The Best Ways to Approach Voluntourism

Words Sophia MacphersonDate 20 August 2021

Voluntourism is considered the fastest growing trend in travel, but only 55 percent of nonprofits measure their overall impact. So, how can we be sure we’re enacting positive change?

This story was created by our partner, Trippin, an independent platform that connects travel, culture, and creativity to empower people to travel with more purpose. Stay tuned: Over the next few months, we’ll be enriching our Culture Journal with their stories.

The term refers to the growing phenomenon of people who travel to developing countries to volunteer. You’ve probably been associated with the concept at some point in your life: on a gap year or if you weren’t blessed with one, witnessing it through your globe-trotting friend’s IG feed. On the surface-level, these photos seem harmless, filled with genuine smiles and overall uplifting messages, but the problem lies behind the facade.

Like almost everything in travel, it can be a double-edged sword. Most volunteers go into it with good intentions, wanting to make positive change, but often not knowing how irresponsible and disorganized some NGOs or charities can be.

Our attitude is to treat the experience as a cultural exchange, rather than aid. In line with our mission to encourage purposeful travel, we’ve broken down our approach to volunteering into six tips. We’ve also included examples of three amazing organizations who are pushing forward the bar...

1. Know your privilege

As a young responsible traveler, the first thing we must do is remove this notion that developed countries need to be “saved”. Recognizing your privilege is one thing but enacting it is another matter. Rather than going into a volunteer program with the mindset that you’re “saving” someone or some place, go into it with the intention of learning, teaching, and collaborating with the community you’re working with. An environment of respect and openness fosters real change.

2. Check yourself

As with all travel, always question why you are doing it. Being transparent about your motivations might help you decide whether one program is better for you than another. If you find yourself returning to reasons like, “it’ll look good on my CV” or “it makes me feel better about myself”, you shouldn’t be volunteering.

3. Research

Knowing what’s out there and the reputations of different charities and NGOs goes a long way. Firstly, you’ll have more choice and secondly, smaller programs might not pop up on your first Google search. Also, consider social enterprises, which are small businesses with an underlying social mission. Go beyond your screen and ask people you know­—there’ll be less smoke and mirrors and more upfront honesty.

4. Match your skillset

What better way to be effective than to use your best skills? This doesn’t mean you should pigeonhole yourself to one type of program, but it is a way of ensuring you’ll be useful to the people you’re working with. The best solution is to find a varied program—that way you can help in an area of your expertise, plus expand your skillset in something else.

5. Plan long-term

Volunteering short-term can be beneficial, especially in crisis relief, but if you plan to get involved in conservation or education, you’ll make more of an impact doing something long-term. Obviously, if you’re working, this might be less realistic, so if you really want to do a short program, also think about how you can help after. This could be anything from making small donations frequently or even just referring someone else who you think could help.

6. If in doubt, go grassroots

If you’ve done your research and still aren’t sure: stay grassroots. Most of the time, these programs are set up by locals or people who have strong ties to the community, which immediately adds credibility and are likely to be more effective as they tend to be in-the-know.

Along with these tips, here are some suggestions on where you could start...