When you research volunteering opportunities you quickly discover that, in some cases, it costs an extortionate amount of money to achieve your dream of giving something back while enjoying a low cost holiday. However, if you have a real dig around you can unearth some opportunities that won’t cost an arm and a leg.
The UNA exchange offers volunteering opportunities starting at £210. They offer volunteering opportunities in 60 countries and their projects include environmental causes, where you can spend your days cleaning up beaches, building new footpaths, or even working on an elephant sanctuary.
You can dedicate your time to more social projects like working in the community with the disabled or elderly, helping on day trips, giving companionship or assisting learning. For just over £200, music lovers can volunteer in Croatia at the Croatian music festival preparing for and experiencing the explosion of music that hits Croatia in the month of May.
The projects are not just restricted to students on gap years or looking to experience the world for the first time. UNA runs volunteer projects that are aimed at people aged 35 and up, proving it is never too late to realise your aspirations.
In a similar vein, Original Volunteers are specialists in offering low cost volunteering expeditions. The cost of their volunteering projects is calculated per week, with some destinations being completely free. So, you can balance the cost of your adventure against the time spent overseas. With Original Volunteers you can spend time in places like Guatemala working with animals who have been poached by smugglers. You will spend your days caring for parrots, howler monkeys and macaws. You will stay in a lake side forest and travel daily by canoe. This fabulous adventure could await you for as little as £85 for two weeks.
If animals are not your scene, what about working with an orphanage in Peru? You can show kids how to master soccer and rounders while teaching them social and development skills at the same time. This trip of a lifetime also starts at £85 per week.
Volunteering is such an easy way to explore new cultures and really impact a community. It gives you invaluable experience that can be used later in life and introduces you to a diverse range of characters and new friends. Whatever your age, working in developing areas or on ecological projects can really change the person you are inside whilst showing you new parts of the world.
By Jane Blackmore, editor, writer, blogger.
