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Imagine traveling to rural villages in Guatemala, where access to basic healthcare is limited, and spending your days providing medical assistance to the community. Or, envision yourself puttinng up solar panels to bring power to a small African town. Volunteer tourism allows you to not only visit but to be an active agent in helping the people you meet along the way. The experience can help you grow as a person and can impact the local communities you travel to.
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Immerse yourself in local culture
Making the decision to volunteer while you travel can open pathways to learning about the many different and varied cultures you will encounter. According to Worldpackers, you gain a clearer perspective and understanding of the new community you are visiting because are an integrated participant, not just an outsider.
When you make the decision to help others in far reaching destinations you bring your skillset and unique experience to the table, and according to goabroad these are often skills that are not readily available in the area where you are traveling to. If you are a personal trainer, you bring your expertise and enthusiasm to help people with fitness and if you have a degree in finance or medicine to help tackle complex problems the local population may be grappling with.
Give back to local communities
According to Man’s World India, volunteer tourism provides a boost to local economies. Contributing to the local population while traveling allows volunteers to impact environmental conservation efforts and sustainability. By working with locals on volunteer projects, you'll have the opportunity to practice your language skills and improve them in a real-world setting and Worldpackers reports that it is a great way to make new friends from all over the world.
Rewarding and lifechanging experience
Volunteering teaches life skills and gives you a chance to do something of meaning and value. You can volunteer on your own or with a group of friends, which will be a chance for you to deepen your connections with them, goabroad reports. When you work together as volunteers you can create amazing lifelong memories.
Volunteering while traveling is unlike any other travel experience. You will emerge with a deepened understanding of the nuances of world culture, you may even learn a new language and you will grow as a human being in ways you never imagined.
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