Indulge your inner John Wayne on a Canadian ranch

Learn to ride like a cowboy at the 80,000-acre Siwash Lake Ranch. The ranch’s Synergy with Horses programme takes place against the backdrop of vast, rugged Canadian terrain and focuses on intuitive skills and riding techniques. Follow a hard day’s riding with a night in a luxury tent. Children’s programmes are available. Seven nights from £6,995 (includes flights, private transfers and all riding).

Learn to fly over Lake Como, Italy

Click the image above to watch footage of Aero Club Como

Check in to Villa d’Este in Italy and take off with Aero Club Como, Europe’s only seaplane flying school. Not only can you qualify for a private pilot’s licence through the school, but you can also view the iconic shores of Lake Como from a bird’s-eye perspective. From £365 per room per night. Aero Club offers flying lessons from 180 per hour.

Boost your winter Olympic credentials

Improve your ski holiday bragging rights with a high-octane Powder White slopestyle course. Learn the tricks to master this winter sport, including how to do a ‘flat 360’ (full circle turn) and how to take off and land on big-air jumps. From £618 per person (based on seven nights at Meribel’s Chalet Patrice and three slopestyle sessions).

Meet sea turtles in a tropical paradise, Seychelles

Frégate Island Private is a conservation lover’s dream. Some 2,000 giant Aldabra tortoises roam freely across the island, while the sandy beaches are home to another two species of sea turtle. A resident conservationist will help you tour the island and answer your questions. From €4,400 per residence per night, including all meals.

A helicopter history tour in the Philippines

The Peninsula Manila gives you a more exhilarating kind of history lesson. Take off from the hotel’s helipad on a BELL-407 helicopter and visit major Second World War sites. Following a stop at the rocky island fortress of Corregidor, fly along the Cavite-Batangas coastline before descending into Taal lake and hovering over its volcano. Room rates from £113 per night; experience prices start at £3,453 for one, including taxes, transportation and meals.

Become a Michelin-starred chef for a day

Experience life in a double Michelin-starred kitchen at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Rise early to bake the day’s bread, source ingredients from the kitchen garden and assist the chefs as they prepare award-winning food for the hotel and restaurant. Room rates from £512 per night, including breakfast.