We just returned from the typical vacation – drove to Florida to an amusement park (Legoland to be specific). It was really fun, but it didn’t benefit a lot of people other than us.
Did you ever think about vacationing for a cause? It’s true – that’s becoming one of the hottest travel options.
I know several of our church members just returned from Uganda on a mission trip. Think of vacationing for a cause as a mission trip without the church’s influence.
Vacations with a cause include helping the earth, helping animals, and helping people. The good part is there are many of these trips that are already organized, so you don’t have to worry about all the planning.
Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) offers programs to volunteer abroad. First, you get to choose the country you want to go to. CCS is set up in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand. Then, you get to choose the dates you want. CCS offers volunteer placement from 2 to 12 weeks, but, if you can only do one week, they also have a program called Insight Abroad. Then, CCS helps you choose a placement based on your skills and how they could best serve the community. You learn about the community and culture where you will be volunteering. And don’t worry – it won’t all be working. You also get free time to relax and explore the community.
More into the environment? How about the National Geographic Biosphere Expeditions? The volunteer holidays are open to all and the best part is you don’t need any special skills and safety is a priority. You can go on two week expeditions, one week projects, or taster days (one day outings). Two week expeditions include Namibia (where you work elephants and African cats) and Malaysia (where you help protect coral reefs and sea life) while the one week projects include the United Arab Emirates (to learn about conserving Arabian oryx) and Maldives (where you help protect coral reefs and whale sharks).
So next time you are planning a vacation, think about taking one where you can leave the world a better place after you go.