Q: How to volunteer abroad

If you want to be an overseas volunteer, here’s how to do it: Choose which cause you want to support. If you’re thinking about volunteering abroad, you’ve most likely been inspired by a social or political issue in the world. Whether it’s climate change, LGBTQIA+ rights, refugee displacement, or beyond, it’s important to know what exactly it is you want to lend your time and effort to. Choose where to support your cause. Once you know what it is you want to do, it’s important to figure out where you’re most needed. This can sometimes be the very first step to take, since so many organizations around the world lack the staff and resources required to do their work. Find a program. Once you know what kind of volunteer work abroad you want to do and where you want to do it, it’s time to find a program that can make your dreams a reality. Of course, there’s the option to hop on a plane and find an organization on the ground all by yourself. However, you should be aware that this comes with safety and/or ethical risks, and a lot more logistics to deal with rather than volunteering abroad through a program that can do the planning for you. Save up for program fees. Can you volunteer abroad for free? Probably not. (You can find an explanation below!) Rather, volunteer programs abroad can be as expensive as study abroad programs, depending on where you’re going and what kind of accommodation you prefer. That’s why you should either fundraise for your trip (which is very common for volunteer abroad trips!), or start saving as early as possible. Apply for your visa and passport. If you’re volunteering overseas through a provider, they’ll be happy to help you apply for both of these required documents. Otherwise, you’ll want to visit your home country’s embassy website for your chosen destination. They’ll have more information for you.

Q: How much does it cost to volunteer abroad?

We need to get this out of the way up front—you can’t volunteer abroad for free. And we know how counterintuitive that sounds. Volunteering by definition is free of charge! However, when it comes to volunteer programs abroad, the logistics are a lot different than spending a couple hours at the local animal shelter every weekend. But why is volunteering abroad so expensive? Your program fees cover things like safe accommodation, reliable transportation, and an orientation to the culture you’ll be immersed in for weeks or months. Plus, fees can make a volunteer organization’s mission more sustainable. Part of your program cost goes toward staff salaries and other operational costs, which means your chosen organization can keep doing their work even after you’ve gone home.

Question 1

intro

Accepted Answer

If you want to be a volunteer overseas, we can guess that altruism is at the heart of your goals! There&rsquo;s no denying that we&rsquo;ve collectively entered an era where the feeling of wanting to do good for humankind and the Earth is nearly palpable. However, volunteering abroad has become a contentious topic recently. It&rsquo;s become increasingly important to properly vet volunteer abroad programs prior to choosing an experience due to issues of unsustainable practices and exploitation. That&rsquo;s where GoAbroad comes in! Whether you&rsquo;re looking for experiences similar to Americorps or Peace Corps, or just want to spend your summer off making a difference, we can help you find the right program for you!

Question 2

How to volunteer abroad

Accepted Answer

If you want to be an overseas volunteer, here&rsquo;s how to do it:
Choose which cause you want to support. If you&rsquo;re thinking about volunteering abroad, you&rsquo;ve most likely been inspired by a social or political issue in the world. Whether it&rsquo;s climate change, LGBTQIA+ rights, refugee displacement, or beyond, it&rsquo;s important to know what exactly it is you want to lend your time and effort to.
Choose where to support your cause. Once you know what it is you want to do, it&rsquo;s important to figure out where you&rsquo;re most needed. This can sometimes be the very first step to take, since so many organizations around the world lack the staff and resources required to do their work.
Find a program. Once you know what kind of volunteer work abroad you want to do and where you want to do it, it&rsquo;s time to find a program that can make your dreams a reality. Of course, there&rsquo;s the option to hop on a plane and find an organization on the ground all by yourself. However, you should be aware that this comes with safety and/or ethical risks, and a lot more logistics to deal with rather than volunteering abroad through a program that can do the planning for you.
Save up for program fees. Can you volunteer abroad for free? Probably not. (You can find an explanation below!) Rather, volunteer programs abroad can be as expensive as study abroad programs, depending on where you&rsquo;re going and what kind of accommodation you prefer. That&rsquo;s why you should either fundraise for your trip (which is very common for volunteer abroad trips!), or start saving as early as possible.    
Apply for your visa and passport. If you&rsquo;re volunteering overseas through a provider, they&rsquo;ll be happy to help you apply for both of these required documents. Otherwise, you&rsquo;ll want to visit your home country&rsquo;s embassy website for your chosen destination. They&rsquo;ll have more information for you.

Question 3

How much does it cost to volunteer abroad?

Accepted Answer

We need to get this out of the way up front&mdash;you can&rsquo;t volunteer abroad for free. And we know how counterintuitive that sounds. Volunteering by definition is free of charge! However, when it comes to volunteer programs abroad, the logistics are a lot different than spending a couple hours at the local animal shelter every weekend. But why is volunteering abroad so expensive?
Your program fees cover things like safe accommodation, reliable transportation, and an orientation to the culture you&rsquo;ll be immersed in for weeks or months. Plus, fees can make a volunteer organization&rsquo;s mission more sustainable. Part of your program cost goes toward staff salaries and other operational costs, which means your chosen organization can keep doing their work even after you&rsquo;ve gone home.

Question 4

Why volunteer abroad?

Accepted Answer

Volunteering abroad is one of the best ways to spend a considerable amount of time as long as it&rsquo;s done thoughtfully and ethically. But why should you volunteer overseas? Well, there are an incredible number of benefits of volunteering abroad, for both you and your organization.
For example, you&rsquo;ll relieve some stress from your volunteer organization for as long as they have your help (the longer the better, especially if you&rsquo;re looking for Peace Corps alternatives!), and ideally make a real impact with the work you&rsquo;re doing in the community. Other reasons to volunteer abroad include career benefits, skill development, and more accurate global perspectives!

Question 5

Where to volunteer abroad

Accepted Answer

As mentioned above, deciding where you should volunteer abroad depends a lot on what cause you want to volunteer for. However, if the cause isn&rsquo;t as important to you as going where you&rsquo;re most needed, then the best places to volunteer abroad for you would be countries that have recently seen natural disasters or political upheaval; or, it could be countries that have certain chronic issues, like health infrastructure or community development.
If you&rsquo;re not too picky about what you want to volunteer for, you should talk to your program provider about the best volunteer abroad destinations for open-minded, flexible volunteers.