Ken Budd's father dies abruptly, causing him to question what gives his own life meaning. He gets an email calling for volunteers to help out in New Orleans after Katrina. After that experience, he decides he will become a serial voluntourist, visiting several countries to help with a variety of projects: an orphanage in Kenya; studying climate change in Ecuador; a refugee camp in Palestine.

It's an interesting read, although I felt the prose could have been tightened in some areas. He did a good job unifying all his experiences, an accomplishment given how different each one is. I had problems keeping track of the many characters introduced on each trip.

This is definitely an armchair travel kind of a book. I didn't feel inspired to embark on my own voluntourist trip after finishing it though.