We conducted an informal poll on our website to find out our readers’ interest, preference, and experience with philanthropic/volunteer travel. Here are the results…

Want to satisfy your wanderlust cravings and do some good at the same time this spring break?
A surge of alternative spring break (ASB) trips have emerged in the last few years to satisfy a growing number of socially-conscious young people and those who are no longer happy with the typical spring break party vacations. Opportunities are plentiful. There are numerous destinations and ample ways to contribute and do something meaningful and gain insights into community and environmental development. You can volunteer in a low-income school, help out on an archaeological …

This is a guest post from Daniela Papi of PEPY:

Our trips during our first few years at PEPY were all about service. We were enthusiastic about offering travelers a chance to give back to the places they visited, otherwise known as voluntourism. Tour participants taught classes at local schools, visited orphanages, and repaired educational buildings. Often times, the needs the travelers were filling were not the biggest needs for the projects we were partnering with but were instead the things they were able to physically contribute to. When our guests …

We want to hear from you! Give us your thoughts on philanthropic and volunteer travel.

Would you like volunteering to be part of trip or entire trip?
Where would you like to travel to?
Have you taken a philanthropic or volunteer trip?

The growing popularity of “slum tours” has prompted media coverage and debates.  We did a post, “Poverty Tours: Good or Bad?” exploring some of the questions last July.
Topics about the poor or disadvantaged in relations to the wealthy and advantaged often trigger heated opinions. Debate is good because it brings issues to the forefront and is productive if the underlying desire is for betterment rather than being right.
Critics of slum tours have long argued that tourists visiting the slums exploit and violate the dignity of slum dwellers. While supporters of …

One of the most common questions from would-be volunteer travelers is how to select a good volunteer travel company…

With news of the Haiti earthquake and devastation, many socially-minded globe-trotters wanted to jump on the next plane to help out with relief efforts in Haiti. The Matador Travel community mobilized a strong social media campaign to get volunteers and material donations into Haiti for a short-term relief stint. They had over 150 volunteers signed up ready to go. The energy, enthusiasm, and altruism were high, but was that good enough for disaster relief volunteering efforts?
Our desire to help our fellow human beings harmed by natural disaster in far away …