Find great opportunities for volunteering abroad. This is adventure travel with the chance to give something back.
Why volunteer?
For the chance to:
- Make a real difference
- Share your skills and experience…
- And gain new ones
- Get to the heart of a different culture
- Make new friends
If the idea of volunteering overseas appeals to you, read on to find out what is involved and to get top tips for finding the right trip.
Or, if you want to start searching for your perfect trip straight away, click on the destinations below for some great ideas and companies to book with.
Choosing a destination for volunteering abroad
Volunteering abroad can take you almost anywhere in the world. Here are some exciting destinations and project types to give you an idea of what’s on offer. I will be adding more very soon, so watch this space!
Click now to find out more.
Volunteering in Africa – discover the true “spirit of Africa” as you live and work amongst the lovely people of this wonderful continent.
Volunteering in Wildlife Conservation – offers wonderful wildlife encounters and the opportunity to make a real difference to endangered species and animals in need.
Choosing a destination for volunteering abroad
Volunteering abroad can take you almost anywhere in the world. Here are some exciting destinations and project types to give you an idea of what’s on offer. I will be adding more very soon, so watch this space!
Volunteering in Africa – discover the true “spirit of Africa” as you live and work amongst the lovely people of this wonderful continent.
Volunteering in Wildlife Conservation – offers wonderful wildlife encounters and the opportunity to make a real difference to endangered species and animals in need.
What might you actually be doing?
The opportunities for volunteering abroad are almost endless. Here are a few examples:
Teaching in Local Schools
Caring for Orphans
Assisting medical teams
Building a schools
Conservation work with Organisations
The four main categories of voluntary work are education, health & care work, community projects & conservation, but each of these can cover a wide variety of different types of project.
For example, education could involve teaching in a primary classroom, speaking English with secondary school pupils, training and supporting local teachers or teaching basic health and hygiene to young mothers.
Community projects cover everything from building and farming, to disaster management and the promotion of creative arts.
In other words, if there is a skill or a passion you would like to share, there is a good chance there is an opportunity ready and waiting for you.
If you just have some spare time and the enthusiasm to muck in, you will find plenty of volunteering opportunities to choose from with no particular skill requirements.
The love, kindness and spirit of giving brought by volunteers can in itself have a positive impact on a community. Volunteering abroad really does make a difference.
Why are volunteers needed?
Volunteers are needed either because the skills they bring are not readily available locally or there is not the finance to buy the materials and resources and to pay local people to do the work. Volunteers bring skills and money.
The reality of volunteering abroad
It is worth taking some time to reflect on why you want to volunteer. This is about both you and the community you will be volunteering in.
What do you want to contribute?
What do you want to get out of the experience?
Volunteering abroad is a wonderful way to get to the heart of a local community and to make a lasting difference in other people’s lives, but it is important to do your research and to plan your trip with your eyes wide open.
The idea of showing up in a remote, rural location to ‘do some good’ can seem a very romantic notion but the reality can be far from the dream.
What to expect
Depending on where you go, the culture shock (especially if you’ve never travelled in the developing world before) can be extreme and the sense of isolation overwhelming.
School children Papua New Guinea
You will be immersed in a different culture with unfamiliar customs and daily way of life. You may also be largely surrounded by people who speak a different language.
And, the food, accommodation, sanitary conditions and basic facilities are likely to be very different to those you are used to at home.
If this is all part of the experience for you, the world is your oyster and volunteering abroad is an open book of adventure for you.
If not, be even more diligent in delving into the nitty-gritty of what a particular trip involves. You don’t have to totally rough it in the back of beyond, so choose carefully.
Who will my fellow volunteers be?
People volunteer for many different reasons and you may find yourself working alongside volunteers on gap years, on career breaks, gaining work experience and travellers taking time out on their holiday to give something back.
A high percentage are likely to be students but your companions could range in age from 18 to 70, and come from any walk of life. For many people it is on retirement that they finally gain the freedom to fulfil a long held desire to volunteer overseas.
