Hello All, As I write this newsletter I am at the Rosario Resort Marina on Orcas Island. Orcas Island is the largest of the beautiful San Juan Islands in the State of Washington. The San Juans are the best place in the world to see the endangered Orcas (Killer) Whales; because they live in the …
Hello All! it is the time of year when many of us are planning our future travel and international voluntourism and volunteering projects. A well researched international volunteer or voluntourism trip can be a very fulfilling experience. For me, the greatest satisfaction has been the friends I have made. Also, it is exciting and rewarding …
The term “voluntourism” has been used over the past few years to define travel that combines sightseeing with some volunteering. This issue of the newsletter discusses voluntourism and includes articles by travelers who have participated in voluntourism programs. Read more here.
This website is primarily a resource for international volunteer opportunities for persons over 50 years of age. Recently I have noticed many visitors to the site have an interest in obtaining information about international employment. Read more.
As the year 2016 draws to a close, and we are thinking about our goals for the coming year, it is a good time to think about where we would like to devote some time to share our experience and skills internationally in 2017. International volunteering, done in well thought out and community supported programs, …
I know that my ego often gets aligned with my work, because it has been my focus for many years. In March of this year I really wasn’t feeling well. My body was telling me something but I wasn’t listening. My son who was calling me every so often said, “Dad, every time I call …
With the intention of promoting volunteer tourism in this fascinating country, Tourism Authority of Thailand has joined forces with a number of voluntourism agencies to raise awareness of the many exciting and rewarding opportunities that Thailand has to offer. TAT’s commitment to promoting voluntourism is certainly no gimmick with a view to merely boosting the …
Handicrafts are a very important part of a developing country’s economy. Aside from their economic impact they also hone the skills and talents of the artisans while preserving unique ancestral and cultural crafts. The cottage industries built around handicrafts are particularly important to women. I first noticed this while serving with the Peace Corps in Guatemala.
Bethe Dufresne is a journalist who lives in Connecticut. She traveled to Nairobi, Kenya in 2009 to cover the debut of the first free school for girls in the notorious Kibera slum; the largest slum in East Africa. The many visits that Bethe made to Kibera, and the current popularity of “poverty tourism”, prompted her …
Bethe Dufresne is a journalist who lives in Connecticut. She traveled to Nairobi, Kenya in 2009 to cover the debut of the first free school for girls in the notorious Kibera slum; the largest slum in East Africa. The many visits that Bethe made to Kibera, and the current popularity of “poverty tourism”, prompted her …
