When you do a Google search for cheap travel, the search results produce a slew of articles telling people volunteer travel is a cheap way to travel. This alarms us.
While volunteer travel can be done cheaply (some can be pricey), don’t do it for cheap travel! These articles are misleading and misrepresent why people volunteer abroad. If your primary reason for volunteer travel is to get free or low cost accommodation and food while traveling, then you likely will be disappointed and miserable during your stay. Remember, there …

Yesterday’s New York Times article confirmed what we have been saying, voluntourism or volunteer travel is resilient during this recession because people will find creative ways to source and pay for their travels if they feel their travels have value and meaning. Certainly, there will be adjustments and compromises as cost becomes a bigger factor in the decision-making process. But as the article noted, teens, in this case, will continue to go on service trips because these experiences are far too important for them to forgo. Schools are requiring …

We never know what may result from our volunteer travels. Sometimes the impressions made on us may lead to a return trip, other times it may spawn larger ambitions to give back which could lead to a career change or the creation of a business or a non-profit that would give back perpetually or meet a particular need in the world or both. Such is the case of Jan Hanson. We love her story because it embodies the promise and potential of every volunteer and every volunteer trip.
Jan Hanson …

The growing popularity of volunteer travel or voluntourism has people curious about the industry asking — who takes these trips and what is it about? As one of the fastest growing areas in travel, people in and out of volunteer tourism want to get a good look into this developing industry.
Alexia Nestora of Lasso Communications sent us their newly released volunteer travel study, conducted in conjunction with GeckoGo and Bradt Travel Guides, that provided a snapshot of consumer attitudes toward volunteer travel, the motivations behind taking this …

Whether voluntourism makes a difference is an on-going, often heated debate. The debate centers on whether voluntourism is altruistic or selfish and whether it is helpful or harmful to the local community. Both critics and supporters of voluntourism believe passionately their respective viewpoints are correct.

Photo by art makes me smile
We hear two recurring criticisms from some traditional service groups of voluntourism:
1. That it’s a feel good trip. It’s true, not every volunteer is motivated by altruism, but almost everyone enjoys the satisfaction that comes from giving. We think it’s dangerous …

Many companies that run volunteer travel programs or vacations charge fees, sometimes high fees, for the experience to volunteer. Some travelers are puzzled by why they have to pay to provide free services. The short answer – generally because the local organizations and projects that you volunteer abroad with have limited resources. They are seldom able to subsidize your trip or cover the costs of hosting you. These costs include housing, feeding and transporting.

Photo by dan4th
Besides, often when someone questions this cost, it reveals their underlying bias toward volunteer travel …

There has been a lot of talk of the “R” word — Recession. There’s news of drastic drops in retail sales, job losses and higher unemployment rates everyday, the picture seems very bleak.

We’re curious how this challenging economy has affected volunteer travel abroad. Recently we asked about a dozen volunteer organizations and tour companies (1) how their businesses have been affected; and (2) how they will respond (i.e., price discounts, refocused marketing campaigns, etc). The general consensus — so far business has not been impacted. In fact, some have seen …