Over 50? International Volunteer Travel Service
Retirees, Boomers Help Kids, Environment in Global "VolunTravel"
Oct 8, 2009
Instead of racking up the miles in the old-fashioned “seven-cities-in-seven nights” type package tours, many boomers are doing a different kind of “package vacation.” They’re packaging intense experience: language study, immersion travel experiences, and personal service by volunteering in programs in all corners of the world, from Peru, China, and India to Romania. Call it "voluntravel."
How to Get Involved in Voluntravel
It’s not hard to find a way to connect with a volunteer travel program. Many faith-based organizations run, or have relationships with, foreign volunteer programs. Major players in this field are Habitat for Humanity, Volunteer Adventures, Global Service Corps (Globalservicecorps.org) and Peace Corps.
Exploritas, the newly revamped Elderhostel, has excellent programs. They offer “service learning” trips. For instance, Exploritas offers a one-week, $2,200 trip to Belize where volunteers work with a local marine biologist to collect data on coral reef preservation. The program gives volunteers a special (otherwise hard-to-get) research permit, enabling them to do fish counts and other warning signs of degradation of marine life in his rare coral reef. No prior training or scientific background is required, other than the ability to swim and hoist one’s own snorkeling gear.
The Costs of Volunteering Abroad
It can cost money to volunteer abroad. With a few exceptions, volunteers are expected to pay for their own fare and room and board, and sometimes make a contribution to program overhead as well. Paying several thousand dollars for the privilege of working through a 14-day volunteer vacation may seem steep. But many non-profit organizations are struggling financially, especially in the current economic climate, and wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford foreign volunteers.
There are few exceptions to the pay-to-work rule of thumb. However, if one has a very specific skill that’s in demand, notably medical training as a physician or nurse, specialized programs such as Doctors Without Borders may offer a modest stipend.
Check with each program to determine what basic and additional costs might be. It’s also important to ask about international medical evacuation insurance; if they don’t offer it, consider buying it independently through a company such as Medex.
A small portion of the costs of volunteer travel, for instance, transportation and program fees, may be tax deductible, if the sponsoring entity is non-profit.
For People Over 50, Four Basic Tips on Getting Started with Voluntravel
- Do the homework. There are a lot of programs, and they vary in terms of cost, duration, where they go, type of work, degree of strenuousness, and housing arrangements. Get references.
- Know how much “roughing” it is acceptable.
- Decide if home stay is appealing, or whether one needs a private room.
- Consider health care issues; be prepared.
- Book ahead to allow time for preparation.
For travelers, the past two decades of economic globalization have dispersed the same chain restaurants, clothing stores and brands — not to mention rock music — worldwide. Volunteer travel, or voluntravel, as it's often called, offers an alternative way to see, and be part of the world. For boomers, retirees and others, it's worth exploring international eco-travel and service volunteer abroad.
