Travel for Good: Volunteer Vacations on Travelocity

When you think of Travelocity, you might think about good flight + hotel deals, or even a little bearded gnome. But Travelocity has added a new feature to bring you closer to the environment and cultures in the countries where you travel. Travel for Good allows you to explore volunteer vacations and help out on projects whether you stay in the United States or want to travel to Central America, Asia, Europe or Africa. You can read more about volunteer vacations in Times Staff Writer Kimi Yoshino’s article, “Voluntourism: Vacationers go the extra mile to do good.”

Deal or no deal? Volunteer vacations do not mean free trips. While there are amazing travel opportunities that get you up close and personal with different cultures and your environment like working with Costa Rican monkeys or teaching children in Ghana, each trip comes with a price tag that does not include your round-trip international airfare. The cost of the trip covers your accommodations and food while you are working as well as all permits needed. If you are looking to volunteer closer to home and require a small price tag, check out Take Pride in America and use the “Find a Volunteer Opportunity” database to look for an volunteer event near you.

Bonus: Travelocity’s Travel for Good section also has a Go Zero feature that lets customers buy carbon offsets. So, you can help the environment no matter where you’re traveling to.

Have you ever taken a volunteer vacation? Where did you go? Can you describe the unforeseen benefits of this type of travel?

Contact: Travelocity has teamed up with Earthwatch Institute, Globe Aware, Cross-Cultural Solutions and Take Pride in America. They can each be found on the Travel for Good page and lead to their own websites.