It\u2019s never just about the flavours. Exploring a country through food is one way to connect with a place\u2019s culture, history and people, no matter where you are.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Tasting local flavours, feeling new textures, smelling fragrant spices and seeing how dishes come to life are some of the most sensory ways to explore a new destination. But it\u2019s about more than eating and drinking your way around the world. \u00a0<\/p>\n Intrepid\u2019s food inclusions give you a chance to learn from locals, discover tastes you never knew existed and share moments over special meals. So, if you\u2019re craving all of the above for 2025, these 13 brand-new experiences are *chef\u2019s kiss* and then some.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A completely new trip for 2025, Northern Philippines Highlights<\/a> will give you a taste of mountain life (and food). As you crisscross rice terraces and rolling hills, you\u2019ll head to Tarakun Village to meet the Aeta community (some of the country\u2019s earliest inhabitants) and enjoy a meal with their chieftain. Then in Baguio, nicknamed the City of Pines, you\u2019ll pick up ingredients from the local market and cook up a Cordillera feast alongside a chef.\u00a0<\/p>\n This new addition to the Real Mexico<\/a> 18 to 35s trip introduces you to Gastromotiva<\/a>, an organisation that\u2019s fighting food scarcity and homelessness while cooking up a sustainable food revolution in Mexico<\/a>. Powered by passion and community spirit, Gastromotiva shows you how food can transform lives one delicious dish at a time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Join the Turkey Women\u2019s Expedition<\/a> for a homemade meal with Oznur in Avanos. After moving from Hatay, a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy, following the 2023 earthquakes, Oznur and her family created this new experience to share the rich flavours of their heritage. It\u2019s an intimate meal that gives you a window into their traditions and culture.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Spend time in Bikaner, exploring the Real Rajasthan<\/a> on this revamped 18 to 35s trip, sipping chai and learning how to roll chapatis. During a cooking demonstration with locals you will get to try authentic Rajasthani dishes. This family-run experience is as personal as it gets, connecting you with recipes passed down through generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the Highlights of Japan Family Holiday<\/a>, step into Tokyo\u2019s DAWN Avatar Robot Cafe, where servers are robot avatars operated remotely by people with disabilities. This new, high-tech experience is an inspiring look at inclusive innovation, with your meal served by a heartwarming combination of human connection and technology.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2025, the Ecuador Highlands<\/a> trip will introduce you to the ancient Andean practice of pachamanca, which involves cooking food underground with heated stones. Join the Indigenous Calera community for this experience and see how flavour comes about with this centuries-old method. While you wait for lunch to cook, you can learn about some of the women\u2019s entrepreneurship programs found here.\u00a0<\/p>\n Experience Saudi culture<\/a> by connecting over food and stories on the recently launched Saudi Arabia Women\u2019s Expedition<\/a>. In Riyadh, the capital, you\u2019ll be met with Arab hospitality over a home-cooked meal hosted by women. Then in Buraydah, you\u2019ll make hearty Najd recipes like stews and fragrant rice dishes during a cooking class led by a female chef.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n On this refreshed Real Central Europe<\/a> trip for 18 to 35s<\/a>, you\u2019ll visit a classic Polish milk bar in Krakow \u2013 a spot few tourists would find without insider know-how. These distinctive, affordable cafes, made popular in World War II, serve up authentic Polish home-cooked meals in a lively atmosphere. There\u2019s no English on the menu and you\u2019ll bump elbows while dining, but that\u2019s all part of the fun.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Join a Tamil family in the coastal town of Jaffna for an evening of cooking and dining on the revamped Sri Lanka Explorer<\/a> trip. Learn to prepare traditional vegetarian recipes served on banana leaves, gaining hands-on experience with spices and techniques that are part of Tamil cuisine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A brand-new overland adventure, the Georgia & Armenia Explorer<\/a> trip will give you a chance to visit a Georgian winery and discover some of the world\u2019s oldest winemaking traditions. You\u2019ll also spend time in Armenia\u2019s capital, Yerevan \u2013 a city that was established in 782 BC. Here, you can take a dolma-making class in a local home, crafting delicious stuffed grape leaves and then savouring your creations over dinner served family style.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Jump on the Trans-Mongolian Railway from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar<\/a> to join a family of camel herders for a traditional lunch in Sainshand, a city found in the Gobi Desert region. As you munch on homemade buuz (steamed dumplings), you\u2019ll learn about the family\u2019s nomadic life. This is a new trip for 2025 featuring an experience that will give you a chance to try food and drink you might not have come across before: suutei tsai (salty milk tea) and other dairy-based goods like dried curd and milk vodka.\u00a0<\/p>\n A new trip for 2025, Sail Maldives<\/a> pairs the fresh ocean breeze and island hopping<\/a> with local eats. You\u2019ll head to Guraidhoo Island on a dhoni boat for a cooking demo on mas huni \u2013 a local breakfast made with tuna, coconut and chilli. After mopping up your food with fresh roshi flatbread, sipping on sweet tea and snorkelling, you\u2019ll sail to Male for a jaunt to the local bazaar and markets to try delicacies like dried fish and huvadhoo bondi sweets.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the Classic South India<\/a> trip, enjoy dinner at a women-led restaurant that supports training and employment for local women. On this new experience you\u2019ll savour dishes like fragrant fish curry, meen pollichathu (fish marinated in spices and wrapped in banana leaves), and avial, a coconut-based vegetable dish. It\u2019s a meal that nourishes both body and soul<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n1. Dine with the Aeta Community in the Philippines<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
2. Discover a food hub with a\u00a0purpose in Mexico City\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
3. Share a homemade feast in Turkey<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n4. Learn authentic recipes in India<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
5. Meet Japan\u2019s robot servers at DAWN Cafe<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
6. Celebrate the pachamanca tradition in Ecuador\u2019s highlands<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n7. Cook and bond with women in Saudi Arabia<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
8. Discover a chapter of Polish history at a milk bar<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
9. Dive into Tamil flavours in northern Sri Lanka<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n10. Sip wine in Georgia\u2019s old-world vineyards<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
11. Break bread with Mongolian camel herders<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n12. Make mas huni on a sailing adventure in the Maldives\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
13. Dine at a women-led restaurant in South India<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n