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 …

Recently Linda Stuart, Executive Director of Global Citizens Network, alerted us to a 2008 survey done by the Brookings Institute’s Initiative on International Volunteering and Services. The survey of 29 volunteer organizations yielded some interesting general industry statistics and trends.
Here are some of the results from the survey:
1. Volunteers going abroad are projected to increase by 55% to 85,000 in 2010 from 55,000 in 2007.
2. Top 10 destinations listed for placing volunteers were Peru, Mexico, Kenya, India, Honduras, Ecuador, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, and Sudan. Latin and South …

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 …