If your family has done one too many theme-park vacations, or if the thought of another all-inclusive holiday on the beach leaves you cold, then consider a voluntourism trip that the whole family can take part in.
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Voluntourism, such as working in a school in Africa, is a growing niche within the family travel market. // © 2009 Cross-Cultural Solutions |
Voluntourism is a relatively new trend in travel. A voluntourism experience combines lending a helping hand to those in need along with free time to explore and enjoy a destination. These could be trips close to home, such as pitching in to restore a devastated New Orleans neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, or trips to far-flung destinations, such as Cambodia or South Africa, where participants can dig into a wide range of activities, from caring for wildlife to teaching English.
According to a recent survey from Lasso Communications, “State of the Volunteer Travel Industry 2009,” the most popular voluntourism activity is building and teaching, followed by conservation and community development (this includes caring for children). Of the 28 companies surveyed, the average number of countries offered per provider was 10, with Peru, Costa Rica and South Africa having the highest popularity. When grouped by continent, South America leads as the most desired for volunteer travel, followed by Africa and Asia.
One of the important things for families to realize is that, although these trips comprise voluntary service, they still come with a price tag. For example, the one-week Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica trip offered by I-to-I costs $1,095 per person, excluding airfare. You can opt for additional weeks at $385 per week. This price includes accommodation, meals and airport transfers.
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“In our field, most nonprofits rely on a program fee instead of traditional grants or large donations,” said Kam Santos, director of communications for Cross-Cultural Solutions. “The program fee covers the operational expenses and helps our organizations stay flexible to market demand.”
Traditionally, the target market for voluntourism was young students and empty-nesters. As the field developed, it has now grown in cross-market appeal to include almost every potential traveler — including families. One might think that the current economic recession would put the brakes on volunteer travel; however, this doesn’t seem to be the case. People still want to travel, and voluntourism provides a meaningful experience. Also, during these hard economic times, there are fewer jobs for grads and an increase in layoffs — both factors in freeing up time for volunteer travel.
“Instead of another vacation as tourists, our family dove into a new culture and contributed at a local level, spending two weeks in Xian, China, teaching English at a kindergarten,” recalled Jennifer Risher, who volunteered with her family on a Cross-Cultural Solutions trip. “Every morning, my husband, my 9- and 11-year-old daughters and I stood at the front of a class of 6-year-olds and helped teach English.”
The Risher family also enjoyed such activities as making dumplings, learning tai chi, trying calligraphy and visiting a traditional Chinese medicine hospital.
“It was a wonderful learning experience to have as a family,” she said.
Resources
Here’s a sampling of companies specializing in voluntourism trips.
Cross-Cultural Solutions
www.crossculturalsolutions.org
Earthwatch
www.earthwatch.org/expedition
Global Aware
www.globeaware.org
I-to-I
www.i-to-i.com
Intrepid Travel
www.intrepidtravel.com
Projects Abroad
www.projects-abroad.org
Volunteer Adventures
www.volunteeradventures.com
Before You Go
Catherine McMillan is the vice president of volunteer communications for Globe Aware, a nonprofit organization offering volunteer vacations. McMillan is an experienced voluntourism family traveler, having taken her children on Globe Aware programs in Peru and Mexico. Here are her insights on planning a rewarding voluntourism trip for the whole family.
Choose a program and location that offers the type of volunteering that most interests the members of your family. Are there opportunities for some in the family to work on construction projects while others work with children? Having multiple project options for the varied interests of your family members can ensure that everyone is able to use their unique skills and feel that they have contributed to the host community.
Encourage kids to do some research about the country and the people they are going to visit. This makes for a more rewarding cultural experience.
When you speak to voluntourism company rep on the phone, they should be knowledgeable about their programs. Ask them if they have done any of the programs themselves and what their experiences were.
If you ask the company for references, and they simply tell you to read the reviews from their Web site, beware. You should be able to speak directly with past volunteers as references.
Go forward on the journey with an open mind and heart. More than likely, you are going to be working in a developing country that has a different concept of time. Materials might be late in arriving, and road conditions might make travel times longer than normal. Be ready to “go with the flow.”
