Voluntourism

In my previous blogs, I have talked about different types of holidays, one of the areas which has become a major trend in the last few years is Voluntourism. This is becoming the fastest growing form of alternative travel.  Although mainly aimed at gap year students this can be for everyone, although over the age of 50 it becomes harder to get insurance to work as a volunteer. (It is important to have suitable cover to work like this and not just standard holiday insurance)

Voluntourism; is working as a volunteer in exchange for food and lodging, in some businesses you can have a discount on accommodation if you work a couple of hours a day. This is not without controversy. Having had some good and bad experiences with this type of alternative holiday, I would suggest that although this is a great way to interact with a local culture in a way than normal travel does not, that some caution and research is required. I would also add that a job should not be taken from a local, particularly in areas where unemployment is high.

It could be said what can a volunteer actually do in one or two weeks that would be of any benefit? I think personally that would be depend on the both the host and helper and the work required. Helping get a property ready for rental or grape and olive picking or assisting with a retreat or event could be done in a short space of time and valuable skills could be learnt. There are several websites that offer volunteering opportunities most have a low joining fee. The advantage of these is that they offer reviews from previous helpers which give you an honest idea of what is to be expected. I would add that you should get to know the host before you arrive and Skype and Facetime are great for this. There are lots of roles offered but also a huge amount of people going for the same posts so it can take a while to find something suitable. I have used Workaway and HelpX and would recommend them. Some agencies will charge you to volunteer, I would research these very carefully to see what they are offering in their fee.

It is best, in my opinion to look for opportunities that have an actual role like: working on a farm, helping in a B&B, teaching, working on an actual project. I also would advise looking at the website and researching the business too. Beware of just staying in someone’s home unless clear duties are stated in advance. Most roles are shown as working 5 hours a day however, you will most likely work double this length of time. You often have to eat at the same time as your host, often preparing food for them so you are going to be spending a lot of time together both at work and socially. Do have a plan B in place if it doesn’t work out. It is a good idea to have enough cash to be able to pay for alternative accommodation. After talking to someone for 6 months, I was asked to leave after a day because he had changed his mind and decided he didn’t want someone in his home. I was helped by friends who lived locally to find somewhere to rent cheaply but it was still traumatic at the time.

Because of the types of roles, many are in rural locations so you will not be close to shops or bars etc and there may not be public transport to use, so be sure you are comfortable with this as it can be a very different way of life. Whatever you choose to do, this should be seen as a job of work as a working holiday not just a chance to sit in the sun and relax.

Hopefully, I have shown you some of the Pros and Cons. I still think this is a great way to have a different sort of holiday and also help someone else too. It can be hard work and do prepare for that but also great fun and a way to meet interesting people along the way.

So why not have a go!