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When you volunteer as part of your vacation, your trip takes on a whole new meaning. Voluntourism is a unique opportunity to contribute to the place you’re visiting while learning about and creating an individual connection with its inhabitants and environment – that’s why we call voluntourists "Change Ambassadors." This page is a chance for all Change Ambassadors to write about your experience and tell fellow travelers about the kind of impact voluntourism can have and what you learned along the way. Thank you for taking the time to share your story!
I roof houses with a group of women, and it has changed my life. Rutherford Housing Partnership is a local nonprofit that provides urgently needed repairs to the homes of qualified low-income homeowners. RHP provides materials; volunteers provide labor. Five years ago, our Sunday school class volunteered to roof a house for RHP, but when we got there, only two women had shown up to help the exp...
Nell B. (Rutherfordton , North Carolina, United States)
Tanzanians must be the most welcoming people in the world. People see us on the streets, and go out of their way to say "Karibu sana," welcoming us to their country. I arrived at the house at midnight, with three other volunteers I met at the airport. Mama Fatuma and the house staff was waiting up for us. They told us this would be our home, and encouraged us to live with them and each other a...
Holly (Atlanta, Georgia, United States)
I visted Costa Rica with my Twin 13 year old sons. I had the most amazing experience. Bringing my sons along was the best decision I have ever made. For the first week we volunteered at the local school and for the second week we worked at the orphanage. I was skeptical at first only because I have never been outside of the United States. My sons were excited. I had been hearing so much abou...
Kendra C. (Raleigh, United States)
I am back home now after my amazing month volunteering in Cusco. Since the last time I wrote, more volunteers have arrived at the albergue Hatun Soncco Wasi. It was amazing how ready they were to help and do whatever was asked of them. The volunteer projects consisted of building more fences around the rest of the gardens. Also, we assisted with the children’s sewing classes and their English clas...
Michelle G. (Arizona, United States)
I have been in Peru for two weeks now and I still can’t believe that I am here!! The Travel for Good Change Ambassador’s Grant has been a blessing and I am eager to share my experiences thus far. I chose to volunteer with an organization called Globe Aware. Their program in Cusco, Peru consisted of working at an albergue, a youth hostel for children/teens. This albergue is called Hatun Soncco W...
Michelle G. (Arizona, United States)
We are a family of four and made the decision to contribute to our vacation destinations ten years ago. We went on our first Earthwatch expedition in 2002 to assist in excavating a roman fort in South Shields, England. In 2006, my daughter and I embarked on a cultural and environmental adventure by assisting a field reseracher studing the effects of tourism on marine tucuxi dolphins. We not onl...
Denise N. (San Marino, United States)