Voluntourism
“You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.”
– author unknown
More and more people are seeking opportunities to help others, contribute to local
communities and make our planet a better place. Volunteer vacations (“Voluntourism”)
offers opportunities to leave a legacy of positive footprints by responding to a global call
to service.
Volunteer vacations are also a way we can give back to ourselves. Whatever our call
to service – saving Leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica, delivering crucial medical or
educational supplies to an orphanage, or building a new school – each trip allows us to
experience a sense of purpose and the cultural immersions opportunities we experience is
richly transformative.
If you’re ready to pack your bags and travel with a purpose, we invite you to find your
next adventure below.
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE VOLUNTOURISM ORGANIZATIONS
Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) is a network of airline employees and others
who volunteer as “Ambassadors of Goodwill” in their home communities and abroad.
AAI provides humanitarian aid to children and families in need, as well as relief and
development to under-privileged communities worldwide. They escort children in need,
hand-deliver humanitarian aid to orphanages, clinics, and remote communities, assist at
special events and involve youth in humanitarian efforts around the world.
The American Hiking Society offers a wide variety of 4, 7, or 10 day trail work trips
from January to November. Join other dedicated volunteers as they experience working
on a trail and conserving a legacy in America’s most remote wild places. All trips are
$275 ($245 for American Hiking Members).
301-565-6704
301-565-6704
Amizade has partnerships with 13 sites in 11 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, India
and Tanzania. Individuals can join existing programs or groups can customize a program,
such as youth empowerment, construction and maintenance, or hospice visits. 888-973-
4443
This sanctuary is located ona 33,000 acre ranch in southern Utah. Funded funded
entirely by donations, Best Friends Animal Society is home to about 1,500 homeless
dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds and other animals. Volunteers are welcomed to visit the
animals, take them hiking, and even borrow a dog for a sleepover. 435-644-2001
Centre for Education, Research and Conservation of Primates and Nature
This non-profit operates a Nigerian sanctuary that researches and aids the conservation of
primates. Short-term volunteers (three months or less), are welcome if they can manage
their own accommodations and meals. Skilled longer-term volunteers of six months to a
year are offered room and board.
Cross-Cultural Solutions is focused on promoting cross-cultural exchange as a way of
improving the world. So while volunteers participate in mostly health and education-
oriented endeavors, most trips include some cultural and learning activities as well.
Cross-Cultural Solutions offers trips in Asia (China, Thailand, India) as well as Africa
(Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, Tanzania) and Latin America (Brazil, Peru, Guatemala,
Costa Rica). 800-380-4777
Earthwatch Institute organizes volunteer expeditions to mine data in rainforest ecology,
wildlife conservation, marine science, archaeology, and more. Family, senior and teen-
specific expeditions are also available.
800-776-0188
Globe Aware operates in about a dozen countries, with a strong presence in both Latin
America and Southeast Asia. They even operated in Cuba until a recent clampdown by
the Bush Administration, and may again. Globe Aware trips usually require few skills
and therefore appropriate for nearly all travelers. 877-588-4562
Volunteer abroad in Tanzania, Thailand or Cambodia with Global Service Corps, a
successful leader in international development, service-learning, and cultural immersion
since 1992. GSC’s Volunteer Vacation experience is an affordable alternative to our
Service-Learning Programs and can also offer the conventional tourist a window to
a new way to experience a country. GSC offers participants an opportunity to teach
English to children or novice monks, or assist young people in schools and orphanages
while learning about the local culture and participating in a variety of sight-seeing
opportunities. Choose to volunteer with GSC for 2 or more weeks; programs are offered
year-round with flexible start and end dates. For more information about GSC Volunteer
Vacations.
Global Volunteers, founded in 1984, now mobilizes some 3,000 short-term volunteers
annually to work on long-term development projects on six continents. Work projects
focus on service at-risk children and their families and include caring for babies in
orphanages, nurturing disabled youth, teaching conversational English skills, assisting
local health care efforts, and a wide array of labor projects, including painting,
landscaping, building playgrounds, repairing community buildings, and improving public
works.
I-to-I offers volunteer vacations involving working with sustainable, locally-run
community projects, environmental conservation efforts, teaching children abroad and
building schools and homes in developing nations.
1-800-985-4864
The Oceanic Society offers research expeditions, conservation efforts and educational
workshops. Volunteers can participate in dolphin research in the Bahamas, tracking
humpback whales in Costa Rica, and monitor sea turtles in Suriname, among many
other projects. There are also family-specific expeditions, such as Belize Family
Week in which parents and children ages 10 and older can work with biologists to
study dolphins and manatees and exploring the coral reefs by snorkel. 800-326-7491
The Sierra Club is one of the oldest grassroots environmental organizations in the
country, offering everything from family backpacking trips in your own state to wildlife
safaris in Kenya to volunteering on a Hawaiian farming community.
415-977-5522
United Planet has been providing services to communities and building cross-cultural
understanding over the last decade. United Planet is the U.S. and Canadian member of
the International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) Federation. Founded in 1949 after
World War II as part of an international reconciliation program, ICYE is well established
in the field of cultural exchange. 617-267-7763
Make some waves. Volunteer with dolphins, whales, turtles and coral reefs as a field
researcher to help conserve, protect and study marine life. Duties may include gathering
data, identifying species and recording behaviors and activities. 808-306-3968
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Idealist.org offers a comprehensive list of global volunteer opportunities from a variety of
non-profit organizations and communities.
GiveSpot.com provides links for projects around the world. Find a volunteer vacation
for adults, kids and teens, “celebrity causes,” donation opportunities, and disaster relief
information.
www.charityguide.org/volunteer/vacations.htm offers information on volunteer projects,
as well as some paid positions and tips on how to help make a difference in the world.
The Council on International Educational Exchange lists International Volunteer Projects
for college students throughout the world. Projects, which range from serving as an
assistant at a summer camp for people with disabilities to helping to restore a medieval
castle, are typically scheduled for the summer months and last two to four weeks. 1-800-
40-STUDY, www.ciee.org
If you’re not sure what you want to do, try Volunteer Match, which can pair you
up with a project that suits your interests, schedule and location. 415-241-6868,
www.volunteermatch.org