World Hum | Travel | Voluntourism: ‘Overpriced Guilt Trips’ or a ‘Real Chance to Save the World’?

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7.31.07

Voluntourism: ‘Overpriced Guilt Trips’ or a ‘Real Chance to Save the World’?

That’s how Time frames its recent story on voluntourism, or, as its headline states, “Vacationing like Brangelina.” Catchy, but not truly representative of the well-reported piece on a growing travel niche.

Laura Fitzpatrick writes:

With leading market-research firm Euromonitor International touting this niche’s growth potential, particularly among single travelers, Voluntourism.org‘s newsletter now boasts nearly 1,900 trade subscribers, up from a mere 30 in March 2005. Lonely Planet published its first volunteer-travel guidebook in June—which was good timing, considering that a recent Travelocity poll found that almost twice as many vacationers (11%) planned to volunteer this year as in 2006.

That rise in popularity has stimulated debate about the ethics and consequences of voluntourism. In the Time story, proponents argue that voluntourism can make a difference, both in the communities where it occurs—channeling tourism dollars where they’re not typically spent, for instance—and within the individual traveler. “It’s lifechanging,” 68-year-old voluntourist Barbara Jenkel tells Time.

Critics tell Fitzpatrick that it’s more about “making participants feel like do-gooders than to doing good.” Sometimes voluntourists can even do more harm than good, Fitzpatrick writes, by working on projects “considered at odds with the local people’s desires.”

Then there’s the question of finances. Fees for voluntourism can be high, a sore point that recently stimulated some debate at GoBudgetTravel. Time’s Fitzpatrick also addresses the financial aspect of voluntourism in her story. “It’s a new form of colonialism, really,” Tricia Barnett, director of Tourism Concern, tells her. “The market is geared toward profit rather than the needs of the communities.” As a result, Tourism Concern is working on developing an ethical code for voluntourism outfitters.

Xola Consulting and George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies have also just released a study that touches on the subject, “Emerging Best Practices In Adventure Tourism and Volunteering.”

The debate underscores something we’ve seen in Tara Swords’s dispatch An Island in Costa Rica, Rolf Potts’s advice on finding volunteer opportunities without high fees and other voluntourism posts on World Hum: Voluntourism, like other types of immersion travel, can be a complex, heartbreaking and rewarding experience. Those people going into it because they want to “vacation like Brangelina” might be in for a shock.

Related on TravelChannel.com
* Tax Deductible Vacations: How to Find ‘Voluntourism’ Opportunities

Photo by kainet, via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Posted by Michael Yessis • 7.31.07
Categories: Weblog • Page Turner • Voluntourism

Permalink • Comments (3)

COMMENTS

Thanks for this post - the Time article is interesting.

I writea blog about volunteering, so I suppose I shouldn’t present myself as totally neutral. Regarding the Time article, I think, first of all, an either/or stance makes an interesting headline but often doesn’t present the realistic “answer” of “somewhere in between”.

I also think that criticism of voluntourism is extremely important - if those with a background in development, aid, non-profit management and so on dismiss it as not serious, its development is left mainly to those with an interest in promoting it.

However, I think if voluntourism is looked at as a stand-alone thing, an important part of the picture is ignored. This is obviously a huge task, but I really think it is most effective to consider it in the context of other things like tourism (various kinds including organized tours), international aid and even long-term, larger volunteer projects like the Peace Corps (which are not always as perfect as many people automatically assume they are).

Just for the record - my comments here are mostly in response to the Time article - and not this World Hum post of course. Thanks for pointing this article out as I wouldn’t have found it otherwise.

By Katie on 8.7.07 at 04:55 AM

There are opportunities to make a real difference in this world and I recommend anyone interested in volunteering to do their research. There are hundreds of locally run organisations worldwide that do important work in the environmental and humanitarian sectors. Many of them could not exist without the financial imput of international volunteers. Most importantly, all the money you pay goes directly to the host organisation rather than an intermediary organisation (i.e. gap year companies, placement agencies). Volunteering abroad can be an ethical and rewarding experience but only if you make the right choices when choosing a project. If you are thinking of volunteering in Latin America have a look at http:www.volunteerlatinamerica.com. This organisation specialises in providing information about free and low cost grass roots projects.

By Stephen Knight on 11.15.07 at 04:51 AM

Volunteer Travel has probably the highest raising ratio in travel world.
Large Companies are creating special ‘Responsible Travel’ compartments in their catalogues.
Hotels, Resorts, Tour operators all around the globe are now ‘turning green and community friendly’, with recycling programs, eco-projects and donating actions.
What is really missing in the whole picture is a global certification, as to target and erase merely business oriented initiatives, and to actually rate the real impact on local communities of the above cited programs.
Several local associations and organizations do promote authentic voluntourism projects and trips: for a mutual understanding between local populations and travelers, and most important for a real help to the economy of indigenous communities.
Traveling within these conditions might be a lifechanging experience;
If West Africa is your next destination, please take some time and visit the H.E.L.P. Travel Association’ website http://www.helptravel.org/eng/home_eng.html.
They offer an actual chance to discover ancient and preserved traditions and at the same time intervene in a specific Community Development Project amongst local populations.

By Luca D'Ottavio on 5.26.08 at 03:49 AM