A recent New York Times article on volunteerism raised the question whether voluntourism – travel and do good abroad – is “simply an act of of affluent tourism masquerading as community service?”

This skepticism is not new. Variations have been circulated by critics and cynics of voluntourism who say that if you truly have the desire to help, why not just volunteer at home, in your local communities.

How does one get involve with travel philanthropy? There are so many opportunities to exercise philanthropy for a destination. Some will involve travel. Others simply can be done from wherever you are, yet impact destinations far away. In Part III of our three-part series (see Part I and Part II) on travel philanthropy, we look at 10 great sources for philanthropic travel and connecting with community projects.

Do you desire a deeper connection with the destination you visit? Travel is appealing to so many of us because we desire connections with people… and people in far away places fascinates us. They are distant and distinct not only in locale but culture, ethnicity, socio-economic circumstances, and life perspectives. Travel provides us connections to people that we would not ordinarily meet and solidifies these connections through “face-to-face” encounters that open the door for change.
Travel philanthropy is simply connecting people to places. It’s done in an active and engaging way …

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 …

Volunteer tourism or “voluntourism”, which has been increasingly popular among leisure travelers, is extending its reach into the workplace. Some folks are taking sabbaticals from their jobs to be philanthropic volunteers. Some companies not only permit employees to take sabbaticals, they are putting programs in place to encourage employees to be involved in charity travel.  Both companies and employees see charity travel as a win win situation.
Multinational companies, such as India’s Infosys Technologies and global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, view charity travel as an opportunity to give employees work experience in …

Volunteering abroad is nothing new. For decades, people have gone abroad with the Peace Corps, with relief organizations or even on their own. But the momentum for volunteering abroad has never been stronger than today as more opportunities are available for just about anybody.
Collectively, we have made this huge shift from thinking about ourselves to helping people on other continents. At its core, this is a by-product of an affluent society where our basic needs are met and we are ready to use our excess resources to help others globally. …

Travelers today have a host of options if they want to travel for a cause — a style to fit anyone with a desire to travel for good. Melinda Johnston of LUX World Travel, a company that specializes in personalized travel with an emphasis on sustainability and philanthropy, shares five great types of travel to create change one vacation at a time.

With the world getting smaller and traveling getting more “personal” than ever, the well-seasoned traveler is looking for something more than tourist-filled plazas and resorts. …