How would you like to spend a few weeks in Thailand, or wander mysterious ruins of the Incas in Peru, or maybe you’d like to explore the rain forests of Costa Rica, canoe down the Amazon in South America, or the Nile River in Egypt?  

Too expensive you say? Check out the growing enthusiasm for volunteer vacationing – or recently dubbed: Voluntourism.

“Volunteer travel, volunteer vacations, voluntourism, or vacanteerism is travel which includes volunteering for a charitable cause. In recent years, “bite-sized” volunteer vacations have grown in popularity.

The types of volunteer vacations are diverse, from low-skill work cleaning up local wildlife areas to providing high-skill medical aid in a foreign country. Volunteer vacations participants are diverse but typically share a desire to “do something good” while also experiencing new places and challenges in locales they might not otherwise visit.

There are also other types of travelling that engage people with scientific research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Participants cover a fee that would include expenses on the different sites worldwide, and engage in projects according to their interest or location.” – Excerpted from Wikipedia

Doing a little work on your vacation doesn’t have to be arduous however. You could be leading tour groups, teaching a skill or a language to villagers, or just doing a little research. It all depends on what you’re willing to trade for the cost of accommodations and meals. Sometimes even your airfare is partially covered. That really takes the sting out of paying for a dream vacation! Read the rest of this entry »