You & Your Family Follow your sense of adventure and vacation with your heart
Getting away to refresh and refuel is important to Janice Jones, a member of the Rock Island, IL, chapter. Her job as an actuary keeps her behind a desk five days a week, so vacation time is a welcome diversion. But on her most recent vacation, she wasn’t relaxing on the beach soaking up the sun. She was in Israel spending part of her time pulling weeds, cleaning store rooms, and collecting children’s clothing. “It was a remarkable, eye-opening experience and a chance to ‘put your feet to your faith’.”
Janice is a believer in volunteer vacations. And she’s not alone. The trend of volunteer vacations is spreading fast. From college students who break away from the traditional spring break activities to build a Habitat for Humanity home, to baby boomers who have the money to spend and the time to donate as they get closer to retirement, “voluntourism” is becoming popular with people of all ages.
According to Global Volunteers, the purpose of a volunteer vacation is foremost to serve, and thereby, to learn first-hand about the host community and its people. It’s not simply an alternative to a standard vacation, but an opportunity to use your skills and interests in an unconventional setting to benefit others in a community requesting outside help.
Theresa LaBella, director of development for Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities, sees a swing back to the feeling of wanting to give back. “The Greatest Generation had a whole sense of giving back, pride in their country and neighborhood. We’re seeing more of that in high school and college students,” she said. “And, it’s not just because they may have a community service component to their graduation requirements. They enjoy the hands-on element of building a Habitat home. They can drive by years later and know they had a hand in building it.”
Whether you decide to volunteer on your next vacation as a way to make a difference in the world or just to satisfy your sense of adventure, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I want to stay close to home or travel to a remote and distant locale abroad?
- Do I enjoy learning about new cultures and lifestyles?
- Can I accept direction from local leaders?
- Do I want to be physically challenged and/or mentally stimulated?
- Am I willing to freely offer my professional skills and experience?
- Can I communicate if I go to another country?
- How much time can I donate?
- Will I have time to explore on my own?
Take a tip from Janice and follow your heart. “Vacation time is precious to most people, and when you can get away from your routine and help others at the same time, it’s a win-win situation,” she said. “That’s why I’m looking forward to another volunteer opportunity in Mexico.”
Check out these ‘voluntourism’ Web sites
Habitat for Humanity builds houses around the world to help eliminate poverty housing and homelessness. www.habitatforhumanity.org
Passport In Time centers its vacations on archaeological excavations and preserving historical structures. www.passportintime.com
Wilderness Volunteers works with public land agencies like the National Park Service to clear wild lands. www.wildernessvolunteers.org
The Sierra Club works on a variety of tasks, from observing marine life to maintaining wilderness areas.
www.sierraclub.org
Cross-Cultural Solutions offers the chance to work side-by-side with local people and experience other cultures. www.crossculturalsolutions.org
Global Volunteers has mobilized more than 20,000 volunteers on community development projects worldwide since 1984. www.globalvolunteers.org
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To volunteer in your own backyard, get in touch with your local Royal Neighbors chapter. Call us at
(800) 627-4762 and we will tell you how. |