Comments on: Voluntourism: Hip or Hype?

By: Nora

Nora — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:31:15 +0000

@Cindy – Cheers! I hope people really take the time to think about their volunteer efforts too. It’s possible to do amazing things for the world…as long as those efforts are well-focused.

By: Consume & Update: #1, Frequent Flyer and New News | nomadderwhere

Consume & Update: #1, Frequent Flyer and New News | nomadderwhere — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:06:51 +0000

[...] Professional Hobo makes her experienced perspective known with Voluntourism: Hip or Hype? Though this is no new post, it’s pretty relevant to my most recent trip [...]

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:55:07 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by vagabondish: Voluntourism: Hip or Hype? http://retwt.me/I2xD…

By: Cindy

Cindy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:57:40 +0000

Nora,

This is a great and balanced article on voluntourism. My husband and I volunteered in Cambodia teaching english, but had similar feelings to the woman you interviewed. The kids were without books or lesson plans with volunteers coming in and out – does it really do them good. Better to fund local projects who train long-term local teachers!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts – hopefully this will really help people think before doing a volunteer assignment
do good

By: Nora

Nora — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:07:09 +0000

@Amber – Thx for the feedback! What did you do with them in India? Was it hard to qualify?

By: Amber

Amber — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:41:46 +0000

http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org

I went to India with them last summer. it was incredible! ;D

By: Philanthropic Travel is NOT Voluntourism « Understanding Travelers Philanthropy

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:15:39 +0000

[...] articles in Smart Money Magazine, Wall Street Journal,Voluntourism in Depth: Hip or Hype?, World Hum: A Tourist With a Shovel and a Hoe and Canada’s National Post clearly define [...]

By: Cristobal DeLicia

Cristobal DeLicia — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:31:49 +0000

I volunteered last summer in New Orleans building houses. Not terrible, but… Building materials were substandard. All were “donations”- combined with unskilled labor is a bad idea! Worst part is volunteers were bussed miles away from N.O. (or stayed in hotels:also far away) I had to wander Canal St by myself to find out the REAL situation, mostly by sharing my cigarettes with the homeless. #1 Rule for voluntourism– Go with at least one friend and STICK WITH THEM. Isolated individuals are always more vulnerable- No matter how resourceful, cynical or clever you are.

By: Bunny

Bunny — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:01:44 +0000

Nora,

Great, great article! I am also a Rotarian, and often struggle with the issue of “help” – when am I really benefitting others, and when am I just doing stuff to feel good about myself or our of guilt because I have so much and others have so little.

Thank you for your well-reasoned perspective and for not simply presenting voluntourism as yet another trendy travel option!

By: Christopher Hill

Christopher Hill — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:55:15 +0000

Great article Nora!
If readers are interested in voluntourism, I founded Hands Up Holidays (www.handsupholidays.com) to make it easy for people to have amazing volunteer travel experiences: trips which blend eco-sightseeing with a taste of volunteering.
We focus on small group and tailor-made adventures, and all of our volunteer projects have been designed so that you can make a positive impact in just 3-5 days.
All our trips are carbon offset on your behalf.
All our trips will depart with just two people booking; and we can tailor-make a trip for your exact requirements.
We are listed within voluntourism.org as well.