ART FOOD CULTURE

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. All trips have a guest artist teacher, English speaking host and local guide.

The Original Anna’s Art, Food & Culture Experience

Stay in locally owned & run bespoke hotels, cuisine encompasses the full range of the culture and art workshops are urban sketching style on location. Bring a small stool and a small art kit (individual supply lists on our Experts pages) and be ready to fully immerse into local culture. Anna is your host alongside one of our expert teachers.

This is the trip that has a good balance of everything.

Premium Art Retreat

Stay in hotels of star rating 4 or above, focus is on art sessions in comfortable surroundings with tables and chairs. We eat in restaurants showcasing modern elevated cuisine, fusion, and popular well rated places. No early mornings, and no long drives. Your English speaking host works closely with your expert teacher and local guide to provide a seamless experience for you.

A Premium experience is the perfect trip to unwind and relax on. Our hotels always have a pool and spa services. Itineraries are designed to give you plenty of rest time after an art session and tour of the local town. Plan your holiday outfits now, write your gift lists, and bring some ideas of what you wish to have tailored.

This is the fancy trip for those who just want to do lots of art and swish about town in comfort.

Anna's Art, Food & Culture Adventure

Stay in guesthouses & local hotels. We sometimes change hotels more than 3 times as we thoroughly explore the area. Travel lightly with practical clothes only. Creative sessions are ongoing throughout the trip. Suitable for all creatives, photographers, chefs, content creators, urban sketchers, travel journallers, visual anthropologists and writers. We eat with locals and learn about culture off the beaten paths. Early mornings with the locals is how we learn and immerse. Trips are designed to be exciting sensory experiences, yet safe & comfortable at the same time. Anna is your host and creative sessions leader alongside our experienced senior local guides.

This is the trip for those who really want to explore, do exciting things and are adventurous (within reason!) - we are well beyond our backpacking days.

We attract clever, funny, brave, sad, happy, quiet, loud and adventurous souls from all over the world. Many guests come knowing that an experience with Art, Food & Culture 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 exactly what they need. Others are continuing on their journey, living their best lives.

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 trip is 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 the trips and will be provided with care and guidance by our full-time guide. The experience is also open to photographers, poets, and content creators who are interested in exploring and capturing the culture and aesthetics of a new country.

Overall, Anna's Art, Food, and Culture Experiences are ideal for adventurous souls 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 of our trips are to facilitate your immersion into the culture.

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

By travel sketching on location and connecting to our creativity - visiting villages and sharing food together, we connect with those around us. 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 Vietnam.

• Take early morning walks through the rice fields to local markets.

• Have an ongoing bookclub throughout the trip. The book of the trip is announced when you sign up.

• 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, in markets, on 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, and always choose accomodations as 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 dont discriminate between genders - Women are not “girls” and everyone is welcome.

• 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 also hetero friendly ;-)

• 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!