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Traveling to a different country to participating in a volunteering project has become a very common fact in the present world. Though there are various type of categorisation for volunteering, the real meaning of the word “ Volunteering” contains an altruistic activity where people can provide a service as an individual or as a group for free. Though the original invention of this concept recorded in early 1755 with some activities related to volunteering for military services such as salvation army, the present era is full of various type of associations, clubs, societies, business organizations and non business organizations who are engaging in this concept all around the world. As a founder of a volunteer travel organization in Sri Lanka as well as a person who engaged in the volunteering concept in different perspectives during last ten years, I decided to write this blog to share with others about how I actually find the concept of Volunteering abroad while traveling. And the facts I have mentioned here is mainly based and focused on Sri Lanka, the pearl of the Indian Ocean.
First of all I belive, to be volunteer, or to experience volunteering, travlling is not an essential point. We can start to volunteer at our home, our village, our town or our country. This can be a very simple activity of cleaning the surrounding environment. But in the present world where the technology and the media has been improved, people can see there are plenty of oppertunities which exsisting out side of your area. While a considerable number of people traveling around the world every day, I would like to high light about the youth travel in this blog.
Lets see some of the common categories which I found during last ten years related to youth travel
- Au Pair
- Language travel
- Study abroad
- Sustainable tourism
- Volunteer travel
- Backpacking, Flash packing or Poshpacking
- Work experience travel
- Camping and adventure
- Gap year
- Archaeological sites travel
- Those who comes to experience a new destination with the purpose of volunteer travel, try their hard to addopt the culture and experience the best possible opportunities while supporting to the community as a volunteer who shows and prove a great commitment.
- Those who comes to do experience a new destination with the purpose of volunteer travel, but who find difficult to adopt the culture in country and unable to experience the best possible opportunities due to the high expectations and then leading that point to loose the motivation to the commitment of chosen volunteer project.
- Those who comes just to experience a new destination with the purpose of meeting like minded travelers but then get distracted and convert their volunteer travel to a party holiday but still use the concept of volunteer travel to achieve their expectation.
- Those who comes to experience a new destination with the purpose of volunteer travel as its a low budget profile to travel abroad and enrich their social media.
- Those who comes to experience a new destination with the purpose of gain their acadameic knowledge and gather experiences through practical or just observations such as medical students as a university requirement or elective placement while contributing to the development of the local institute in both service and financial.
- Those who comes just because they are asked or forced by the parents to volunteer travel concept.
What makes a successful volunteer travel programe ?
Right Time
Just don't follow others, or do it just because you have asked to do so. Wait for the right time to think that you are ready to go away from your loved once for a couple of days/weeks. Wait for the right time to plan a budget to the trip. Wait for the right time where you feel confidence to experience a less comfortable life style in a different country. For an example, a traveler of 18 who coming from a luxury living background from home decide to do volunteer travel in a developing country who has to share a dorm with 10 to 30 others and volunteering in a project under 35 degrees hot and served by local food can get easily feel uncomfortable if that was her/his very first solo trip. They can easily experience a culture shock which is a combination of home sick, a simple fact such as missing your dog or cat, missing your bed, missing your private bathroom etc. So, been well ready to expect the unexpected is the right time to do a volunteer travel as a solo young traveler in my opinion.
Right Pick
Just don't follow fellow travelers/ friends or their style of trips. Be you. Take your time to decide where in the world and as what you would like to experience. No one knows your passion rather than you. As the budget and the time been the main two barriers for a young traveler, choosing the right country and the volunteering project is a main fact to complete a successful volunteer travel trip. Just don't pick a country based on an amazing social media uploads of another person. Because a person can be seen in three different perspectives such as how the person wants others to see him/her. How others actually see him/her. But Actually who is he/she inside them self. So its really difficult to judge a volunteer travel trip just based on the social media. But it can be just a one of many facts to research. Reviews can be also another source but then, if the wrong person in the wrong country or project at the wrong time will never leave a possitive review. So check the other reviews of that person and check the pattern of them. Also the average feedback. Other wise you may have missed the best possible pick to your self just based on beliving a person's review who even you never knew.
Right Host
There are thousands of hosting organizations which can be judge based on the combination of reliability, safety, sustainability and quality. After you realized the right time and the right project, Then the next challenge is finding the right host. Don't let a colourfull high classed web site to attract you. Of cause attracting web site is really needed but the priority should be the accuracy of the actual project. If you are participating in a volunteer travel program, and If you have to pay, then there are few important facts to compare the hosts as below.
Period of the existing - There are hundreds of hosting organizations in each countries. They are estsblishing like " mushrooms". A sound inspirational name, an attractive web site is not just enough. You should check the experience of hosting International young travelers such as for how long the host has been exsisting. This reflecting the legal stability of the organization which is really important. Because of the potential high numbers of participants, lots of individuals starting their own hosting organisation with a lack of experience and knowledge. This may includes a simple fact as understanding of a western young traveler's expectation to an action plan to be taken in an emergency situation such as health related. So your host should be capable of understanding you and for that it needs experiences. This is no way means that as the person who write this blog, my self reflecting as the best hosting organisation. We still facing challanges pretty much every day. But a hosting organization must learn from experience, change and move with a better action plan.
Projects and the Impact - If we take ten different organisation in a same area, its pretty much same projects in every single organization. But what makes a one different from others. One different can be having the highest numebers of volunteers, another different can be the organisation who is the biggest in assests such as hosting buildings and branding, another different can be the most reputed establishment such as having the accurate legal memberships and government related permission to conduct such operations etc, and another different can be the most fun looking based back ground such as easy stay without any decipline agreements. There are many more differences you can find in comparison. But, the most important fact which highlight a better organization is the impact which they have made to the community. This is a kind of hidden fact to notice from out side. You have to have a deep look in to the organization. As I mentioned earlier, its not a walk you going out to bring home some vegetables. It is a life time experience you are expecting to achive by paying your hard earned and saved money. So you have the right to check with the organization about the impact history which they have made. The only thing is you have to have an idea that this is a "win win" concept. So you can't expect 100% of your payment to go to the community. But at least you should check the break down of the ground projects. Because there can be lots of international agencies contact you to a local partner and charge a hughe amount but even without paying a single visit to that local project. So you have to compare the impact made based on average fees.
Where your money goes - A well established host in Sri Lanka must contain a valid registered number bearing registration which including the accurate objectives in their article of association, must be a tax payer, must have the legal written permission from relevant authorities to place international students, a professional staff and also enough number of staff comparing to the number of volunteers, A well organized pre departure information support, delivering a basic but clean and safe hosting background and a method to proof the transperency of contribution towards the community. So the easiest way to compare the value for the money paid is after you made the payment, minimizing all in country taxes, if you can split the rest amount for the number of days. Because if you do the calculation based on entire expenses you made such as flights, insurance, vaccinations etc, thats not a fair image to judge the value for the money in host organization. So by considering just the program fee, you can easily compare what you get for what you have paid and whether is it a fair contribution to the community.
International contact point - Some times people belive just participating directly with the local organization is cheaper and no point of a international company. But as a local organization Director I would highly recommend always to use an international agent to participate in such programs. But then again you have to be smart to find the reliable and quality based agent. The reason is between the decision of volunteer travel and starting project with the local host, there are so much things behind. Such as flights related, insurance related, visa related, basic info related etc. So you must need a quality communication as well as a international guarantee for the local ground project. Imagine you paid directly to a local host organisation in Sri Lanka and you arriving to the air port as a first time traveler and the hosting organization has missed your pick up. And then middle of no where in the night you try to call them but they not answering. Also When you arrived and the project you wanted to participate is not existing or its not the same one you communicated. These kind of unexpected issues can happened and then that can ruin everything. But having an international agent is also like an extra reassurance to your family back home.