If you want to take a gap year with meaning, then volunteering is the perfect option for you. Gap year travel by volunteering can be one of the most rewarding programmes. It allows you to explore a new destination, whilst giving back in the most meaningful way, connecting on a deeper level with the culture as you do so. But how do you go about arranging a volunteering programme? You can check out our guide below.
What’s Gap Year Tourism?
A gap year is something you usually take between secondary school and university, or just after you’ve completed your studies. It’s a great way to transition between life changes, whether that be from your studies to working life or a career change, it’s a possibility for everyone! Whilst most typically take a year, this doesn’t have to be the case. You can spend as much time as you want travelling abroad, the importance is that you’re taking the time to disconnect so that you can reconnect with whatever it is you’re searching for.
Is Gap Year a Good Idea?
A gap year is a great idea for those who aren’t sure about how they plan on carving their career path. You have your whole life ahead of you upon finishing your education, and a lifetime to build a career, so why not take some time before this to experience something completely different!
Did you know that students who took gap years are more likely to graduate in a shorter time period than the average 6 years expected in the States and Canada? This is because these students have taken the time to connect on a deeper level with their interests which makes them better connect this with a field.
A gap year broadens your horizons. It can be a truly transformative experience by immersing yourself in a completely new culture, language and way of living. It opens your eyes to a new perspective and can be a great way to un-tap your purpose by discovering what your passions are. It’s also something that looks great on your CV or resume. It shows that you’ve taken time out to build valuable life skills, it’s always very attractive to employers.
You have to be careful however because a gap year can easily become a waste of time. You need to set your priorities quickly to establish what your goals are for the year and how you’ll go about completing them. We’ll go into a bit more detail on this in our how to plan section. But if you’re planning on volunteering outside of a programme try to make sure you have touchpoints that give you the motivation and structure to ensure you make the most of your year.
Gap Year Volunteering Opportunities
There are many ways to find gap year opportunities. The great thing about a gap year is the flexibility with what you want to do and how you do it.
Volunteering is a great way to spend your gap year. Not only does it give you that advantage we’ve already mentioned on a resume or university application, but the personal impacts can also be huge too.
Gap Year Volunteering Overseas
Volunteering overseas takes your gap year experience to a whole new level. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself in a completely new culture. It’s not always easy and it might take some time for you to adjust and settle down, but the payoffs of doing so personally can be huge.
We’ve already highlighted some of our favourite gap year volunteering opportunities and resources here. You might be asking yourself why volunteer overseas? It’s one of the best ways to volunteer. By volunteering overseas it allows you to see the world and experience exciting cultures all whilst making an impact on a local community that will value it more than ever.
Volunteering overseas likely means that you are travelling to a destination that has a developing economy. You’ll be visiting places that need your support the most. Typical volunteer opportunities include a humanitarian, community or conservational support. You can decide what sort of experience you want to have, it’s all part of the planning process which we’ll describe in a bit more detail below. The best part is that you’re making your own contribution to meaningful projects whilst experiencing a completely new and local culture. It’s important to think about how you will immerse yourself into the local culture before you go as this is one of the biggest elements of travel.
One of the best parts of volunteering abroad is that you’re overseas! Exploring the country and having fun whilst you’re doing this should absolutely be one of the elements of planning. Your experience should be about maximising all the new things to see and experience so you have fond memories to bring home and cherish forever.
Plan my Gap Year Volunteering
We’ve already referenced this great guide we wrote a while ago as a resource for planning your gap year abroad. Shannon O’Donnell also wrote a great book on volunteering abroad to get you started on where to even begin with planning.
There are lots of things to consider as you plan for your gap year travel abroad, especially if it’s volunteering. Here’s a few questions we suggest you address before deciding on that final location:
What’s your budget?
Travelling can be quite expensive, especially if you’re venturing to developing destinations further afield. Defining your travel budget will make picking your location much easier. When budgeting you should consider all the costs to cover transport, food, accommodation, visa, insurance and some spending money to enjoy the country outside of volunteering work! You’ll also need to factor in volunteering activities such as training. Once you’ve defined this it will allow you to work out how long you can travel for. Remember, the further in advance you plan for your volunteering overseas, the longer you have to save up some money to fund it. This will give you greater flexibility in staying for longer if you want to maximize your experience.
Do you want to go alone or with a company?
When volunteering abroad, you can decide to either plan this totally independently or booking a programme with an association. There are pros and cons to going with an agency, it’s more expensive, but there is greater security and their experience ensures you are supporting ethical organisations and making a sustainable impact.
You might be wondering why there are more fees incurred with an agency. The sign of an ethical one is that they are completely honest about the fees and where the money goes. It’s important to research what the fees are and what is included in the programme before you book onto it.
What type of volunteer work do you want to do?
The type of programme you’d like to participate in will largely define your location. Specific types of volunteering are more likely to occur in certain locations. So your choice of programme will greatly impact where you travel to.
Do you speak the language?
Going to a country where the main language is not your own can be quite daunting. Especially if you’re in a community where it is unlikely that they will speak English as a second language. Not being able to communicate with people on the ground will make the trip a lot more challenging. If you want to head to a location that speaks a different language, we’d suggest doing some beginners classes before you go in order to prepare. Picking up a new language can be one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
Ideas for Gap Year Travel
So now you’ve got the down-low on how to plan for your volunteering abroad experience, where to start with such limitless options!
You can check out some of our vetted volunteering activities by location here. We’ve got options all across the globe with a focus on developing countries. It’s a great resource for those who want to go it alone and contact a charity or organisation directly.
Be sure to keep up to date with our volunteering blog. We’re always posting about new ideas and initiatives. It’s a great resource for those who are early into their planning and looking into some inspiration for future travel.
So now you’ve got all the details on a gap year volunteering abroad, what are you waiting for! It’s time to get planning on your intrepid trip of a lifetime!
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