A friend of mine was accepted to medical school starting this September. At the last minute she decided to defer her admission for a year. Not a big deal, many schools allow you to do this. She felt she needed a break before she deals with the rigors of medical school. We had a long discussion about possible opportunities to make the most of this time.
One idea that comes to mind is travel. I love to travel and I find that it has broadened my outlook on life by learning that there are different ways to skin a cat. However, travel can be expensive and if you are on a budget, consider other options such as back packing and staying in hostels rather than hotels so that you can reduce costs.
One other way to have a meaningful travel experience is to go on a volunteer vacation. A volunteer vacation gives you the opportunity to get involved in helping out a community in your chosen destination.
By selecting an opportunity that matches your interests and a location that you have always wanted to travel to, you can create a rewarding experience far beyond what you would get from just checking out the sights and lying on the beach during your vacation.
Though I have yet to go on a volunteer vacation, I did some research on the internet and found several organizations that arrange such vacations. One organization called Cross Cultural Solutions caught my interest. Their website www.crossculturalsolutions.org is full of very helpful and exciting information.
Different opportunities to volunteer are available in several areas such as education, community service and health care. Some of the countries where they run programs include: Ghana, Tanzania, China, India, Thailand, Costa Rica, Peru, and Brazil.
Each program charges a program fee to meet the expenses of the volunteer. Almost everything is covered except air fare and personal expenses like phone calls, laundry bills and entertainment. Though there is a cost to the program, the costs are 100% tax deductible for US taxpayers.
Don’t let the thought of a program fee stop you from exploring this opportunity. Cross Cultural Solutions highlights several ways to raise money for your trip. Several organizations e.g. Travelocity and National Geographic offer scholarships to people interested in volunteer vacations. The organization also offers several resources to help you fundraise to get the money you need.
Have you been on a volunteer vacation? Please share your experience with us. We would love to hear from you.
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