preview is there for a reason!!
argh, scratch "there and"

Nanabee - most likely not in the traditional sense as far as signing up through a group etc but yes, I have done volunteer travel. My experience was over all very good. I got a little frustrated because of the flight arrangements and the lack of organization with travel on the front end but other then that it was great.

My ds and my stepdaughter have also done volunteer travel and had great experiences. My sd just returned from Kenya and more recently she just got back from New Mexico where she repaired homes/construction on a reservation for a week as well as doing a carnival for the children there. She is leaving for Domenica Republic at the end of June. I was going to go with her but my school schedule does not permit it.

Thanks for the info MomDD.
Sounds like you have great kids!

Nanabee - are you looking for an opportunity?

And thank you!

Yes, I would like to find out about volunteer travel. A guide/reference book I am reading right now indicates that many volunteer organizations require minimum stays (some as long as 30 day minimums). So I am trying to figure out if I can take off that much time. I would prefer Mexico, or possibly south Pacific areas.

I know in both Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta there are short term opporunities to help out with kids, like at schools, orphanage, sports leagues. Over at the Trip Advisor destination forums see posts from 'Tooley' on the CSL board and 'bzy1' on PV's.

Nanabee - you can find something for less time then that. I have several sites I can direct you to - they are all faith based though. Not sure if that is something you are interested in.

Question - is the cost of your volunteer travel tax deductible? I'm assuming it would be if it's got the appropriate IRS designation. MomDDTravel did you deduct your's?

thanks suze i will check out trip advisor. i am interested in PV.

momdd - i am not opposed to a faith based group (are they a little on the liberal side? you know me - lol)

patandhank - is it tax deductible if it is done out of the united states? i should check into that too.

I am also thinking about Green Volunteer or Nature Conservation volunteering.

Also Google 'volunteer work puerto vallarta' there's loads of opportunities in the area.

Yes I have on occasion looked into volunteer opportunities (habitat for humanity) but the ones I came across always seemed so expensive, way more money than I can afford to spend on a vacation. So I think something along the lines of a cheap vacation + in a place you can do the volunteer work, at least for me would be a better fit. (I would not be willing to go thru a religious sponsored program myself).

Patandhank - it really depends - most of mine was tax deductible - certain things are not - like shots etc. If who you are going through is a Non-profit and you write the checks TO them it is deductible - but say you buy your airfare - or other things - it is NOT. Hope that makes sense?

Nanabee - DR has some GREAT opportunities and it is a decent flight time etc. - I am getting in the shower for brunch but will get back to you. I am hopeful to be able to go there after my nursing school completes...

Awesome that you want to do this!

I haven;t don it, but a friend of mine, who's a pharmacist, traveled with a medical mission to the Dominican. She went for 6 weeks with a group of MDs and nurses to a couple of villages in the boonies, and said it was incredibly rewarding - since it was so easy to cure people with just the use of basic medications.

She had to pay her own way and helped gather donated medications from pharma companies. She was especially valuable since she spoke the language and could reinforce proper use of medications with the patients (who sometimes try to share them with others - then end up with sub-therapuetic doses - and giving other a med that won;t cure their problem.

thanks again MomDD
nytraveler - I would love to do a medical mission. I checked into Doctors Without Borders, but they have very strick requirements (one is you must know French, which I don't).
Do you remember the name of the medical mission you friend went on?

Not exactly volunteer travel, but as a UN and World Bank and USAID short-term contractor, have negotiated deals to go places and work for pay, but pay my own expenses to get there and pay my expenses while there. I had to have pretty solid credentials to become a contractor to begin with, though (years and years of experience with int'l development agencies and a specialty). Don't know if this is helpful or not, but you can browse the websites of those organizations to find out about volunteer positions and consultancies.

My daughter spent several months in Europe doing volunteer work with an organization called Volunteers for Peace. She had one fantastic experience and one not so great. But the good one was really amazing and I'd recommend it. She happened to work in Estonia, but there are opportunities all over. I think you just have to ask a lot of questions as you make your inquiries to find out the particulars. Some programs are more geared for people under, say 35, and others are available to all of us. If you google Volunteers for Peace without putting it in quotes, a lot of organizations will come up.

One opportunity was with Habitat for Humanity, I believe either in Hungary or Poland, but, of course, they have projects going all over the world. Also, the program my daughter did had no minimum time requirement. I mean, there was a two week program, a six week program, etc. But nothing that required a month, at the least. Check it out.

Also, depending upon your religious commitments (views, etc), there are lots of humanitarian activities that various denominations or interfaith groups are looking for people to volunteer. Everything from digging ditches for wells and trenches to teaching school, being a medical worker, etc. There are actually a lot of volunteer things out there. Have fun!

Nanabee - email if you like - Dawn Noel M @ aol dot com

I will send you all the information - I think it would be easier

Remind me are you a Dr or RN?

There is another poster who is going on a similar trip this summer but I am not sure if it has been posted here and I do not want to share it if they have not. I will email her to see...

MomDD I am neither (actually I am a teacher) but I would be interested in a medical mission if some organization allowed people like me to be trained in simple stuff.

Thanks madison and StCirq. I will also check out the UN. And local interfaith organizations might be a good source. I could actually go and speak directly to them.

These ideas are wonderful. Thank you so much.

Nanabee - teachers are HIGHLY needed. I have a friend who just returned from Rwanda - she is a teacher and brought teachers with her - to educate other teachers ... do not under estimate your personal skill set.

MomDd - I love teaching, but would love to take a busman's holiday from teaching while doing volunteering I would like to experience a new way to connect with people and have them teach me about their culture.

Probably the best way to go about this really is just as people are suggesting. Seek out formal projects that will let you participate for the length of time you have available. Do some research to make sure they're reputable.

That said, since you asked as a general question as well, my wife and I have been known to seek out independent opportunities to help and have enjoyed that. We've learned about small on-the-ground operations in developing countries (in our case, almost always orphanages) and shown up to see what, if anything, they need done. We've not been turned away from helping out swinging a hammer, teaching the kids and so on. And of course, arrange for food and things that they may need and can be coordinated locally. We've always enjoyed these times.

You could give Volunteer Latin America a try if you are thinking of volunteering in that region of the world. Their service informed me about 35 projects that matched my interests. I then contacted the project I most wanted to join and reserved my space. It really was as simple as that.

What initially attracted me to them was their website. However, after contacting them I discovered just how much time they have spent in the region and their vast knowledge of the projects available. They carefully choose the projects they offer to ensure a rewarding volunteer experience. Better still, everything they offer is affordable or free. Having looked on the web at other volunteer prgrams I am convinced I saved myself hundreds, if not thousands of pounds by setting up my own placement.

I had a brilliant Ecuador workign in a cloud forest and recommend anyone thinking of working overseas to set up their own placement rather than working through an expensive placement/sending agency.

Check them out: http://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com

Clifton your approach is interesting, I like that.
Algreco - I will check out the web site. Thanks so much.

it's what i suggested above as well.

Yes, Suze, I am particularly interested in what you wrote. I think PV is an area I am thinking a lot about. I'm also interested in the Yucatan area of Mexico.

Theresa - Mamaw <sp> ? Has some experience outside of Cancun.

I like Clifton's approach - it is a great way to establish relationships - one thing you can do is try to reach the local church in the area and see what the needs are - they are often aware of what is going on.

Ngamba Island in Lake Victoria in Uganda is a Jane Goodall Chimp Sanctuary. Plenty of time to watch chimps in addition to the duties. I ended up helping with surgery--Norplant birth control implants were replaced--and I have no medical background. Other duties were organizing the visitor center, cage cleaning, helping at feeding time. You need extensive records on vaccines and immunities for the sake of the chimps. Great experience, but somewhat pricey. It is even more pricey than when I went in 2004. For more info, here's a link to an account of my time at Ngamba:

http://www.fodors.com/community/africa-the-middle-east/volunteer-at-jane-goodall-chimp-sanctuary.cfm

Schools sometimes have adopted other schools in less prosperous countries and staff members and students can go there as volunteers in a variety of capacities. I joined up with a school group to deliver educational supplies and help build latrines in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. After the latrine work, our group completed a regular tour of Guatemala. The homestay aspect during the volunteering was outstanding. Any of these groups would probably be happy with another volunteer. We all paid for the privilege of volunteering.

I don't know its current status, but Wolong Nature Reserve in Chengdu, China allowed visitors to help at the panda sanctuary. The reason I don't know about its current status is that there were deadly earthquakes in the area since I volunteered in 2006. I hope volunteering is again being offered because it was fantastic. Volunteers pay for the volunteer privilge. I'll include a link to a detailed report. http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/report-on-volunteering-at-wolong-panda-reserve.cfm

Good luck in your volunteering venture, Nanabee!

Oh, one more that does not require a month. None of the above I mentioned took a month.

In Orr, MN is a black bear refuge, Vince Shute Black Bear Sanctuary. I've visited 3 times and this is one fascinating place. My only volunteer effort was when I helped the real volunteers one afternoon. But you can stay on the premises for a few days to months as a bear volunteer. Here is a link to their site that gives more info.
http://www.americanbear.org/get-involved/volunteer.html

Feel free to email if you wanted more info on any of this.

So far so good nanabee. Last time we did this was in Granada, Nicaragua, a 16th century colonial city next to a massive lake (we took some of the kids on a boat ride to some islands) and volcano (hiking the crater rim w/o kids another day), so it lent time to do our own thing as well. A good balance for us.

Good luck in finding what you're looking for. ps, I've always envied Lynn her trips with the animals. Read many a trip report from her.

Hi .. I am wanting to volunteer for two weeks at "Orphans of Kilimanjaro" on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro June 2010. Their goal is to care for the orphans by supplying food, clothing and educational assistance. Due to the high incidence of AIDS in the area, the orphans live with extended families and friends. The volunteers assist in the delivery of food clothing, school supplies and other needed items given directly to the orphan. You can work with orphans, teach in the local schools or assist at the local hospital in Kilema or local clinic. You may choose to stay from one to twelve weeks, and R&B for one week is $165.00 Several houses are available to stay in with bathrooms that have hot showers. If you would like more information you can check out their website : www.orphansofkilimanjaro.org

There are plenty of volunteer opportunities here in the US.
I know people who went to Louisiana a few months after Katrina and helped repair and build houses.
I worked for a week for the USFS as a guide at a historic Guard Station with a project called Passport in Time. They have many different projects in many states.