At the sound of a sharp whistle, the Harris’s hawk spread its ruddy wings and sped like a yellow-beaked bullet through the humid summer air, landing with the lightness of a fallen sheet of loose leaf on my leather-gloved hand. I marveled at the handsome bird, his pinpoint accuracy, and the many raptor-behavior curiosities shared by his falconer, Anastasia.

Although I’d come to Vermont’s Woodstock Inn & Resort to perfect my pickleball game—both in private lessons with an on-staff pro and in drills and games—my encounter with the hawk at New England Falconry became an instant highlight of the trip. Between the court time and the falconry session, I realized I was really on a skillcation, or hobbycation—a getaway built around picking up new tricks or polishing old ones.

Consulting agency Future Partners has found that 39 percent of travelers are drawn to such trips, which are for all ages and levels of physical ability, and can be low-key and contemplative, or active and high-energy. No matter the flavor, the distinguishing factor of a skillcation is its slew of mental-health benefits. According to Dr. Rebecca Mannis, a Manhattan-based learning specialist, these include brain maintenance, or the ability to sustain our thinking skills by reinforcement or the introduction of novelty, and cognitive reserve, which protects functions of the brain that naturally decline over time.

“Learning a skill is also associated with improved integrity of white matter, which is responsible for sending information between different parts of the brain,” Mannis says.

Julie Frumin, a mental wellness specialist at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village in Southern California, says that while vacations disrupt our everyday patterns, they allow us to see the world with a different perspective. Skillcations go one step beyond by tapping into flow, a concept introduced by the late psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, in which we fully immerse ourselves in an activity and lose our self-consciousness and sense of time.

“Our day is often broken up into many little bites of what psychologists call time confetti,” Frumin explains. “When we are in flow state, we’re combining that confetti and making it into something purposeful.”

Along with an enhanced sense of relaxation and happiness, hobbycations bring us back to the beginner’s mind-set, says Samantha Edu, senior manager for care, equity, and inclusion at meditation and mental health app Headspace. “We don’t always have the opportunity to be beginners at something,” Edu says. “There’s this expectation that we should have knowledge of the thing when we go into it.” Practicing a skill brings us back to a childlike state of play, which, experts agree, boosts creativity and leads to enhanced well-being.

Sharpen an existing skill or challenge yourself with one of these skillcations.

Nautilus Sailing offers four-person, weeklong learn-to-sail experiences in different locations, including the clear turquoise waters of the Bahamas. The curriculum covers navigation and charting, rules of the “road,” engines and onboard systems, docking, mooring, and more.

Although there’s ample downtime for snorkeling, paddleboarding, or just relaxing, you’ll cover about 150 nautical miles during training. Return to land knowing the difference between a jib and a jibe, how to haul the main, and change the heading by 10 degrees.

Capture gallery-worthy vacation moments with Nkuringo Safaris’ brand-new PrimatesPhotography Safari, a 10-day trip into Uganda’s jungles and rainforests, home to endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. The photographer/tour leader covers everything from mastering your equipment to fine-tuning your ability to use light, shadow, and action within a rainforest backdrop.

“It’s amazing to see so many travelers using our trips to reconnect with their hobbies,” Lydia Eva Mpanga, founder of Nkuringo Safaris, says. “Primate safaris provide rare opportunities to capture close-up moments with very interactive wildlife species in wild areas of jungle and rainforest that few travelers see.”

You can find cooking classes all over Italy, but not all are made equal or affordable. My pick is Cesarine, a 20-plus-year-old nationwide community of home cooks who preserve Italy’s food culture through tours, dining experiences, and cooking classes. Learn to make pizza in Naples or gnocchi in Tuscany or take a tour of the Rialto market and then make tiramisu in Venice.

A home-based cooking course is an especially memorable experience. On a recent trip to Sardinia, I booked a class with Federica Tegas, who taught me to make two different types of Sardinian pasta: culurgiones, a type of ravioli with a fish-shaped wrapper, and lorighittas, a unique braided noodle. For lunch, we plated and savored our efforts, and Tegas shared stories of living in Sardinia.

Indonesia has a centuries-old tradition of arts and artisanal crafts like wood carving, ceramics, and jewelry design. The latter has made the island of Bali, home to hundreds of artisans, one of the most popular destinations for collectors seeking gold and silver necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings.

COMO Shambhala Estate, a 22-acre resort on the banks of the Ayung River, outside Ubud, honors fine crafts with five-hour hands-on workshops. Courses include a silversmith class, where you’ll make rings and bracelets; a painting and wood carving class; and a pottery class.

The Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne, which has hosted movie stars, literati, politicians, and socialites over its 150-year history, has glamour down to a science. This extends to the food and beverage program across 10 restaurants and bars, including Verbena, Switzerland’s first sober bar.

Learn to pair traditional and no-ABV spirits with syrups, fruits, juices, and other ingredients in the one-hour Mixology Masterclass. Then blend your own botanical gin at The Bürgenstock Gin Lab. Follow up with A Tale of Cocktails, where you’ll taste four drinks inspired by some of the hotel’s most famous guests, from the Charlie Chaplin, which makes a smoky theatrical entrance in its own box, to the La Sofia, an homage to Sophia Loren featuring bittersweet chocolate and sparkling wine.

“Pilgrimage is potent,” says Stephanie Dale, an author and expert in the relationship between writing and well-being. “And writing about it can teach us to meet life on our own terms.” Dale brings the two together in Walk & Write the Camino, along Spain’s iconic pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago.

The 10-day, women’s only tour covers the last 68 miles of the route, and each day features a blend of writing workshops, hiking six to nine miles, and social lunches and dinners. The purpose isn’t to walk away with a fully written memoir. Instead, Dale says, some travelers work on short stories or essays, some outline book ideas, and others simply learn about the positive impact of daily journaling.

Earn your Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification at Yasawa Island Resortin Fiji. The program takes place on an unspoiled island far from the tourist traffic of Nadi and Savusavu.

By night, picnic on one of 11 private beaches, and stay in an airy waterfront bungalow tucked between palm trees that rustle in the South Pacific breeze. In the daytime, wriggle into your wetsuit and head into the uncharted reefs, which are full of otherworldly limestone coral formations and vibrant marine life. A Mermaid Course is also in the works at the resort.

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