According to a recent story by NPR, volunteer tourism (a.k.a. voluntourism) currently ranks among the travel industry’s fastest growing trends. Rather than taking traditional sun-and-sand vacations, an average of more than 1.6 million people are spending about $2 billion annually on voluntourism. Instead of hanging out on a cruise ship or sunning themselves on some gorgeous tropical beach, … Continued
Family is so important. We’d all like to see our families grow closer and stronger. But finding the time and the activities to bring our family members together can be a challenge. Different ages, interests, schedules, and personalities can make it difficult to get everyone on the same page. But despite our many differences, we’re … Continued
When you travel to a foreign country to volunteer, your primary motivation should ideally be about having a positive impact on the place you’re visiting. The essence of volunteering is to embrace a cause outside of ourselves, and to focus on issues that our bigger than our own. But that doesn’t mean that that the benefits of … Continued
The Western Highlands of Guatemala offer a stunning backdrop to a fascinating, indigenous culture. The southern border is rimmed by a chain of volcanoes, and the Cuchumatanes mountain range sprawls across the northern border. A lush landscape of lakes, streams, and valleys fills the space between them. Unfortunately, the Maya communities that call this place home … Continued
So, you’re thinking about taking a Volunteer Vacation. How exciting! But where do you start? Planning a volunteer vacation can seem like a lot of work if you aren’t familiar with the process. But we’re here to ensure that, with the right guidance and a desire to make it happen, the planning process will be much easier … Continued
Volunteering is a good thing, right? Obviously, we’re big fans of volunteering and voluntourism. But unfortunately, not all volunteering is the kind we love. With voluntourism becoming an increasingly popular form of travel, there are more and more examples of bad forms of volunteering. If you’re interested in taking a volunteer vacation, it’s important to … Continued
You know the world is headed in a good direction when interest in using vacation time to volunteer helping others is at an all-time high. Voluntourism is a growing trend among international travelers, with enthusiasm largely steeped in the desire to make a positive impact on the people and places they visit. However, for both the volunteers and the recipients of their efforts … Continued
When Discover Corps founder Andrew Motiwalla invited me to experience one of his volunteer vacations to Cuba, I was initially very skeptical. As a well-known travel blogger, I have long been an active voice in routing out corrupt volunteer tourism operations that rake in huge amounts of cash without contributing a penny to the people … Continued
Making arts and crafts, playing games, doing homework and learning to speak and read the English language are just a few of the many activities you might find children exploring during a visit to the Forjando Alas Youth Group. The Forjando Alas Youth Group is all about the kids. The after school program is based in the … Continued