Why You Should Volunteer While you Travel

Filed in archive Learning Experiences on October 16, 2007

Traveling in a foreign country is, usually, full of memorable experiences. "Travel" and "tourism," are words that usually imply visit to a place for a limited amount of time. Sure, many people spend a significant amount of time traveling, but they are often moving from place to place rather quickly.

If you want to make a change from tourist to resident, one of the easiest ways is by volunteering. Volunteering might mean earning no income, but you won't have to be tied down to a long term job like many foreigners who get jobs and become part of the expat community. And, of course, there are all the intangibles: rewarding experiences, good karma, being accepted by the local people as more than a tourist.

The last intangible is perhaps the most attractive. In many countries, visitors are simply tourists whose dollars are up for grabs. Once you step outside that tourist "machine," interactions with local people become deeper and you can get some real insight into life in that country.

The easy thing about volunteering is that there is no shortage of organizations willing that are constantly looking for volunteer workers. Doing some research on these organizations before you decide to join one is imperative. There are some mismanaged places out there

Here's a video about volunteering in Cambodia. Seems like a pretty typical "Teaching English" experience.