Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
voluntourism: what are your thoughts?
Old 02-28-2011, 11:22 AM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: dubuque
Posts: 1,169
voluntourism: what are your thoughts?

I was on the AARP site this morning and was reading about something they call voluntourism. this is where you pay for your expenses ahead of time and volunteer to work in some destination. anyone ever heard of or had experience with this?
frank is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 02-28-2011, 11:36 AM   #2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
travelover's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,328
I've done 5 trips with Earthwatch. They have a small team of 5 - 10 people that work with a researcher. The volunteers help with the field work. For me it was a great way to see things that I would never see on my own. For example, in the Virgin islands I got to patrol the beaches and collect leather back sea turtle eggs to be relocated. It was an amazing feeling to have this 1000 pound beast laying her eggs right into my hands in the middle of the night. In Kenya I worked on a black rhino preserve and part of the job was to hike daily with armed guards and count wildlife like elephants, giraffes, cape buffalo and, of course, rhinos. In Brazil we spent all day in a canoe observing giant river otters and numerous other birds and animals, including macaws.

All of your expenses, including airfare, are tax deductible. Earthwatch also has archeological digs and medical programs in the US and throughout the world.

Earthwatch - Change the World. Yourself
travelover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 12:52 AM   #3
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
obgyn65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: midwestern city
Posts: 4,061
Hello Frank - I volunteer abroad several weeks a year as a medical provider. Please let me know if you wish to know additional information and I will send you some websites in a separate email. Thank you.
__________________
Very conservative with investments. Not ER'd yet, 48 years old. Please do not take anything I write or imply as legal, financial or medical advice directed to you. Contact your own financial advisor, healthcare provider, or attorney for financial, medical and legal advice.
obgyn65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 04:31 AM   #4
Recycles dryer sheets
JBmadera's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Green Valley
Posts: 245
sure, DW is a full time volunteer and it costs me a bundle, nothing too remote so far but she loves it and is truly loved by the women she serves. DD has gone on a couple of service trips and those cost as well but they have been life changing experiences for her so I'm gladly dusting off the wallet so she can participate.

great topic!
JBmadera is offline   Reply With Quote
Don't Overlook the U.S.
Old 03-01-2011, 05:32 AM   #5
Full time employment: Posting here.
nvestysly's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 599
Don't Overlook the U.S.

There are lots of opportunities in the United States. I don't know of a specific web site that aggregates all the volunteer opportunities in the U.S. but individual agencies certainly have volunteer postions available.

One that come to mind is Habitat for Humanity (particularly on the Gulf Coast in addition to all around the nation). Bring your RV or a stay at a local hotel/church/gymnasium and work for a day, week, longer.

Also in the New Orleans area is St. Bernard Project. Similar to Habitat and they always need volunteers.

I've heard of archeological digs in the West/Southwest, oil cleanups on the Gulf of Mexico, housing and water improvements in rural areas. Check out United We Serve - don't know much about it but it may be worth checking.

You go to a new area of the U.S. - see some people & places you've not experienced before - the agency is able to accomplish its work with volunteers. Sounds like a domestic version of voluntourism.

On edit: All For Good comes up when I searched on the United We Serve web site.
__________________
Dreamin' of Streamin'
FIRE'd at 52 on 7/8/11
nvestysly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 09:24 AM   #6
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: dubuque
Posts: 1,169
obgyn65: I would be interested in the info you have available. although I am not a health care professional it would be interesting to see what is available that I might be able to do. thanks
frank is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 09:36 AM   #7
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Fireup2020's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,250
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelover View Post
I've done 5 trips with Earthwatch. They have a small team of 5 - 10 people that work with a researcher. The volunteers help with the field work. For me it was a great way to see things that I would never see on my own. For example, in the Virgin islands I got to patrol the beaches and collect leather back sea turtle eggs to be relocated. It was an amazing feeling to have this 1000 pound beast laying her eggs right into my hands in the middle of the night. In Kenya I worked on a black rhino preserve and part of the job was to hike daily with armed guards and count wildlife like elephants, giraffes, cape buffalo and, of course, rhinos. In Brazil we spent all day in a canoe observing giant river otters and numerous other birds and animals, including macaws.

All of your expenses, including airfare, are tax deductible. Earthwatch also has archeological digs and medical programs in the US and throughout the world.

Earthwatch - Change the World. Yourself
Thanks to someone on this board (probably you Travelover!) I am a member, and am looking forward to incorporating these trips into my ER plans! Hope to do a trip or two before then though! Have you been on any trips you would not recommend?
__________________
Make no mistake, my friend, it takes more than money to make men rich. - A. P. Gouthey
Fireup2020 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 09:39 AM   #8
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ziggy29's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
The thought of paying to volunteer rubs me the wrong way. Sure, maybe it's more economical than a vacation and if it was stuff you'd like to do anyway, so be it.
__________________
"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
ziggy29 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 02:08 PM   #9
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
DangerMouse's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 1,812
Volunteer and Voluntour Scams in Nepal | Hole In The Donut Travels

You might find the above blog post interesting as it is on the very subject.
__________________

I be a girl, he's a boy. Think I maybe FIRED since July 08. Mid 40s, no kidlets. Actually am totally clueless as to what is going on with DH.
DangerMouse is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 02:53 PM   #10
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
GregLee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Waimanalo, HI
Posts: 1,881
Quote:
Originally Posted by DangerMouse View Post
Volunteer and Voluntour Scams in Nepal | Hole In The Donut Travels

You might find the above blog post interesting as it is on the very subject.
It is very interesting, thank you. And aside from the interest of the narrative, I think Barbara Weibel is a top notch photographer.
__________________
Greg (retired in 2010 at age 68, state pension)
GregLee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 05:59 PM   #11
Moderator Emeritus
M Paquette's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Portland
Posts: 4,946
Interesting. DS had a rather different experience. He did a volunteer stint last summer with a religious organization specializing in engineering work, into which he paid to cover the travel costs.

The group put him in touch with other civil engineers, architects, and support folks, helped with forming a team and selection of a project, and provided back office support on their project, which involved design of a new church, including housing, school facilities, a small farm, and infrastructure including a clean water supply maintainable using local materials.

Their team brushed up on civil engineering code specifics for Zambia, where the facility will be built, and planned out on-site activities that they would need to accomplish to develop and deliver a complete set of engineering and architectural plans.

The actual trip had them arriving in Lusaka, Zambia, and then traveling northeast past the 'thumb' of the Congo and then northwest to the construction site near Mansa. They spent over a week on-site surveying, investigating water, power, drainage, and related issues, and developed a draft plan for the site which was presented to the local church for review and approval. After all this they did take about 20 hours for fun on the way back, going on a photo safari and taking a swim at the top of Victoria Falls, before heading to the airport.

The team spent additional time working on the project after they returned, to develop a complete site plan, engineering documents, blueprints, and materials lists for the project. He really enjoyed the experience, and it has had some professional benefits as well.
M Paquette is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2011, 09:03 PM   #12
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29 View Post
The thought of paying to volunteer rubs me the wrong way. Sure, maybe it's more economical than a vacation and if it was stuff you'd like to do anyway, so be it.
It rubs me the wrong way that it is tax deductible. Why should people get a tax break for doing something they decided they wanted to do anyway, found the experience 'amazing', got to visit a place they wanted to, etc?

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2011, 07:04 AM   #13
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: dubuque
Posts: 1,169
erd50: are you saying that if you went on a business trip to some nice location, worked the biggest part of the time, but then decided to go swimming or to a spa for a few hours that the whole trip should not be tax deductible?
frank is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2011, 08:12 AM   #14
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
photoguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,301
Quote:
Originally Posted by frank View Post
erd50: are you saying that if you went on a business trip to some nice location, worked the biggest part of the time, but then decided to go swimming or to a spa for a few hours that the whole trip should not be tax deductible?
If you are actually working, shouldn't you have a work visa? and are you possibly taking away a job from the locals -- from what I've seen many of these volunteer opportunities don't require particularly specialized skills like simply counting species observations (obviously some like medical / engineering tasks excepted).

The last time I looked into one of these packages, I was very turned off by the *guidance* they gave you to say to the country's immigration officer. (Basically trying to hide what you were doing).
photoguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2011, 08:17 AM   #15
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by frank View Post
erd50: are you saying that if you went on a business trip to some nice location, worked the biggest part of the time, but then decided to go swimming or to a spa for a few hours that the whole trip should not be tax deductible?
I think it would be fair if nothing above the basics to get the business done was tax deductible.

But I think this sort of taxation is crazy anyhow - it gets far too complex, too many judgement calls, exceptions, etc. That's why I like the idea of a NST as the sole tax. Tax what is spent - forget the reason why - done. But that is for another thread.

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2011, 11:42 AM   #16
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
travelover's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,328
Quote:
Originally Posted by photoguy View Post
If you are actually working, shouldn't you have a work visa? and are you possibly taking away a job from the locals -- from what I've seen many of these volunteer opportunities don't require particularly specialized skills like simply counting species observations (obviously some like medical / engineering tasks excepted)..........
In the Earthwatch example I used above, the utility is in the funds raised from Americans and Europeans coming to the site. Of course, you could hire locals to do what we did, but that would not provide the funding that the researchers needed.
travelover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2011, 06:41 PM   #17
Gone but not forgotten
Khan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,924
Send a message via AIM to Khan
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelover View Post
I've done 5 trips with Earthwatch. They have a small team of 5 - 10 people that work with a researcher. The volunteers help with the field work. For me it was a great way to see things that I would never see on my own. For example, in the Virgin islands I got to patrol the beaches and collect leather back sea turtle eggs to be relocated. It was an amazing feeling to have this 1000 pound beast laying her eggs right into my hands in the middle of the night. In Kenya I worked on a black rhino preserve and part of the job was to hike daily with armed guards and count wildlife like elephants, giraffes, cape buffalo and, of course, rhinos. In Brazil we spent all day in a canoe observing giant river otters and numerous other birds and animals, including macaws.

All of your expenses, including airfare, are tax deductible. Earthwatch also has archeological digs and medical programs in the US and throughout the world.

Earthwatch - Change the World. Yourself
I did a gig with Earthwatch: St Croix USVI, leatherback turtles.
Too decrepit now to do any more.
__________________
"Knowin' no one nowhere's gonna miss us when we're gone..."
Khan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2011, 07:05 PM   #18
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
travelover's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,328
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan View Post
I did a gig with Earthwatch: St Croix USVI, leatherback turtles.
Too decrepit now to do any more.
That one is the most strenuous expedition that I have done. Walking ten miles a night with a heavy backpack, in loose sand, in the middle of the night, for a week. Whew.
travelover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2011, 07:21 PM   #19
Gone but not forgotten
Khan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,924
Send a message via AIM to Khan
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelover View Post
That one is the most strenuous expedition that I have done. Walking ten miles a night with a heavy backpack, in loose sand, in the middle of the night, for a week. Whew.
Managed to lose 5 pounds in 1 week.

& brought 5 bottles of rum back in the briefcase.
__________________
"Knowin' no one nowhere's gonna miss us when we're gone..."
Khan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2011, 06:37 AM   #20
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: dubuque
Posts: 1,169
I don't know if I could handle the 10 miles a night with a backpack in loose sand. maybe I'm getting too old for this type of thing. at what age did you volunteer?
I was thinking there was something a little less strenuous available, but then I have never checked the options available. Then again the rum might help with the sore muscles.
frank is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Thoughts on this portfolio LRAO FIRE and Money 10 01-30-2009 03:50 PM
Thoughts on Why We Do This megacorp-firee Young Dreamers 11 01-21-2008 01:59 PM
Any thoughts on this ? frayne Other topics 1 02-26-2007 01:39 PM
May I have your thoughts on this, please? AlmostDone FIRE and Money 6 02-20-2007 06:47 PM
Your Thoughts Bozo Hi, I am... 11 09-19-2004 03:57 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:26 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.