Thorn Tree travel forum

voluntourism

I wonder if this type of irresponsible travel has a future or whether locals will become wise to this sort of waste of time? I mean why should western companies make money this way by sending some clueless gapper to some dodgy country where they are required to shovel rubbish from one heap to another and back again in the name of helping local communties?

Seeking sustainable and low-cost volunteering

Greetings! I am a passionate traveler looking to apply myself to programs and groups that offer people ways to contribute, work, help, and learn while in foreign countries. I am definitely a low-budget student traveler, and am not exactly able to pay a lot of the "volunteer" fees that many programs offer. I simply want to support sustainable, environmentally conscious, and socially responsible organizations that focus on benefiting land, animals, and people. Currently I am about to embark on an around-the-world trip from New Zealand to Asia to Europe. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations to speak of at all, I would be gladly appreciative. Specifically I am looking for ways to offer myself simply as I am, without "paying" to help or needing the privileges that are given therein. Thank you!

Travel, epidemics, responsibility, economy - wher do we stand?

Over the last days Fidel Castro blamed

• Obama
• Cuban American visitors
• Mexican tourists
• Canadian tourists
• Spanish tourists

volunteering in Cusco

Hello!

I am looking for people in Cusco that are running volunteer tourism projects.
Thank you very much for your help,

E.

volunteering in Bali, Indonesia

Help Children in Bali, Indonesia with the International Humanity Foundation

The International Humanity Foundation is looking for volunteers to serve our centres in Jakarta, Bali, Aceh and Medan, Indonesia, and be friends and teachers to our children. By bringing together disadvantaged children of Bali, Indonesia and volunteers from across the world, there is a learning opportunity for both. As both sides discover more about each other, their lives and their cultures and teach their own friends about this, we hope to create a world of greater understanding and compassion. Unlike our other centers, the one is Bali is not an orphanage but only an education center. No children stay there, but many come for the classes held there.

Work

IHF needs people with all skills. No matter your experience, whether a student or retired professional, IHF needs you. At the centre, volunteers... more »

Volunteers for Peace

Hi everyone - I'm doing some travelling over the next year and would like to do a couple of volunteer stints while I'm away (and very much on a budget). I've found a number of organizations that don't charge huge fees, but am a bit leary as to how to tell if the organizations are on the up and up before I pay anything. Has anyone out there done a volunteer position through Volunteers for Peace?

Thanks in advance!

Grassroots tourism project recognized by BBC World Challenge

This is the only tourism-related organization/project that is in this year's BBC World Challenge .

Founded in the wake of the 2004 tsunami, Andaman Discoveries has grown from providing emergency disaster relief into an internationally acclaimed community-based tour operator. Over the past five years the social enterprise has helped tsunami-affected communities in Southern Thailand to achieve environmental, cultural and financial sustainability through conservation programs, vocational training and providing interactive cultural tours for responsible tourists.

Andaman Discoveries now supports eight villages to achieve sustainable development on their own terms. Through homestays, handicrafts production and guiding, it creates supplementary livelihood opportunities for the communities, that provide much... more »

Eco Travellers -- your views please

Hi there,

I am writing a series of articles for my MA Journalism thesis on eco-travel and responsible travel.

My first article is on the rise of eco-travel in the UK.

So ideally I'd like to interview(email interview) people from the UK who have taken eco-holidays or are planning to go on an eco-holiday soon. All I need is 2 interviewees.

Thanks.

Regards,
Jas