Voluntourism opportunities are becoming more accessible as the combo of traveling and volunteering goes mainstream. A number of tourism boards and visitors bureaus in the U.S. and around the world are offering voluntourism programs of their own to capture this class of travelers and to increase visibility and participation for their partnership community service programs. Idaho Visitors Bureau launched its voluntourism program last week. The program with its accompanying website highlights opportunities available in the arts, environment, outdoor recreation sites, and others. The website with its rustic graphics is appealing …

The keys to a successful volunteer vacation or voluntourism involve a few basic considerations: What excites you? What kind of impact are you looking to have? Where do you want to go? How will the project you choose benefit the local community? (There are less reputable charities/companies that overstate responsible travel claims.) To address these considerations, you will need to do some personal self-assessment and research.
Personal Self-Assessment
An honest personal assessment is key because it defines your trip — the type of trip you’ll take, where you will go and your …

Working during your vacation doesn’t sound much like a vacation. You may be right. But doesn’t everyone have their own definition of what a vacation is? For some, it is lying around on the beach and suntan.

For others, it is taking in all the must see sights of the destination; yet for others, they want a fuller cultural immersion and do something constructive.
So why work during your vacation? Here are a few compelling reasons:
1. Opportunity to visit unusual places and to participate in activities you would normally not do. These …

A growing phenomenon in travel these days is short term volunteer travel vacations, also known as “voluntourism,” “travel philanthropy,” “charity vacation,” or “traveling for good.” It’s to travel someplace and serve as a volunteer or add on a volunteer element to your holiday or vacation. A less hands on approach includes supporting local concerns either through staying in local hotels, using local services, buying fair trade, etc. or seeking companies, products or services dedicated to giving back to the community.
For many of us, volunteering abroad evokes images of dedicated young …