As a crafter, it’s impossible to travel without searching for each and every opportunity to get creative. However there are other reasons to get creative on your travels. It’s not just for creative people…
Local Life
Getting creative on my travels sometimes gives me an insight into local life.
When I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for Yi Peng and Loi Krathong I found an opportunity to learn from some friends who lived there, how to be creative with a few banana leaves, making krathong ‘boats’ to float on the river.
krathong ‘boats’ for Loi Krathong
See more, including a detailed tutorial, over on my crafting site: Making Krathong, banana leaves boat.
Arranging to visit the Shilpa Childrens Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka to make Christmas cards was one of the most enjoyable craft sessions I’ve ever had, but these experiences are not easy to come by these days.
Volunteering
There’s a fine line between the impact that volunteers make and the potential damage they may inflict. So I try to limit the volunteering I do and seek out the most appropriate opportunities and longer projects when I can.
I would love to find a project where I can be creative as well as help. Alternatively I can usually come up with something creative to contribute. For example, when I was volunteering on a turtle conservation project in the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia, I made ‘turtle’ ash trays out of empty drinks cans; and they did get used by the visitors on the beach and nearby.
Turtle ash trays from fizzy drink cans
See related post for more: Turtle conservation in Malaysia, and how to help.
At another project, I spotted that one of the out buildings could do with a lick of paint, so got busy working on this.
Painted shed
We were also able to do a bit of wood work and make and decorate a geocache whilst there. I would hope that this encouraged more people to visit the project. Find out more about Geocaching on my travels.
Handmade geocache
Hand crafted souvenirs
There are some lovely souvenirs handcrafted all over the world, and sometimes it’s possible to see the creators at work.
I can’t resist hunting out craft supplies when I travel. They are often sold in shops in areas the average traveller wouldn’t visit, so it’s a good way to explore places off the beaten track. One of my favourite supplies is mulberry style papers which are used in the making of all sorts of products, including souvenirs. See: Handmade papers on my travels.
It’s always interesting to see how a similar product can be produced in different ways and can make souvenir supplies really special.
Experiences
There are the times when being creative allows for a unique and local experience. I’ve had many of these and will always be on the look out for something similar, wherever I go. Check out my creative travels, some of my favourites are:
Vilnius – amber pendant making
St Petersburg – painting Matryoska (Russian dolls)
Koh Lipe – batik making in the shade on the island
Miniature painting class in Udaipur, India
Although many people probably don’t actively look for opportunities to get creative on their travels, it always seems to appeal to friends, family and fellow travellers when I share my experiences. The more ideas I share the more people I find who would like to give these sorts of experiences a try. To be honest, even back home in the UK there are some creative experiences to take part in, so you don’t even have to travel far.
Wellbeing
Crafting and getting creative is a great way to support wellbeing. I cannot recommend enough the calming effects of being creative and I spend a lot of my time, when I’m not travelling working on various projects. Any creative experience anywhere in the World benefits my mental health, and I find practicing mindfulness increases the benefits.
Do share any recommendations or other ways to get creative when travelling. And check out my other creative travels posts.
Updated, previous post from March 2019
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