More and more travellers are swapping passive holidays for something richer — skillcations, trips where you return home with a new skill as well as memories.

The idea is simple: travel with purpose. Instead of just observing a culture, you participate in it. Skillcations are growing in popularity because they combine adventure, learning, and connection with local people — and they often create far deeper memories than a typical sightseeing trip. In this episode Kevin shows how to holiday with a purpose!

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One of my most memorable skillcation experiences happened just outside Bangkok, where I spent a morning learning how to cook Pad Thai in a floating market kitchen beside a mangrove swamp.

Our teacher, a wonderfully charismatic Thai chef who had once cooked for the royal household, showed us the art of balancing sweet, sour, salty and spice. We chopped garlic and shallots, soaked rice noodles, tossed prawns and tofu in a blazing wok, and finished the dish with tamarind, lime, palm sugar and crushed peanuts.

Later that evening, only twenty minutes from central Bangkok in a small riverside arts café, I learned the elegant movements of traditional Thai dance — the slow turning wrists, the curved fingers, the storytelling gestures. It was the perfect skillcation day: food, culture, laughter and learning something completely new.

Step 1 Soak rice noodles in warm water for about 30 minutes until soft but not mushy.

Step 2 Mix the sauce:

• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  

• 2 tbsp fish sauce
  

• 1 tbsp palm sugar
  

This is the heart of the dish.

Step 3 Heat a wok or frying pan with oil.

Step 4 Add chopped garlic and shallots. Cook until fragrant.

Step 5 Add tofu or prawns.

Step 6 Push everything to the side and crack in one egg. Scramble it quickly.

Step 7 Add the softened noodles.

Step 8 Pour in the Pad Thai sauce and toss the noodles.

Step 9 Add bean sprouts and garlic chives.

Step 10 Serve with:

• crushed peanuts
  

• lime wedge
  

• chilli flakes

  
  Authentic versions have lots of extra “bits” like dried shrimp, tofu and bean sprouts to add flavour and texture

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Kev’s Pad Thai recipe!

We often assume that the safest places must also be the most predictable — tidy, orderly, maybe even a little dull. But after travelling through some of the world’s safest countries, I discovered something more interesting. Safety doesn’t remove adventure; it simply changes its shape. Strong institutions, trust between citizens, and well-run infrastructure create a different kind of freedom for travellers. The real question isn’t whether safety makes a place boring — it’s how to find the perfect balance between security and discovery.

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Turn on the news and you might think the world is falling apart… wars, conflicts, geopolitical tension everywhere. Yet airports are full, flights are operating normally, and millions of people are travelling every day. The question for listeners is: Is the world really more dangerous to travel in? In this short podcast Kevin tries to answer that burning question.

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Irish born hotelier John Fitzpatrick is an actual. gold-plated legend in the world of hospitality and his two hotels in the Big Apple have made history. Kevin meets him at an event in Dublin and is inspired by the man and his extraordinary energy!

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Kevin recalls some iconic, personal trips to New York including taking his son Ciaran to see the soccer world cup in 1994 and U2 and Eugene Gendlin after 9/11. Amd he weighs up going again

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Have you ever boarded a plane feeling terrible and wishing you were in your sick bed? Last Chritmas Kevin did just that and he survived to tell the tale. But when should you travel and when should you stay put?

Kevin answers a common conundrum

Visit: www.simply-munich.com

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People who have lost family, friends, an important job or even their mental and emotional health can be conflicted when it comes to travel. Will it make it better or worse and is it just pure escapism?

In this episode Kevin looks at when it's good to travel and when it is not. And how taking a trip may start you off on the road to recovery

You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:

Instagram: ⁠@thetoptraveldestinations⁠

X: ⁠@becreativkev