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Travel and Volunteer Differently: Interview with Anna Etmanska

Anna Etmanska likes to do things a bit differently. While most of the world is off prefers such tried-and-true destinations as France, Italy or Thailand, Anna opts to spend her days in off-the-beaten track locations - like Bahrain, or far-north Sweden. And while many people are signing up for ready-made volunteer packages sold by voluntourism agencies, Anna likes to get out there and organise her own volunteer work.

In this interview, Anna talks about volunteering, writing, and her inspiration to travel.

When did you make your first big trip?

When I was 8 years old, my mother shipped me off to Sweden to see my dad, who lived there. It was supposed to be a Christmas surprise for him. But unbeknownst to us, he decided to come home for the holidays. So I spent xmas in Sweden in the home of kind strangers. It was fun, except I got chicken pox.

What inspires you to travel?

People. Magnificent vistas, great food, and architectural treasures are all good, but it’s the people I meet along the way that inspire me to learn, explore and travel more.

You’re currently living in Arctic Sweden. Earlier this year you travelled to Bhutan. What attracts you to these off-the-beaten-track destinations?

Everybody and their mother live in London or New York. And travel to Paris and Rome. Been there, done that. Though I must admit, Paris is fun.

You wrote an article in March about do-it-yourself voluntourism – the idea of volunteering without being part of an organised “voluntourism” tour. What are some advantages of organising your own volunteering opportunities?

Other than the obvious financial ones? I can find a myriad better uses for the money that organized volunteer programs charge you to work for free. Like buying books and school supplies for an Indian slum school, for example.

Apart from that, if you’re not happy with your locale, or the people, or the work, or the food, you lose nothing if you pack your bags and move to a beachside resort. Being on your own gives you the real feel for the place, not the sanitized, carefully prepared version that your voluntour packager feeds you (Yes, that’s what they do. I know because I worked for a few volunteering companies myself.)

Of course, there are also disadvantages to doing it yourself, and prospective volunteers need to be really sensible in determining which option suits them best.

It seems like one of the major obstacles to organising your own volunteer work is simply not knowing where to look. How do you find volunteer opportunities?

You’d be surprised how many of your friends, relatives, or co-workers will tell you that they indeed have connections in whatever country you think of heading to next.

I start by asking around at home. You’d be surprised how many of your friends, relatives, or co-workers will tell you that they indeed have connections in whatever country you think of heading to next. But they can’t read your mind and you have to ask them first.

I live in a university town, where there’s a large concentration of foreigners. Almost every week I meet someone whose friends or family run a school in Asia, or an organic farm in South America, or work with women’s issues in Africa. But you won’t know until you ask.

Volunteer in your hometown! Get involved with a local literacy group teaching English to freshly arrived refugees and immigrants and make friends. Before you know it, you’ll have a list of contacts in far off places to indulge your passion for volunteer work abroad.

Search ESL job listings. Many schools will say flat out they are looking for volunteers. And if teaching English is not your thing, keep in mind that teachers are excellent sources of information about their local communities. All you need to do is ask.

There are plenty more ways to find volunteer opportunities abroad, but these 3 should be a good start.

Your blog has helped you get opportunities to write for other publications, including Real Travel Magazine. When you started the blog, did you expect it could open up opportunities like that?

Nope. I was surprised to learn I had more than 11 readers.

And now, as the result of the blog, I have an e-book in the works. About DIY voluntourism, naturally.

As a writer, what appeals to you about travel writing?

The fact that even after the trip is over, you get to relive the experiences and while doing so you frequently discover insights that were not obviously apparent on the road.

Do you have any upcoming trips planned?

I’m going to Seoul in August for a month to study Korean. And later on this year, if everything goes as planned, I’m moving to Korea more or less permanently. With two cats in tow.

Check out Anna’s blog, Budget Trouble.

Subscribe to TravelBlogsPosted by Eric Daams on May 20th, 2008 in Interviews.
Tags: DIY voluntourism, Sweden, travel writing, volunteering, voluntourism