First things first, what is a theme vacation?
It's simply a vacation centred around a particular theme or interest. For example, if you're a fan of Harry Potter, you might plan a trip to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios or take a Harry Potter tour in the UK.
According to a survey by the U.S. Travel Association, 63% of travellers said that having a specific interest or hobby in mind when planning a trip makes it more enjoyable.
Theme Vacations aren't something I'm recommending to do every time, but there are occasions when a theme in the background for your trip can make it far more adventurous or unusual. I discovered this in 1975 when my girlfriend and I went to England for two weeks between graduating and work. We spent some time driving around and mainly visited Wales.
I don't know what got into us, but we decided to stop and see every castle on our journey. Now castles in England are nothing like Europe. Most of the time, they're just ruins. What this did for us was give us an education about some aspects of history and take us off the beaten path.
Many years later, when we went to Scotland with our two boys, I reminisced about visiting castles. And we made a point of doing it again. Like everyone, the boys loved Harry Potter, so we checked out some of the sites and ended up taking the Jacobite train some of the sites and ended up taking the Jacobite train.
I'm not encouraging you to become obsessed about it, but just if you have it in the back of your mind doing something like this can be pretty helpful. In some ways, it provides a purpose for the trip.
My partner and I enjoy churches, so whenever we drive by one, we have a habit of stopping off to see if it's open. This has been interesting no matter what country we've been in. If you are female, remember to always travel with a scarf, which might be required to enter sacred places. (It may not be churches in Asia but temples.)
Use Your Hobby For A Theme Vacation
Perhaps you have a hobby that would suit the travelling experience. I enjoy bird watching, so I will seek out any opportunity to visit a place with a selection of birds to view. There are specific trips organized by various travel agencies specifically for bird watching. This is not what I'm talking about here. This is just taking advantage of places that you may be visiting. Below is a collection of some of the birds I was able to see while living in New Zealand.
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I also love snorkelling, but living in North America, I never really had many chances. I had far more opportunities when we lived in New Zealand, but now that we're returning home to Montreal again, those options are fewer. That's why I'm looking and seeking out those places where snorkelling will be possible on our new world trip. I'll be spending a lot of time in Hawaii down in the ocean.
Some of the Best Places to Snorkel in the World
You would be surprised to find that there are venues worldwide for every interest. Having a theme may add excitement and anticipation to your vacation planning process. Instead of just picking a random destination, you get to plan a trip around something you're passionate about. When you plan a theme vacation, you're not just visiting a new place; you're experiencing something specific. This can make your trip more memorable and meaningful.
Let your imagination run wild. Once you have settled on one, do some research online.
