I have complicated opinions about travelling at the moment. I accept that it can be one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life and believe everyone should have the opportunity to travel, but travelling long distances is not that great during a climate crisis. There are of course ways to ‘offset’ your guilt about travelling, or you could vacation at home; there are some great eco-friendly hotels in the UK. Going abroad, especially during this pandemic, seems like an odd thing to do anyway. However at some point travelling will become easier again, lots of trips are already taking place, and volunteering when travelling is a really good way of giving back. Doing volunteer work would certainly help me to justify going on holiday at the moment.
Volunteering When Travelling
There are numerous volunteering options when you travel. You could just organise your own beach clean-up, or you could go on an organised volunteering trip. In this article I’ll discuss a few organised volunteering tours you can do that focus on giving back to the local community.
Organised volunteering tours combine sightseeing with giving back. If you’re travelling a long way, you want to see some of the country you’re visiting as well as helping the community.
Please note that this article contains affiliate links. I may earn a small amount of commission if you choose to book a tour, at no extra cost to you. I’ve chosen to feature Contiki because of their commitment to offering sustainable travel experiences.
Contiki works with Treadright – a non-profit organisation.
“Travel is an incredible gift. It has the ability to open our eyes to the unique cultures and spellbinding beauty of the natural world. But with this gift comes a responsibility – to protect the world as we know it. At TreadRight, our mission is clear; to have a positive impact on the people and communities we visit, to protect wildlife and marine life, and to care for the planet we call home.”
Volunteer Abroad
Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands
I won’t lie, one of the reasons I’ve included this trip is because I’ve always wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands.
Length of Tour: 12 Days
Max Group Size: 25
Included Meals: 11 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 6 dinners
Accommodation: All accommodation is included. You’ll spend 9 nights in twin share rooms in hotels and 2 nights in the secluded Minga Lodge, located in a place only accessible by boat!
There are loads of included activities with this tour in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. As well as experiencing the Amazon jungle you’ll explore Ecuadors capital city of Quito, the first city to be named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An unforgettable trip for anyone.
Volunteering:
3 days of sustainable development work. You spend 3 days venturing deep into the Amazon jungle where you’ll join ME to WE, a TreadRight supported charity, working alongside local community members on a sustainable development project that meets the needs of the local community.
The Lava Line
A shorter Ecuadorian adventure.
Length of Tour: 7 Days
Max Group Size: 30
Included Meals: 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners
Accommodation: All accommodation is included. You’ll spend 4 nights in twin share rooms in hotels and 2 nights in the secluded Minga Lodge, located in a place only accessible by boat!
This trip is basically a shorter version of the one described above and doesn’t include a visit to the Galapagos Islands. Perfect for those short on time but who still want the opportunity to give back.
Volunteering:
3 days of sustainable development work. You spend 3 days venturing deep into the Amazon jungle where you’ll join ME to WE, a TreadRight supported charity, working alongside local community members on a sustainable development project that meets the needs of the local community.
Asian Adventure
In the space of 2 weeks, you’ll visit Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. 3 amazing countries that I was lucky enough to visit 15 years ago.
Length of Tour: 16 Days
Max Group Size: 24
Included Meals: 15 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
Accommodation: All accommodation is included. You’ll spend 12 nights in a hotel, 1 night in a floating raft hotel, 1 night on an overnight train and 1 night in a guest house. The hotels are all 3 stars.
You’ll see the very best of these 3 countries. No trip to Asia is complete without visiting the stunning Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, or Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. 2 places I loved in Laos are Luang Prabang and Vientiane, both surprising places. On this tour you will also learn about the Killing Fields and the dark history of the area. That’s all part of travelling though.
Volunteering:
So this one is not volunteering as such, but you’ll spend half a day at the Sai Yok Elephant Haven in Kanchanaburi. You’ll learn about how they’re rehabilitating elephants. Visiting a sanctuary is a much better way to see elephants up close than going on an elephant trekking adventure. Any activity where an animal is used for entertainment should be avoided.
Other volunteering opportunities with Contiki
“Even on the trips we offer that don’t centre around volunteering, we offer ethical travel experiences that work to offer something to our core Contiki Cares pillars of People, Planet & Wildlife.
Whether it’s visiting a women’s cooperative in Iran, counting sharks in the Galapagos or cleaning up beaches in Australia, we make sure that sustainable travel is at the forefront of everything we do.”
Check out some of the other tours Contiki offers around the world.
Don’t forget to take your eco-friendly travel essentials!
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