Culinary travel the hottest new trend in travel

Ginny Sellen

Culinary travel has emerged as a leading travel trend in the last ten years as more and more travelers become interested in exploring local food trends, cooking techniques and food history. This type of cultural immersion can be found in many of the top travel and cruise companies around the globe. No matter where you dream of traveling there is likely an amazing culinary adventure that awaits!

In 2003 Oceania Cruises set out to realize their dream of making an exceptional culinary experience unmatched at sea. They approached Jacques Pepin, one of the world’s most famous chefs, to travel the world with Oceania cruises doing demos and working with chefs to develop new dishes and ideas. In 2009 Pepin opened a signature French bistro aboard the 1,258-passenger Oceania Cruises’ Marina. The Marina is truly aimed at food lovers. Beyond the restaurants themselves there are activities like the state-of-the-art culinary studio for cooking classes with guest chefs. Jacques Pepin himself will be leading lectures and demonstrations aboard the Marina this summer on the Explore the Isles sailing departing from London on July 23, 2014.

There is nothing like a gelato in the heart of Italy or an authentic bouillabaisse at the port Vieux in Marseille. From Indian curry to Greek stuffed grape leaves, there are so many culinary delights to enjoy and so many ways to enjoy them. Recently Celebrity Cruises partnered with Bravo and their Emmy Award winning television show Top Chef to bring unique culinary experiences aboard like Quickfire Challenges as well as four special Top Chef Signature Sailings which offer an array of Top Chef inspired activities.

Silversea cruise guests can experience a unique cooking school at sea at the first L’Ecole des Chefs by Relais & Châteaux. This broad curriculum of tantalizing culinary events has been designed exclusively for Silversea by Relais & Châteaux and allows you to witness their culinary vision up close with an exciting array of cooking classes. If you are interested in a land tour, Cox & Kings’ MasterChef Travel is an inspiring collection of culinary journeys designed to reveal the wonders of the world’s great food destinations in the company of local experts, like minded travelers and, in many cases, MasterChef personalities. These small escorted group journeys are designed to be fun with no competitive element. If you would love to take part in something like this but are unable to have that chance to do it, you can always search online for CocuSocial and see how they can be of service.

These unique culinary experiences are perfect for foodies and food novices alike. If you crave authentic cuisine, want to meet the family that has run the eatery for decades or enjoy learning to prepare signature dishes these travel opportunities are for you! Call your local Bon Voyage Travel location at 520-441-2860 for more information.