Get Help, Give Help

Interested in voluntourism? Check out these resources.

Reference Books

Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others
By Bill McMillon, Doug Cutchins, and Anne Geissinger
Now in its 11th edition, this guidebook profiles over 150 organizations.
The 100 Best Volunteer Vacations to Enrich Your Life
By Pam Grout
Instead of organizations, this one focuses on projects and destinations.
Volunteer Vacations Across America
By Sheryl Kayne
Features over 200 volunteer opportunities in the United States.
Your Guide to Volunteer Travel
By Sarah Palmer
This e-book helps you choose a volunteer program and includes a directory.
Frommer’s and Lonely Planet also offer books on volunteer travel.

Voluntourism.org
Includes info on planning a trip and a list of interesting organizations
GoOverseas.com
Serves as a clearinghouse for resources on meaningful travel, from volunteering to teaching to internships
GoVoluntouring.com
Lets you search for volunteer trips using a variety of criteria, including not just destinations but cost, fitness level, age, and religious affiliation
GoAbroad
Lists over 27,000 opportunities for volunteer programs, study abroad programs, intern programs, eco/adventure travel opportunities, and more
VoluntourismGal
Features a directory of voluntourism orgs

Here’s my nine-step plan for choosing a volunteer organization (which you’ll find in The Voluntourist)
The Wall Street Journal has offered its picks for volunteer travel
Want to plan a volunteer trip on your own? Check out this article: www.voluntourism.org
Here’s one couple’s do-it-yourself approach to voluntourism from Third Sector
These two articles explore some of the downsides of voluntourism: “Orphanage tourism: help-or-hindrance” and “Before you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do”