Cover Stories
A Double-edged Sword
Understanding the mission can make the difference between beneficial voluntourism and misplaced altruism.
Conscience doesn’t take a holiday. It would be nice to leave behind the troubles of the world when we take a vacation; to enjoy a blissful, self-indulgent respite from reality. But wherever we travel, the daily trials of life continue to eddy around us.In developing countries especially, poverty and hardship are inescapable, and increasingly tourists are motivated to do something to help. Individual acts of charity have coalesced into one of the fastest-growing sectors of the travel industry: voluntourism.
At its best, voluntourism — the choice to use vacation time to do volunteer work — provides a more satisfying experience than the average getaway. It can be uncomfortable and it often involves strenuous or tedious work, yet by contributing directly to welfare, development or conservation projects, voluntourists reap a genuine sense of achievement and a deep and lasting connection to the place and its people.
A potential side bonus: In some cases, the ethical satisfaction of contributing to a worthy cause is accompanied by the fiduciary satisfaction of a tax deduction.
Until recently, voluntary work overseas was primarily the preserve of enthusiastic young people (usually under the auspices of programs such as the Peace Corps www.peacecorps.gov) and idealistic, but aging, baby boomers. The past five years have shown a significant shift toward the mainstream. A 2007 survey by MSNBC and Conde-Nast revealed 55 percent of travelers who responded were interested in service-based vacations.
But interests differ. To some, voluntary work might involve just a few hours tacked on to a conventional vacation. For others, it could be the principle focus of the trip. Volunteer opportunities can range from assisting with the care of autistic children, to teaching in a local school, to helping in a medical center, to constructing a new building.
And sometimes it requires you to sit on the roof of a Land Rover hurtling through the African bush in pursuit of a pride of lions.
For a week in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, I was the one occupying this precarious perch. Equipped with an antenna and headphones, I listened to an audio trail of strengthening beeps, twitching my dangling feet left or right to signal the direction to the driver below. Following my cues through the windshield, lion researcher Christiaan Winterbach steered us across the rough terrain while dodging termite mounds and rutted hippo tracks. Finally we located the source of transmission: the radio collar on a lounging lioness.
When we found them, the big cats were slumbering in the shade. Christiaan stopped short and silenced the engine. We waited. Wildlife research requires infinite patience and is a stark adjustment from a standard tourist safari, in which the goal is to pack as many sightings as possible into a three-hour game drive. In this case, the lions — not the photo opportunities or the roster of gourmet meals — determined the rhythm of each day.
The opportunity to shadow wild lions is one of the more glamorous incarnations of voluntourism. But there’s no need to risk life and limb. A wealth of options exists nearer home, including some right in the heart of America’s major cities.
In late 2008, a new hotel opened in San Francisco’s vibrant SOMA district with a name to match its ethos. The Good Hotel (www.jdvhotels.com) has instantly become one of the flagships for home-grown voluntourism.
Within the hotel, everything is done to minimize the guests’ impact on the environment. The 117 guestrooms are eco-friendly down to the trimmings, decorated with reclaimed and recycled materials. But in the lobby, the low-impact philosophy is turned on its head — guests are encouraged to make a lasting difference during their stays.
A dedicated telephone connects to One Brick ( ref="http://www.onebrick.org" target="_blank">www.onebrick.org), a non-profit organization that matches the skills and interests of volunteers to the needs of more than 500 local charities. Join a scheduled event (such as restoring a woodland habitat or redecorating a retirement home) or work directly with one of the affiliated groups for a few hours — or more.
The Good Hotel aims to be the world’s “first hotel with a conscience,” proclaiming its philosophy in bold letters on the walls of every guestroom: Be Good.
