Eucalyptus Magazine / November 2009 / Volunteer Vacations

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Volunteer Vacations

Tough economic times brought us the “staycation”—a vacation spent at home or close to it. But there’s another version of the traditional vacation that offers budget-priced leisure time, adventure, a change of scenery, and a huge bonus—the possibility of making a difference in the world.

In 2004, Mark and Jennifer Storm were living in San Jose and had gained some experience participating in local volunteering programs, such as providing Thanksgiving meals. When offered an opportunity to travel to the Philippines to help out at an orphanage and summer camp facility, they hesitated at the idea of using up their entire year’s vacation allotment—two weeks—on one trip. Nonetheless, they decided to go.

“We spent some time with the children at the orphanage and we helped build a gym at the summer camp facility,” says Storm. “[My wife] Jenn got to put on a gymnastics clinic for the kids. The building work was muddy and quite difficult. We felt like beasts of burden, just moving mud, rocks, sand, and cement from one hole or pile to another. Surprisingly, we loved it. We were helping people and touching their lives in a very real way.”

The Storm family found such passion in their work that they made a life-changing decision and joined the Christian non-profit ServLife. They now live and work in Kathmandu, Nepal. “When we bought our house in San Jose, we thought we were there for the long haul,” Storm says. “But as we experienced then and a thousand more times since moving [to Kathmandu], all plans are subject to change.”

Volunteer vacation possibilities are as varied as traditional travel options: Volunteers are needed to help protect sea turtles in Greece, Mexico, Thailand, and Costa Rica. An organic farm in southern Oregon seeks volunteers to do farm chores such as weeding, construction, irrigation, and meal prep. Schools in Ghana and Honduras need volunteers to teach music to children.

And the entire family can take part. David Wertheim of Sacramento persuaded his children to join in a youth volunteer trip to Mexico sponsored by Bayside Church in Granite Bay. His twin sons, both high school freshmen, were not thrilled about their dad’s vacation choice. “My sons’ reaction was something like, ‘Let’s see, one week [spent] trekking over 1,200 miles round-trip to work in the dirt with poor people and sleep in tents in the desert?’”

Wertheim accompanied the boys on the youth trip as an adult supervisor and driver. “On the trip I gave them plenty of latitude to pretend I wasn’t even there. We checked in every morning and evening,” Wertheim says. “By day three I asked them about their experiences and the floodgates came crashing open. They were having a fantastic time. They were with their friends and working with people who were so appreciative. They were hooked for life.”

Wertheim was hooked, too. He has since made the trip 11 times, often in the company of his wife.

Although many volunteer vacationers plan their trips far in advance, Gisele Perez of San Francisco felt compelled to volunteer immediately after the post-Katrina flooding in New Orleans. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy who was born in New Orleans, Perez was able to put her job skills to good use in a primitive kitchen in the devastated city.

“I was deeply disturbed by what was happening there after Hurricane Katrina—its virtual abandonment by our government, and the loss of life and homes,” says Perez.

“I felt so helpless. I didn't have much money, didn't have skills to build houses, but I knew I could cook, so that's what I did.”

Local Options
Although volunteering abroad allows you to travel to new places, a visit to your local library or favorite search engine will bring up a list of local volunteering opportunities. Habitat for Humanity is known for its volunteer programs around the globe, but the homebuilding nonprofit also runs a myriad of local projects, allowing volunteers to participate for as little as half a day. Jennifer Simmons, Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity, says, “When you help build a house, you aren’t just helping that family. You are helping change the life of the families to come. We find that the members of the family go on to be homeowners, go to college, and become real parts of the community.”

You don’t need to have any special skills to work at a Habitat job site. Volunteers are trained to help with the day’s work, which might be landscaping, framing, siding, plumbing, or anything else construction-related. But there is more to do than swing a hammer; Habitat for Humanity and other charities are always in need of volunteers to answer phones or stuff envelopes.

The Sierra Club also offers volunteer vacations at the national or local level. Their “service trips” to parks and public lands involve building and maintaining trails, restoring wilderness areas, helping archaeologists do research, and cleaning up trash and illegal campsites. Here in the Bay Area, service trips often entail eradicating non-native plants from our local parks.

You can also begin your volunteering vacation in your home. Charities like the Salvation Army are always looking for food and clothing donations. By spending part of your vacation cleaning out closets and cupboards, you aren’t just removing clutter, you are giving it an opportunity to help in the community.

What it costs
The price of volunteer vacations varies widely. Just because you are volunteering doesn’t mean you don’t pay for travel expenses, such as airfare. Meals and lodgings may or may not be provided as part of your trip. International volunteer trips often costs thousands of dollars; local volunteer opportunities tend to be less expensive. Make sure you ask lots of questions to find out what kind of financial investment you are expected to make. Consider asking your friends, family, and any organizations you belong to for sponsorships, or gifts of supplies. And check with your tax advisor to see if the costs of your trip may be tax-deductible.

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Volunteering Resources
globalvolunteers.org A nonprofit offering one- to three-week volunteer vacation opportunities both internationally and within the United States.
transitionsabroad.com A portal for volunteer work and vacations abroad.
planeterra.org Supports sustainable community development through travel and voluntourism.
servlife.orgUses Christian missionary techniques to alleviate human suffering in impoverished nations.
commongroundrelief.org Provides assistance to the beleaguered New Orleans community of the Lower Ninth Ward.
sierraclub.org Sponsors service trips to parks and public lands across the United States. For local opportunities, visit lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/volunteer.asp.
habitatforhumanity.org Helps low-income families build and own their own homes. For the South Bay office, visit habitatsiliconvalley.org.
satruck.org The Salvation Army accepts donations of food, clothing, and time. For South Bay locations, visit sanjose.satruck.org.