Vacation with a purpose

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Lindsey Johnson, OPUBCO Communications Group

Published: October 1, 2008

If you’ve got gypsy feet and a bleeding heart but an empty wallet, there is hope. A new trend in travel is voluntourism. Think youth mission trip without the matching T-shirts.

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It seems that just taking a few days off work to hit the beach is not enough for many anymore. We want more from everything else with phones that are iPods and minicomputers, cars that tell us how to find the closest Redbox and videogames that double as personal trainers. Why wouldn’t we expect more out of vacation than some soft white sand, a beer that has been kissed with real Mexican lime and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. Now you can have your Corona and drink it too.

Enter multitasking into the relaxing world of vacation. And as in other areas of life it really maximizes your experience.

The opportunities to do good around the globe are virtually limitless as are the companies that broker such excursions. Voluntourism experiences are available for hard-core do gooders who want to do nothing on their holiday but build houses, deliver medical supplies, teach English and count gorillas as well as those who want to do a little good with lots of free time for sightseeing, shopping and maybe even a trip to the spa.

A voluntourist can pack up and head to the Cayman Islands to work at a turtle sanctuary, head to Belize to help restore of the earth’s largest barrier reefs or help raise money for HIV/AIDS research and education and see elephants along the way.

As an added bonus to being a good samaritan on your travels, you get to be right in there with the locals learning about native cultures and customs through an emersion experience like no other. You will get to see a country through the eyes of the people who live there, which means access to the best swimming holes, guides to the best place to watch the sun rise, acquiring a few key phrases in another language and of course insider information on the best places to eat. And while some places offer some sort of exchange for your services like discounted room and board, the opportunity to visit places and see things that most outsiders do not have access is pretty priceless.

Voluntourism | Voluntourism.org
This is one-stop-shopping for all of your voluntourism needs. It has news and information, lists of campanies, tips and more.

Hands Up Holidays | Handsupholidays.com
Hands Up Holidays combines eco-sightseeing with some volunteer experience. They offer trips around the globe, for families, honeymooners and those flying solo. And you can rank your desired level of activity.

Help Exchange | Helpx.net
Help Exchanges pairs voluntourists with locals in their destination of choice who would are offering free or subsidized room and board in exchange for work on their farm, home, ranch, lodge, bed and breakfast, hostel or even sailing boat through an online database.

amfAR | amfar.org
amfAR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support and research of HIV/AIDS, AIDS prevention, treatment education and public policy. Each year they organize a physical challenge fund raising event, where participants who raise enough money are invited on a trip inside some of the worlds most spectacular places. This year it is Thailand’s Old Elephant Trail. The price tag: $10,000.

Ritz-Carlton Give Back Getaways | corporate.ritzcarlton.com/en/About/GiveBackGetaways.htm
Even the Ritz has jumped on the voluntourism bandwagon. Opportunities are available from Amelia Island to Bahrain and everywhere in between.