Travel is an amazing platform for personal growth. It’s a set of life-changing experiences that broaden your horizons, expose you to different cultures and new (sometimes challenging) perspectives. While you learn about the world, you also learn about yourself. And this is invaluable. But as important as personal growth is, sometimes we also need to give back to the places we visit.
Engaging in international volunteer service is one of the best ways to achieve this goal. Volunteer travel allows you to experience the world while giving back. Over the years, it has enriched my life and travel experiences, which is why I encourage every traveler to try it at least once. Here are nine reasons why you should incorporate volunteer service into your next backpacking trip:
1. Deep Cultural Immersion
As a volunteer, you often find yourself off the beaten path, immersed in a world that most tourists never experience. You can have a deeper cultural experience than what standard travel guides provide. This may include being invited into local homes, attending weddings, visiting beautiful spots not listed in guidebooks, and participating in local events as the only foreigner in attendance. While it can be challenging at times, the rewards are equally significant if you dare to try!
2. Meeting Locals
As a budget-conscious traveler, you’ll likely meet many other travelers during your adventures, but opportunities to meet locals are less frequent. Volunteer service is an excellent solution. Spending some time volunteering will give you the chance to meet a variety of people—including plenty of locals—whom you wouldn’t have otherwise encountered. It’s easy to form friendships when you’re working towards a common goal.
3. Reevaluating Life Priorities
Volunteer service sites are often located in areas with severe poverty issues worldwide. People here live on tight budgets, sometimes less than what you spend on a cup of coffee at home. While this may cause a certain level of cultural shock, the drastically different lifestyle from your daily routine can help you reevaluate your life priorities and become more socially aware.
4. Enhancing Your Resume
Any type of volunteer service can add color to your resume, and international volunteer service is particularly attractive to those interested in development work, disaster relief, teaching, social work, etc. Of course, it’s not paid work experience, but it will add a highlight to your resume, which is especially helpful for students or recent graduates.
5. Improving Language Skills
Immersing yourself in a foreign community is an excellent opportunity to enhance your local language skills. If you volunteer in a remote area, there will be many people who don’t speak English for you to practice with. A mandatory language environment is the fastest way to improve language skills, and although it may sometimes be frustrating, your skills will progress rapidly! Although this is a relatively selfish reason, it’s still worth mentioning.
6. Saving on Travel Expenses
If you can find a volunteer opportunity that covers living expenses, you won’t spend much money during your stay. A few weeks or months of volunteer service can allow you to live on less than you would at home, giving you the opportunity to travel longer than a regular budget-conscious traveler.
7. Maintaining Physical and Mental Health
Not all volunteer opportunities involve physical labor, but if you’re interested in sweating, there’s still plenty of choice. Disaster relief work and farm work are great options for staying fit and challenging yourself. Volunteer service isn’t all physical labor; often, you’ll have evenings and weekends off. This will give you enough time to explore the area and experience everything it offers. Having a base for slow travel is an excellent way to get the local experiences that travelers often talk about. You’ll be able to explore in-depth and form a more nuanced understanding of the destination.
8. Having More Free Time
Volunteer service isn’t all physical labor; often, you’ll have evenings and weekends off. This will give you enough time to explore the area and experience everything it offers. Having a base for slow travel is an excellent way to get the local experiences that travelers often talk about. You’ll be able to explore in-depth and form a more nuanced understanding of the destination.
9. Gaining the Satisfaction of Helping Others
While people have various motivations for volunteering, their commonality lies in helping those in need, which brings great satisfaction. If you’re looking for a way to travel slowly, save money, and give back to society, international volunteer service is your best choice. There are many people in the world who need your help, and many local organizations need volunteers. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to volunteer if you’re willing to do your own research. Although it can be challenging, the rewards are immense. Try to incorporate volunteer service into your next backpacking trip! You won’t regret it!
Tips for Engaging in International Volunteer Service
If you plan to engage in international volunteer service, here are some useful tips to keep in mind:
- Learn Some Local Language Before You Go
Even if locals speak English, you should try to minimize language barriers as much as possible. Use apps like Duolingo to prepare yourself beforehand.
- Start with Domestic Volunteer Service
If you’re unsure if international volunteer service is for you, start with volunteer service near your home. This way, you won’t have to deal with cultural shock and can get a feel for what it’s like to volunteer regularly.
- Find Projects You’re Interested In
If you hate gardening, don’t volunteer for a farm project. If you love outdoor activities, don’t volunteer for an office-based project. Try to align your interests with the volunteer projects you engage in, making it more enjoyable.
- Do Your Due Diligence
Unfortunately, there are many groups and charities that cause more harm than good. Conduct research and talk to people who have done what you plan to do. Ensure that the projects you intend to engage in are ethical and legitimate.
- Ensure All Vaccinations Are Up-to-Date
Before you go, visit a travel clinic to ensure you’ve received all necessary vaccinations. Many countries require proof of certain vaccinations (like yellow fever), so make sure you’re prepared.
- Purchase Travel Insurance
While the chances of something going wrong are slim, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
If you’re looking for a way to travel slowly, save money, and give back to society, international volunteer service is your best choice. There are many people in the world who need your help, and many local organizations need volunteers. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to volunteer if you’re willing to do your own research. Although it can be challenging, the rewards are immense. Try to incorporate volunteer service into your next backpacking trip!
