Volunteer tourism: find the best opportunities around the world

One of the most common dreams for every traveler would be traveling no stop. And this could be hard sometimes, because traveling needs money and time. And most of the people have to work to afford a travel, and if you spend most of your time working, you won’t have all the time you would like to spend traveling.

Have you ever thought about mixing the two things? What about working while you are traveling? In this case, you won’t have the two big problems: money and time. This way you could optimize your time and not waste too much money.

It’s a matter of age and visas, you can say. If you want to work in different countries, sometimes you need visas that are difficult to obtain or sometimes you have to respect a certain age to be allowed to do it.

But don’t worry. In this article I will introduce volunteer tourism to you. Volunteer tourism is the key for what you are looking for. So keep reading to discover how volunteer trips can improve your way of traveling and can help you making your full time travel dream come true.

What is volunteer tourism?

Volunteer tourism joins together work and travel, but you mostly won’t need a specific age or visa to do it, because it is not about paid jobs, it’s about volunteering in exchange for free accommodation and sometimes free board.

Basically you pick a destination, you find a place that needs your help doing different kinds of things, and in exchange you get free accommodation (and free board, if agreed). In your free time, you can explore the area like a real local.

Volunteer tourism is something that is growing and growing because it makes it possible for travelers to have long term travels without spending tons of money, because they get free accommodation, and they can really get in touch with the place they are visiting like a local person. Also, they get in touch with a lot of people from all over the world who are volunteering like them, so if you want to meet friends when traveling, this could be a really good way to do it.

Volunteer tourism is also a good way to leave a good impact on the places you are visiting. What can be more grateful than helping the local communities of the country you are visiting? In this way, you can do something good and useful for places and people, while having fun.

Keep reading: Exploring the power of volunteerism: impact, benefits, and opportunities and Discovering off the grid communities: What you need to know and How to join them.

How to find volunteer tourism opportunities?

Now that you know what volunteer tourism is, maybe you are wondering how you can find volunteer opportunities all around the world, because the world is huge and it is not easy to understand where to start.

So let me introduce you to the Worldpackers platform, which changed forever the way of traveling of hundreds of people. This platform is where you have to go if you want to find volunteer opportunities all around the world.

You can pick a destination and look for volunteer opportunities there, or you can choose a field you like, such as permaculture, teaching languages, childcare, and look for the opportunities that suit you the most.

You can contact the hosts and then plan your stay. You should look carefully at what the host is expecting from you and what you can expect in exchange for your work. 

Before applying, you can know in advance how many hours per day you will work and how many days off you will get, and whether you will get full board or just free accommodation. Worldpackers is a really clear platform and every position is fully explained in details.

Since good travelers want to leave a good social impact in the world and in the places they visit, be careful about the positions you pick, and always check if they have a good impact on our planet. You can look for hosts and positions linked to ecotourism using the filters.

Of course with Worldpackers you can look for volunteer opportunities in every continent, so let’s see some of the best positions for volunteer tourism with good social impact all around the world.

Volunteering in Latin America 

Latin America sounds like a not so safe continent, especially for the girls traveling solo. It could be true or not, but in any case the best thing is to make friends there, especially the locals. And what is the best way to meet people and to act like a local than volunteering there?

So why not considering volunteer tourism in Latin America? In this way you could help the local community, meet friends, and you will feel safer hanging around in this way.

Remember to look at the social impact of the positions you are going to apply to. For example, you could apply to work in an organic farm like this one in Brazil, and learn more about sustainable agriculture.

Volunteering in North America

North America can be very expensive, especially the accommodation costs. The best thing you can do if you want to visit this part of the world is to volunteer there. This way you can get free accommodation, just working for a few hours a day.

If you are looking for an eco-program experience, have a look at this host in Colorado City, the place is surrounded by nature and they are running different eco projects for which they need help.

Volunteering in Europe

Europe is a very rich continent in terms of things to do and see. It could be hard to pick one country in Europe, so a long term travel would be the best way to visit it. In this case, volunteering can help you save tons of money in accommodation cost.

If you like permaculture and eco projects, in Europe you have plenty of choices.

What about volunteering in a farm in one of the most “eco” countries in Europe? I am talking about the Netherlands, and you can have a look at this position in a farm. They are looking for help gardening and planting and they offer free accommodation and full board in exchange for help.

Volunteering in Asia

One of the best ways to visit Asia is volunteering and helping the local communities. You can really make the difference and try to have a good social impact. There are a lot of people and places that are looking for your help and they are trying to improve to have the lowest possible impact on our planet.

Have a look at this fruit and coffee farm in Nepal, for example. They are looking for help in their farm and you can learn a lot about sustainability in this experience. It can be life-changing.

Volunteering in Africa

Africa is not an easy continet to visit, but if you try this challenge and open your heart to it, you will have the time of your life.

In Africa is really important to help local communities and try to have a good impact on them. They really need help in a lot of things in different fields. Volunteering in Africa is a dream for a lot of travelers, so don’t miss this chance.

Have a look to this eco project in Ghana and give them a hand, it could be the experience of a lifetime! 

The ethics of voluntourism 

The important thing about having a volunteer tourism opportunity is to try to make a difference for the communities you want to help. That can be fully achieved if you really believe in the projects you are taking part in.

Therefore, when you apply for a position, you have to read it carefully, understand what are the expectations and the tasks you will need to complete. If you fully understand them and you strongly believe in the projects, you will do a good job and you will have a good impact.

Another thing that can make a difference is how much time you spend in a place. The more you stay in a place to help the more you can have an impact on people and help them properly. In this sense, long term travels are the best.

Volunteering in developing countries is one of the best experiences you can have if you want to have a good social impact and help communities that really need you.

When choosing a volunteer tourism opportunity, these are the best fields you can choose: teaching, permaculture and eco projects, social and cultural projects. Worldpackers has plenty of them.

Now you know everything about volunteer tourism and how to do it. You just have to subscribe to one of Worldpackers plans, look for the positions that you like the most, apply, and get ready to travel the world and make a difference!

Maybe you could also be interested in some other articles from Worldpackers community:

• How to volunteer abroad using Worldpackers
• The best environmental volunteer opportunities around the world with Worldpackers
• TOP 5 Reasons why you should volunteer abroad