Tips
for Planning a Volunteer Vacation
How
can you make a difference? It's easy -
by donating your time while visiting a
destination in need of your help. It's
been dubbed "voluntourism,"
and it's sweeping the nation.
"Imagine the face of a lion cub looking
up at you waiting to be fed at a reserve
in South Africa"
According to the Travel Industry Association,
25 percent of travelers say they're currently
interested in taking a volunteer or service-based
vacation.
Whether its students spending spring break
in a third world country, or families
traveling just one state over, there are
options and opportunities for people of
all ages and walks of life to make a difference.
With this increased interest in voluntourism,
it's important that travelers know how
to pick the right volunteer opportunity
for them.
Before jumping into helping others, help
yourself by asking the following questions
recommended by i-to-i, a meaningful travel
provider:
-
How
long has the volunteer organization
been around?
-
Is
the staff knowledgeable and able to
help you select a suitable trip?
-
Do
they provide pre-departure advice about
visas, inoculations and insurance requirements?
-
Will
you have an orientation once you land
at your destination?
-
Do
they have support people in the country
for daily questions?
-
What
emergency measures are in place should
anything unforeseen happen to a volunteer?
-
Does
the fee include food, accommodations
and airport pickup?
-
Can
you speak to past volunteers?
-
Can
a friend or partner come with you? If
so, are there discounts?
Given proper planning, volunteer travel
can be an exciting and rewarding experience.
Imagine the face of a lion cub looking
up at you waiting to be fed at a reserve
in South Africa. Picture being in the
heart of a small Indian community making
a difference in the lives of its children,
or preserving fragile, yet spectacular
ecosystems in the Galapagos Islands.
Volunteer vacationer Alan Rousham spent
time with children on four i-to-i volunteer
trips in Santiniketan, India.
"My volunteer experience put me back
into the stream of life, and I thoroughly
enjoyed contributing what little I could
to the people of Santiniketan," he
said. "Volunteering overseas was
brilliant and rewarding."
To learn more or plan your own volunteer
vacation, check out one of the following
websites:
www.meaningfultravel.com
www.unitedplanet.com
www.globalvolunteers.com
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