Dig In To An Archaeological Vacation

re few jobs that grab our imaginations or hold as muchlisted. You can search under the category “field
potential for excitement as archaeology. The chancework.” From there, you select the region and/or
to discover something new, to uncover history andcountry in which you would like to volunteer. It
become part of it is endlessly alluring. For those whogenerates a list matching your requirements. For
dream of being the next Mary Leakey, or Indianainstance, if you wanted to volunteer at a dig in Europe,
Jones, for that matter, an archaeological vacation willyou may find that excavating a medieval castle in
be the opportunity of a lifetime. Dig in, get your handsTuscany is the perfect way to spend your vacation.
dirty, and add to the store of knowledge thatYou can choose from experiences all over the world;
archaeologists have been building for centuries.typically you need no experience, so it is a vacation
There are a host of different archaeological vacationsanyone can enjoy. Be aware, however, that many
from which to choose, and your destination dependssites have a minimum stay requirement (such as two
largely on which part of the world you would like toweeks). Make sure to plan your vacation well ahead
see and what you would like to do, as well as whatof time because you must apply for spots on these
your travel budget is. You can find archaeological toursdigs. If you are using the AIA site, you will see the
of such exotic places as Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Turkey,application deadline on the listing for each project, as
Peru, Guatemala, Italy, Bulgaria, Thailand, Singapore, andwell as information regarding prices and
many more beautiful locales. With these tours, you willaccommodations.
be immersed in the history, culture, and archaeology ofIf your travel budget is a bit more restricted, you can
your destination.participate in digs within the United States. The AIA site
Perhaps even more rewarding, however, is thelists fieldwork opportunities that may be much closer to
chance to be an archaeologist yourself, even for just ahome, and you can contact your closest large college
few days or weeks. You can do this by volunteeringor university and inquire about digs they are doing or of
to participate in a dig. These take place all over thewhich they have knowledge. You will be surprised how
world and many will gladly take the opportunity to getmany opportunities you can find at home and abroad.
some free labor. You may, though, depending on theAn archeological vacation is by no means luxurious, but
locale, have to pay a fee. A good resource in planningyou will have the chance to explore and discover on a
your trip is the Archaeological Institute of Americalevel that is entirely new and exciting.
(AIA) site, which has current fieldwork opportunities