Think Bigg

Those of us who grew up in church knew them as “mission trips,” but it appears that traveling with a purpose may be entering the mainstream with a new monniker, as “voluntourism!”

A recent USA Today article quotes Sally Brown, who heads the Indianapolis not-for-profit group Ambassadors for Children, as saying that “the number of travel organizations of various kinds that offer voluntourism trips has probably doubled in the past three years.”

There are many companies offering these unique types of travel experiences:

Sustainable Harvest International focuses on fighting poverty and deforestation in Central America.

Travelocity’s Travel for Good Network can point you to an array of non-profit travel partners representing a wide range of trip opportunities – from environmental work to animal rescue and habitat restoration to humanitarian and homebuilding missions around the world.

GlobeAware is one of those partners. GlobeAware offers one week adventures in service that focus on cultural-awareness and sustainability. All program costs, including the cost of airfare, are tax-deductible.

Ready to take the plunge? For some great tips on planning your voluntourism experience, check out Voluntourism.org. From trip selection criteria to suggestions on handling the post-trip “re-entry,” they’ve dialed in the details of voluntouring, and can help you make the most of your precious vacation time!

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