We love being able to give you an inside glimpse into our immersive journeys of culture and service. Most recently, we shared a vivid illustration of what a typical day on a volunteer vacation looks like. Now, we want to give you a detailed look at the day-to-day activities, excursions, and feelings that could occur on a volunteer … Continued
There are all sorts of travel blogs out there — from adventure to backpacker to family — but what about baby boomer travel blogs? Though they’re a little bit harder to find, they do exist — and they ROCK. At Discover Corps, 75% of our travelers are over the age of 50. To put it … Continued
Volunteer vacations are becoming more popular as people realize that — now more than ever — we live in an interconnected world. And it’s clear we can learn from each other culturally and create lasting relationships through volunteering abroad. But how sustainable are volunteer vacations? Do these types of trips help the planet — or hurt it? When done … Continued
As the new year approaches, it’s common to set goals you want to achieve. According to Health Magazine, one of the top goals on new year’s resolution lists is to travel more. Perhaps you’ve fantasized about being that impulsive adventurer, or considered giving your time to a cause by volunteering abroad. Whatever trip you envision … Continued
A few weeks ago, we received an interesting comment on our post “Do Volunteer Vacations Do More Harm Than Good?” The commenter noted: “You don’t address the issue of money spent making the trip as opposed to simply donating money to an indigenous charity working directly with the people.” And it’s a great point. Many … Continued
Winter break is right around the corner, which means we’re about to host lots of family trips with school-aged children — and we can’t wait! As you know, we love family volunteer vacations because they’re educational AND fun. If you’re about to embark on your first family volunteer vacation (or trip abroad, for that matter), … Continued
Traveling to a developing country can be many things: exhilarating, eye-opening, scary, joyful, and challenging, to name a few. But there’s one emotion that is almost certain to surface after a trip abroad, and it’s gratitude. This gratitude-inducing quality is one of the things that makes experiential travel so powerful; it makes you appreciate what … Continued
You’ve probably heard of a “volunteer vacation” before. And you might have wondered if they really do any good. After all, what impact can an unskilled person have on a week or two during their holidays? What does some couple from suburban America know about community development?
This video highlights many of the challenges of international volunteerism. It boils down to what is your intention and what is the intention of the organization you’re traveling with. For Discover Corps, we are quite clear that our travelers are not going to be “development experts” in a week or two.