Rollaboard Travel - Tips on Traveling Light

If you love to travel around the world or have never had the chance to take an international trip this is a wonderful opportunity.

Volunteering for an international charitable organization as your vacation is both eye opening and rewarding. Whether you have no work experience or are a professional there is something for you. Here are some volunteer opportunities you may want to sign up for when planning your next vacation.

Teen Volunteering

If you have a teenager at home or know of someone who might love the opportunity there are summer programs for teens available. Every summer break there are different volunteer opportunities that you can send your teens ages fifteen to seventeen on. There are some that last only one week and others that are two weeks long.

College Break Volunteering

As an alternative to the beach party and club scene of spring break you can sign up for an international volunteer project. They are available anywhere from one week to six months depending on the organization you sign up through. Summer vacation is a great opportunity to do a three month volunteer project or you can sign up for one week over spring break.

Vacation Volunteering

As an adult it is nice to have the opportunity to get away from the daily grind of work and scheduled activities. What better way to get away then to go and help somewhere around the world. If you are a professional in education, medicine, social work, engineering, or are just getting into the professional world there are opportunities for you.

Areas of Interest

Most of the international volunteer opportunities are in developing countries as they are the most in need of assistance. You can sign up for programs in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The organizations select the locations with safety of both the local people and volunteers in mind so you do not have to worry.

Cost and Fees

While it may seem silly to have to pay to volunteer it is not free for these organizations to keep up and running. To provide things like food, shelter and administrative resources for the volunteers, money must be collected. There are also extra costs like your airplane ticket, vaccinations, visa and spending money. Be sure to create an accurate budget before you sign up for a specific volunteer opportunity.

Personal Experience

After reading testimonials on the different websites of organizations you can begin to see how a volunteer opportunity might be. While each personal experience is different there is an overall feeling of happiness and being grateful. Helping those in need can be such a rewarding and life changing experience. This is especially true when those being helped are so grateful for your kindness.

Deciding Which Program

At the end of the day it all comes down to how much you can afford and how long you have to volunteer. No matter what your budget is there are always opportunities to fundraise for the expenses to ensure you can participate. Discuss your personal situation and interests with someone from your organization of choice to determine which program is best for you. No matter where you go or what you do to help, volunteering is so rewarding and you will not regret it.