Sometimes during a vacation, I have this feeling that I am not doing enough for the world. With the very limited amount of time that I have I find myself only being able to volunteer in my community. So, I find myself wanting to go that extra mile and I don’t really know what to do. I know many others feel the same way but just don’t really know what to do with the energy.
Of course, I ended up doing research on the topic and found many ways to help others while on vacation. It is the idea of “work away” trips. It is very much like a vacation and community service in one. There are many programs across the United States and abroad that will pay for your room and board while you help them buld houses, farm, teach English, etc.
So, here is a list of my favorite programs that will help you enrich your lives while enriching others’.
1. WWOOF
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is an organization that allows a connection between hosts and volunteers dedicated to helping with the production of sustainable agriculture. This is gaining popularity with young people because it is such an educating and fun experience. Your host will give you food, accommodations and an education while you help on the farm. It sounds amazing.
Like WWOOF, Help Exchange is a volunteer service that offers you room and board, but you can find many hosts that need help with hostels, local businesses and other services. There are programs for sustainable agriculture, but this program is more widespread, which offers many people opportunities.
This is a great program for those of you who want to teach English abroad but can’t commit the time to the Peace Corps. Teaching English as a foreign language is a wonderful way to help the community while also getting paid. This site makes the process of finding a country and accommodations very easy. The only necessity is that you are fluent in English and that you can commit to a few months.
4. Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is a huge commitment so you really have to be sure this is what you want to do. The program (with training included) last two and a half years. This would be a wonderful experience if you really want to help others and want to make a huge impact because you will be sent to a far away country to teach English, educate them about Aids/HIV or helping with sustainable agriculture. This is one of my favorite programs, but like I said, it is a huge time commitment.
