You may be travelling the world and having a great time, but what if you want to give something back to the community. This article outlines some of the different volunteer opportunities there are whilst you are travelling.
It is all very well just going travelling, but some people want to volunteer whilst on their travels, too. Volunteering is a chance to give something back to the communities in which you are travelling and really make a difference. If you are thinking about doing some volunteer work, it is best to research and arrange it before you leave on your trip. There are many different locations in which you can volunteer and several different types of work you can do, so you should pick something that fits in with your skills and interests, as well as your travel plans.
Conservation
There are a variety of different volunteering opportunities for wildlife and nature conservation. If marine life is your thing, there are sea turtle conservation groups all across the globe that happily accept help from volunteers. Or, if you like your marine life with a bit more bite, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer with sharks. For those who prefer their wildlife a little bit more cute and cuddly, you could try volunteering with panda bears in China or orangutan in Malaysia. There are also a variety of locations in which you can work as a ranger for big game reserves or with everyone’s favourite gentle giants, elephants.
Teaching
Being able to speak English is a very valuable skill in other countries. If you volunteer as a teacher whilst travelling, you could help children from disadvantaged backgrounds learn something that could set them up for the future. There are a range of locations in which you could choose to teach. These include Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Ecuador and Brazil. As well as teaching English, there are other skills and subjects, such as IT and science, which lack people to teach them. Know that by volunteering to be a teacher, you will be helping children to learn and advance.
Community Projects
All across the world, there are communities that need your assistance. Getting involved with volunteering with a community project is extremely rewarding and could benefit future generations as well as the current members of the community. There are many types of community project you could volunteer with. Some examples include cleaning up after a natural disaster, various building projects, helping to support and educate about women’s rights, working in an orphanage and working with vulnerable children. There are so many different community projects that could use your help, it is hard to know who you should work with.
Once you have decided what type of volunteering project would suit you, then you will be able to decide on the specifics. If you already know whereabouts you will be travelling to, you can choose an opportunity that is in the area. Otherwise, choose where to travel based on where you would prefer to volunteer as the world is your oyster.