Volunteering to work in exchange for food and accommodation is one way to travel the world. However, it would probably be more accurate to call this temporary-work-abroad or volunteer tourism. Real volunteering often entails willfully working for free without any compensation, because sadly in many cases, the places that need volunteers the most can’t afford to offer a stipend or free food and accommodation, or even the advertising necessary to draw in people to volunteer abroad.
For these reasons, there are thousands of organizations out there that seek to bring volunteers to these impoverished areas by creating hassle-free packages—for a (sometimes hefty) fee they will place volunteers with an NGO or organization, provide support, information, accommodation, food, transfers, etc.
However, with thousands of organizations out there, it can be difficult to find an ethical one that’s aligned with your goals, and also one that is not profit driven and strives to help the local economy grow—not just fill local positions with volunteers.
Things You Should Know Before You Volunteer Abroad:
A HELPFUL TIP WHEN LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT ORGANIZATION TO VOLUNTEER ABROAD WITH IS TO ASK EACH ORGANIZATION ABOUT THE BREAKDOWN OF THEIR FEES. A lot of times these expensive fees might be going towards unnecessary things or even worse: straight into the bank account of the placement agency. ALSO, ASK HOW THE ORGANIZATION WORKS WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT’S EXPECTED OF VOLUNTEERS.
There are a number of organizations that have a proven reputation for being reliable and ethical. Volunteers in the World, for example, ensures that %100 of the program fees are directed to the project you’ve chosen and will help support the local economy.
However, if you’re looking to bypass placement agencies, the other cheaper, more adventurous option is to pick a country or cause you want to support, do some serious research, buy a plane ticket to the location, and then once you’re there, find your organization organically— websites like Wango.org can assist you with this search.
