Foraging is the new food tourism
Rubber boots splash through the saltwater. Wind whips hair across your face as you bend over to pick up the perfect bit of seaweed. After close inspection, the guide tosses it in with the rest of the coastal plants you’ll be eating for lunch near the cliffs of County Kerry, Ireland.
Forage-cations are among the largest culinary travel trends out there. In a 2025 travel report from Hilton, one in five people travel to find new culinary experiences. And it seems that nearly every travel brand, from Airbnb to Shinta Mani, wants to help guests get their hands dirty in various forest-to-fork or dock-to-dish experiences.
Brendan Vacation’s Deluxe Seaweed Experience is among the increasingly popular immersive culinary experiences guests are craving. “As sustainability and wellness continue to shape how people travel, there is a growing desire to understand where food comes from and how it connects to the place where it is sourced,” says Catherine Reilly, Managing Director of Brendan Vacations. “Experiences like seaweed foraging invite travelers to slow down, engage with the natural environment and learn directly from local experts, creating a deeper emotional connection to the destination.”
Truffle hunting is arguably the most in-demand foraging experience for European travelers. Accompanied by specially-trained truffle dogs, foodies get dirt under their nails as they dig for these stinky “black diamonds.” On Uniworld cruises to Provence, people disembark to a family-owned truffle farm. The owner leads hungry guests into the forest in search of one of the world’s most prized ingredients. Afterward, fresh truffle, French bread, cheese and plenty of wine are the reward.
Do as the bears do in Alaska and go fishing for wild salmon. Holland America Line guests can opt for an excursion on a small group boat to cast their lines off Ketchikan or Juneau for wild salmon. As part of the cruise line’s Savor My Catch program, this sustainable outing, anything caught is cleaned and prepared by the ship’s chefs for dinner that night.
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“Alaska’s most memorable moments often come from being part of the landscape. That’s especially true around food, where fishing and sourcing locally have long been part of daily life,” says Marisa Christensen, Director of Food Beverage Operations & Development at Holland America Line. “While all Alaska seafood served on our ships is sustainably sourced and extraordinarily fresh, nothing compares to the true port‑to‑plate experience of catching it yourself.”
In the Maldives, fishing has sustained its population for centuries. Now, with tourism as this Indian Ocean country’s largest commodity, resort guests are setting sail into the turquoise waters with fishing rods in hand. At Finolhu, travelers can learn traditional Maldivian handline fishing techniques. Once they reel in a big game fish, one of the resort’s chefs will slice it minutes later.
Across the world, on the rugged and wild island of Newfoundland, Fogo Island Inn encourages guests to venture out with one of its Outdoor Adventure guides to collect local partridgeberries, juniper, bakeapples and shrubs like Labrador Tea. Post-walk, they’re used to brew tea or to mix into cocktails and mocktails as you unwind in front of the fire.
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Sink down to the depths of the ocean in the Caribbean, where scuba divers can explore alongside a Sandals Resort marine biologist to hunt pesky, invasive lionfish. Instead of damaging the coral reefs, these mohawked creatures end up on a plate later that day in ceviche or sashimi form.
“Our culture, our spices, and the sea are part of everyday life in Grenada. When guests take part in our lionfish dives at Sandals Resorts, they’re not just discovering the reef; they’re helping protect it,” Keithley Liburd, Sous Chef at Sandals Grenada. “I take that same day’s catch and prepare it using the island’s rich spices and flavors, just as we would at home.”
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from writer Katie Lock
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