Guest Author - Julie Fredrick
Voluntourism is travel combining a vacation with volunteering on local projects. The choices and locations are endless, from helping to rebuild communities following a natural disaster to building shelter in remote villages to joining archaeological digs in ancient Greece.
Have you ever considered a volunteer vacation in Europe? Here is some basic information to help you in your decision of whether a volunteer vacation (vv) is right for you.
First off, many vv’s cost a lot of money. Why, you may ask, should I spend a small fortune to work during my vacation? You don’t have to. There are some opportunities out there for people on a budget that simply want to experience more than the “it’s Thursday, it must be Belgium” syndrome. This article will focus on the basics of voluntourism, to be followed by a later article with more specific opportunities.
There are many benefits to a volunteer vacation. Volunteers interact with the local population in their home setting. Often there are many volunteers from different parts of the world working alongside you on the projects. While interacting with people from other cultures, most participants in vv’s return home having learned more about themselves in addition to the other cultures.
In order to avoid major surprises upon arrival, there are some things you should check out when comparing volunteerism projects and the sponsoring companies.
Know Before You Go
It is imperative that you have a full understanding of costs. Do your expenses cover room and board? Is all transportation covered in your cost? Is your money also paying for the cost of the project? If you are volunteering with a huge clearinghouse company such as Earthwatch, you can bet some of your money is going into the overhead of that business (i.e. glossy magazines and advertizing, offices, etc). On the flipside, these large companies may be better organized than a much smaller operation. (But not necessarily.) Make sure you get names and contact information from past participants.) Many times, the most interesting projects cost more because of a lack of outside funding. In cases like these, check to see if the project is a non-profit. If it is, some of your expenses may be tax-deductible.
Living conditions. They more you pay, you may reason, the nicer the accommodations. This is not automatically the case. More often than not, volunteers are in cramped quarters with other volunteers from different cultures and therefore different lifestyle habits. Are you living with younger party animals when you prefer quiet time in the evening? You may be camping or staying in a local village hut using the shared outhouse, or chilling in a hotel with amenities. Make sure you are 100% certain of the accommodations before you go.
Qualifications of the field director. Is he or she fully qualified to run this project? Have there been complaints lodged in the past? Again, make sure you can contact prior participants (via email, forums or websites) to ask specific questions or learn of potential problems.
Make sure that you will be performing work that is interesting to you and that you can physically carry out. Just because it is a “feed the hungry” project, you may be required to carry heavy loads in soaring heat or keep a fire stoked for hours on end. Be prepared to work outside of your comfort zone.
Know the logistics before you arrive. Will someone be waiting to pick you up at the airport or are you responsible for your own transportation. What are emergency evacuation clauses and is there a local hospital available? You will likely want to purchase trip insurance. How much of your voluntourism trip will be working and how much will be sightseeing? Also, make sure you know how long you are expected to be on the project. Is this a months- long or a one-week commitment?
Voluntourism can be a very rewarding experience as long as you do your research and know what you have signed-up for. A healthy spirit of adventure helps, too! I will follow up this article with a more specific look at volunteer vacation opportunities in Europe.
Check out these great resources on Volunteer vacations from Amazon.com
