Voluntourism has become a popular way to travel and give back. Our guide to How to Take a Volunteer Trip will show you the simple steps to choosing an appropriate volunteer vacation.

A volunteer trip can change your perspective. (Creative Commons photo by Montanafish)

• In the past couple of years, there has been a major surge in volunteer travel. "Voluntourism" can be a terrific way to add a service component to a trip and allow you a window into a particular community that the average tourist wouldn't get. It is crucial, however, to choose a program that is reputable and that will privilege your safety above all. With careful research, you can choose a volunteer-based adventure that can inspire and change how you think about travel.

Be honest and realistic in taking your first volunteer trip. Can you afford to pay a lot, would you feel more comfortable initially going with a friend, would you prefer five star food and housing to a sleeping bag on the ground near bugs? Could you try a shorter event such a one day local working volunteer event or volunteer for similar work part-time locally so that you ease into it and know what you are getting into? Are you fit enough to handle the work or should you start a long-term exercise program under your doctors care to avoid disaster far from home? How is your health and should you go where no health services are available nearby? What does your doctor advise if you openly explain what you propose? Etc.

Start to prepare for your trip as far as you can in advance to allow for all needed paperwork, vaccinations, visas, and travel spots to your desired locations do not all get booked up before you can book them. There may be notification lists you can join to hear when vacation trips become open for booking.

Decide on your budget, your skills and abilities to donate, your priorities to help, your timeline, any geographical expectations, what you hope to get out of it, your expected housing and working comfort level, and research volunteer opportunities thoroughly before deciding, such as obtaining sufficient health and cancellation insurance and any conditions that apply.

Check with your doctor and any relevant special travel advisories or clinics in advance, and keep up to date with conditions in the host location and travel advisories to ensure that you have taken required health preparations, precautions and followed relevant travel advisories.

• Sure, getting the insider's view of a local community sounds good, but are you sure a volunteer trip is right for you?

1. Evaluate your motivation for taking a volunteer trip. What is it you hope to achieve during your trip?
2. Many have found that travel to an area is richer if they become involved in the local community and that they are seeing another side to a country.
3. Are you prepared for what may be a starkly different lifestyle from your own? Dana Oliver, of Global Crossroad, a program through which volunteers find projects, told the New York Times that volunteers "should be physically fit and mentally prepared to walk into a disaster area. It's not easy emotionally."

You could go anywhere! (Creative Commons photo by Steve Cadman)

• Now that you've concluded that voluntourism is the way to go, you'll need to determine the best place to share your skills.

1. Research the following websites for programs all over the world, from the Andes to the Amazon Rainforest:
   • • Idealist
     • Global Volunteers
     • International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA)
     • Cross-Cultural Solutions
     • Global Crossroad
     • Globe Aware
     • i-to-i
     • Earthwatch
2. Be sure to confirm the reputation of any program you are interested in and ask for alumni contacts.
3. The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) allows you to research the insurance policies of volunteer programs and can help you figure out if a program is legitimate.

• Determining when to take your volunteer trip is a critical decision.

1. Will this trip be a spring break alternative? A major summer adventure?
2. Many couples are now deciding to volunteer on their honeymoons. Or, tack on a volunteer trip to the last week of a honeymoon or other vacation in the same geographical area.
3. You may need to be flexible about your travel dates depending on where you want to go and how booked the program is.
4. Other voluntourists have been motivated by a recent natural disaster. College students eagerly donated spring break time to Katrina efforts, for example. If you have been contemplating a volunteer trip for a while now and an event occurs that affects you, it might be time to act.

• The right travel partner can make all the difference.

1. Do you plan to travel alone? If so, will you be alright sharing quarters with strangers and essentially being all on your own?
2. Would you like to travel with a significant other like Andrew Allen and Teresa Novacek did on their honeymoon to Tanzania?
3. Or is this the trip you've dreamed of doing with your mom for her 60th birthday?
4. A volunteer trip can be a great way to introduce the importance of giving back to your children.
5. You could also sign up for a volunteer trip with a group through your school, church, synagogue, mosque, or other group.

The hardest part of your volunteer trip could be saying goodbye. (Creative Commons photo by Montanafish)

• You'll need to prepare in advance for a volunteer trip abroad.

1. See Mahalo's guide to volunteering abroad for a more comprehensive look at volunteering internationally: How to Volunteer Abroad.
2. Make an appointment to see your doctor to go over any vaccinations you'll need, medications you should take with you, and how to handle an existing medical condition abroad.
3. Make sure your passport is valid. If it is about to expire, see Mahalo's guide to How to Renew a Passport.
4. If you do not have a passport, you'll need to apply for one, at least two months ahead of time. See Mahalo's guide to applying for a passport: How to Get a Passport.
5. Determine what your health insurance coverage will be overseas.
6. Check with your program to see if they will provide any travel insurance for your trip and what any associated fees are. Also ask about proximity to medical care.
7. Research your travel insurance options, as well as medical evacuation coverage.
8. The State Department highly recommends that you register your travel plans so they can better assist you in an emergency.
9. Make a copy of your passport and travel itinerary to leave with a close friend or relative.

• It's important to learn about the culture and customs of the place you are about to visit.

1. Be sure to research the local customs of the place you'll visit. Order books online, visit your library, or ask friends who might have traveled to the same area to loan you their favorites.
2. Ask your program administrator to recommend a few travel books about the area you plan to visit.
3. Check out a novel or short story collection to get a sense of local rhythms and culture.
4. Research the local weather.
5. Take language lessons! Or simply brush up with useful language guides or Mahalo's guide to How to Learn Basic Phrases in Any Language.
6. Monitor what the State Department says about particular international travel in case there are any new warnings.
7. And check the Center for Disease Control's traveler's health page to learn about any health precautions.

• You will likely pack differently for a volunteer trip.

1. Review your program's guidelines for what to pack. If you have not received a recommended list of items to bring, contact your program administrator for suggestions.
2. Ask about any over-the-counter medications your program recommends bringing, such as ibuprofen or Benadryl; will there be a program leader who has these types of medications available?
3. Those packing medical prescriptions should keep them in their original prescription bottles and keep them easily reachable throughout the trip.
4. Find out about exchanging currency and how easy it will be to do once you arrive. Ask your program administrator what she suggests you bring for incidental expenses.
5. Leave valuables at home and, in general, pack light. This is a different kind of trip you are taking, where you don't need a different pair of shoes for every outfit.
6. Glasses-wearers should bring a backup pair of lenses just in case.