Motivation… it takes motivation for doing something. Working in an office, cooking for yourself, shopping for hours, and even traveling abroad. Each of these, and any other activity has a motive behind it; something that prompts you to do it. Volunteering abroad is one such strong motivation that prompts many to travel abroad. The motivational factors are many, and each volunteer has its own. Let’s take a look at some of these factors, and see if this prompts you to volunteer abroad too.
Invaluable Experience
Traveling to another country altogether, all by yourself, is itself an experience of a lifetime; adding volunteer work to your expedition takes it several notches up. Not only you get to witness a different set of culture and traditions, but also, a new kind of language and a unique delicacy; it’s all a gamut. You get to interact with a local community, live with them, eat what they eat and the way they eat, wear the local attires, all in all an opportunity to live like a native.
And when it comes to working for a project, there are a plethora of different set of volunteer programs available abroad. You may be a teenager yourself, but you instantly gain maturity when you get to handle a class full of adolescents; you may be finicky about hygiene around you, but you suddenly pull up your socks to clean the marine shores and forest lands to preserve the eco-system.
From teaching projects, to conservation programs, orphanage programs, childcare projects, sports development, and women empowerment programs, volunteers have an array of options to choose from according to their field of interest and skill set. Also, the various locations with jaw-dropping views, stellar architectural sites, and well-preserved heritage monuments adds to the charm of your travel abroad.
All these, adding up together, makes for an invaluable experience of a lifetime.
Solid networking
When you travel to volunteer abroad, you get to meet people not only native to that particular destination, but also from different parts of the world. Just like you, several other gap year travelers and backpackers travel to volunteer abroad from their respective country. What they bring along, is the cultural nuances of their home country which you can learn about and share yours.
Over the period of time that you all spend together working under the same project, the bond that you create with each other remains for a very long time to come; even forever. And this doesn’t just apply to your fellow volunteer mates but also the local people you meet during your trip. Be it your in-country coordinator, the in-house staff of the project, the children, and even the wildlife that you work for.
So, ultimately, what you create in the course of time is a solid set of networks in different parts of the world.
Re-defined resume
Volunteering abroad is a brilliant opportunity for many high school pass outs, looking for a gap year experience. Working under a volunteer program is considered as a great overseas experience by several colleges and universities, as well as corporate.
Volunteering Solutions provides internship opportunities abroad for pre-medical and medical students under Healthcare programs. Dental and Physiotherapy internships in Palampur are highly coveted. Working for a month or more under any of these internship programs straight away adds valuable credentials to your resume. This applies to other volunteering projects as well.
So, let’s say you worked under a Sports Development project at one of the destinations that offer this program. You can boldly mention this achievement in your resume which will, in return, help dearly in starting your career as a physical trainer, or a sports teacher.
Affordable Traveling
Your holidays are approaching and you have started shuffling your bucket-list. One of the key deciding factors for traveling abroad is the cost. Cost for accommodations, cost for food, cost for excursions, shopping, flight tickets, travel insurance, and other miscellaneous expenses.
However, when you travel abroad to volunteer under a program through a placement organization, your major expenses are been covered under the program fee that you pay during the registration process. It includes your accommodation, meal, in-country support, and weekend excursions to nearby locations. Volunteers are even guided with travel/medical insurance by the agencies.
Thus, volunteering abroad becomes one of the most affordable ways of traveling that save you a lot of money without compromising with the excitement and fun of traveling abroad.
Making A Difference
Almost every destination where volunteer programs are offered abroad is either an underdeveloped country or a developing nation. The project locations, in fact, are mostly the village and remote areas where the wave of urban world does not reach. This obstructs the growth of the people living in these areas, both, economically and educationally.
When volunteers choose to work at these locations under several initiatives; such as Teaching projects, medical programs, community development programs etc, they actually provide a helping hand and play a vital role in improving the living conditions for many and making a difference in their lives.
Even in parts of urban areas, there are communities that are underprivileged and require the much needed attention and improved life. All the volunteering projects, in some or the other are directed and shaped in such a way that they can bring about a huge positive change in the lives of many.
In conclusion, volunteering abroad is not just an act of altruism but is a way of showing your care and accepting responsibility towards the betterment of our society. And, while these were just five facts that MUST prompt you to get up and travel to volunteer abroad, there are many more of such reasons, which you will find out once you start doing it. If you have had an experience of volunteering abroad before, we would like to know what prompted you to do it. Share your story with us.
Author Bio
An engineer by education, writer by profession, traveler by passion, and big time foodie by obsession. I like to travel places, and that prompted me to take up writing as i wanted to share my experiences with the unlimited audience.