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From Away.com

Volunteer Vacations: The Basics


By Mary Beth Lapin

These are vacations with a conscience. You travel to an area where you work with the local community on issues such as health care, agriculture, and education. The advantage is a low-cost trip ranging anywhere from one week to several. You are immersed in a culture and get to know people through the meaningful work.

You could work with local service agencies in Ghana, teach children to read, assist village health care providers or work with local women to market their crafts. While you are busy, most volunteer vacations provide time to sightsee during your stay. And then there are those where you volunteer your time in exchange for your lodging.



Research trips are another offshoot of volunteer vacations. You may count dolphins, interview indigenous Indians for a cultural research project, dust off shards on an archaeological dig--generally offer your hands to the very labor intensive projects run by nonprofit groups, such as Earthwatch, colleges and universities around the world.

Some volunteer vacations offer the added cultural advantage of allowing you to stay with a host family. It is a great way to really learn about and experience a region. You gain an insight that you never do as a "conventional" tourist.

Where Can I Go To Participate?
You can go virtually anywhere in the world, and even beyond into outer space.

Participating in a special tour does not mean you have to travel to another continent. You can choose from a wide variety of volunteer vacations even here in the U.S., for example, Habitat for Humanity.

What Are the Food and Accommodations Like?
Tour operators usually arrange your meals and lodging. The meals included should be listed in your itinerary and may range from a box lunch to gourmet meals. Most tours can accommodate vegetarian or special diets, but on some budget or volunteer vacations, you may not have many options.

The type of lodging arrangements will depend on the nature of the trip. They can range from bunkhouses, mountain huts, family homes and tents to comfortable rooms, inns and hotels. Make sure your expectations for lodging and meals are not greater than what can be delivered.

While it's possible to cross the African plains while staying in luxury tents equipped with all the comforts of home, some undeveloped regions will not have luxurious or even comfortable accommodations. For instance, if you are volunteering in a village in Ghana or India, you can expect clean, modest accommodations, but you may not have electricity, showers, and flush toilets everywhere you stay.

Is My Volunteer Vacation Tax Deductible?
In the United States, find out if your tour provider is a designated public charity and classified as a 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service. For instance, if you travel on an Earthwatch tour, your payment and work on the trip support its scientific research and is therefore tax deductible.

Under some special circumstances, volunteers may deduct out-of-pocket expenses for transportation to and from research sites. Check with your accountant to be sure.



Mary Beth Lapin is a site editor for Away.com. She lives in Maine.