Hands-on creative workshops on our tours

About ECT

We have a big passion for creativity in real life and on travel. The creative connections that our guests and workshop masters form when feeling themselves and doing the things that inspire them are very deep and sometimes connect them for life. This is why we try to include at least one creative hands-on workshop into every tour we organize.

In fact, there are two different things. One is the creative hands-on workshops we add to our (Grand Tours) programs, and the other are tours that revolve around a certain passion, a hobby, and are called Workshop Tours. At the moment we lead different tours with Photography and Dance as main subjects. We visit Havana (Cuba) for Argentine Tango, Salsa, and Storytelling (Art) Photography, Ljubljana (Slovenia) with Trieste (Italy) for Argentine Tango, and Vienna (Austria) for the famous Viennese Waltz dancing Workshop (together with attending an elegant Viennese Ball). We had written a separate post about Workshop Tours.

CREATIVE HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS ON OUR TOURS

The list of different creative hands-on workshops depends on a tour and on destination. Some of the workshops are intriguing Calligraphy (Morocco), Letterpress printing (Ljubljana), creative Collage (in Ljubljana, Slovenia), Mask painting (Venice), a creative Photo shooting (Morocco), Cooking (on any of our tours), basic steps of Dancing (in many places), and others.

OUR PASSION FOR BRINGING A MORE ENGAGING EXPERIENCE

Furthermore, our creative hands-on workshops (as well as Workshop tours) are not meant only as a creative addition, but have many aspects that we believe are an important and unique part of Elegant Cultural Tours philosophy.

They aim at giving the guest a chance to broaden the experience, open up, have time to discover the feelings within, and share their creative experience with other guests in a group and with a host artist.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT: All the necessary equipment, materials, and tools are provided on the spot (but for some tours a basic supply list is sent together with an information letter to our guests before the tour)
THE LEVEL OF SKILLS: We do not expect our guests to be artists, or experienced in a certain technique. The level of intensity and creativity is always adjusted to our guests’ wishes and demands (from total beginners to advanced levels).

GENERAL IDEAS FOR THE WORKSHOPS

With years of working with different people and groups, we had discovered that creativity in a new environment is something that opens up the guest’s experiencing. Thus the experiencing is more intensive and the connection to the environment and the people deeper.

Our workshops bring :

ENJOYING IN A CREATIVE AUTHENTIC ENVIRONMENT with professional tools, and with the help and guidance of a local master.
DEEPER CONNECTION TO THE VISITED COUNTRY AND ITS CULTURE: All of the workshops have a pedagogic background and aim at connecting our guests in a more direct way to the visited culture. We always thoroughly think of where in our tour to include a workshop, and what kind of activity would add to the experiencing of the place.
DISCOVERING OR EVOKING A TALENT: We invite our guests to take the path to discover something new and invigorating, maybe evoke an old (or sleeping) talent that they can then later introduce to their home living.

We had discovered that when we travel, we are more perceptive and open to change. Things that might have needed a resolution at home, may happen quicker or easier while traveling… and we believe the same goes for creativity, especially if it is supported with great quality input.

MAKING A UNIQUE SOUVENIR: Another very positive outcome is that every guest will make their own souvenir that will remind them of the experience and the visited country.

There is a true Moroccan story of how the idea of our workshops was born A hands-on Moroccan workshop experience.

You can learn more about what to expect on our tours, how our days look like, what our values are in How we travel section.

Read what we are best at in Our Specialities.

You can find our Tours at Cuba, Morocco and From Vienna to Venice.