Experiential Travel

I don’t buy souvenirs when I travel. I’m not a collector of anything. I take lots of pictures to help me remember my vacations. I did an activity on a vacation that I think was the best souvenir and way to remember the vacation by: a cooking class in Phuket, Thailand.

I absolutely love Thai food and I wanted to learn how to make my favorite dishes. I researched a company and booked a half day cooking class before our trip. We were the only couple in the class that day so we got special attention. Our instructor walked us to the local outdoor food market. She showed us lots of regional foods we’ve never tried like mangosteen, a purple fruit with a white flesh that tastes similar to a peach. We picked out the ingredients we’d need for our meals: shrimp pad Thai, cashew chicken and green curry. We ground up fresh spices to make the green curry base in a mortar and pestle. We fried up the food in a giant wok. Then we got to eat the delicious food we made. We also got to take home the recipe book. I’ve since tried to make those dishes at home. Unfortunately they never quite taste the same but it always takes me back to that memorable day. The cooking class was the perfect souvenir to remember our time in Thailand.

Many all-inclusive resorts and cruise excursions offer cooking classes. Pasta making classes in Italy are available in almost every city. If you don’t have a trip planned yet but want to try out a new cuisine, look up in your city if there’s cooking classes near you to feel like you’re on a Parisian vacation. Try a cooking class on your next vacation for the perfect souvenir.