The idea of volunteering your time and giving back to the local area you are visiting is a central ethos to the Community Foundation of Elmira – Corning and the Finger Lakes, and this is something that I was privileged to experience for myself during my own visit to New York State.
Blog Archives
12 Questions You Should Ask Before Volunteering Abroad.
Volunteering on your gap year can be an amazing and genuinely noble thing, but not all volunteering experiences are created equal, and with unethical voluntourism opportunities getting harder to spot, you need to know what questions to ask before you volunteer.
Tagged with: 10 questions to ask before volunteering abroad, backpacking and volunteering, gap year volunteer programmes, gap year voluntourism, how do I volunteer responsibly, how to choose a responsible volunteer company, how to volunteer when backpacking, volunteer, Volunteer abroad, volunteering, voluntourism, what questions should I ask before I volunteer abroad
Posted in Volunteering
Posted in Volunteering
10 Reasons Independent Sustainable Travel Should Be The New Normal.
Responsible and sustainable tourism is becoming increasingly accepted as the gold standard in travel, and independent travellers are starting to question traditional tourism and demand more responsible practices instead. Here are ten reasons why that momentum should not only continue, but become the new normal.
Tagged with: benefits of responsible travel, benefits of sustainable travel, Responsible and sustainable tourism is becoming increasingly accepted as the gold standard in travel as travellers are becoming increasingly independent, responsible gap year, responsible tourism, responsible tourism best practices, responsible tourist behaviour, responsible travel, responsible travel definition, responsible travel tips, responsible wildlife tourism, sustainable tourism, sustainable travel, volunteering, voluntourism, what is responsible travel, what is sustainable travel, wildlife tourism
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
Should You Pay To Volunteer On Your Gap Year?
Should you pay to volunteer on your gap year? You are planning your gap year and want to give something back while you travel the world, you want to volunteer. You are already giving up your time and skill, you want to help someone and do something good! That is a good thing, right? But they are asking you to pay? What the hell is that about? Should backpackers pay to volunteer on their gap year or is it all a con?
Tagged with: animal volunteering, backpacker, backpacking, backpacking and volunteering, best gap year volunteer programs, ethical and responsible volunteering, gap year, gap year volunteering abroad, gap year volunteering abroad free, gap year volunteering UK, gap year volunteering with animals, how to volunteer abroad, how to volunteer on your gap year, how to volunteer when backpacking, pay to volunteer on your gap year, should I pay to volunteer on my gap year, should you pay to volunteer, should you pay to volunteer abroad, volunteer, Volunteer abroad, volunteer courses, volunteering, Volunteering abroad, volunteering on your gap year, volunteering with animals, volunteering with wildlife, voluntourism
Posted in Volunteering
Posted in Volunteering
The Dark Truth About Orphanage Volunteering.
Orphanage volunteering has become a serious international child protection issue in recent years despite being a popular staple of the gap year and voluntourism industries. Here is why every backpacker should avoid the orphanage volunteering traps on their gap year.
Tagged with: #StopOrphanTrips, Better Volunteering Better Care, Cambodia, Cambodia volunteer free, Cambodian orphanage adoption, Cambodian orphanage scandal, exploiting children in orphanage volunteering Cambodia, greenwashing, orphanages cambodia, short term volunteering in Cambodia, Stop Orphan Trips, Stop orphanage volunteering, volunteer, volunteer courses, volunteering, Volunteering abroad, volunteering in orphanages, volunteering on your gap year, volunteering with children, voluntourism, what you need to know before volunteering at an orphanage in Cambodia, working with children abroad
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
The Big Voluntourism Lie.
The gap year voluntourism industry is hardly a pinnacle of ethical, responsible tourism at the best of times, but now their dirty little secret is about to be exposed, and the lie they have been telling travellers for a long time will be laid bare.
Tagged with: against voluntourism, gap year, greenwashing, how do I volunteer abroad, is voluntourism a dirty word, is voluntourism a form of tourism, negative effects of voluntourism, problems with voluntourism and volunteering on your gap year, volunteer, volunteering, volunteering on your gap year, voluntourism, voluntourism bad, voluntourism benefit or harm, voluntourism benefits, voluntourism companies, voluntourism criticism, voluntourism debate, voluntourism destinations, voluntourism ethics, voluntourism experiences, voluntourism gap year, voluntourism industry, voluntourism more harm than good, voluntourism organizations, voluntourism pros and cons, voluntourism trips, white volunteers in Africa
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
Disaster Tourism And The Darker Side Of Travel.
Disaster tourism is essentially the act of travelling to a disaster area out of a matter of curiosity, or using a disaster to create profit in the form of organised tours and treks. In some circumstances it can have a positive impact but there is an even more stygian side to this aspect of dark tourism that comes with every natural disaster and ventures beyond mere voyeurism. It is this side of disaster tourism which can actually do more harm than good. The key is knowing the difference.
Tagged with: dark tourism, disaster aid, disaster aid agencies, disaster tourism, Disaster tourism and responsible travel, disaster tourism destinations, disaster tourism examples, does disaster tourism cause more harm than good, how to donate to Nepal, how to help Nepal, how to volunteer in Nepal, Hurricane Katrina, is disaster tourism a good thing, Nepal earthquake, should we visit a destination after a natural disaster, Thailand Tsunami, voluntourism, what is disaster tourism
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
The Bemused Backpacker Code Of Responsible Travel.
The Bemused Backpacker Code Of Responsible Travel has been designed to give travellers around the world an ethical guideline on how to travel in a fully informed, ethical and responsible way
Tagged with: Animal conservation, backpacker, backpacking, Bemused Backpacker, code of responsible tourism, code of responsible travel, does wildlife tourism harm animals, ethical travel, gap year, gap year industry responsible travel, how can I travel responsibly, responsibilities of tourists, responsible tourist behaviour, responsible travel, responsible travel definition, responsible travel hacks, responsible travel tips, safe and responsible behaviour for tourists, travel like a local, voluntourism, ways to be a responsible tourist, ways to be a responsible traveller
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
What Type Of Volunteer Are You?
Are you a voluntourist or a volunteer? Many travellers dreaming of giving back on their gap year don’t even realise there is a difference, but there is, and it is a very important one,
Tagged with: against voluntourism, backpacking, bad things about volunteering, gap year, how do I teach English abroad, how do I volunteer abroad, how do I volunteer with animals, how do I volunteer with animals on my gap year, negative aspects of volunteering, negative effects of voluntourism, questions about voluntourism, STA travel, Teach abroad, Teach English abroad, teaching English abroad, TEFL courses, Volunteer abroad, volunteer courses, volunteering, Volunteering abroad, volunteering in orphanages around the world, volunteering versus voluntourism, volunteering vs volunteerism, voluntourism, voluntourism benefit or harm, voluntourism debate, voluntourism more harm than good, voluntourism pros and cons, why is voluntourism bad, why volunteering abroad is bad, why volunteering is bad
Posted in Volunteering
Posted in Volunteering
Hi, I'm Michael! I'm a former nurse turned published author and world travelling professional adventurer! I have spent over twenty years travelling over 100 countries and I want to inspire you to do the same! Want to know more about me? Just click here!
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