Vacations That Can Change Your Life: Adventures, Retreats, and Workshops for the Mind, Body, and Spirit

I received this book as a gift. It is very informative on interesting places and workshops not only throughout the US, but other countries as well. Great ideas for get aways with my mother and a group of friends! I highly recommend it. Prices are not listed, but a general range is provided plus address, phone number and website info to get more info if needed.

If you're looking for a vacation that will change your life, this is your book. Clear chapters, where to write or call info with every destination. Definately worth the money!

I wrote this review for Tell-A-Woman, Philadelphia's monthly women's newsletter: It's that time of year when I start to ask myself, "What can I look forward to after the holidays?" Well this year I've come across the perfect resource to answer that question. Ellen Lederman has compiled a comprehensive directory of more than 200 adventure opportunities "for the mind, body and spirit." Lederman's book has given me vacation ideas to fill my time-off for the next several years. The book is organized by vacation types and includes Holistic, Spiritual, Healing and Health-Promoting, Self-Improvement and Learning chapters. There are easy to use state-by-state and international indices in the back to quickly search for adventures in particular areas. Since I'm always looking for that mid-winter, warm weather vacation I immediately searched under Florida and Mexico for my adventures. The general index is also very helpful for finding more specific offerings. I found 40 entries next to the "Women's programs" index and 30 for "Music programs." The directory of adventures, retreats and workshops includes the seemingly content-free Disney Institute in Florida, and at the other extreme, a five-day intensive workshop for abuse survivors offered by Safe Harbours in California. There's a listing for you if you want to spend your vacation painting, learning to build houses, or cataloging fossils in Uganda. There's even one for those hungry for some intergenerational bonding at the Sagamore Institute's Grandparents Camp. Of course there are also entries for the usual mud baths, tennis lessons and more yoga retreats than I ever expected -- but you can find those listings most anywhere. The real value in this book is the recognition that a vacation can offer more than just a great view and a seven-day lounge by the pool - admit it, leisure does get a little boring. Many of us have been hungry for a way to use our time off to rejuvenate but we also hope to get something more than a few nice pictures - we want to add to our lifeskills resource bank. Thanks to Lederman's book I think I'll be learning to build my own home in Massachusetts this Summer and within the next two years I'll finally get to see the changes going on in South Africa first hand. Prices for the getaways vary. Lederman uses a coding for under $1500, $1500-$3000 and over $3000, but don't let that scare you off. Many of the health and healing programs may be partially or fully covered by your health insurance and quite a few of the other programs have scholarships available. I encourage you to pick up Ellen Lederman's book and find out all the things you can do on your next vacation.

Truly a marvelous guide to identifying the new dimension of vacation. It is best put in the quote from the other book I bought from a truly enlightened author: "In this tidal wave of change upon us, the vacation 'want to get away from' has turned into the 'need to get in touch with'. What sufficed to relax and rejuvenate the body must now encompass the increasingly confused and troubled mind. Until now considered a frivolity, the new definition for vacation encompasses a need that is vital to the balance of our mental and physical well-being. Our world is in a core level identity crisis which extends all the way into biblical prophecy. In the turmoil of reidentifying our very foundation stones of belief, finding a temporary sanctuary for the mind may become a matter of survival." from "The Secrets & Mysteries of Hawaii" by Pila of Hawaii.