It is around that time of year when you are likely starting to consider planning your next holiday. The weather is rubbish, work has been hard, and there are a lot of places all around the world that you want to explore. All of these things often add up to an incredible desire to pack your bags and get away from it all.
Luckily for you, we are here to help, and today we want to help you plan your next summer holiday, but a summer holiday with a difference.
Many people will never have even considered volunteering as an option for their next holiday, but there are a whole host of reasons as to why a volunteering holiday will be one that sticks in your memory for a long time to come. Let’s take a look at what they are now!
It really is a holiday with a difference...where else would you get to feed a baby baboon or swim with a huge whale shark?
Volunteering projects offer you the chance to partake in activities you would simply never get to if you choose to head off on a beach holiday. That is not to say that there aren't some amazing beaches too, but more on that later....
On a volunteering holiday you will get the chance to immerse yourself in these unique and special activities, and these could range from helping a baby baboon get to sleep at night, right through to swimming alongside the imposing presence of a whale shark, just meters below you as you skin dive in an aquatic paradise. You shouldn’t need more reasons than this to consider a volunteering holiday, but we will give you some anyway!
You'll get to travel to some spectacular locations
When you think of volunteering your imagination may conjure up images of some rather grim and unromantic locations, but the reality is a lot different. If you choose to become our next animal conservation volunteer, you could be jetting off to some of the world's most exotic and exciting locations. You could begin your holiday by heading over to Borneo to volunteer with the Orangutans in their jungle home before whizzing over to help the sea turtles in Sri Lanka, or if it's always been your dream to explore Africa then why not consider aiding conservation efforts in the picturesque setting of Victoria Falls? The choice is yours, but you can rest safe in the knowledge that you will be able to take in some of the world's most incredible places when volunteering.
You get the chance to give something back
On very few other types of holiday do you get the chance to give something back to not only the local community, but to the world as a whole. A volunteering holiday gives you the chance to do just this, and as well as making a huge impact on the lives of animals all around the world you will also be able to help the local communities through various initiatives, all designed to provide for the local people.
Volunteering isn't a solo effort, and you will meet a lot of like-minded people
Holidays are always made that little bit better when you meet someone who likes the same things that you do, and on a volunteering holiday this is almost bound to happen! On animal volunteering holidays people almost always have the same thing at the front of their thoughts, and that is helping the animals so you know you will all be on the same page. Many of our volunteers have made friends for life on these trips, so you could be one trip away from meeting your new best friend!
You will get a behind the scenes view of things that very few others have ever been able to
Some people may be okay with reading a book by the pool on their holiday, but for those of you who have an inbuilt sense of adventure and curiosity, the chance to head behind the scenes and see how animal conservation efforts around the worlds are implemented is something you will not want to miss out on. You can never truly know what is coming from one day to the next on a volunteering project, and you could be doing anything from assisting on an animal rescue through to diving and taking notes on the number of sharks in the ocean. Volunteering holidays pack in a lot more than people give them credit for and they can present you with sights you thought you would never get the chance to see!
Volunteering gives you the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of life
It is no secret that large cities such as London and New York are not exactly havens for wildlife, and that is why a volunteering trip gives you the chance to get away from the stresses and strains that city life can put on you. Most of our projects are located in fairly remote locations, but this means that you will be able to ignore those emails and phone calls for a little while and really focus on the things that matter in life.
You get to quite literally taste some of the world's cultures
As anyone who has traveled extensively will tell you, some of the best food in the world is found well away from the big towns and cities. Street cuisine can be incredible and volunteering holidays give you the chance to truly immerse yourself amongst local cultures and enjoy the food as a result of this. Travelling to these remote locations presents you with the chance to introduce your taste buds to a whole host of exciting flavours, and that beats the buffets you get in most hotels, right?
Last but by no means least; on what other type of holiday would you be able to change an animal’s life for the better?
To put things simply, the animals need your help. As an animal conservation volunteer you will be able to help create a future for endangered animals all around the world. As a result of human actions, animals around the world are suffering, but as a conservation volunteer you can be part of the solution to this problem. As well as the hands on help you will be providing at the project site, your donation will go some way to ensuring that these animals can regain a foothold in areas that they once roamed freely in.
A volunteering holiday may not have been the first thing that comes to your mind when planning a summer holiday, but hopefully after reading this you will now pay the idea some thought! If that is the case then take a look at the project finder and find your dream trip so all that is left for you to do is get excited!
