What Are the Benefits of Volunteering Abroad?

Is there a cause out there that fires you up, fuels passionate discussion, and calls out to your soul so strongly that it inspires action?

You’ll likely find heaps of volunteer opportunities in your own backyard—some community-oriented and others with a national or even global reach. And yet, looking a little further past your own borders, you unlock unlimited opportunities to grow and fight for any cause that drives passion. Because let’s face it, you won’t be saving too many sea turtles in the middle of the Arizona desert.

If sea turtles *are* your cause, don’t forget to keep a respectful distance!

As interconnected as the world is today, it’s hard to imagine an issue that doesn’t also impact outside communities and countries. As such, we can learn from today’s problems (no matter where they are) to create better, more effective solutions to apply down the road at a global scale.

So, we can probably agree that volunteering abroad is a two-way street, but what exactly does each side have to gain? Here are some solid benefits of volunteering abroad, as well as common concerns you may have heard.

6 major benefits of volunteering abroad

What do you gain from volunteering abroad? Let’s uncover some golden nuggets.

1. Communities benefit from your skills and enthusiasm

Some programs that involve youth education and childcare, for example, will have an instant impact. Others, such as monitoring marine ecosystems, feed into the larger picture and contribute to a cause with a longer timeline. No matter when a project comes to fruition, host communities feel the advantages of volunteering abroad in several ways.

Outside help is especially beneficial when it introduces skills that were otherwise short in demand in a community. A degree in finance could help shape curriculum and teach courses in microfinance. On the other hand, premed students, nurses, and others in the medical field can make a world of a difference providing primary healthcare services while volunteering abroad.

In places where help can’t be found locally, volunteers will make an immense difference.

2. Mom, grandpa, or the whole squad can join in

Meaningful travel experiences like studying or interning abroad often have many requirements in place that make it difficult to go with anyone other than yourself. On the other hand, volunteer abroad programs make it much easier for ma, pa, or all your homies to jump on the bandwagon and join a cause. If you’re looking for a unique experience to share in a relationship, you can even grab your S.O. as you work towards a unified goal.

As a result, there are also several volunteer abroad programs that are kid friendly and welcome the entire family to come help out!

3. It’s a two-way street of cultural exchange

Whether you’re working with a women’s empowerment organization or planting trees, you’ll have a chance to work with people from a diverse set of backgrounds and cultures while volunteering abroad.

Of course, a large part of the allure of volunteering abroad for participants is the cultural immersion. However, just as you’re taking something away from the experience, you’ll also leave an impression culturally.

As unofficial ambassadors, volunteers share a slice of their customs and traditions with the communities abroad. There’s so much more to it than just work, so it’s okay to talk about your own hobbies and perspectives! Pros of volunteering abroad go both ways.

4. There’s a positive impact on the local economy (when done right)

Make the most of your experience by properly immersing in the local community!

When discussing sustainable tourism (aka, healthy tourism), there’s a common economic term thrown around called “leakage”. Simply put, this is when tourism takes money out of a tourist destination, rather than adding more money into local circulation.

This can happen when tourists decide to stay at large foreign hotel chains, buy snack brands that you have back home rather than local delicacies, or travel with foreign tour companies that employ foreign workers. In other words, all that money is being funneled back out of the country you’re visiting! Double yikes.

So how can tourism, and volunteering abroad specifically, benefit the local economy? It all goes back to how your program is organized. A program with strong ties to the local community it serves employs locals with intimate knowledge of their cause and how it affects the community.

The municipal government may even be involved to ensure that the program is meeting all qualifications to be doing what it does in a way that has lasting economic and social benefits.

5. Both long and short-term programs offer a taste of a new career path or interest

Advantages of volunteering abroad programs for both high school and undergraduate are the professional insights they provide. For example, pre-med students volunteering abroad can dip their toes into the healthcare field in projects ranging from public health to clinical care. Meanwhile, those interested in climate change will find tons of environmental projects around the world.

Basically, you get real-world field work to either deepen your knowledge or gain something new that can potentially influence your career trajectory. Likewise, volunteers of all ages get exposure to new skills and interests that they otherwise might have never known. As with anything in life, you don’t know until you try.

6. Volunteering abroad gives a deepened global insight on diverse issues

You’ll get a closer look at customs quite different from your own.

It’s no secret that people across the world do things differently based on a diverse array of historic, cultural, religious, and contemporary influences. Differences color everything from how we eat at the dinner table to how decision makers vote on larger political issues.

An advantage of volunteering abroad is that you learn about how different nations and people work towards a cause that you may or may not have a background in. This helps discover new approaches, perspectives, and solutions to implement in your own personal and professional life down the road.

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3 arguments against volunteering

Why is there a good dose of controversy swirling around volunteering in countries outside of your own? Unfortunately, not everyone who’s interested in lending a hand does it with the best interest of their cause in mind.

On the flip side, there are some shady programs out there lacking the right intentions for the communities where their projects are based. Basically, it takes two to tango, and a few missed steps can cause some iffy situations. In fairness, let’s take a look at some arguments for why volunteering abroad is bad.

1. Is it really volunteering if there’s a price tag?

Some newcomers may raise an eyebrow when discovering that volunteering abroad programs require a fee. Why pay to volunteer? This argument against volunteering suggests that by paying, participants are essentially buying a travel experience and program organizers profit off voluntourism.

The truth is even the most upright, honest, do-gooding volunteer programs will have some associated cost. With meals, flights, and accommodations alone, you’ve already racked up some bills without even lifting a finger to volunteer. So in reality, free volunteer abroad programs don’t exist.

Organizations need funds to support local workers and pay the daily expenses. However, the great news for participants is that there are tons of volunteer abroad scholarships and grants to lessen the cost and make it more affordable.

2. Volunteers from overseas sometimes aren’t a solution to a local problem

Other widely discussed, potential negative effects of volunteering abroad involve doing more harm than good. This can happen when organizations aren’t in tune with local needs, and try to implement solutions without local support or input.

Another reason volunteers abroad may not have a positive impact is when organizations replace local workers with volunteers from other countries unintentionally. All these issues can be solved by seeking out organizations and volunteer programs that have a solid connection with their local stakeholders. You’ll want to research the organization’s track record of past projects, and how the local communities benefit long-term.

3. Environmental and social causes back home should take priority

Some may also argue that volunteering abroad is bad because there are already mountains of issues back home to worry about that affect people’s neighbors. While this is true, it’s also important to think of issues in a global context.

Environmental causes, for example, impact the entire world’s ecosystems. When it comes to societal projects, volunteers from other countries often can provide much needed relief and resources that certain communities don’t have access to.

All in all, when done right, volunteering abroad has a ripple effect of benefits on mankind and our world.

READ MORE: How to Volunteer for Natural Disasters

There’s a lot to gain through volunteering abroad

No matter what your cause, you can make a difference!

To ensure both you and your host community harvest all the wonderful benefits of volunteering abroad, the first step is choosing the right program. Only by setting your experience up for success from the beginning can you make volunteering abroad as positive as can be!

Carefully choose your volunteer program based on how it works with communities, as well as volunteers. Does it have the necessary relationships and processes in place for both parties to benefit and grow from the experience long-term?

Basically, it’s not just about what you (as a volunteer) gain from volunteering abroad, but what the community takes away from the exchange, too. With the right framework, it’s then up to you to maximize your impact as a volunteer.

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