Recently in Voluntourism Category

Voluntourism knows no age boundaries and feisty 67-year old Julie Fox of the United Kingdom is living proof. Just a few short years ago, the former science teacher and divorced mother of five found her calling to give back via the U.K.-based volunteer organization, People and Places. "It is a great way to travel, and by living with the people you are helping, you get a real understanding of local culture," says Fox.

As a solo female traveler, Fox puts a premium on safety and organization. "Having a coordinator of the project in the country you are volunteering in is a big plus," she says.  Although she didn't encounter any problems along her volunteer path, she says that People and Places was always accessible and made weekly contact to ensure that the project was going to plan. "Knowing that you are safe and working with an agenda means that more can be achieved," says Fox. "Flexibility, a sense of humour and a constant smile is often the way forward."

We caught up with Fox to find out a bit more about what inspired her to volunteer abroad, why she landed where she did, and what the "ah-hah" moments have been so far.  She breaks it down in seven questions.

Employers who give employees paid time off to volunteer get big props in my book. According to VolunteerMatch.org, a website that connects people with volunteer causes, about 27% of Americans donate time to a nonprofit, and 35% of U.S. companies have a formal volunteer program.

The benefits for the company, employee and community are innumerable. VolunteerMatch.org cites that volunteerism improves employee performance, encourages teamwork and increases morale. For the company, fostering a "give back" attitude helps build brand awareness and increases employee loyalty. As for the community, such a dynamic connects skilled volunteers with community needs and creates a quantifiable social impact. It's a win-win-win situation, really.

After spending a year volunteering abroad with several different organizations, I've pretty much figured out what does and doesn't work for me in a volunteer role. At times, volunteering has proven to be more challenging than I ever expected. Repeatedly, it has pushed me well beyond my comfort zone. It can be disconcerting and maddening and even scary at times. But every time I accomplish something I didn't think was possible in the name of giving back, I am grateful for the opportunity to test my personal limits. And I'm proud of myself - like put a gold star sticker on the fridge proud. I'm guessing every person has their own volunteering style, but here are a few things I've learned along the way when it comes to handling expectations.

I'm a stickler for manners. Maybe it was the 24-hour thank you note "rule" my mother imposed on me as a young child (which I still strictly abide by). Or maybe it was my years in the service industry where I saw the good, bad and the ugly of human behavior on a daily basis. The bottom line is that I try to practice kindness, tolerance and patience every day, and especially when I'm traveling.

Over the past few years, I've encountered very diverse populations during my volunteer travels. I've crossed paths with people of different races, nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, levels of intelligence, and those faced with unimaginable hardships. Despite our differences, I feel a responsibility as a global ambassador of the United States to put my best face - and manners - forward.

The Do Good Bus first hit my radar many months ago when I was wandering the web for volunteer opportunities.  Some women pore over eBay looking for great deals; I plot my next voluntourism adventure.  And what the Do Good Bus is doing in SoCal makes my heart swoon, akin to scoring a pair of 50-percent marked down designer heels, only way better.

Touting its tours as "a bus promising altruistic adventurism," the Do Good Bus takes a really big bus and loads it up with volunteers (whom have paid a small fee to cover costs).  Then they drive to an undisclosed location and get down to doing good with vetted grassroots organizations that are generally "cool," according to co-founder, Stephen Snedden.  In my well-versed volunteer opinion, incorporating an element of mystery is absolutely brilliant, and I'm sure it goes a long way in breaking down any first time volunteer jitters.  Activities have ranged from working with at-risk kids to building new homes to creating guerrilla gardens.  When it's all said and done, you eat, drink and celebrate your contribution to the community, before heading back out into world to contribute an abundance of unguided good.  Or at least that's the idea. Snedden says that they've had every kind of volunteer ride the Do Good Bus - from very experienced volunteers who travel the world to timid first timers - and the common feedback is, "Wow, I had no idea. I feel changed and I feel like I was able to help change a community."  Awesome, right?

For Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom and Jay Holt, service has always been a driving factor in where they work and how they spend their free time. They both credit their families for their interest in volunteering, as well as their childhood involvement with the Boy and Girl Scouts. The couple first met during Grand Canyon Semester in 2003 and have enjoyed traveling, learning and exploring the outdoors together ever since.  Five years later, Sharon took her interest in service to a professional level with a career as a volunteer manager, a path she followed until quitting for her and Jay's latest adventure, Service Driven.

Service Driven is the couple's dream road trip combining travel across the U.S. and Canada as they volunteer along the way. They describe the trip as "a cross between voluntourism and service learning." The trip kicked off in February and has been chronicled on their blog, Service Driven, which breaks down each stop along the way into hours volunteered, states visited, budget, people visited, nights spent under the stars, as well as, best meal and best beer.