If you”re planning to travel, it”s well worth giving some thought to how you can get the most out of your trip. Sure, visiting new places is exciting in itself, but things like community volunteering work really transform your adventure into something unforgettable.
How, you ask? Well, some of the top reasons to get involved with this kind of work abroad are as follows:
Make a tangible difference
Perhaps the most obvious reason to travel overseas and do some community volunteer work is that it gives you the unique chance to make a tangible difference to local people. You”ll be able to see the effects of your work unfolding right before your eyes – and being able to watch how your actions improve the lives of people in need is massively rewarding.
Visit exciting places
Community volunteer work doesn”t only give you the chance to give something back to the places you visit, it also lets you explore some of the most exciting, colourful countries in the world. Among the destinations you can head to are South Africa and India – and who hasn”t dreamed about exploring at least one of these?
As well as spending time working on your chosen project, you”ll have weekends (or other free time) to head out and explore. For example, if you decide to help out children in need in Jaipur, you”ll be able to check out the top attractions of one of India”s most famous cities!
Get under the skin of the destinations you travel to
Aside from how intensely rewarding they are, community projects are great for travellers for another reason: the chance to get a more realistic picture of their chosen destination. With the best will in the world, you often just won”t get to understand a country or city when you”re simply passing through. By working in the midst of local people for several weeks, you”ll be able to see the place as it really is, and get to know the people who live there – something you”ll never forget.
Get great work experience
Of course, a lot of us decide to travel partly because we want some kind of work experience – whether this is intended to help with uni applications or in getting a job upon returning home. Community volunteer projects look fantastic on CVs, even if the tasks you perform are not directly relevant to whatever qualification or position you”re going for.
That said, a lot of projects offer the chance to do things like work with children, which could be absolutely perfect if you”re hoping to pursue a career in education. Others give you an opportunity to work on theatre projects, which might give you the edge over other applicants if you”re fighting for a position in drama school.
Make friends!
Last, but certainly not least, community volunteer projects can be a great way of making friends. If you”re planning on incorporating a stint volunteering as part of wider travel plans – a gap year, for example – it”s likely you”ll be keen to strike up new friendships as you travel. By getting involved with a close-knit project, you can meet likeminded people and fellow travellers, as well as getting to know the people who actually live in your chosen destination. The friends you make in situations like this could easily become lifelong mates – and you might even decide to travel together in the future.