 Volunteering expeditions
Volunteering expeditions are an excellent way to experience a country in-depth whilst ‘giving something back' to some of the people and communities you meet at the same time. Volunteering expeditions are all about being a responsible tourist and making a positive contribution to the places you visit. Volunteering expeditions are very much a mutually beneficial two way process as well. Travellers who go on volunteering expeditions get so much more out of the experience than travellers who simply spend their time moving from place to place stepping on and off tour buses without ever getting to know the local people and culture properly.
Volunteering expeditions are also a great option if you're looking for a more adventurous and intrepid travel experience on your gap year or career break. Many volunteering expeditions venture well off the usual ‘beaten track' - which can often make for a much more exciting and unusual gap year experience. You'll still see all of a country's essential ‘must see' sights on volunteering expeditions, but you'll also see other places and another side to life many travellers never get to experience.
If you are considering travelling on a volunteering expedition on your gap year it's well worth thinking about getting some sponsorship in order help fund your trip. For some excellent ideas and inspiration regarding raising money for volunteering expeditions visit Real Gap's ‘Gap year fundraising' page.
There are two main options for volunteering expeditions. The first option is to ‘tailor make' your own individual volunteering expedition by choosing a volunteer project from the Real Gap website and building a travel itinerary around it (you can of course choose more than one volunteer project). For advice on ‘tailor making' volunteering expeditions speak to one of Real Gap's team of expert travel advisers.
The second option for volunteering expeditions is to opt for one of Real Gap's comprehensive Gap Year Expedition programmes. These programmes have been designed to incorporate all the usual places you would want to visit together with more ‘real' travel experiences you won't find anywhere else. Real Gap has volunteering expeditions in India, Tanzania, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. For full details on all of these programmes click on the above link. However, in order to provide a brief snapshot of what you can expect to get to on Real Gap's volunteering expeditions, here are some of the various programmes' highlights.
Africa is a particularly popular destination for volunteering expeditions and Real Gap's ‘Expeditions Abroad' programme is located in the exciting East African country of Tanzania. If you are looking to experience the best of African wildlife on a volunteering expedition Tanzania has some of the finest games reserves on the continent- including the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park and Ruaha. A volunteering expedition in Tanzania also gives travellers the opportunity to relax on Tanzania's superb Indian Ocean beaches (including the exotic spice island of Zanzibar). However the most unique and privileged highlight of Real Gap's volunteering expedition in Tanzania is that it includes a five-week stay with a Maasai tribal community in a beautiful setting close to Mount Kilimanjaro.
Real Gap's volunteering expedition to India also includes a unique cultural experience - a two month stay in an Indian village near Darjeeling helping to teach English to villagers. Travellers on this volunteering expedition really become a part of the community. Other highlights of the volunteering expedition in India include a six day trek in the Himalayas and a tiger safari.
On a volunteering expedition to Ecuador you will learn Spanish, visit Indian tribes, trek through the jungle and ride on horseback in the Andes Mountains. The volunteering expedition to Ecuador also includes an excellent choice of volunteer projects - including options for working with the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.
A volunteering expedition to Peru gives you the opportunity to get involved with a number of projects - from dolphin conservation on the Pacific coast to river turtle conservation in a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon. On a volunteering expedition to Peru you will also learn Spanish and visit some of the world's most amazing sights, such as the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca.
On a volunteering expedition to Venezuela you will learn Spanish, relax on idyllic Caribbean beaches, explore the incredible wildlife and scenery of the Orinoco Delta, visit the world's highest waterfall and trek to the summit of Roraima Mountain. The choice of volunteer projects on a volunteering expedition to Venezuela is equally impressive - ranging from assisting in an orphanage to caring for animals in a National Park.
 Back to What to do on a gap year
Back to Gap Year Advice Main Menu
Volunteer Abroad
|
