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Photo: Tikal, Guatemala/Crow Canyon Archaeological Center

Do you have Indiana Jones fantasies? Always wanted to participate in an archaeological dig? There are volunteer opportunities all around the world to work with archaeology researchers and get down in the dirt yourself to find artifacts, fossils, the lost ark…

Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado, is busy with long-term research and education with digs in and around the area–but the cool part is they also offer archaeology adventure vacations both domestically and internationally. They’ve just announced four new itineraries for 2014: Italy, Croatia, Peru, and the Ancient Maya of Belize and Guatemala. You’ll deep dive into learning about the history and architecture of ancient civilizations with some of the foremost researchers and scholars in the field. If you’d like to stay closer to home, their site in Colorado provides opportunities to volunteer and work side-by-side with professional archaeologists as they explore the past of the Pueblo Indians (the Anasazi) with field research opportunities you can join–novices are more than welcome. You’ll learn excavation techniques and how to identify artifacts you uncover, then in the lab you’ll learn how to clean and catalog ancient stone tools, pottery, and other finds. Accommodations and meals are included on these exploration adventures. They happily accommodate children and teens so you can make it a learning vacation for the whole family.