What is Voluntourism?
What is Voluntourism?
Our world is rapidly changing and we, as humans, are trying to adapt to this. We are in an endeavor to adapt to this change in all areas of our lives such as our eating and drinking habits, working styles, family relations, world views, our ties to nature and history.
We conceptualize our travel habits according to these changes as well. And we are adding “voluntourism” alongside “sustainable tourism” and “ecotourism” concepts which reshape our traveling perception!
(For more information about sustainable tourism, you can visit our blog post here.)
With the awareness of subjects such as global warming and crises, the tourism sector also changes itself. When vacation was a luxury habit for many in the past, it has now become a need for people of all socio-economic levels. And vacation forms have also started to differentiate according to the needs and personal tastes of people. Vacation has now been personalized, from mass tourism to trips with friends, even to journeys one embarks on by oneself. And the forms of travel move away from the purpose of ‘vacation’ alone. In line with the perception of the impossibility of going on only by consuming, each individual who has a place in the tourism sector has certain responsibilities for a better future. Being aware of the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and being conscious that we can make a difference with our choices. So, what is voluntourism?
What is Voluntourism?
In the simplest terms, “Voluntourism” is an alternative form of travel. It refers to tourism activities conducted to do volunteer work in areas which are needed in the developing countries.
Mostly preferred by students or new graduates, voluntourism involves meeting needs such as accommodation and food while sometimes paying a reasonable amount of pocket money.
The concept of “Voluntourism” may be defined as the name given to volunteer work in underdeveloped countries. This form of tourism aims to make tourists participate in the activities conducted for the development of local people in a destination, thus providing benefits for the region and people.
Tourists in voluntourism also participate in social activities in order to explore the destinations they travel to. Voluntourism aims at taking a break from daily life, moving away from daily routine, blowing off steam while also involving sentiments such as the satisfaction and inner peace that come from providing service for a culture other than one’s own, another historical texture and lifestyle, and to realize oneself.
Although voluntourism may seem like a new concept of recent years, it has been around for a long time... We can say that the first voluntourists in the history are doctors, religious leaders, missionaries, sailors, travelers who have embarked on their journeys with the purpose of providing service for other societies.
This concept has rapidly started to find its ground in Türkiye.
Going to a developing country and volunteering is becoming increasingly popular. There is also short-term volunteer work for students during periods such as summer vacations.
Who Does Voluntourism Appeal To?
In general, voluntourism is suitable for individuals who reached a degree of saturation in mass tourism with the increase of income levels and who came close to self-actualization level in their personal journeys.
Since this is a form of tourism with an emphasis on spiritual satisfaction, it supports this kind of pursuit of the participants. It is preferred by individuals who feel gratification in doing good deeds while traveling.
“Voluntourist” and “working tourist” should not be confused with each other. Working tourists receive payment from intermediaries at the destinations they travel to. However, voluntourists do not receive payment for the destinations they travel to or activities they participate in, on the contrary, they pay intermediaries in order to participate in these activities. And this indicates that voluntourism is a form of travel that appeals to individuals with high-income levels.
How To Be a Voluntourist?
It would be best to start with dependable intermediaries in order to be a part of voluntourism. The first thing to do is to find reliable volunteering organizations with ethical values.
One should follow and research the trips organized by nongovernmental organizations and public institutions. Individuals who want to be “voluntourists” can listen for the calls of NGOs or Voluntary Service Program of the European Union.
What Kinds of Activities Are Included in Voluntourism?
Voluntourism is different than vacation tourism.
It is not done just to explore a place and to relax. It is about making a difference and creating a social impact.
The basis is to have the necessary skills for the job to be done in voluntourism. For example, it is important to have the necessary physiological condition to participate in voluntourism which involves crop works or bricklaying. Or if there is an activity that involves teaching English to a group at the destination, the voluntourist is required to have an advanced level knowledge of English language.
Examples of some activities in scope of voluntourism:
1- Volunteer works related to children; supporting students without necessary material means or kids in orphanages in many less developed countries by teaching them foreign languages, helping them to develop crafting skills, supporting them in sport education.
2- Participating in voluntary awareness training projects; for example, cleaning water collection facilities in rural areas for healthy lifestyle, increasing quality in education.
3- Voluntary works for animal welfare, such as helping in the protection of wildlife, enabling sea turtles’ eggs to reach the sea, saving cats and dogs, observing endangered bird species.
4- Helping in conserving, constructing, restoring cultural and historical structures and being a part in reviving these artifacts.
5- Activities such as protecting ecological balances by participating in landscaping activities, contributing to leaving a clean and habitable world for next generations.
What Are the Reasons for Travelers to Choose Voluntourism?
Travelers choose voluntourism to be useful, to acquire new skills and to explore any place in the world with its local culture in an economical manner. There is a job for everyone in voluntourism. They can do agriculture, teach kids English language, take photographs for an organization, or support activities to save animals. In other words, it is easy to find volunteer work according to the person’s competencies.
Pros and Cons of Volunteer Work
Each travel is an experience. And of course, each experience has its pros and cons. For example, if being in nature is not suitable for the individual, voluntary work at the heart of nature can negatively affect the trip. The basis in voluntourism is being suitable for the activity and obtaining the feeling of satisfaction.
Different Models in Voluntourism
1- A model in which food-beverage and accommodation expenses are paid by the organization in underdeveloped or developing countries for a certain price, with the transportation expenses paid by the volunteer.
2- Long-term voluntary works conducted by settling down in that country.
3- Works conducted under the leadership of a nongovernmental organization.
Points to Take into Consideration
In well-intentioned works such as building a soup kitchen where volunteers go and settle down in developing countries, there is a risk of raised donations going to wealthy groups and the work deviating from its purpose. Preventing corruption is critical for the sustainability of voluntourism. Therefore, monitoring and investigating the organizations and NGOs selected for collaboration has immense importance in voluntourism.
Why Is Voluntourism Important?
Voluntourism is important as a form of tourism which goes beyond the purpose of travel by involving an awareness of social responsibility. Voluntary works conducted for the benefit of regions in need in developing countries enable individuals to provide spiritual satisfaction and social benefits beyond material opportunities. This type of tourism not only offers tourists the opportunity to explore new cultures, but it also provides the chance to support local communities. Voluntourism enables tourists to contribute to a sustainable tourism approach and to balance the environmental and social impacts of their travels. Thus, tourists not only take a vacation, but also get the chance to leave a positive mark at the destinations they travel to. As a means that contributes to consolidation of social solidarity and tolerance on a global scale, voluntourism helps tourism to advance in a more sustainable and ethical direction.