Pursue Your Dream Via a Working Vacation in California

Published on Apr 4, 2009 - 8:11:23 AM

By: California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Apr. 4, 2009 - This summer, California has taken a different spin on the traditional working vacation. Tourism officials are encouraging travelers to visit the state to pursue their dream job - whether it is as a chocolatier, winemaker or flight instructor.

"California offers the chance for visitors to become anything they want to be," said President and CEO Caroline Beteta of the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) and National Chair of the U.S. Travel Association, "all while vacationing in a stunning, picturesque setting."

Aspiring chefs and home cooks learn what it takes to create exquisite cuisine with Chef de Cuisine Steven Rojas of San Diego's Rancho Bernardo Inn in the San Diego County Region. The two-day, two-night package has guests reporting for duty in monogrammed chef's whites, getting up close to the action as meals go from the line to the table. At the end of the evening, guests get to participate in another kitchen ritual, enjoying a late-night meal with the El Bizcocho staff. Visitors can also go behind the scenes via SeaWorld San Diego's Trainer for a Day program when they accompany expert dolphin trainers as they feed, swim and communicate with the animals - all while learning training techniques and behavioral commands. Who doesn't love chocolate? The Eclipse Chocolat in San Diego offers a two-day chocolatier course, where participants learn how to express their creativity through chocolate.

Living healthy and organic is a way of life for many Californians. Le Vin Winery & Vineyards teaches this philosophy with an agricultural course on their 164-acre ranch in the North Coast Region. Guests learn about organic farming, gardening and how to produce organic wine and olive oil. If the clip-clop sound of horses slowly moving down a trail draws you in, a second career in the equine industry might be ideal. The Strozzi Ranch, located in Valley Ford, offers a horse trainer program amid the region's scenic, rolling hills. Participants, called interns, help promote sustainability through environmental education at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland by assisting with workshops that offer topics ranging from green building to renewable energy sources.

In the Gold Country Region, visitors can try their hand at one of California's most infamous pastimes. Gold Prospecting Adventures in Jamestown allows treasure seekers to spend three days learning how to assess the best places for gold mining, use basic tools for mineral extraction, and teach the course on their last day. Or escape to Roaring Camp Mining Co. in Mokelumne River Canyon to work on a mining team panning and dredging for gold.

Fly Corona teaches visitors how to fly and also offers lessons on how to be a flight instructor. Located in Corona and the Inland Empire Region, the flight school boasts the latest aircraft and DVD and computer-based instruction. Visitors learn how to make their own personal vintage of wine at Rancho Cucamonga's Wine Tailor. The company's winemaking program has guests working with staff during the creation process, with staff then carefully monitoring the customized blend as it ferments for approximately 50 days. Visitors return to bottle, cork and label their vintage.

The Central Coast Region also invites travelers to learn about and experience wine at Dunning Vineyards Estate Winery in Paso Robles via their Vineyard to Wines educational tours. The behind-the-scenes, hands-on tours of this working, sustainable farmed winery and vineyard offers a much deeper understanding of the wine business, along with an opportunity to take part in a private reserve tasting.

Those visitors fascinated with California's marine life may be interested in attending private tours provided by the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and the Los Angeles County Region, where the team teaches participants the ropes on their quest to becoming a marine animal care specialist. One two-hour trip has guests participating in a feeding and training session of sea otters. On another, participants get to enter the touch pools of the Shark Lagoon. Guests can also participate in feeding and training a seal or sea lion.

Does working in the wilderness sound ideal? The U.S. Forest Service offers a variety of opportunities for individuals, including one or two-day projects along with those that last for several weeks. In the Shasta Cascade Region, Lassen Volcanic National Park is an ideal locale with its volcanoes, forest, meadows, streams and waterfalls. Visitors can assist with natural resource research or get their hands dirty with non-native weed removal. If the open range is your calling, the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown offers four-day cattle drives in the spring and summer months. Guests ride the trails created by wild horses and burros through pine and oak-studded hills, then retire to base camp for frontier-style sleeping cabins.

Travelers can also saddle up in the High Sierra Region, where ranchers Tom Peek and Ken Zimmerman have been moving cattle annually in the Benton area on behalf of the Harris Ranch for nearly 30 years. Beginners are put on gentle steeds and taught how to work cattle, while seasoned riders and previous guests are given more demanding tasks with lots of opportunity to ride. In camp, visitors practice roping, take pleasure in a much-deserved soak in the hot springs at Old Benton, and enjoy good food and campfire stories and music. Visitors of all ages and skill levels can learn how to be trail builders on the celebrated Tahoe Rim Trail, a 165-mile loop trail that follows the ridge and mountain tops around Lake Tahoe. Every Tuesday June through mid-October, a Work Party is hosted on a different section of the trail. This year, emphasis is placed on building a connector trail from Van Sickle State Park to the Tahoe Rim Trail, reducing impacts to sensitive resources. Other projects include clearing fallen trees, constructing rock walls and installing stream crossing.

Established in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming and to encourage a new awareness of farm animals, the Farm Sanctuary offers the perfect environment for visitors to connect with farm beings. The 300-acre farm sits on the eastern foothills of the coastal mountain range near Orland in the Central Valley Region. Those travelers on working vacations can participate in a work party day, volunteer while they stay on the farm as a guest or take part in an internship. Farm duties include shelter maintenance, along with cleaning, raking, painting and gardening.

Surfing is inherent to the California lifestyle. For many, hanging ten is just another day at the office. Visitors can learn to be surfers all along the coast, but especially in the Orange County Region, where Huntington Beach draws water enthusiasts to compete, practice and catch some waves. Since 1992, the professional team at Toes on the Nose has been sharing the joy of surfing with first-timers and those who can carve a wave with the best of them. Located at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa, the staff will even set up a bonfire on the beach for you, just like the surfers do after a long day of riding the waves.

Visitors who love wine and want to share their knowledge with others can investigate the role of a sommelier with Master Sommelier Emily Wines at the Michelin-starred Fifth Floor Restaurant in San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area Region. The dining establishment's Sommelier for a Day package includes shadowing Wines for an entire workday Monday through Saturday. Participants also experience tastings with vendors to see how sommeliers choose wine for the restaurant, and wrap up the evening with a late-night dinner to taste new dishes and a new bottle of wine with the staff.

The California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs - in partnership with the state's travel industry - that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to the CTTC, travel and tourism expenditures total $96.7 billion annually in California, support jobs for 924,100 Californians and generate $5.8 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about the CTTC and for a free California Visitor's Guide, go to www.VisitCalifornia.com.

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