transire benefaciendo
"to travel along while doing good."

• Just Being a Tourist Does Good
  You are doing a LOT of good simply by visiting a developing country: spending money on accommodations, food, transportation, local crafts, local guides, etc. 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, much more than trying to build a school that will stand empty because there is no funding for teachers.

• 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, even in Afghanistan), 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. You will also learn to TRULY enjoy food.

• Take Positive Photos
  Don't take photos that show only a community's poverty; take photos of a community's culture: people singing, dancing, laughing, cooking, farming, working, riding bicycles, etc. Take photos of beautiful gardens, buildings, landscapes, public art, 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 culturally-sensitive manner.

• Look Around You
  Opportunities for good 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 favorable impression on the locals about such.

• Research Organizations
  In developing countries, what's most important to local NGOs (non-governmental organizations - the equivalent of nonprofits in the USA) 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 NGOs that you might want to help. Use the Internet to find local 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 (Could you help changeover their computers from pirated copies of Microsoft to OpenOffice, or help them download and automate free virus-scanning software? Could you bring them some children's books?).

• 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 flabbergasted 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!), be adamant (but still friendly!) that you want an alternative and don't give in to all the "oh, but it's NO PROBLEM, really!" comments. 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 NGOs 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 them, 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 could 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 health 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 protocols 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 excursions every year, constructing or rebuilding footpaths, cabins and shelters in some of the USA's most beautiful parks and historic sites.

• 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.

• Glacier National Park has internship and fellowship opportunities where volunteers receive a small stipend in return for their service. They also have Citizen Science program, but volunteers do not receive any stipend and are responsible for all their own expenses.

• Student Conservation Association provides college and high school-aged members with hands-on conservation service opportunities, "from tracking grizzlies through the Tetons to restoring desert ecosystems and teaching environmental education at Washington, D.C.'s Urban Tree House."

• Break Away is a nonprofit that promotes alternative Spring break and Summer break trips. Unfortunately, its database can be accessed only by university chapter members.

• If you belong to a community of faith (church, temple or mosque), or a non-religious secular organization / ethical society, 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.

 
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, accommodation, food, security, translators, training, staff to supervise and support volunteers, government work permits, liaisons with the police and local officials, etc. They may also be used to compensate local people who would like to be paid to build their own homes and schools, dig their own wells, etc.

You will need to provide your own health insurance, travel insurance and evacuation insurance (including the kind that will cover transportation of your body should you be killed).

This web page provides very detailed information about volunteering abroad, and where to find credible programs.

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).

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

Volunteering through an established international organization is not only significantly safer than volunteering on your own, 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, rather than through a volunteer-sending agency, 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, who will make sure you get to a hospital? Volunteering through an official organization helps protect you from many possible hazards and dangerous circumstances. And these circumstances do happen.

If you are absolutely bent on volunteering on your own while abroad, then please see this resource, Vetting Organizations in Other Countries. Your best bet is to 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. The Computer Aid International, based in England, provides refurbished computers to the developing world, and therefore might also welcome an offer from you, during your travels, to visit a site where they have provided computers and to provide them a report about what you see.

GlobalGiving Foundation Field Visitor Internships: GlobalGiving connects organizations from all over the world with donors who can support their work. They are often looking for self-funded travelers who will be in a region for several months to act as representatives of the organization, conduct site visits of partner organizations and identifying organizations that would be a good match for the Global Giving fundraising site. Volunteers also organize informational workshops during these travels. Volunteers can weave these responisibilities into their tourism of a region. "You will work closely with GlobalGiving's DC staff in preparation for your trip, planning site visits, workshops, travel, and accommodations, while gaining skills in organization and cross-cultural understanding. Upon returning to the U.S., you will present your findings and experience to the GlobalGiving staff." This position is unpaid and program participants are expected to fund their entire trip including airfare, in-country travel and accommodations. GlobalGiving provides training, office support, travel medical insurance, a minimal stipend for communications costs and workshop funding.

The Kiva Fellows Program requires a four-month commitment. It offers individuals from any country the opportunity to be officially associated with Kiva and to witness firsthand the impact and realities of microfinance, by working directly with a host microfinance institution (MFI). You do not pay a fee to Kiva, but you are required to undertake all travel and accommodation expenses yourself - which makes this an idea arrangement if you are a long-term international traveler who will be spending time in a region where there are several Kiva projects. A mandatory five-day training is provided (you must pay all expenses to attend). You must be at least 21 years old to apply. Here is the main page for the Kiva Fellows Program and here are the FAQS for the program.

If you are going to India, and are prepared to pay for all of your expenses for such travel - your air fare, your in-country travel, your health insurance, your accommodations, your food, etc., you could contact Responsible Charity, which works with women and children, and let them know you will be in their area and ask if there was some way you could volunteer while there, making it clear that you do not expect them to pay any of your travel or accommodation costs whatsoever. Or you could do the same if you were traveling to a country where Mayhew International works (they work with cats and dogs, or, as they call it, "companion animal welfare," in India, Russia, Romania, Peru, Afghanistan, Georgia, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Estonia, Egypt and Sierra Leone). But remember: these and other small NGOs will NOT be responsible for you in any way, and will NOT pay for any of your expenses - they put all their money into their programs helping local communities, not in funding travel for volunteers.

For 2012 and 2013 in Cambodia: three international motorcycle travelers are putting together a Ride for Cambodia, in Cambodia, to benefit United World Schools (UWS), which provides schools in inaccessible, underprivileged and post conflict regions, including Cambodia. For 2012 the ride is a scouting run to check out roads and routes for the 2013 ride. Participants on either/both trips must buy a Honda Dream 125cc Motorcycle (4 Speed, Automatic Clutch) in-country, and then auction the bike off at the end of the ride (the auctions of the bikes are to raise money for charity).

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.

Do not expect, nor ask for, someone to serve as your translator, trainer or guide during your DIY volunteering experience unless you are ready to PAY, by the hour, for those services!

With DIY international volunteering, you will need to provide your own health insurance, travel insurance and evacuation insurance (including the kind that will cover transportation of your body should you be killed). You have to handle your own visa application as well. If you are a US citizen, it's a good idea to register your trip with the State Department, which will make it easier for them to help you if you lose your passport, if a crime is committed against you, if you are arrested, or if you otherwise need their assistance.

Forget trying to do things while on vacation or extended travel that would bring you into direct access to kids, or, if you are a man, with women; organizations need to do extensive background checks on people who want to provide such service, in addition to providing a great deal of support and supervision to such volunteers and, therefore, it's simply not cost-effective nor appropriate to involve short-term volunteers in these type of activities. In addition you set yourself up for possible exploitation: what will you do when a parent tells local police you harmed their child while you were "helping"? Never, ever be alone with just one or two people of the opposite sex, or with children - insist on all activities happening in a main room, with LOTS of witnesses.

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 could be charged customs fees.

Do not walk through the door of an NGO and say, "Here I am, ready to help your orphans!" Before you travel, vet any organizations you might want to help. 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: Could you help changeover their computers from pirated copies of Microsoft to OpenOffice, or help them download and automate free virus-scanning software? Are you Girl Scouts leader who could give advice to a school or organization working with girls? Are you an HIV/AIDS educator with advice to offer? Do you volunteer or work in an animal shelter in your home country and have advice that could help a shelter in a developing country?. If you are NOT a certified ESL teacher, do not volunteer to teach English classes. If you are NOT a certified elementary school teacher, do not offer to lead a class of students at the local elementary school. If you are not an experienced carpenter, do not offer to build something. People in developing countries deserve qualified people to help, just as people do in any country.

As mentioned earlier, 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. The Perros Project is an example of such an effort that was born out of a vacation by two Americans visiting Peru.

Finally, if you volunteer on your own, without affiliation, then you must always say that you are a tourist, NOT a volunteer, to anyone who asks: policemen, border guards, customs agents, airport staff, etc. You are NOT an official volunteer, and you must not claim to be such while in country; to do otherwise could result in your arrest for working illegally, and/or a fine for the organization for employing someone illegally (even though you aren't being paid).

Here is an excellent thread on Lonely Planet about working while traveling abroad.

And speaking of Lonely Planet, Lonely Planet Volunteer: A Traveller's Guide to Making a Difference Around is a good book to get even more information. I can say this without having read it yet, because I have so many Lonely Planet books, and I know they are the best travel books out there. Given how much I post to the Lonely Planet message board, I have a feeling some of my recommendations are probably in this book.

Also see:

Ideas for Funding Your Volunteering Abroad Trip.

Volunteering To Help After Major Disasters.

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, which lists such agencies.

Also see:

Motorcycles and development/aid/relief & volunteer efforts. Examples of motorcycles used in development, aid and relief efforts, and advice individuals and small groups who want to use their motorcycles and travels to help others.

Funding Your Volunteering Trip Abroad (includes information on where to find credible programs)

Using the Internet to Share Your Adventure During Your Adventure, advice on blogging, photo-sharing, tweeting, etc.

 
Also see:

my adventures in Afghanistan
(not a country I would recommend for female tourists; maybe in 20 years... but if you are going to be there for aid work, I've got tips on how to follow the aforementioned advice while there - it's what I tried to do while living in Kabul and traveling to different regions)

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

How to Pursue a Career with the United Nations or Other International Humanitarian or Development Organizations, Including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

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.

Have you been assigned community service hours by a court? As part of your probation or sentence? By your school as a requirement for a class or for graduation? I've developed this resource on finding community service just for you (and to see if Google Ads really works as an income-generation tool).

Accessing essential information while traveling
Advice on things you should do before you leave on a trip, to ensure you can access information via any computer or your feature phone or smart phone that you might need while traveling

A Broad Abroad | contact me