Volunteer Abroad with Young Family: Everything You Need to Know

Looking for a unique way to travel as a family while making a real difference? Volunteering abroad with a young family is an incredible opportunity to bond, give back, and expose your children to new cultures—all while creating unforgettable memories together. It’s more than just a vacation; it’s a meaningful experience that teaches compassion, responsibility, and global awareness.

Balancing work, school, and daily routines can make quality family time feel scarce. A volunteer abroad with a young family trip lets you break free from the usual schedule and reconnect with each other through hands-on service projects. Whether it’s helping at a wildlife sanctuary in Costa Rica, teaching English in Thailand, or supporting childcare programs in Peru, each experience brings families closer while making a positive impact on local communities.

At Vol Sol, we specialize in safe and rewarding family-friendly volunteer programs across destinations like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Kenya, and more. Our carefully designed projects ensure that every family member—kids and adults alike—can contribute in a meaningful way.

Curious about the benefits of volunteering abroad with a young family? Wondering how to plan an affordable and enriching trip? We’ve got all the answers right here. Let’s dive in!

• Why should you join a volunteering program along with your family members?
• What kind of family volunteering projects are available?
• Are young children allowed to come for the projects?
• Which are the suitable destinations for family volunteering and why?
• What is the ideal duration for volunteering abroad with family?
• What are the costs involved and are there any group discounts available?

 

Why should you join a volunteering program along with your family members?

• It’s a good feeling. The satisfaction and pride that you feel from helping others are important reasons to be a volunteer. When you commit for a cause you feel strongly about, the sense of fulfillment can be endless.
• It strengthens your family bonds. Volunteerism is a great way for families to spend time together, have fun, and feel the closeness. But many people say they don’t have the time to volunteer after completing work and family commitments. If the situation is really like that, then you can discuss with your folks what they would like doing during their free time. You can select just one or two projects in a year and make it more like a vacation of community service.
• Helps you know more about each other’s’ strengths and weaknesses. Volunteering projects are usually challenging, and working together as a family will enable you to know about the other person’s strengths and weaknesses. It’ll also let you know when to stretch the hand for help.

If you are a parent, then you should definitely go for a volunteering trip with your kids, as it would help them in multifarious ways. When volunteering begins at an early age, it can become a part of the kids’ lives — something they might just expect and want to do. They would also learn the value of helping others. It can teach them:

• To be responsible – By volunteering, kids tend to learn what it means to make and keep a commitment. They learn how to be punctual for a job, deliver their best, and be proud of the outcome. They also learn that we are all responsible for the well-being of our communities, and for the well-being of the world at large.
• One person can make a difference – A wonderful, encouraging, and empowering message for kids is that they are important enough to have an impact on someone/ something else.
• The quality of sacrifice – By giving up a toy to a less fortunate one, a kid learns that sometimes it’s good to sacrifice. It is important to teach kids to share their things with others.
• Tolerance -Working for the community can bring kids and teens in touch with people of different backgrounds, abilities, ethnicity, age, education, and income levels. They will learn that even the most diverse individuals can be united by common values.
• Acquire job skills – Community service can help young people decide about their future careers. Learning to work as a team member, taking on leadership roles, setting project goals – these are all skills that can be gained by volunteering and will help your kids well in any future career.

 

What kind of family volunteering projects are available?

In order to cater to different family needs, we have sourced projects that cover a wide array of destinations and work. For families that have animal lovers and nature lovers in them, we have projects in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Costa Rica. Guided under professionals, these projects are safe for children and create an opportunity for children to get close to nature and taste what’s life like in the countryside.

The Elephant and Community Work Project in Thailand deserves a special mention here.  Projects in Costa Rica are also popular amongst families as there is a lot of conservation work and spending time in the fields. This is an ideal clubbing of doing some good work, spending quality time together, and getting the kids to experience and work with nature.

For families that are looking to work with kids and also give their children a look into the lives of underprivileged children, we have projects that revolve around childcare. Activities that can be undertaken at these projects include taking basic English lessons, designing fun and educative play games for kids, and living with locals like a local.

Projects in Nepal, India, and Costa Rica are also recommended for ample cultural immersion activities in addition to childcare projects. Projects in Peru with kids in kindergarten and daycare centers along with the language and culture immersion week, too, is an option that the families that have a working knowledge of Spanish can explore for their volunteering trip abroad.

Are young children allowed to come for the projects?

Accompanied by adults, children above the age of 4 are allowed to come for most volunteering projects. This is made mandatory so that families can truly work and involve themselves in the projects together and parents aren’t occupied with only taking care of toddlers the entire time. However, in case there are a group of families traveling together and there are more than one or two caretakers, exceptions can be made on a case to case basis. For specific country requirements and permissions, feel to contact our project advisors. Age limit tends to vary across different projects and other than suggested destinations, please contact our advisers.

Please note that separate Application Form has to be filled by all family members interested to participate in the projects, family-specific arrangements are made and grouped together after the application process is completed.

Which are the suitable destinations for family volunteering and why?

While volunteering projects are available throughout the world in 27 destinations, the destinations suggested are more suited for families with respect to the nature of the project, accommodation, and age requisites. Vol Sol suggests India, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bali, Tanzania, Kenya, Costa Rica, and Peru for volunteering abroad with family. With respect to volunteer work, projects which involve families to work together are made available.

Projects such as animal welfare – specifically the Elephant Volunteering Projects, conservation, and community building projects in Costa Rica which include the Turtle Conservation Project, Wildlife, and Rescue Center Volunteering amongst others are ideal for families. Orphanage, Childcare, and Teaching Monks projects in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are also recommended for families.

Specific requirements in a country other than the ones suggested arrangements can be made that suit families at extra costs.

What is the ideal duration for volunteering abroad with family?

Volunteering trips can be taken for a duration of 1 to 24 weeks. There are several 2 Week Specials that aim to give you the most in a compact time. The 2-week special volunteer projects, in particular, are ideal for families. However, if you are planning to volunteer for an extended summer/winter/spring vacation, volunteering for 4-6 weeks is an ideal duration. Weekend trips and extended weekend trips to the noteworthy sights of each destination are also facilitated at affordable costs.  For families that are looking for cultural immersion and language orientation weeks, projects in India, Nepal, Peru, and Costa Rica are highly recommended.

What are the costs involved and are there any group discounts available?

The inclusions under the project fee are accommodations, specified meals, airport pickups, full in-country assistance, in-country transportation (from the accommodation to project site), a comprehensive pre-departure information kit, project placement fee.

In case you are a big family and wish to avail group discounts, feel free to drop an email at info@volunteeringslutions.com, and project advisors will take get back to you.