Loading page...
Back to the top of the page
Enquire now

Do you have an extended period of time off work, or a career break? Planning your family adventure holiday to South America for several weeks or months, or have a solo extended holiday planned? Our luxury eco sabbatical holidays to South America are key to our sustainable travel goal; to slow travel.

For a fully bespoke Sabbatical holiday – Enquire Now

What is a sabbatical holiday?


Incredible views of Machu Picchu

A sabbatical holiday is a longer trip; giving you more time to explore a country, combine more destinations and get to know the area and its people and cultures better.

There are industries such as law and finance that reward long service with a sabbatical or career break. We have designed many slow travel holidays for guests who have longer to spend away; for luxury sabbaticals, or once-in-a-lifetime epic family adventures.

Sabbatical journeys mean less flying; seeing the real country in a slower more environmentally conscious way. More time in a region means more money goes back into the local community and more local people are employed. You can properly experience and appreciate a country when you are not moving on every few days; fall in love with local food and music, reach the lesser known spots, see the rarer breeds of birds, explore the markets that are for locals not tourists, experience peace, take the epic trekking routes that require longer.

Feel the thrill of a 4×4 in remote Argentina, see Machu Picchu away from the crowds, try boat and land combined safaris in the Galapagos to tick off all the wildlife on your wish list. There are real rewards for slow travel sabbatical holidays. Our bespoke South America sabbatical trips can include luxury hotels, eco lodges and bucket-list highlights; with longer trips away you don’t need to compromise on where to include and what to see.

Example Sabbatical Holidays


A whales tail at sunset

Cross the Antarctic Circle

Your journey starts in Ushuaia, where you’ll set off across the Drake Passage. Along the way, our expedition team will teach you crucial wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures, before providing an informative talk on Antarctica’s history, environment and wildlife.

As you reach the Antarctic Peninsula and Circle, ice sculptures will start to punctuate the frozen waters around you. Spend the next six days exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and Circle.

Your expedition team will take you to investigate grounded icebergs, ice cliffs and pebbled beaches while pointing out penguins, seals and whales. Then become one of the fortunate few to cross the Antarctic Circle. Celebrate with a toast on the deck and watch the landscape and wildlife transform around you, with humpbacks, minkes and penguins often seen in this area at this time of year.

Boat near Iceberg

Antarctica, South Georgia, & Falklands

Seeking Antarctica cruises that offer a longer stay and the opportunity to see lesser-explored areas of the continent? An Antarctica, South Georgia and Falklands adventure may be the perfect option for you. This 21-day adventure invites you on an epic journey through some of the world’s most underexplored landscapes.

Set off along the Drake Passage from Ushuaia, spotting icebergs and sea birds from the comfort of the vessel. After arriving in the Antarctic Peninsula, spend four days going on zodiac cruises and making landings to visit penguin rookeries, investigate historic huts and do a polar plunge into the wild waters of this fabled continent.

Then venture to the wild island of South Georgia, home to some of the largest congregations of wildlife on the planet. Set off searching for nesting penguins, seals and bird cliffs, before visiting one of the world’s largest king penguin colonies.

You’ll then set sail to the Falklands (Islas Malvinas) where you will find incredible, uninhabited islands home to incredible populations of bird species including the largest black-browed albatross colony on Earth. Here you can investigate sea cliffs and rugged coves to see sea lions, penguins, dolphins and seals.

Antarctica Express - Fly Cruise

Antarctica Express – Fly Cruise

The Antarctica Express is a spectacular cruise from South America to Antarctica. Beginning in Punta Arenas, you’ll board a flight to King George Island, where a zodiac awaits to transport you to your sleek vessel. Then you can spend the next four days hiking to penguin rookeries, taking zodiac cruises to see whales and spotting leopard seals and orcas. All the while, the thunderous sound of calving glaciers resonates around you.

Galapagos Seaman Journey

Galapagos Seaman Journey

From £1995 pp for 3 nights / £2650 pp for 4 nights / £4600 for 7 nights

The Seaman Journey offers a classic cruise to the Galapagos. The boutique first-class catamaran has an onboard bar headed by an experienced bartender who can whip up fresh cocktails for the 16 lucky guests staying in its spacious cabins.

Angel Galapagos

Angel Galapagos

From £2100 pp for 3 nights / £3300 for 4 nights / £5200 for 7 nights

Angel is a sleek Galapagos Island cruise vessel that was expertly designed in the Netherlands. It is one of the newest and most sought-after first-class yacht cruises in the archipelago. Up to 16 passengers can enjoy a plush stay on this vessel thanks to its airy suites, sleek convertible cabins and the excellent service provided by its 9-person crew.

EcoGalaxy II Galapagos

EcoGalaxy II Galapagos

From £2700 pp for 4 nights / £3400 pp for 5 nights

EcoGalaxy II also offers a wonderful cruise to the Galapagos islands. This first-class catamaran boasts the lowest fuel consumption of vessels of its kind and directly supports local schools, projects and foundations. EcoGalaxy II has 8 plush staterooms, each of which showcases a chic, contemporary aesthetic.

Sea Star Galapagos

Sea Star Galapagos

From £3500 pp for 4 nights / £4500 pp for 5 nights

Promising a unique and authentic experience, Sea Star is owned by a local Galapagueno family. This Galapagos cruise offers a charming and luxurious adventure for guests, with jacuzzis, a mini library, a video library and sun loungers. Snorkelling equipment and kayaks are also provided for water-based adventures.

Isabela II Galapagos

Isabela II Galapagos

From £3600 pp for 4 nights / £4800 pp for 6 nights

Isabela II is great for those wanting to experience a slightly larger Galapagos cruise whilst still enjoying personalised service. It caters to up to 40 passengers across its pristine, minimalist cabins. Onboard, passengers can enjoy various amenities including a library, bar, observation decks, dining room and game room. It is also carbon neutral and directly compensates for its carbon emissions. Additionally, it provides exclusive landings, allowing guests to enjoy having the islands entirely to themselves instead of sharing them with other tourists.

Infinity Galapagos

Infinity Galapagos

From £3100 pp for 3 nights / £4600 pp for 4 nights / £6900 for 7 nights

One of the most advanced Galapagos Island cruise vessels of its kind, Infinity is a chic motor yacht complete with a whirlpool spa, living room and dining area. Something that particularly sets it apart is that it has one of the best guide-to-passenger ratios in the archipelago. With two dedicated naturalist guides for just 20 passengers, guests can expect in-depth geographical and ecological insights throughout their voyage.

Sabbatical Holidays: Frequently Asked Questions


Please reach us at info@traveldifferently.co.uk if you cannot find an answer to your question.

If you’re considering a sabbatical holiday or career break, the first thing to do is work out exactly much time you have off work. Whether between jobs, or a paid/unpaid break from work, the amount of time you have will dictate how in depth your sabbatical holiday will be.

Our South America experts will then arrange a call or face to face meeting with you (and other family members) to sit down and go through your wish-list, time frame, budget, and tastes. We will then go away and work on your sabbatical holiday plan, making sure to include styles of hotels and lodges that suit you, activities you will enjoy, unique suggestions, upgrade options where the value is worth it and always including ways to travel differently. Your sabbatical will be completely unique and bespoke.

We will rework your bespoke sabbatical with your feedback until its perfect and you are happy, then book everything for you.

This will depend on the time of year and length you have free to take your sabbatical. As sabbatical holidays tend to be longer than typical holidays, this should help us include most areas and regions so as best to avoid any specific wet seasons, and make the most of the best time of year to travel to each country in South America. We will also advise how best to avoid the crowds and avoid peak season surcharges where possible. If you have a time- specific place you want to see, or specific wildlife only found at certain times of the year, will will design your sabbatical around this.

One of the best reasons to book a sabbatical trip is to cut out or reduce extra flying. You have longer in each area to take land transfers, trains or sometimes luxury coaches. Often the most beautiful and remote areas of a country can be discovered when you take land transfers in South America, which would be missed if you are purely flying.

We plan your sabbatical to ensure the route and order mean where possible, transfers are by vehicle not flights. Where driving or trains is not possible due to distances, domestic flights are used, but these are kept to a minimum in our sabbatical journeys.

Looking for a luxury sabbatical? We have first-have knowledge on which hotels and lodges are best for luxury and which activities/ services are worth upgrading for a 5* luxury experience.

If you wanted to have Iguazu falls to yourself and stay at The Belmond for exclusive access, or stay in an all-inclusive luxury yurt in Patagonia Chile with all activities included, our experts will plan out all details of your luxury sabbatical.

Want to eat in Michelin star restaurants during your time in Peru? or want to have a private boat for your Galapagos holiday? Speak to our team who know each country inside out, and will tailor your luxury sabbatical trip.

A slow travel trip or sabbatical holiday is generally a more responsible way to travel. By taking longer in each country and region you are avoiding flying, and putting more money back into the local community. By staying longer in areas you are directly contributing to the community and environment by spending money in local markets and restaurants, paying conversation/park fees, and more local staff can be employed as demand for services and hospitality staff is higher.

Spending longer away on holiday means you can tread lightly, avoiding over crowded hot spots that erode the landscape. A slow-travel holiday or sabbatical gives you more time to experience and explore the cultures, routes less trodden, and see the real country. You will feel a deeper sense of connection to each area and its people, and learn more about specific communities and eco systems. This can only be a positive for long haul tourism.

Why Book a Luxury Sabbatical With Travel Differently


Drawing of a tree

Sabbatical Travel Greener

When going on a career break sabbatical, the last thing you want is to negatively impact the landscape and ecosystems you are there to admire and enjoy. That’s why at Travel Differently only work with sustainable, environmentally-conscious properties and partners.

Keeping in mind the climate emergency, our sabbatical holidays are all longer than 30 days to encourage clients to see more and travel for longer, reducing the need for multiple trips.

Drawing of a compass

Sabbatical Travel Slower

Many of our guests start their sabbatical holiday to South America from the UK, which involves flying a considerable distance. To promote sustainability and enhance the travel experience, our sabbatical holidays encourage you to stay for longer and travel slower, using land-based transport throughout the country where possible.

By allowing guests more time to immerse in multiple destinations, we aim to reduce emissions associated with additional flights. Further to this, we believe that embracing a slower approach to adventure travel sabbatical holidays enables you to fully relax and engage more in the destination, resulting in a more genuine, enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

Drawing of 2 hikers

Sabbatical Travel Fairer

One of our key aims for every sabbatical holiday to South America we offer is a commitment to fairer travel. We are sure to only work with partners who actively encourage and support local communities in the regions we visit, making sure that regional tourism benefits local people. Slow travel and longer sabbatical holidays ensure more local people are employed, and more money goes back in to the local area to benefit the region and its environment.

Drawing of a bag

Sabbatical Travel Better

Our South America experts specialise in knowing how to travel better when it comes to luxury Sabbatical holidays. As well as our commitment to sustainability, we are passionate about designing fully personalised, unique tailor-made holidays.

We pride ourselves on getting to know each customer individually and offering direct contact with our founder. Our 5* reviews on our Trust Pilot page reflect our first class service. This ensures that every luxury sabbatical holiday is meticulously tailored and tweaked to match our clients distinct needs and interests. We don’t offer a generic, one-size-fits-all package or price, all our sabbatical holidays and career breaks are completely bespoke.

Latin American Travel Association
Tourism declares Climate Emergency
We support the future of tourism
Inspire positive impact tourism
Atol protected