Volunteer Holidays Tips

Volunteer holidays are available through organizations like Globe Aware, which specializes in organizing, coordinating and leading volunteer trips, service vacations and working holidays to countries like Peru, Cuba, Romania and Laos. Globe Aware offers one week volunteer vacations which are open to volunteers from diverse backgrounds. These short term holidays are designed for working people who have a limited amount of vacation time to volunteer abroad.

Another advantage of a volunteer holiday with organizations like Globe Aware is that all of the program costs are tax deductible for US citizens, including the cost of airfare. Because Globe Aware is a registered non profit organization, volunteer vacation participants are eligible for this tax deduction. Volunteers will benefit from trips which are planned and lead by professionals, and they do not have to meet any special requirements to participate.

Volunteering at orphanages is another great opportunity for those who want to work abroad on a volunteer holiday. Joining organizations like IFRE volunteers will provide participants with a number of benefits, including the chance to save a significant amount of money on the cost of the vacation and the benefit of being able to deduct all program costs on their tax returns.

IFRE carefully screens all of the projects that they offer to volunteers, and have staff dedicated to providing personalized placement services in order to ensure that volunteers are matched with the best opportunity to meet their needs. The IFRE program has a reputation for safety and quality based on the experiences of thousands of volunteers who have served on IFRE projects in the past.

Volunteers who would like to work on projects in Uganda should consider volunteer holidays with organizations like Volunteer Uganda. This group specializes in short term volunteer travel programs in a variety of areas, including construction, conservation and orphanages across the country. Volunteer Uganda also has great options for those students seeking a gap year experience. They have hosted more than 50 volunteers on gap year programs, where they have the chance to work on meaningful projects in Uganda. Projects for gap year students range widely in length, from 1 week to more than 2 years.

Examples of gap year projects in Uganda include leading volunteer expeditions, teaching English, adventure training courses, conservation work and many other opportunities. Those who would like to apply for Volunteer Uganda programs can do so via the the Volunteer Abroad Africa website.

Volunteer holidays are growing in popularity, as more travelers are seeking socially and environmentally responsible alternatives to a traditional vacation. Many organizations now specialize in combing sightseeing opportunities with volunteer work in a variety of destinations around the world. WHL.travel, for example, is one company that offers volunteer holidays based on partnerships with local community groups in countries around the world.

WHL.travel volunteers get the opportunity for a unique cultural exchange as they work with local people in the communities they visit on projects that will help improve their lives. For example, a WHL.travel volunteer group recently helped the Jipe Mojo Women Group in Tanzania to build a solar cooker for the village of Moshi. This cooker will help local families in an area that is hard hit by HIV and AIDS.