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OK, not desk-job work, but traveling to gain new skills and take courses. A growing number of travelers are now not only checking in at resorts but also booking courses, whether it’s organic farming, making ceramic or learning traditional tie-dye skills. The small Daradalay resort (www.daradalay.com) in Chiang Mai offers a course in how to build a mud home, while Pun Pun (also in Chiang Mai. www.punpunthailand.org) teaches courses in selfsufficiency.

 

The trend of hotels catering to this market looks set to grow sharply. Design-centric, youth-oriented brands W Hotels and Sofitel So have already moved into Bangkok, and soon to join them is Edition Hotels, the brainchild of traditional luxury stalwart Ritz-Carlton and legendary hotelier Ian Schrager. Look out for it in Mahanakhon Tower.

 

Airbnb may have started the trend, but they’re facing competition. New house-swapping businesses are creating other ways to connect homeowners with travelers, like trampoline.com, who offer points for discounts on future travel, and behomm.com, which focuses squarely on designer properties.

 

There’s nothing better than getting acquainted with the local community when traveling, especially when it helps sustain the area you’re visiting. In Thailand, new travel startup Hivesters offers activities you won’t find from travel agents like working in paddy fields or whale watching in the Gulf of Thailand. Local Alike is more focused on homestay trips, with the guarantee that 60-percent of the revenue will go back into the community.

 

Sport communities across Thailand have never been more active. People looking for endurance tests beyond the sidewalks of Bangkok have a lot to look forward to with events like the Phuket Triathlon (Nov 22) and the mammoth, 140km Thai Ultra Race in Chiang Mai (Feb 18-20). Other sport events worth traveling for include Japan’s Tokyo Marathon (Feb 22) and Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi.