in the region, for that reason as well—consider staying in a 
When you head to Playa Herradura and the beautiful Los Sueños Resort & Marina, you’ll be smack-dab in the middle of a ton of adventurous pursuits. Their 
Big Sur used to be one of California’s most remote areas, and people have long taken advantage of the Santa Lucia mountains and their famed drop into the ocean. When you plan a trip there today, you’ll find ample opportunities for hiking, camping, fishing, and more. Hike to Pfeiffer Falls or Sykes Hot Springs—there are so many beautiful things for you to explore.
Whether you go to Argentinian or Chilean Patagonia, you’re in for a vacation full of adventure and exploration. Go off-roading through the mountains, horse riding, cycling, or climbing. If you want to see the views of a lifetime, take the W Trek, which takes you through the Torres del Paine peaks, glistening lakes, and dense forests.
The United States has so many national parks we could have listed, and they’re all wonderful options. We chose to put Acadia on this list for a few different reasons: it’s the only national park in New England, the fall foliage is some of the best in the world, and it has stunning ocean and mountains views. You can bike, you can hike, or you can just take a drive and enjoy the views. A relaxing adventure isn’t hard to find here.
Bigger than Germany and Belgium combined, the Yukon offers adventurous travelers some of the most pristine wilderness for exploration. Set up camp at Whitehorse, then head out for a trip full of exhilarating experiences. Glacial white water rafting has never been more exciting. Alpine climbing has never gotten you so close to wildlife. If you don’t mind heights, take a helicopter to the top of a glacier and then go for a hike—it’s an unbelievable experience.
Download the 
On Sundays, eat dinner early. The kitchens at most restaurants close early so finding a place for a late-night dinner can be challenging. My advice is to dine before 9 pm. 
A tiny house resort in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania offers 
One of the more fascinating installations is a virtual reality book that you can “read” by downloading 
Several years ago, I was introduced to Silver Oak Cabernet as the guest of a friend at a wine tasting dinner. I instantly fell in love with its bold, black fruit character with notes of spice and vanilla and the wine’s oaky finish that comes from American White Oak barrels that the wine ages in. 
For many wine lovers, the art of enjoyment comes from the ability to decipher and appreciate a wine’s bouquet and taste. Silver Oak achieves its subtle perfection by blending the wines prior to barreling.
Jordan sells primarily to restaurants— about 70 percent of their cabs with the remaining 30 percent available in wine stores. Rob Davis, the winemaker, has handcrafted every vintage of Jordan since the inaugural 1976 and is the second-longest tenured winemaker in the US. He is known for a European style of winemaking that isn’t done much in California.
American oak is known for bringing more aggressive aromas of dill and coconut to red wines. French oak is considered more subtle, imparting spice aromas and a silky texture in part because its tannins have a strong attraction to the grape tannins. 
The original dining room was decorated in an 18th-century French style. De Sousa and his staff reimagined the aesthetic, retaining its best architectural features while introducing new design elements to reflect the chef’s culinary philosophy of bringing flavors of the surrounding countryside to the plate. “The Jordan dining room is now not only an homage to old-world France, it’s also a portrait of the surrounding estate and the chef’s philosophy,” notes Geoffrey De Sousa, proprietor of Geoffrey De Sousa Interior Design and De Sousa Hughes. 
Lunch starts with an amuse-bouche paired with NV Brut Jordan Cuvee by Champagne AR Lenoble. 
Next, I taste a 2017 Jordan Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The grapes are hand-picked at night when the fruit is cold to lock in that acidity and flavor. The fruit is then pressed immediately and fermented in French oak barrels and stainless-steel tanks for 6 months.
Chef Knoll pairs the 2017 Chardonnay with Bisque of First Peas and Favas chilled with Maine Lobster. Next, I’m served Roasted Knights Valley Lamb.
The dish is paired with Jordan’s 2015 Cab, that first release aging in only French oak barrels. “2015 was a cooler year yielding more of a French style of wine,” says Mattson. 
Chef Knoll makes sea salts and the estate grows olive trees to produce Jordan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, both of which are on the table to enhance the tasting experience. 
While dining, I can’t help but admire the visual metaphors that connect with the estate’s topography. Deep gray walls are painted with Benjamin Moore French Beret and accented with a forest-like patterned wallpaper called Midsummer Night from Wall & Deco, created by graphic designer Lorenzo De Grandis of Milan, Italy. 
The dining room’s original high-back chairs were restored and reupholstered with intricate chair embroidery by a renowned, haute-couture artist based in London. Each embroidery pattern is distinct and inspired by the vibrant, moss-carpeted rocks and lichen found across Jordan Estate. 
French Beaux Arts-inspired lighting illuminates the room selected by San-Francisco based designer Jonathan Browning Studios. Floor-to-ceiling drapes in gold leaf, frame large windows that take in panoramas of the golden hills visible across Jordan’s estate. Dining tables congregate around a bronze fireplace hearth by Sonoma County metalsmith Randell Tuell of Tuell + Reynolds. 
I also learn more about Jordan’s sustainable and holistic practices. The vineyard uses a plant substance called Dust Off on its roads to reduce dust and a clay-based sunscreen on the grapes to prevent sunburn. 
“We take into account the impact every viticultural and winemaking decision has on the native ecosystems under our care. Jordan’s electrical use is carbon neutral, with roughly 90 percent of our electricity coming from hillside solar arrays behind the winery and the rest from renewable resources through the Sonoma Clean Power program,” says Mattson.
Lunch culminates with a Tupelo Honey Baked Alaska featuring spring bee pollen from the Jordan estate apiary and several locally-made artisan cheeses plated with a 2013 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley.
The meal crystalizes a certain synergy that exists in Sonoma County between its many different artists and winemakers who share a common passion for high-quality food made to complement local wines. Jordan, like many local wineries, promotes locally made foods and products with guests. 
Guests at Jordan’s Estate Tour and Tastings can appreciate custom-made serving plates by a ceramic-making husband-wife team, 
My tour ends with a visit to one of the guest suites located in the chateau available
Once a consumer spends $500 with Jordan, she/he becomes a Silver member and gains access to booking Private Tables in the dining room and at the Gold and Platinum levels, overnight stays in the guest suites. For more on booking tastings and tours, go to 
Quivira’s winegrowing program is a collaboration between winemaker Hugh Chappelle and viticulturist Ned Horton, the vineyard manager who aligns the property’s farming practices for fine winemaking. 
For this writer and bibliophile, I had planned the ideal morning. The 
Writers toil alone and words aren’t particularly selfie material. I wondered how the founders managed to fill an entire museum with something others want to see and experience sans the social media lure of competing attractions? The museum supersedes the visual limits of words by capturing the behind-the-scenes struggle— a writer’s daily summoning of the personal muse in hopes of entering that ethereal dimension of creative flow where all sense of time is lost as the words pour forth.
On the Road became a defining work of the Beat Generation, a loose collaborative of artists and writers who rejected the mainstream in favor of the experimental and spiritual. 
My other favorite exhibit was Mind of a Writer. This walls of this inspirational gallery are filled with quotes from famous writers about their creative process and craft. 
The gallery offers insights into how a writer thinks as well as the daily discipline and habits necessary to get the work done. 
I was intrigued by the raw honesty in many of the quotes that capture a writer’s self-doubt and fear that they will never be published— that lurking dread that they have gambled away their time on a manuscript that no one reads. 
Another highlight of my visit was the First Lines exhibit, a wall of handwritten first sentences of novels written by accomplished authors. 
Many of these authors crafted their first lines for stories that have yet to be written.
Whether you consider yourself an author, a journalist, a creative writer or diarist, we all have a shared experience that is made tangible among the museum’s galleries and personified through the literary greats featured. I highly recommend a visit to the American Writers Museum to experience Chicago’s literary treasure. 
I cap off the evening taking in the light show on the surface of the Beacon and Code Wall overlooking the town center. 
The community took root in 1996 when Tavistock purchased Lake Nona Golf and Country Club and began building out its master plan, along the way curating an impressive collection of public art. Today, Lake Nona is home to approximately 15 thousand residents and growing. In 2018, Lake Nona sold 750 homes with 550 families moving in. Most of the community’s
Today, Medical City encompasses more than 2.6 million square feet of clinical, institutional and laboratory buildings. The University of Central Florida has a strong presence in Medical City with the UCF Health Sciences Campus that includes the College of Medicine, the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, and the University of Central Florida (UCF) Lake Nona Cancer Center, which recently moved into a 175,000-square-foot facility vacated by the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. 
Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute recently relocated into a larger, new 35,000-square-foot facility double the size of its previous Lake Nona building. In 2020, UCF Lake Nona Medical Center is set to open as a UCF/HCA Healthcare teaching hospital.
Lake Nona also is a living lab for human performance with a Sports & Performance District, anchored by the USTA National Center, the largest tennis campus in the world with 100 courts in a 270,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility on 64 acres.
Sprinkled throughout the community are retail venues including Lake Nona Village, Lake Nona Plaza, Vickrey Place, Laureate Park Village Center and Lake Nona Creekside which opened in 2019. Soon, residents will be able to use an app to summon a self-driving shuttle to the many nearby amenities. 
The 15-passenger, the battery-powered vehicle has no driver, no steering wheel, no gas pedal, and no brake pedal. Once in operation, they will be the first-ever autonomous public transit vehicles in Central Florida. Launched by the company Beep, headquartered in Lake Nona, and manufactured by Navya, a French company, these autonomous shuttles are marked with decals that read “go-beep.com” and “MOVE NONA.”
Created by 
Anchoring Lake Nona is a mammoth 
Everyone needs good design. After all, 
At the 
The rise of the Foodie culture fused with authentic travel is stimulating appetites for regional cuisine. Today’s consumer wants food to deliver a cultural experience. Food is a form of self-expression and the source of social media bragging rights. Meals that are Instagrammable and socially shareable and convey a backstory are capturing the palettes and imaginations of many who seek adventure in their travel and food.
The Adirondack Folk School is on my must-see list of authentic experiences that connect travelers wit
