Voluntourism: a vacation for those who want to be needed

Voluntourism: a vacation for those who want to be needed

If you have already swam in all the seas and laid on all the beaches of the world, we offer you something new.

Tourism is usually associated with a carefree trip to faraway lands. As a rule, when traveling, people want to get away from routine and have a good rest.

But there are those who do not want to waste their time idly lying on a lounge chair and sipping a cocktail. They want to do something useful, like helping people or animals.

It is such activists who once created volunteerism.

What is it?

Volunteer tourism is traveling to cities and countries to participate in various charitable projects. Volunteers, of course, have nothing from these trips, but they have the opportunity to do a good deed, get to know the local culture and enjoy the natural beauties.

Volunteers can do anything – help build schools, harvest crops, teach orphans a foreign language, care for the elderly, rescue animals – and so on ad infinitum.

It all depends on what you want to do.

How do I choose a volunteer program?

It all depends on how much time you are willing to spend on charity. If you just want to try volunteering or are limited by vacation time, choose a program for a couple of weeks. And if helping others is your life’s purpose, you can go for a year or more.

You can find a program for your trip on these sites:

• Workaway is the largest resource for finding volunteer opportunities. There are over 1,000 projects from 180 countries around the world.
• WORLD4U – organizing short and long term volunteer projects in Russia and abroad.
• Help Exchange – can be called a budget analog of Workaway with a limited number of countries and projects. Often Latin American, African and Asian countries are represented. There are no programs in Europe.
• WWOOF – volunteering on organic farms around the world.

It is necessary to seriously consider the study of the proposed programs, their description, cost and type of activity. Read the comments of those who have already participated in the project of your choice and contact the organizer to clarify everything and establish contact.

Pros of volunteering

• Savings. In most cases, organizers cover basic needs – overnight accommodation and food. Sometimes you may be assigned a separate room. And some programs even provide compensation for the cost of a round-trip ticket.
• New experiences. A volunteer program is a great chance to try a new role. If you’ve always dreamed of growing crops but never had the opportunity, now you can make up for it. Are you good with kids or love animals? So why are you sitting around? Distract yourself from the office routine and do what your soul lies to, it is quite realistic.
• Opportunity to pump or learn a foreign language. To master a language perfectly, you need to communicate a lot. Participating in international volunteer projects, you will get good practice.
• New acquaintances. People from different countries come to volunteer. There is an opportunity to meet someone and make friends from all over the world.
• Opportunity to see different animals. If you go to help representatives of fauna, you can see rare and endangered species.

Minuses of volunteering

• Most likely, you will have to endure some inconveniences related to food and accommodation. There are no five-star hotels on such trips. It is important to accept this fact, so that later there will be no feelings of disappointment and dissatisfaction.
• You will be in a foreign territory, and perhaps even in another country with its own rules. Be prepared for this, and study them before you cross the threshold of the house.
• Before choosing a program, assess your skills and abilities that can really come in handy for people who need help. If you’ve never done any repairs, should you help build houses or fix pipes?

Weigh the pros and cons before making a final decision. Calculate the amount of time you can spend volunteering, learn about the cultures and traditions of other people, and choose an activity in which you can be most helpful.