Brits Are Swapping Sunbathing for Skill-Learning, With Almost Half of Tourists Saying They'd Book a "Hobby Holiday"

• New data from GetYourGuide in collaboration with YouGov reveals 48% of British tourists are interested in learning a new skill on holiday
• GetYourGuide, a leading platform to search and book unforgettable travel experiences, reveals that workshop and class bookings have increased by 126% over the last 12 months
• The Dutch Waffle Making Workshop is the UK’s most booked experience according to GetYourGuide data

27 May 2025: With tourists looking for new ways to immerse themselves in local culture, interest in learning a new hobby has now extended into the world of travel. The rise of the ‘hobby holiday’ sees tourists looking to get more than just a tan from their trip, with Google searches for ‘hobby holidays’ increasing by 9900% over the last 12 months.  

New research from GetYourGuide, in collaboration with YouGov, reveals that cooking or baking (53%), wine tasting (50%) and wellness such as yoga or breathwork (41%) are the top three skills British travellers are most interested in learning when abroad. Travellers aged 25-34 years old were the largest group of ‘hobby holidayers’ with over a quarter (27%) having already dedicated precious holiday time to learning a new skill.  

The YouGov survey also shines a light on how Brits are moving away from traditional sight-seeing and sun-bathing holiday activities, with half of British travellers (50%) revealing they would spend at least half a day of their holiday learning a new hobby and 1 in 10 British travellers (10%) committing multiple days to a hobby-learning workshop or retreat.

The survey data revealed the biggest driver behind the surge in ‘hobby holidays’ as being a desire to learn something new (54%), whilst a third of British travellers said they see it as an opportunity for personal growth (30%).

The latest travel trend is supported by GetYourGuide’s booking data where workshop and class bookings have increased by 126% over the last 12 months in the UK, which is the platform’s fastest-growing category. Not only an authentic way to embed yourself in local culture, workshops and classes also provide sociable group activities for the growing audience of solo travellers, who according to GetYourGuide stated were their preferred experience when travelling (36%).

GetYourGuide has revealed the top 10 classes and workshops UK customers are booking. Dutch Waffle Making in Amsterdam and pasta-making in Rome and Florence make up the top three. The booking data also revealed the rise in unexpected hobbies such as Lantern Making in Vietnam (8th place) or learning the craft of a Traditional Tea Ceremony in Kyoto (10th place).

The UK’s top ten most booked workshops and classes on GetYourGuide:

1. Traditional Dutch Syrup Waffle Making Workshop – Amsterdam, Netherlands 
2. Pasta Cooking Class with Unlimited Wine – Florence, Italy
3. Pasta & Tiramisu Class with Fine Wine by the Vatican – Rome, Italy
4. Cooking Class, Market and Thai Herbs Garden Tour – Chiang Mai, Thailand 
5. Vietnamese Coffee Culture and Coffee Making – Hoi An, Vietnam 
6. Pasta Making Class with Wine, Limoncello, and Dessert – Rome, Italy
7. Mini Perfume Workshop – Paris, France 
8. Basket Boat with Lantern-Making & Cooking Class Tour – Hoi An, Vietnam 
9. Roe and Co Distillery Cocktail Workshop Experience – Dublin, Ireland
10. Tea Ceremony in a Traditional Tea House – Kyoto, Japan

Benjy Potter, Spokesperson at GetYourGuide says, “Gone are the days of Brits lounging around on sunbeds and queuing up at the all inclusive buffet. The modern British traveller of today wants to fully immerse themselves in culture and that means learning a new skill or trying out a hobby to get under the skin of their destination.

“Our data shows bookings for workshops and classes increasing by 126% over the last 12 months, making them the fastest growing category at GetYourGuide.

“We also know from our own research that 44% of customers travel for their passions and interests but this new insight tells us that travellers are now holidaying to try a passion they haven’t even discovered yet.”

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¹ Google Trends insights from 14.05.2025

² TETT Report (Travel Experience Trend Tracker Q1 2024) France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and USA.

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Notes to Editors

YouGov survey with a sample size of 2,543 UK-based adults aged 23+ who have travelled internationally. Fieldwork was undertaken between 14th - 16th May 2025.  

The ‘hobby holidays’ British travellers are most interested in:

1. Cooking or baking classes (53%)
2. Wine tasting or brewing experiences (50%)
3. Wellness skill, such as yoga or breathwork (41%)
4. Adventure sports (35%)
5. Language learning experiences (34%)
6. Art or craft classes (33%)
7. Photography workshops (22%)
8. Dance classes (17%)
9. Music lessons (12%)

Please find a link to imagery of the above experiences (here).

Contact getyourguide@havasred.com for any enquires, commentary or to request to review an experience.

About GetYourGuide

GetYourGuide is a leading global online marketplace to discover and book experiences worth travelling for. Travellers can use GetYourGuide to find things to do in more than 12,000 cities, including tours from local experts, exclusive access to must-see attractions, as well as immersive bucket-list experiences through its Originals by GetYourGuide offering. Since being founded, the GetYourGuide platform has sold more than 180 million tickets from 38,000 supply partners who leverage GetYourGuide’s easy-to-use platform to grow their businesses. For more information, follow GetYourGuide on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok and visit getyourguide.com.

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