Volunteering around the world, an alternative path in travel
We live in an amazing world painted with the colors of humanity and culture, woven from varieties of ethnic threads, fragranced with knowledge, and tinted with our differences. Many of us are born curious, and not long after emerging from the womb begin to look around, and soon enough have left our homes to travel and learn. In the history of discovering our beautiful world, we first had the explorers, and then the colonizers, following them the academics and anthropologists, surfers, artists, backpackers, and now the latest trend in travel, volunteers. Volunteering is a new genre of travel born in the recent years of world travel, and thankfully so as it has many positive impacts on everyone involved.
Becoming a volunteer is a unique and beneficial path in traveling. Not only can you see a new country, but also you can immerse yourself deeply into a new culture and knowledge that is not available to all tourists. Many travelers know where they want to go, but don't know what to do once they get there. Volunteering abroad gives your travels a purpose and an itinerary. Volunteers travel with intent, provide services that some individuals and families don’t have access to, gain skills and share skills, and work side by side with other community members, families, and children. In this way, volunteers learn meaningfully and realistically about the local traditions, systems, languages, and customs in the country they are visiting. This type of experience contributes towards positive cross-cultural understanding and breaks down negative stereotypes or misunderstandings about how other societies live, minimizing our differences and bringing us closer together as people.
The level in which one can become involved depends on several variables; the time one has available to commit, skills, and willingness to make a difference. Volunteers can dedicate themselves full time for a period of 6 months or for just a few weeks. Volunteers can be doctors, educators, environmental experts, or simply individuals with big hearts and a desire to give back something to the world. There are currently opportunities to volunteer in almost every country in the world.
Volunteering is also affordable travel. There are few travel experiences that are cheaper then volunteering abroad. Most volunteer placement organizations charge a fee. The fee will typically cover room/board, orientation, and the program itself, and in some cases a fee may not exist. Many people ask, “why must I pay to be a volunteer?” and the answer is simply most organizations have put great efforts in not only providing needed services to local communities, but they have also created an alternative travel experience for people who wish to become volunteers, and this requires effort, resources, and time, not to mention there are usually legalities and responsibilities involved in sponsoring volunteers.
If you are ready to seek out a volunteer program abroad, ask yourself the following questions first. Am I flexible and patient? Am I a self-starter? Can I live in conditions that are different from my own? Can I live without hot water and western toilets? Am I open enough to respect a culture very different from my own? Am I comfortable with myself? Can I overcome feelings of isolation? Only you can answer these questions.
Your final question may be “how do I get started?” I can help you with this one! There are many organizations that are ready to help place you abroad; some of the larger ones include CUSO, VSO, and Peace Corps. Other helpful web resources are www.volunteerabroad.com, www.traveltree.com, www.idealist.org, and www.volunteermatch.com. For volunteer placements in Indonesia check out the www.vibefoundation.org or for placements related to the Tsunami visit www.idepfoundation.org or www.tsunamivolunteers.com
