“Voluntourism” is a word that was coined to describe traveling to another country to see the sites and to volunteer. Volontourism offers more than just a fun vacation. You’ll also get a chance to meet local people,\u00a0 develop existing skills and learn new ones. Plus, it looks great on a resume.<\/p>\n
What options are available for people who want to volunteer and travel at the same time? CheapOAirBuzz has a post up describing some of the different opportunities and destinations available. Try to pick an opportunity that matches your interests. For example, if you like archaeology, you could help with archaeological digs at ancient Incan sites in Peru. If you like children, there are many volunteer opportunities available teaching at orphanages worldwide. If you like nature, consider volunteering in a conservation-related project. You can also look into a volunteer program helping at an organic farm.<\/p>\n
Ready to get going? Voluntourism.org has resources that you can use to plan your trip.\u00a0 After you’ve chosen a destination, your next step is getting a passport. You need to plan ahead for this, as passport applications can take at least a couple of months to process. Even with government’s expedited service, getting a passport can take 3 weeks or longer!<\/p>\n
If you come across a perfect voluntourism opportunity and you don’t have much time to prepare, a private passport expediting company can help. An expediting company can hand-deliver your passport to the US Department of State, drastically shortening processing times, often to as little as 24 hours!<\/p>\n