WELCOME

TO THE ART OF LIVING

Our company specialises in escorted luxury Cultural Tours and Culinary Vacations, Well-being and Yoga Retreats, and Regional Events with fantastic chefs. With an unsurpassed passion for and knowledge from thirty plus years travelling, we also provide unparalleled trip planning for discerning individual travellers.

 

JOURNEYS

LUXURY TRAVEL

Cultivating a relationship with a trusted, experienced travel adviser can be the first step that makes the difference between a dream vacation that meets all your expectations and one that goes off the rails. ‘Without a travel agent, you are on your own’. Now with the ubiquity of the Web, there is also a new DIY breed of traveller – but the Web is not a connoisseur, and cannot provide the personal introductions to people and places that might lead you beneath the tourist veil. That is why Art of Living is here for you.

SMALL GROUP TOURS AND RETREATS

Art of Living’s guided journeys are never larger than twelve guests and sometimes as intimate as six participants. They are usually a mix of solo travellers and couples, and solo travellers are warmly welcomed.

SMALL GROUP TOURS

BESPOKE JOURNEYS

Art of Living has curated many handcrafted and special interest journeys for individuals and small groups. We love this work and pride ourselves on being able to specifically interpret each client’s particular interests and needs.

BESPOKE JOURNEYS

FEATURED JOURNEYS

  • small group tour
    18 DAYS
    25 April - 12 May 2019
    Viva La Mexico
    New Tour!
    This exciting new small group, guided Tour explores the confluence between pre-Columbian, colonial and modern day Mexico – such a fascinating and multi-layered country. In mythology Mexico was vari...
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  • 16 DAYS
    1-16 September 2019
    INDIA ILLUMINATED
    A Cultural and Holistic Wellness Program
    This journey has been curated so you will experience India in all its intoxicating extremities from seductive, colourful, cacophonous, chivalric Rajasthan to the soothing, sybaritic, other...
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  • 3 Days/Nights
    19-22 November 2019
    Saras Yoga Retreat
    Yoga of Relationships
    This deeply immersive retreat is a rare opportunity to work ‘within’ and learn from one of India’s great masters and my revered teacher this last decade, Saraswathi Vasuvedan who is visiting Austra...
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  • small group tour
    9 Days
    20-28 January 2020
    Jaipur Literary Salon
    Jaipur Literature Festival
    As the largest FREE literary festival on earth, the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, directed by William Dalrymple brings together some of the greatest thinkers and writers from across South Asia an...
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  • small group tour
    16 DAYS
    22 May - 6 June 2020
    Morocco the Magnificent
    mountains, medinas, marrakesh and more
    Typical of the style of Art of Living Tours, this captivating itinerary offers sublime and intimate riad and heritage accommodation, deep interaction with the local culture, authentic cuisine and a...
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  • small group tour
    13 Days
    7-19 June 2019
    Sri Lanka:
    The Gems
    Sri Lanka, often described as a teardrop hanging off India’s southern coast and formerly colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, retains the staples of a colonial-era paradise—jungles, tea...
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TESTIMONIALS

Hi Dear Marieke, how often we have thought of you and our wonderful Rajasthan trip! Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful knowledge of India, shared with such a heartfelt passion that it was impossible not to come away sharing a little of that passion!  That to me is an indication of a very well thought out and loved tour, so thank you for taking us on the journey with you!
How wonderful to meet Durga also, a beautiful character and a great addition to the experience. Thank you again Marieke,

Hi Marieke,
Oh yes, I am definitely back with a bang and trying desperately to keep some sort of ‘Karma’ about me… 
Where to begin….from our magical tented camp in Jodhpur that still sends shivers up my spine….to our picnic in the Aravlli hills with VB and his very elegant mum.
Our wonderful Indian food and desert fires at night. One of my most treasured feelings of India will always be the memory of Durga each morning wearing his beautiful turban and genuine warm smile….. such a lovely, lovely man is our Durga and what a privilege to spend time with him in his homeland.
You really do complement each other beautifully.  It certainly was a special time and only hope it won’t be our last.
Please keep me in the loop for new tours as we would all love to do another group holiday together.
A big hug and kiss from Jono and I xxxxoooo

Dear Marieke ,
Thank you for the email and welcome home !
We really loved the Indian adventure Marieke and Durga style and felt we did experience so much more with the tented camps that were a favourite and all  the superbly chosen hotels  sharing some of the essence of India.. Every detail was thought about and the cuisine delicious. I have now stocked the pantry with The Very Best Basmati and have already attempted to make Indian dishes for the family, although not quite the Thali yet . I did love my yoga class with you on the rooftop at Deogarth and particularly loved the small town and our lovely Kashmiri boys at the turban shop. We loved our proud aristocratic Rajput Durga with a wonderful art of storytelling and a great sense of humour. You will be pleased to know that Brad and I are back to yoga once a week and Yin is our new experience .Brad is glued to Indian Summer and I am loving Nine Lives and am able to understand so much more regarding Hindu Jain and Muslim religion with a lot to learn. Thank you for such a wonderful experience in India and we will be back .We already miss the busy street life and the smiling beautiful faces .
Lots Love Lisa and Brad xxx

WHY CHOOSE ART OF LIVING

THE ART OF LIVING

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labour and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both. James A Michener

ART OF TRAVEL

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ART OF CUISINE

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ART OF RETREAT AND YOGA

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NEWSLETTERS

  • NEWSLETTERS

    Your place in the sun – two tropical paradises

    If you are looking to escape the southern winter then I invite you to join me in one of these fabulous destinations where the food is seriously good, the people are specially warm, the accommodations mostly heritage boutique.
    We bring to both programs many years of experience, connection and familiarity that will prise open the unexpected, allowing you to float above and beneath the tourist veil.

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  • NEWSLETTERS

    TWO HEART COUNTRIES

    Indeed, the cultures of Mexico and Morocco are very far from our own, yet both countries in recent years have stolen some of my heart, and I look forward to sharing the journey of discovery, as much as prising open these vibrant destinations that so differently represent a melting pot of history and culture – where the ancient past and contemporary present blend to create a unique synergy with a foot in both worlds. Join me in a vast buffet of multiplicity.

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