The riddle: How can you travel to countries, learn about their culture, and actually give back to the locals – and not just by spending money there?
The answer: Voluntourism.
Voluntourism, which is sometimes known as “travel with a purpose,” is a way of traveling that involves volunteering on projects that promote the local community. It is a way to give back and work side-by-side with locals.
The choices are almost infinite: from wildlife sanctuaries to conservation, from building houses to teaching English, from working in an orphanage to setting up a library. Some programs will gladly use your skills acquired from years at a profession, but most require no training at all. Almost every country will have some type of volunteer program that you can work at. But how do you find them?
Perhaps a book like Travel Unlimited: Uncommon Adventures for the Mature Traveler by Alison Gardner or Lonely Planet’s Volunteer: A Traveller’s Guide, or Volunteer Vacations, by Bill McMillon, Anne Geissinger, and Doug Cutchins. Or you might register for my class on volunteer travel at Telos [Bellevue Community College’s continuing education program for retirees] and other venues.
I heartily recommend a program in Spain and Italy called Pueblo Ingles (https://www.volunteerspuebloingles.com/) as an excellent place to gently experiment with volunteer vacations. Twenty English speakers and twenty Spanish or Italian business professionals come together for a week of English-only conversation. You must be a native English speaker and armed with stories of experiences from your life, you must also possess the patience and give the support required to help the Spaniards feel at ease while they improve their conversational English. Your personality is the most valuable asset at the village. Intellectually stimulating characters with the ability to have fun and at times be frivolous are most desirable. They accept applications from men and women from 22 to 80! Enjoy private comfortable lodging in a restored sheep herder’s village and delicious meals, all free. Yes, I said free. You will make new friends and enjoy yourself immensely.
If you want something closer to home, head to the beautiful city of San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico and have an experience of a lifetime. San Miguel de Allende’s is a charming historic city with picturesque cobblestone streets and colonial architecture, a gathering place for artists and retired Canadians and Americans. Give a bit of yourself and encounter the life and culture of Mexico as a volunteer at Casa de los Angeles, which is a safe haven for the children of the streets. Casa de los Angeles provides medical care for the children, a food bank, summer camp, soccer team, and an economic development program. Would you like to teach English? Are you an artist? Do you like children or like to rock babies? How are you at construction? Are you a nurse or a doctor? Can you teach basic hygiene? Do you like to cook? Are you energized by a challenge? Would you like to learn about another culture? They welcome you to spend a week, a month or even a year!
If you’d like to do your volunteering in British Columbia, Canada, try your hand at conservation with The Land Conservancy in some of the area’s most beautiful locations. Each holiday is unique and varies from a weekend to 4 nights, including your accommodation and all of your meals. From their site: “Some feature accommodations within cozy eco-friendly cottages while other holidays feature camping under the stars. There is something for every age and skill level to embrace. Seniors are more than welcome on these holidays. Time is set aside each day to experience and enjoy the natural environment. With over a dozen holidays to choose from, you’re sure to find something that fits your interests. Truly satisfying vacations for those looking to do a little more than twirl an umbrella.” [Editor’s note: this article was published in 2007, and while I find that the organization still exists (Volunteer – The Land Conservancy of BC) I cannot find mention on their site of the same type of volunteer experiences listed in this article. For further information, contact the organization.]
Perhaps you will get your feet wet with one of these volunteer vacations, and while you learn and give back, you may find an entirely new way to travel. Let your imagination and heart be your guides as you set out on the path of voluntourism. You’ll come back with great memories and a feeling of gratitude.
Joyce Major, author of Smiling at the World, teaches classes on how to find inexpensive international volunteer projects. JoyceMajor.org.
