Steps To Follow While Planning For A Low Cost Volunteer Trip Abroad
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2020 has been an eye-opener for people across the world, and as we were all pushed to stay indoors, we definitely learned one thing – Life can’t be taken for granted. Thus, when the pandemic woes come to an end, I’m sure that many of us, bitten by the wanderlust bug, would pack our bags and set out to see the world. But you might be worried about a lot of things – so let’s figure out how you can plan a low-cost volunteer trip abroad.
Traveling abroad seems like an expensive venture but to be very honest, if the planning is done correctly then one can actually explore at a much cheaper rate. All you need is to do proper research about where you want to go, why you want to go, and what you want to do at your destination. A volunteering trip abroad is always cheaper than luxurious holiday trips – and Volunteering Solutions provides affordable and meaningful volunteering opportunities in 25 countries all across the world.
Volunteering overseas will give you an incredible opportunity to travel to your favorite destination, explore the country and its culture, meet new people, make friends with like-minded people from different parts of world, use your skills to make a difference to the lives of the underprivileged locals and to add some brownie points to your Resume/ CV.
Whether you are a high school/ college or university student or taking a gap year before enrolling in a course, there are several ways to avoid paying exorbitant amounts to volunteer abroad. Let’s take a look at the steps that you can follow to cut the cost of your foreign trip, and if you stand lucky enough – you can go for free as well!
1. Know where you want to go and why you want to go
By the time you start thinking seriously about a volunteering trip, you must know that it’s way too different from that of a luxury vacation. Do a proper study about where you want to go – VolSol has programs across 5 continents and who knows – maybe your dream destination is also on the list!
The next step would be to think why you want to go – is it just to visit the place and click hundreds of selfies to show off to your friends? Or do you really care about contributing meaningfully to those who need a little help from you? And some of you might even be wondering about how to apply for volunteering – whether some specific qualifications are needed or not!
We would suggest you to be flexible by choosing a region of interest, rather than a specific country.
2. Know if you are ready to step out of your comfort zone
A volunteering journey would redefine the meaning of traveling and show you the world very differently. But, ask yourself whether you are ready for it or not.
Are you ready to spend days away from network or wifi?
Are you comfortable to share your room with a stranger?
Are you fine to use toilets without a flush?
Try to find out honest answers to these questions – and if you know that you can do it, then go ahead and take the challenge. While it may be difficult at times, but it’ll be immensely rewarding as well.
While one main objective of volunteering abroad is going out of your comfort zone, you shouldn’t push yourself to a great extent. Try to maintain a balance and that’ll enrich your experience.
3. Raise fund for your volunteering trip
If you say that you want to go to Thailand for partying and beach retreat, then you’ll surely not get a fund! But if you have a noble thought of teaching English to the Thai Monks or caressing the elephants in Thai villages, then you might stand lucky to raise substantial fund.
Create a profile on a fundraising website like GoFundMe, Volunteer Forever or FundMyTravel and narrate your story – why you want to volunteer? – Your narration must be convincing enough to make people click and pay!
Keep the goal amount that can be easily achieved, yet covers your cost as much as possible. Share your story with us and we can help you by sharing it on our social media platforms. You can utilize this money for booking your seat in the desired program and also buy your flight tickets to the destination country.
4. Book your flight tickets as early as possible
As and when you’ve finalized your dates and chosen your project, go ahead a book your flight tickets. You can check the Skyscanner website, that provides the cheapest deals. The earlier you book, the more you’ll be able to save.
If you need any help to book your flights, you can drop us a mail and we would be more than happy to guide you in this case.
5. Don’t indulge in buying expensive souvenirs
We know that you love to shop, but then. remember that if you want to cut the cost of your trip, you need to stop getting expensive souvenirs for folks back at home! Try winding it up with postcards and little souvenirs that wouldn’t make a dent in your pocket.
And for yourself, you can click photos with your new friends – that’ll act as the best souvenir ever!
6. Avoid restaurants and try the street food
When you book your project, your accommodation and meals are our concern. But we don’t provide food during the weekends, as we want you to step out and explore the local cuisine of the country.
We would suggest you not to go to expensive restaurants, rather find some good street food stall and savor the taste of the local cuisine. It’ll be delicious, and also give you the opportunity to mingle with the locals of that particular country. Observe how they relish their food, and try imitating them! It’s surely going to be fun!
7. Make a checklist of the places you want to see
If you are traveling to India for your volunteering tryst, it is quite obvious that you would wish to visit the Taj Mahal – or if you are going to Morocco, then a desert safari is a must! All the countries have beautiful places to visit and thrilling things to do – and you will miss out if you don’t make a checklist!
While your weekdays will have present plans for volunteer work, you will be free during the weekends and you can travel extensively during that time. You can get in touch with our Program Advisor who will assist you in making your travel plans. We also provide weekend tours at all our destinations, and you can choose your preferred ones from the list.
Once you do the planning correctly, you’ll see that cost has reduced manifolds and you can manage your trip at a much lower cost compared to what you had imagined it to be. Join our Facebook Group to know about the experiences of our past volunteers. For any further help, you can directly drop us a mail at [email protected] and our Program Advisors will get back to you 🙂
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