If you visit Great Britain, you probably WON T be spending much time in the countryside. Foot and mouth disease has put rural areas of England, Scotland and Ireland off limits. But despite the current crisis, our Savvy Traveler, Rudy Maxa, says farms elsewhere have become a destination for many travelers looking for an unusual kind of vacation. In fact, a farm might be exactly what you need for a vacation. It s called agritourism, and it s a growing trend in travel from New England to Tuscany, New Zealand and Kenya.
Farms open their doors to visitors, who wake up with the roosters and share tables with families.
In the US, where big farms are swallowing family operations, hosting tourists is often a way for small farmers to earn much-needed money. Some farm visits are structured, and guests pay rock-bottom prices for helping out an hour or so each day on Green Acres. But in most cases, a farm vacation is more like staying at a bed and breakfast with animals. The Hall family of New Jersey first decided to take a farm vacation on Bob and Beth Kinnett s Liberty Hill Farm in Rochester, Vermont, nine years ago. Their daughter was four then, and the Halls wanted to experience a different kind of vacation.