Travel Tips for Volunteers

Travel Tips for Volunteers

Like you, I love to travel and visit new places. I cherish every opportunity to meet new people and experience extraordinary places at the ground level. I have found one of the most rewarding ways to travel is to volunteer my time and and knowledge to local communities. I have taught in schools, helped build stronger communities, and even involved myself in wildlife conservation. I am confident that once you travel abroad in a meaningful way, you'll be hooked for life.

With all my experiences, both good and bad, I thought I would share some tips for volunteer travel with the Go Overseas community. This list is by no means extensive, but these are some of the common mistakes I've noticed my fellow volunteers make. I hope you enjoy these tips and I welcome your comments and questions below!

• Visit your doctor as soon as possible to find out which vaccinations (if any) you will need.
• Get comprehensive travel insurance. I can't stress how important this is, especially if you are volunteering in a country with inadequate medical coverage. You may need to be airlifted out of the country if you have an accident, which is horrendously expensive without travel insurance.
• Trust your instincts and stay away from uncomfortable situations. Leave immediately if something doesn't feel right.
• Always keep your mobile phone and valuables out of sight.
• Have the phone number of your national embassy on speed-dial.
• Budget appropriately and check for currency fluctuations. Just recently a good friend of mine failed to budget enough money to last him through an important volunteer program. He was unable to complete his goals and forced to come home early.
• Spend a little extra money to book a flexible plane ticket. Life has many unexpected turns and you may need to come home early, or you'll want to stay longer and enjoy your time abroad. This happens to me all the time!

Remember to ask questions!

Sarah over at Volunteer Global just posted an article that included 5 questions to ask yourself before volunteering abroad. Here are her five questions, but definitely check out her blog for more great information:

• How much does the placement cost, and what does this cover?
• Where exactly is this placement?
• What kind of work will I do?
• What kind of schedule do volunteers have?
• Do you have alumni I can connect with?

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments below and lets continue the conversation. What tips do you have for successful volunteer travel?