The Director of the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), has announced that the Covid 19 Global Health Emergency has ended.
The disease hasn’t left us, and we need to be cautious, but the announcement will facilitate international travel and volunteering.
The world certainly needs the help of humanitarian volunteers and workers. Climate change, and war, are having devastating effects on millions of people. Well-run, ethical humanitarian and volunteer-sending organizations are developing programs to help people in need. Our Programs section lists current volunteer opportunities and is updated with new information as we receive it.
Inflation has motivated many people to consider retiring, or moving, overseas. We will be adding more international retirement information to our future newsletters. You can also find excellent information on such websites as International Living, Expat.com, Expatica.com, Expatfocus.com,
In this post, we lead off with a heartfelt article about the experience a father and son had on a volunteer expedition to Nepal. Other pieces include A Singles Guide to Making Friends Overseas, IRS Tax Deductions for Volunteer Work, Using Multi-Currency Accounts to Save Money on Overseas Travel, Where to Volunteer with Refugees in 2023, Group Travel Companies for Single Travelers Over 50 and Travel More, Spend Less.
Enjoy the newsletter. Please let me know if there is other information you would like to see, either on our website or in the newsletter.
What Distinguishes Service Expeditions from Poverty Tourism? – In the poorest hills of Nepal, getting more than I can ever give.
The father and son team of Doug and Preston Robinson, from the U.S. State of Utah, served on a Choice Humanitarian
expedition to Nepal in the summer of 2022. Their life-changing trip was suggested by Preston, to his father, as a form of therapy for the loss of their mother and wife. This article, written by father Doug, highlights the satisfaction that a properly implemented international volunteer program delivers to both the community served and the volunteers.
Read Service vs Tourism
Singles Guide to Making Friends and Fitting In Overseas
One of the questions singles have about moving and living overseas is “How do we make friends?” In this article, writer Jessica Ramesch, in International Living, offers, based on her experience, some excellent tips about what to do to begin to socialize after an overseas move.
Read Friends Overseas
IRS Deductions – Does Volunteer Work Count?
For our U.S. readers, Russel Falcon in News Nation, writes about the tax deductibility of expenses a volunteer spends on an international volunteer assignment. Included in the article is a link to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service that explains what is deductible. Our international readers might check into their country’s tax department to find possible deductions.
Read Deductions
How Multi-currency Accounts Take the Bite Out of Spending Abroad
In the New York Times, Danielle Braff, discusses various ways the international traveler can save money on international currency exchanges and transactions. I know I always wonder, when I travel internationally, how I can exchange money or pay expenses in an economically efficient manner. The article offers some pathways to monetary efficiency.
Where to Volunteer Abroad with Refugees in 2023
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in May 2022, estimated that there were over 100 million displaced persons in the world. And now we have Ukraine and Sudan. Sarah Brace, writing for GoOverseas, offers what she considers the best seven countries in which to volunteer to work with refugees in 2023. She also presents some suggestions on how to identify ethical international volunteer opportunities.
Read Refugee in 2023
The Best Travel Companies for Travellers Over 50 in 2023
In a colorful, and fact-filled article, on the website TheFlashPacker, London -based writer Bridget offers her choices of the group travel companies that single travelers should consider when planning their 2023 trips.
Read Travel Companies
Travel More, Spend Less
In this short article in Next Avenue, Edd and Cynthi Staton offer some great tips on how to save on your travel. Two years ago they put all of their belongings in storage and began traveling the world on a Social Security budget. They share what they learned in Travel More, Spend Less
