In the Name of Love

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Need a break from reality but just aren't into the typical beach vacation or commercialized recreation? Satisfy your desire for world travel without emptying your wallet and garner some good karma along the way. Sign up for a volunteer vacation and enjoy new vistas and the companionship of like minded travelers while making a difference.

Don't have an advanced degree or certified vocational skills? No worries. All you need is a giving heart and a passport to qualify for most charity excursions. Not quite sure you want to be too far from home? Rest assured, there a plenty of opportunities to make a difference right here at home.

Rest assured, volunteer vacations are not all work and no play. After the "work day" volunteers are typically free to explore their surroundings to their heart's content. Always wanted to hang ten in Fiji? Register for a volunteer trip in Fiji and hit the beach after a day spent working with the locals on reef restoration or community enhancement. Into protecting the environment? Choose a rainforest protection project. Hike the rainforest and immerse yourself in Mother Nature or snorkel with wild dolphins during your time off.

As you've probably gathered, possibilities are nearly endless. Here are just a few organizations that take volunteers far and wide in the spirit of giving.

Go to Camp

Camp Counselors USA (CCUSA) is one of the largest organizations connecting young adventure seekers with a civic  mindset. The group accepts applications throughout the year and organizes volunteer excursions around the globe. It typically takes eight weeks to complete the application and review process, which includes a background check. CCUSA also organizes working vacations, where you utilize your skills to train others and earn a small stipend and living quarters. You have to be between the ages of 18 and 30 to apply for a stint with CCUSA, and will have to submit to a physical, and possibly even a drug test.

The best of the best has to be CCUSA's Work Adventures Down Under Program. What can be better than spending your vacation helping the locals while getting to explore the lay of the land down under? Trips last from 4 months to 4 years and they'll even teach you how to surf.

Bridge the Cultural Divide

Travel with your heart on your sleeve on a Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS) volunteer trip. The group takes travelers way off the beaten path and connects them to volunteer opportunities in countries like Morocco, Peru, Brazil, Ghana Tanzania and South Africa. 

CCS volunteers contribute toward educational endeavors, infrastructure projects, agricultural programs or environmental projects early on in the day and spend their afternoons participate in what the organization calls "cultural learning activities." Volunteers have time off during the evenings and weekends to explore on their own. 

You can sign up for either a “Gap Year” trip, an alternative spring break program, a career break excursion, an off-peak adventure, or a winter holiday exploration. The CCS does not have any age restrictions for their volunteers and accepts both families and people over 50. You will find yourself experiencing exhaustion and exhilaration at the same time when immersing yourself deep inside another culture.

Grab Your Work Gloves

Of course, you don't have to book a trip around the world to get your hands dirty in the name of altruism. You can get a little dirty and make a difference right here in the United States. Always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail or explore the caverns in Moab, Utah? The American Hiking Society organizes volunteer vacations for the purpose of maintaining and building hiking trails from sea to shining sea. The group's motto, “Get out and Give Back” succinctly explains the mission of for its' volunteer hiking excursions.

The week-long trail trips typically take place at national parks, wildlife refuges and state parks. Volunteers embark on a long day in the woods in groups of about 15 and work on trails, or building or restoring shelter houses and bridges. The site hosts provides all of the tools necessary to complete the outdoor tasks as well as lodging for volunteers.

Depending upon the location of the project, volunteers will either sleep in a spartan-like bunkhouse or a more comfortable cabin. After a long day of work, campfire cookouts and a night under the stars are the norm.

Before You Google Volunteer Adventures...

If you must lay your head on a pillow in a luxury resort, this type of travel is definitely not for you. Volunteer tourists are often housed at hostels, campgrounds, college dormitories or with local families. You will not only get off the beaten path, but feel a part of the community before you zip your suitcase and head back to the "real world" of work and school.

So, if you truly want to get away from it all and rediscover the simple pleasures in life, pull on a pair of old jeans and dig into a part of the world that you have only dreamed about. Trade in your thoughts of “Maybe one day I will...” for a flesh-and-blood adventure you'll never forget.