transire benefaciendo
"to travel along while doing good."

When reading Around the World in Eighty Days (required reading by anyone who wants to travel abroad), I came across a phrase, transire benefaciendo. It's Latin and means "to travel along while doing good." I really loved that phrase. I've adopted it as my motto.

When I travel, I'm not sure I'm always doing good... but I'm definitely trying NOT to do bad: if the tour guide says please don't take photos here or please don't tough the walls of this ancient temple, then I don't, even if everyone else is. I don't ask that my room be cleaned every day, to have new towels every day, etc., to help save on water and energy. I try to be quiet in sacred places, even though I'm an atheist and even if whatever religion was practiced in the spot is long gone. I try to be mindful of other visitors and guests, especially when it's late.

I do it because that's how I hope others will act when they visit sites that are precious to me. I also do it because, when I'm traveling, I always think that I have the opportunity to undo the negative sterotypes of American or otherwise "Western" tourists.

If you want to do more than just be a tourist that doesn't do bad, you have a number of options.

• Doing Good On Vacation in a Developing Country or Poor Community
  
• Volunteer Vacations Within Your Own Country
  
• Volunteer Vacations Abroad
  
• Volunteering On Your Own Abroad
  
• What About Long-Term Opportunities for Highly-Skilled People?

These are simple things you can do to help others when traveling to a developing country or poor community. Note that some of the tips require preparation BEFORE you leave your home.

I wrote this list originally in February 2006 for Lonely Planet's Blue List, which, sadly, is now defunct. It was the highest rated and most-popular volunteer-related article by far on the now-defunct Bluelist (thanks to the more than 100 people who rated it so highly on that web site). I've updated the list for here on transire benefaciendo.

• Just Being a Tourist Does Good
  You're doing a LOT of good simply by visiting a developing country: spending money on accommodations, food, transportation, local crafts. Your money spent on these items helps employ local people -- maybe the most important need to be met in the developing world or a poor community anywhere.

• Buy Local
  Buy locally produced food and drinks, if health standards and your own dietary restrictions allow for such. At least try the local beer, the local wine, the local cola (yes, there are such things), the local bread, locally-owned restaurants, etc. If you eat and drink locally even once a day, rather than eating only at an international chain or drinking only products available globally, you will be helping both the local economy and the local culture.

• Take Positive Photos
  Don't only take photos that show a community's poverty; take photos of a community's culture: people singing, dancing, laughing, cooking, farming and working. Take photos of beautiful gardens, buildings, landscapes, etc. Share these photos on sites like Flickr and always put the name of the city and country in each photo's description. This shows other potential tourists and even potential investors what's wonderful about a particular place. And remember to take photos in a cultureally-sensitive manner.

• Look Around You
  Opportunities are everywhere: helping a local person change a car tire or jump start a car engine, helping a person at your hotel solve an immediate computer problem, helping an old woman carry a heavy bag on and off a bus, etc. Every time you help someone, you are representing your own country and culture, and leaving a favourable impression on the locals about such.

• Research Organizations
  In developing countries, what's *most* important to local nonprofits is to serve local communities, not to give you a feel-good moment. Be respectful of the *very* restrictive time of local groups and local people just trying get by. Don't walk through the door and say, "Here I am, ready to help your orphans!" Before you travel, become familiar with the area where you will travel and with any nonprofits that you might want to help. Use the Internet to find local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) serving an area where you will visit. These can be environmental organizations, a microfinance group, a school serving children with disabilities, a telecenter, etc. A surprising number of organizations in the developing world have web sites, so establish contact before you trip, letting the organization know you are interested in their work, you want to visit while on vacation, and how you want to help.

• Practice Respect for the Environment... even if locals don't
  Always throw away your trash properly. Ask about recycling, even if you suspect the question is going to be met with an incredulous look. If your sheets really don't have to be changed every day, ask that they not be, even if the front desk or housekeeping seems flabberghasted that you don't want such. If you have read that a certain fish or bird is endangered, refuse all offers for such as a meal, explain why (with a smile!) and be adament (but still friendly!) that you want an alternative. Compliment all efforts by local businesses, including your hotel, to be environmentally friendly. The more tourists that show respect for the environment and show an expectation for businesses to do the same, the more that local businesses will cater to such.

• Research the Culture
  Already knowing the basics about a region's cultural practices and already knowing what nonprofits are doing in an area greatly enhances your experience locally, and improves your chances of being welcomed to engage in a helpful activity while there.

• Identify Ways to Have Impact Before & After

  • Before a trip, ask local organizations if there are things they would like you to bring to an organization, such as children's books, school supplies or clothes. Keep items small and benign, and looking like they are a part of your overall travel items, or you will be charged customs fees.

  • Make an assessment of an organization's most critical needs while you are onsite, and after the trip, blog about your experience and tell people how they can donate to the organization, or arrange a fund drive or other support campaign for the group once you are back in your home country.

You will need to be responsible for your own transportation and heath insurance, and probably accommodations and food. You may ALSO be asked to pay a fee to cover the costs of staff providing you support, and any materials you will need during your service. You also need to make arrangements before you arrive onsite at an organization; don't expect to walk in the door and say, "Here I am, ready to volunteer!" and find an automatic warm reception. Organizations have protocals that volunteers must go through, in order for the organization to protect its work and its clients; please respect these by contacting the organization long before you arrive.

What can you do? In the USA:

• The American Hiking Society sponsors several excellent volunteer vacations every year, constructing or rebuilding footpaths, cabins and shelters in some of the USA's most beautiful spots.

• Sierra Club volunteer vacations help to state and federal land agencies. Service trips range from helping with research projects at whale calving grounds in Maui to assisting with archaeological site restoration in New Mexico.

• Habitat for Humanity has activities all over the country; call a local office FIRST to arrange your participation long before your trip.

• If you belong to a community of faith (church, temple or mosque), check with them to see if they have volunteering opportunities outside of your area. For instance, many such communities have been organizing trips to help people in the Gulf Coast of the USA, who are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

• If you are a volunteer firefighter, volunteer paramedic, or volunteer with the Red Cross/Red Crescent/Magen David Adom, check with your local office to see if the national office or national association needs short-term volunteers with your specific training in other parts of your country.

• Contact offices that are responsible for state and national parks, to see if they will be having a one-day, just-show-up clean up event while you are in town, and what the requirements are to participate.

For more information, consider buying the book Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others by Bill McMillon, Doug Cutchins and Anne Geissinger.

 
Volunteer Vacations Abroad

If you want to volunteer abroad, please note that, unless you are highly skilled and ready to commit to at least six months abroad, you need to be prepared to pay to volunteer. Fees charged by volunteer-sending organizations cover some or all of the following: flights, in-country transportation, health insurance, accommodation, food, security, translators, training, staff to supervise and support volunteers, liaisons with the police and local officials, etc.). And note that respected humanitarian organizations like VSO have strong doubts that these type of initiatives are truly worthwhile for communities in the developing world.

There is a listing of the more-than-30 member organizations of the International Volunteers Program Association (IVPA) that is a good place to find reputable volunteer-for-a-fee programs -- programs where you don't need to have much experience in order to participate, and the placements are just for a few weeks or months.

You can also try United For Sight. The goal of Unite For Sight and its partner eye clinics and communities is to create eye disease-free communities. "While helping the community, volunteers are in a position to witness and draw their own conclusions about the failures and inequities of global health systems. It broadens their view of what works, and what role they can have to insure a health system that works for everyone..." This program was featured on CNN International. Volunteers, both skilled and unskilled, are 18 years and older, and there is no upper age limit. It is obligatory for accepted volunteers to purchase insurance coverage through Unite for Sight's recommended provider, and volunteers are responsible for all travel arrangements, visa vaccine requirements, lodging, airfare, food, and any additional expenses.

Lonely Planet published the book Volunteer: A Traveler's Guide to Making a Difference Around the World. It lists and reviews more than 190 organizations that provide short-term volunteer-abroad experiences. Also see The Career Break Book, published by Lonely Planet; and The Rough Guide To A Better World, published by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Rough Guides (I contributed materials to the last two books, actually).

There's also international volunteer trips by Habitat for Humanity. See the web sites for the charges for volunteers to participate.

Another overseas volunteer-sending organization based in the USA that will send unskilled volunteers for short-term assignments (six months or less) that seems reasonably-priced is SCI - Service Civil International. I know *nothing* about them other than what's on their web site, so please don't consider the listing of this organization as an endorsement.

I strongly recommend the book How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas, by Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zehara Heckscher. It will give you details about what international volunteering really entails, why some organizations require that international volunteers pay, suggestions on how to raise funds for such, and a good overview of your options. But best of all, it provides tips and worksheets that can make your volunteering have real impact for the local people, and benefits for you long after the experience is over.

 
Volunteering On Your Own Abroad

Beyond the simple suggestions at the start of this web page, I do not advise, under any circumstances, for a person to volunteer entirely on his or her own in a foreign country, outside of the official affiliation of an official international organization. Volunteering through an established international organization is not only significantly safer, but also, it offers you a way to network your volunteer contributions with those of others, so that your volunteering doesn't happen in a vacuum. Volunteering on your own can incur many unintended consequences: for instance, what happens if the family you are helping accuses you of stealing, or of doing something inappropriate with one of their children? Or, what if there is a coup, or a natural disaster -- who will be responsible for evacuating you? If you are injured during your volunteering, will the organization assist you? Volunteering through an official organization helps protect you from many possible hazards and dangerous circumstances. And these circumstances do happen.

Ofcourse, you can work with an organization in your home country that has contacts in a country you are going to visit, BEFORE your trip, to see if you could do anything on the organization's behalf while you are abroad. For instance, the World Computer Exchange (WCE) welcomes inquiries from people visiting developing countries who might be interested in doing outreach or other volunteer work on WCE's behalf. There is no charge for such participation, however, you must contact WCE first and get oriented and pre-approval before your trip. WCE's behalf. Please do not ever say you represent an organization, or speak on any organization's behalf, while you are abroad unless you have written authority from the organization to do so.

If you are absolutely bent on volunteering on your own while abroad, then please see this resource, Vetting Organizations in Other Countries.

 
What About Long-Term Opportunities for Highly-Skilled People?

If you want to know what skills and experience you need to have to make you an attractive applicant to long-term volunteer placements agencies that do not charge volunteers, please see Reality Check: Volunteering Abroad

 
Disclaimer
Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of information contained within this document.

 
Also see:

my adventures in Afghanistan
(not a country I would recommend for female tourists; maybe in 20 years)

Reality Check: Volunteering Abroad (especially for citizens of the USA)
Tips on gaining the skills and experience that are critically needed to volunteer overseas.

general information and advice for novice traveling women from the USA

health & safety considerations and packing suggestions especially for women novice travelers.

my adventures in Germany.

a list of all of my travel adventures (I've visited or lived in more than 30 countries, and more than 30 states n the USA)

links to resources to help women travelers

My page of helpful hints for camping with your dogs in the USA.

A Broad Abroad | contact me