Comments on: Volunteerism vs. Voluntourism: Are They Synonymous?

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:01:03 +0000

I have gone on many volunteer vacations over the years. Each one has been a rewarding experience. Each of those trips I have paid for the trip to include the cost of travel expense, room and board, as well as contributing to the project that I volunteered to assist. I could simple give the money to organization, but actually going to participate provided me a up and close perspective to the cause and my presence gives those that I am helping a up and close look at those that are helping. This in itself is worth the trip.

Everyone should take time out and and join a volunteer vacation.

By: Susie Price

Susie Price — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:06:41 +0000

Are you really helping if you give your unskilled labour for a few weeks or months? A lot of jobs that unskilled Western tourists give could also be done by the local population who, if they were employed instead, would gain much needed daily wage income from their labours which would go some way to alleviating their poverty. I think you need to check out really carefully if your skills and time are really required by the communities you’re trying to help or you could end up harming rather than helping them.

By: andrew wahba

andrew wahba — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:42:44 +0000

This is one of those debates that will not end. I would be willing to pay a fee that goes directly to an organization as I understand that all grassroots organizations could use the funds. Also, volunteers are often willing (and have the ability) to pay. The ones that get me are the “middle man” fee as mentioned above, but some people are willing to pay those fees for the comfort factor. So, I think the bottom line is that as long as you know where your funds are going then the decision lies with the volunteer.

By: Charly T.

Charly T. — Mon, 03 May 2010 05:25:13 +0000

IMO (In My Opinion) it would be wrong to charge some one to volunteer, but having a person pay for their travel, food and other expenses while volunteering is OK. That’s the cut off point for me, but I guess each is entitled to their own opinion.

By: Michael Schneider

Michael Schneider — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:17:15 +0000

Let me suggest an alternative to volunteer travel. If you are a professional with a useful and marketable skills (e.g., teacher, doctor, lawyer, business person, engineer, pharmacist, architect, artist) than how about a short-term working vacation?

For example, I am a professor of computer science. During my career my wife, children, and I have had the good fortune to live and work overseas fourteen times–from Australia to Zimbabwe, Mauritius to Mongolia–for periods ranging from 1 to 8 months. We have done useful work in our host country while earning enough to cover all of our transportation and living costs. We have gazed at Everest, ridden camels in the Gobi, walked with elephants in the Serengeti, visited indigenous tribes in Borneo, and lived on a tropical island paradise, all without reaching into my own wallet or giving up my day job.

By: Isara

Isara — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:27:27 +0000

Thanks for posting about this important issue.

IMO Volunteering should be free and anyone who packages and sells it is profiting from charity. If an organization sees that a school or orphanage needs help and then decides to sell the opportunity to foreigners, then those organizations are more interested in making a dollar than making a difference. It is greed, disguised as charity, plain and simple.

We created a free volunteer program in Thailand for this exact reason. We have found that when you don’t charge volunteers anything, they are able to stay longer (which helps more), they can learn more about the local culture and people, and they want to give more back to the local community (scholarships, playgrounds, etc.). In other words, they make more of a difference. I hope more free programs will be created as travelers become more weary of the for-profit organizations out there.