Frommer's 500 Places Where You Can Make a Difference

by Andrew Mersmann

Inspired by the eye-opening events of 9/11, the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, more and more people are waking up to the value of service - and realizing that their vacation may be the best place to incorporate it into their hectic lives. Even more profoundly, many travelers are deciding that the best way to recharge may not be lying on a beach, but stepping outside of their normal routine to make a difference in the lives of others. The result is an experience that allows travelers to explore a culture in great depth, make new friends, and come home feeling that they have learned and benefited even more than those they have helped. The book will provide a diverse range of volunteer vacations, with most trips easily accomplished within a one or two-week vacation. Following the highly successful format of Frommer's 500 Places To Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up, chapters will be organized by subject, providing dozens of unique vacation ideas for any How you know if a volunteer vacation is right for you, and what to ask Sharing your teaching vacations Animal surveying wildlife, animal rescue Working with orphanages, at-risk youth, street kids Scientific archaeology, marine life Healing the conservation work, trail building, tree planting Building better construction projects and manual labor Share the AIDS education, working with the disabled, feeding the hungry Teaching through coaching and training Bridging working with indigenous peoples, historical preservation, music Special becoming a festival volunteer Crossing helping seniors Getting elections, human rights, refugee relief, community organizing conflict resolution and security Religious retreats and faith-based assistance Bringing opportunities for those with specialized skills Serving your children-friendly trips that will open their eyes to the world

Genres: Nonfiction

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I did pretty much read this from cover to cover. I'm super excited about this book, because all of the things I've read on volunteer vacations before had trips that were $1500-3000 plus airfare (with the exception of WWOOF), and this book has so many options, including ones that are much more affordable. I've spent nearly 15 years of my life involved in volunteerism close to home, and would like to do some elsewhere as well.

[Victoria Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for finding volunteering vacations where you can get away but make a difference at the same time. Each of the 500 entries contains a well written description of the project, job, and how to contact the organization running the project. I found my volunteering vacation, find yours!

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book if you'd like to travel to volunteer

[Kini Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful guide if you are interested to begin your exploration for global volunteering