House-Swap
Often when you go on holiday you experience a bit of a sanitised version of your destination. Staying in a hotel where someone cleans your sheets every day, eating at restaurants where they wait on you hand and foot, flitting from landmark to tourist trap to nightclub and back again – it’s not all that representative of real life, is it?
One solution to this is the novel activity of house swapping. Basically this is exactly what it sounds like – you get in touch with someone abroad who wants the same thing you do, to see life from the perspective of another country. You make sure you trust each other, then you swap homes for a brief period. They step into your shoes, you step into theirs – and if you’ve chosen well, they introduce you to their friends and neighbours.
Volunteer
You may think that this is a terrible way to spend a holiday. You may be asking why anyone would volunteer when they should be relaxing and indulging themselves. If you are, then this may not be for you – but you might surprise yourself. Most of the world’s premier holiday destinations are right alongside some of the most poverty stricken areas; luxury resorts are built on the beaches of third world nations the world over. Sorry to be a drag – this certainly isn’t an attempt to make you feel guilty about that fact.
Instead, just think about the good that you can do with just a little bit of your time. You could make a difference in the lives of some of the world’s most needy people by volunteering. Not only is it good karma, it’s also a unique way of seeing the reality of everyday life for those at the bottom of society.