Archaeological Vacations
By Tami BradyLesson 2: What Can I Do
What Can I Do?
Even as an amateur you can work alongside archaeologists. Archaeological tours, volunteer digs, and field schools are great ways to learn about and participate in archaeology.
Archaeological Tours
Archaeological tours visit archaeological sites and sites of interest in a certain region or area. These sites may be currently excavations or may be preserved archaeological sites such as the Coliseum. The tour guide will generally teach a little about each site.
Archaeological tours are available in nearly any location in the world. Some of the most exciting tours are located in Greece, Britain, and Peru. Generally, the only reason these tours are called archaeological tours are that the sights that you will see are significant archaeological sites. Thus, you may complete the entire tour without even seeing an archaeologist or an archaeological excavation.
Archaeological tours are often available from your local college or university. Generally the guides for these study travel tours are archaeologists or historians. This can either lead to a knowledgeable tour guide or long lectures that completely go over your head. Therefore, when looking for archaeological tours be sure the type of knowledge needed and the aims of the tour reflect what you want out of the tour.
Archaeological tours can also be arranged as a travel package. These packages are generally suited to a sightseeing audience. Often the tour guide will only complete a general five minute speech about the site and send you back onto the bus to travel to another site.
General tours rarely allow you to get dirty. About the closest you will come to digging is asking the archaeologists a few quick questions as he or she shows you a pot someone found earlier that day. Therefore, if you want to actually dig you'll need to join an actual archaeological excavation.
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