BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi, folks,
I just got back from a two-week visit to Hungary, where I participated in a Global Volunteers project in the schools of a city whose name I don't have enough characters on my computer to write here. It occurred to me to wonder if any other members of the BootsnAll Community, geezers (excuse me: golden oldies) in particular, travel this way. It's not independent travel, in that you're with a group and committed to doing a particular task during the week. (Your free time for sightseeing tends to be after work and weekends: it's like having a job.) But you are put in close contact with locals who are doing that job full time, which gives you the opportunity to learn a whole lot about the place and the people who live there and even, if the chemistry is right, to become friends. There's self-satisfaction in knowing that you're aiding an effort that your hosts believe is important. And then, of course, there's the tax-deductibility of all costs directly related to the gig itself.
So my question is: does anybody else here do this kind of travel? What are the pros & cons for you?
Cam

I have actually been looking into some organizations that allow you to travel and volunteer. However, my only qualm is that it appears to be quite expensive. Did you enjoy your trip to Hungary, and was it very expensive?

It seems a tad pricey, AZFUN, especially when you factor in separately purchased air tickets. But the fee (see Global volunteers' website for their prices) is all-inclusive: all meals and lodging are covered, and the only other expense would be any weekend trips you might take on your own (though we were kept busy by our new friends with outings that they paid for). And the fee and ticket costs should be tax deductible, which makes these organized trips more attractive to me than a group tour that covers a lot of geography at a trot, spends too much time in souvenir and other shops, and is NOT tax deductible.
And I did enjoy the trip. I became friends with my host teachers and spent a lot of time with them socially. I'll make it a point to get back to see them when I'm in that part of Europe again.
I'm a newbie at this sort of thing, as this was only my second trip. Everyone else on both of my trips had been on a minimum of 5, some as many as 8 such trips. My trip leader had done over 20 trips.
Cam

Cam...it sounds like you had a great time. I am looking at a few organizations. I just found a new website (to me anyway) www.leapnow.org. Looks like a cool program, and I might see if I can work for them. Hope all is well. And keep the fire burning with travel.

Hi Cam--I guess you got all your answers but I am a late comer and just volunteered with GVN out here in Katnmandu. After a couple of days resting up in the fleshpots of Bangkok and a couple of days getting lost in the alleys of this place, I am to start training today. Not much experience but with the half dozen other assorted people who have been straggling in, I havent felt more alive in years. Cost a little to get here but I can live on GVN food and board much less than at home in Oregon. The group runs from a couple of twenty-somethings, a thirtyish couple and me a 70 year old. Will tell more latern when I figure out where on this site I belong.
Gene

Well, some volunteering projects do not charge you at all. You only pay for your own boarding and lodging (well you have to find it on your own in some cases). Log on to www.transitionsabroad.com It has tons of stories of people who volunteered,where and how. There are some stories on bootsnall.com as well, about people who did volunteer, but not that many.

Lots of missions trips to be had building churches and such all around the world...

Not to hard to hook up with an international group thats doing that... not real expensive either! Couple hundred bucks to get to where you want to go, and see if you can stick around the mission for a while.

An interesting volunteer group is Earthwatch. My wife and I have "worked" with them in a number of places. Iceland-glacier research, Churchill, Manitoba-archaeology, InnerMongolia-desert hydrology, Zhejiang China-ancient family temples. This year Mauritius-archaeology. The cost of the "trip" is tax deductible. Group dynamics are great.
We usually add some additional travel in the region and spend about 5 weeks total away from home.

I know a bit on this topic,

To anyone interested I suggest you check out Volunteers for Peace. They set you up with a local NGO for around $200, much much much cheaper than many of more mainstream organizations.

www.idealist.org

get a book called "alternatives to the peacecorps" and read it

zopa