This post was originally published on Vivanista.
Do you love to travel and experience new places? Are you also passionate about giving back and community service? Then voluntourism may just be your next exciting venture.
What is Voluntourism? Just as the title suggests, it combines volunteering and tourism, service and travel. Some see voluntourism as a way to explore a new terrain and gain practical knowledge of the world while giving your time and unique skills to a worthy cause. Others perceive it as giving a sense of purpose to your leisure activities. However one decides to define voluntourism, it is a great way to do good work in a new place.
Before you start packing your bags, you must ask yourself some serious questions. Volunteers must exercise due diligence if they want to make sure to get the most out of their efforts. First, establish your purpose – why do you want to be a voluntourist and engage in this particular sort of travel? Could the cause really use your mindset and skills or should your time really be geared towards a home-based project?
Once you have determined whether or not you would make a successful voluntourist, you should then ask yourself what organization or program would suit you best. There is an array of organizations around the world that serve causes from the environment to health, education to disaster relief and restoration. What are you passionate about and what cause resonates with you? By determining your purpose as well as your area of expertise, you can really start to fine-tune what your voluntour will entail. Some travel to learn and develop, while others just want to get away and adventure. Others want to meet people and share stories, while a great number want to strictly serve and help. No reason is the “right one”; you just have to know which motivation speaks to you and find the organization that will fulfill that need.
Your next step is to realize your constraints. Though you may think you are able to do anything and everything to help the world, a voluntourist has to be honest with herself about her capabilities and what she can realistically take on. How much money can you afford to spend on your trip? Do you want a trip completely dedicated to the cause or would you prefer time to be on your own and adventure into your surroundings? Do you crave interaction with the locals or would you prefer to stay close to your team of voluntourists? Most importantly, what can you physically, emotionally, and mentally take on?
Some voluntourism areas lack Internet and telephone access, Western medicine, and even running water, while others offer five-star hotel accommodations (Amizade offers youth hostel-type arrangements while the Ritz-Carlton provides Give Back Getaways). Certain programs can abide by your dietary restrictions and medical needs and some simply cannot. Can you handle seeing disease, poverty, and violence or are there limits to what you can mentally absorb? Again, there is no such thing as the best or toughest voluntourist – good work is good work – but you must be honest with yourself. If you do not ask these critical questions and answer them truthfully, you can easily be put into a situation that you are not comfortable with and your trip can turn sour before it even begins.
After picking the perfect destination, organization, and cause for you, it is time to prepare. Before you leave, you should make sure everything is in order at home so that you can be completely focused on your organization while you are away. A voluntourist must remember to receive any necessary vaccines and should conduct any sort of research on her destination that might aid her work. What sort of climate are you packing for? Could you benefit from taking a language course or a skills class? Bring whatever knowledge you deem useful on your trip.
All of your lengthy preparation for your trip is sure to pay off. Your voluntour will certainly give you a sense of accomplishment, but will also reward you with a sense of adventure and fun; at the very least it will be a great learning experience and will build your awareness of the world around you. Make sure to face what you see and process it. Talk to your guides, peers, and locals and ask questions. Paint your own personal picture for your cause. And when you return home, share your stories. Your words will encourage others to give back and perhaps motivate someone to make a similar journey.
Bon Voyage, voluntourists!
Voluntour Programs and sites you ahould check out:
- VolunTourism.org
- i-to-i
- Earthwatch Expeditions
- Hands Up Holidays
- Cross-Cultural Solutions
- Travelocity Travel for Good
- Go Differently
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