BootsnAll Travel Community

I've been thinking about doing a volunteer program. But there are so many. How do you know which ones are better. I don't have a college degree so that limits some of the programs. By man and I will be volunteering together. His strengths are computers and mine are cooking and I beleive I'd do well in orphanage care. Does anybody have experiences or suggestions for me?

i don't know what you already know of/have looked into, but i have experience with two organizations--

*Volunteers for Peace (VFP) http://www.vfp.org
they have volunteer setups in countries all over the world, usually 3 weeks long, and pretty inexpensive when compared to other volunteer programs. i participated in an archaeological workcamp at a 12th century castle in germany, and had one of the best times of my life. the quality of your experience will absolutely depend on the organization that you sign up with-- vfp is basically an umbrella org that coordinates with more local orgs in whatever country you choose. also, they have more than just archaological- the categories are in construction, social activism, conservation, cultural, children...it goes on and on.

*WWOOF- Willing Workers on Organic Farms http://www.wwoof.org
you may have already heard of this, but just in case you haven't-- has sister organizations in various countries, you only pay for a year's membership, with which you recieve a book with all of the participating farmers. after that, it's up to you to contact the host and work out all the details of what's expected, how long you'll stay, etc. this is only part-time work-- when i wwoofed in hawaii, we had 24 hour work weeks, and had plenty of free time to go snorkeling or whatever. typically, food is included, and i've heard really good things about wwoof in places like new zealand (but not really hawaii- do it somewhere else).

whew! if you have any other questions, just ask. i'm always looking for more, different ways to volunteer/work/participate locally while traveling, myself. good luck!

Thank you very much. I will look into these.