Please schedule a call if you are not sure which trip to join after reading the below.

• All our trips are designed with Slow Ethical Travel in mind.

• We stay in one region and learn about the art, food and culture.

• We always have private rooms with power and wifi.

• We price our trips for a solo traveler.

• You always have your own room with own bathroom (unless clearly stated otherwise when you make your room choice)

• There’s no extra payment known as a ”single supplement” for your own room with private ensuite

• All trips have an English speaking expert host (Anna Barnes founder of Art, Food Culture) and local multilingual guide.

• We have a usual group size of 8 to 10.

ANNA’S CREATIVE SILK & SPICE JOURNEY’S:

• Fully hosted & facilitated by Anna Barnes founder of Art Food Culture

• Stay in locally owned & run bespoke hotels & villas.

• Cuisine encompasses the full range of the culture. We showcasing everything from street food, local eateries, family homes, snack carts, markets, modern elevated cuisine, fusion, and occasionally popular well rated places for foreigners.

• Creative sessions are optional. Many guests enjoy an urban sketching approach. They are ideal for creatives who already have a developed personal style and who enjoy connecting with others on a more independent, untutored trip.

• Anna teaches journalling techniques. For skilled artists she facilitates time and space for you to connect with aspects of culture rarely seen by regular tourists. These sessions inspire and transform your arts practice.

• Other creatives such as photographers, chefs, writers, videographers welcome and well catered. We are always chasing the stories and the light.

• Be ready to fully immerse into the local culture.

• Anna Barnes is your host and creative sessions leader alongside our experienced senior local guides on the “Creative Silk & Spice Journeys”.

• The trip has a good balance of everything. (Art, Food & Culture)

• Your English speaking host works closely with your expert teacher and local guide to provide a seamless experience for you.

• We sometimes change areas 3 times as we thoroughly explore the region. (check your individual trips itinerary)

• Travel lightly with practical clothes.

• “Carry on” only luggage is all you need.

• Suitable for all creatives, photographers, chefs, content creators, urban sketchers, travel journallers, visual anthropologists and writers.

• We eat with locals and learn about the culture off the beaten paths.

• Early mornings with the locals is often how we learn and immerse.

• Trips are designed to be exciting sensory experiences, yet safe & comfortable at the same time.

• This is the trip for those who really want to explore, do exciting things and are a little adventurous.

GUEST ARTIST TUTOR TRIPS:

• Some trips have a guest Artist tutor, contracted by us to teach the sketching component. (please see individual trip details)

• Guest Artist tutors are contracted to teach 8 × 3hr blocks (unless otherwise stated). These sessions will be run by the tutor. Teaching locations will vary according to the teachers preferred style.

• Guest Artist teachers often teach in conference rooms or classroom style settings. Please be aware that this determines the nature of your trip, with a stronger focus on making art and less emphasis on cultural immersion.

• Hosted by our full time senior local guides.

We attract clever, funny, brave, happy, sad, quiet, loud and adventurous souls from all over the world.

Many guests are continuing on their creative journey, living their best lives. Others arrive, knowing that an Anna’s Art, Food & Culture Experience is the very thing they need to help them shift gears and start living joyfully again.

Many guests come because they have an inkling that creative connection is where it is at.

We have had many guests return more than once, having "found their people". We delight in making life long friends, and everyone is welcome.

Anna's trips cater to a diverse range of individuals, from complete beginners in sketching to experienced urban sketchers. This includes studio artists looking to enhance their skills in sketching on location. The trips are designed to accommodate various skill levels, offering basic instruction for beginners and enrichment opportunities for seasoned Urban Sketchers and Travel Journallers.

Additionally, non-sketchers are welcome on our trips, enjoying the care and guidance of our full-time local guides. Our experiences are also open to photographers, writers, poets, foodies and content creators who are interested in exploring and capturing the culture and aesthetics of a new country.

Anna's Art, Food, and Culture Experiences are ideal for anyone seeking to immerse themselves in different cultures in a safe and supportive environment.

Our Experiences are particularly suitable for creative solo travellers who enjoy the company of like-minded individuals and the camaraderie of exploring new places together.

The primary focus is to facilitate your immersion into the culture.

We experience the beautiful geography of the places we visit, while learning about the communities of these regions.

We travel journal, sketch, photograph and connect with those around us via this creativity.

We visit markets & villages sharing food together.

We give back, spend time interacting and show interest in other peoples way of life.

We explore the traditions of the area.

The rewards are immense.

Sometimes you may feel outside your comfort zone, but rest assured you are in good hands with us.

Our senior experienced multi lingual guides, alongside Anna will help you feel safe, excited and inspired.

Did you know…

• We are veg forward (lots of plant based meals).

• Alcohol free (no activities are focussed on or around drinking, however feel free to order a drink with dinner or visit a bar in your free time).

• Explore the coffee culture of the places we visit.

• Take early morning walks through the rice fields, neighbourhoods and local markets.

• Have an ongoing bookclub throughout the trip.

• We are curious eaters, open to tasting the local food and drinks, and understanding other ways to eat.

• We will sit on the street and delight in street food, eat in family homes, markets, farms and in local eateries.

• We support Social Enterprises, in particular the education of girls.

• We are not backpackers any more, and we do like comfort, however we dont fuss over our lodgings, instead we focus on our daily interactions with community.

• We stay in boutique, locally run villas, bespoke hotels and quaint home stays, always with private rooms with private bathrooms (unless specified otherwise).

• We are creators & entrepreneurs, and always have access to WIFI, electricity and fabulous things of the modern world, even when going off the beaten paths exploring.

• We dont stay in global chain 5 star hotels.

• We choose accomodation close to the places we plan to visit, often in outlying neighbourhoods and off the beaten path.

• We connect with our creativity on a daily basis.

• We have interesting conversations centred around art & human endeavour.

• We learn about other cultures together, and have a deep interest in the living culture of the places we visit, over and above ticking off the major tourist sights for the sake of it.

• We go home with memories and stories, not suitcases full of more things.

• We don’t discriminate between genders. Everyone is welcome.

• Women are not “girls”.

• Trans, pan, fluid and non binary humans are always warmly welcomed.

• Pronouns are honoured.

• We don’t fester in our ethnocentricity, we challenge our inherent biases.

• We are open to sometimes getting outside our comfort zone for the sake of grassroots experiential learning.

• We pack lightly with practical outfits, and bring only 1 special outfit for a night out.

• We dont overpack, and always manage to wheel our own bags about.

• Anna’s Art, Food & Culture Experience’s are LGBTQIA+ safe spaces.

• We are hetero friendly ;-)

• We have guests from all over the world, many with English as a second or third language.

• We have patience with each other, and show care for others on the trip.

• We love all cultures and religions and don’t let politics ruin a good friendship.

• Your host and founder Anna is strongly left leaning, atheist, of unknown heritage, has spent a life time achieving a drop in class status (sorry mum!) highly sensitive, empathic and has a very Australian dry sense of humour.

• We have loads of fun, with thigh slapping laughter (the occasional snort) and most of us become friends for life with reunion trips always in the plans!

• We have tons of returning guests, and it is not just because we give them a discount.

• Trips often book out a year in advance, but will always be announced as going ahead not less than 120 days before departure.