It is fully understandable why some people are apprehensive about organising their own volunteer placement and/or arriving alone at their destination. This post has been written to offer a little guidance and encouragement. We provide easy to follow, step by step guidance on how to set up your own volunteer placement and save money at the same time. Please note that some of the web links used in this post are only relevant to UK residents and those temporarily living or flying from the United Kingdom.

There are three easy steps to setting up your own volunteer placement: (1) choosing a project; (2) applying for a project; and (3) making travel arrangements.

1. Choose a Project

We provide tips on choosing a project within our Volunteer Guides (i.e. ask the host organization to put you in contact with past volunteers – talking with an ex-volunteer can answer many of your questions and help you decide if the project is the right for you). The main point to note is that you should thoroughly research a project before you apply. Before proceeding to step 2 you should check the Visa requirements for the country you plan to visit and get the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

2. Apply for a Project

Once you have chosen a project you should refer to the host organizations website or contact them via email to find out how to apply. Some organizations will accept a short email with your proposed dates; whereas others might require you to submit a simple application form or want to conduct a telephone interview. A small number of organizations will tell you to just turn up. Each organization has its own way of recruiting international volunteers. You can extract all the information you need from the host organization. We provide tips on contacting organizations and applying for projects in our volunteer guides.

3. Make Travel Arrangements

Once you have been accepted on a project you now need to plan your trip overseas. The internet is the perfect tool for making travel arrangements, enabling you to book flights, reserve accommodation, purchase travel insurance, and check what vaccinations are required.

(a) Flights

There are many good travel providers out there but we particularly like North South Travel because all of their profits, after expenses, are donated to grassroots projects in the developing world. Please take a look at their website for full details and sample fares. North South Travel offer highly competitive fares for any route, worldwide.

You also refer to an earlier post on this blog entitled ‘Guidance on Finding Cheap Flights from the UK.’ This article provides links to some recommended flight comparison sites and online travel agents such as Skyscanner and Cheap Flights. Remember, the secret to finding cheap tickets is by exploring and checking numerous sites, not just one. Therefore, we recommend you use all of the sites mentioned to find the best possible deal. The article also offers strategies and techniques that have the potential to save significant amounts of money on your next airline ticket.

(b) Accommodation

Travel guidebooks such as those offered by Lonely Planet, Footprint or Rough Guides provide details of many hotels, hostels and guest houses in Central and South America. Guidebooks are essential when travelling overseas but they do not provide the best way to sort out your accommodation before departure. Internet booking systems on the other hand enable you to find you a place to stay on your first night and take the worry out of arriving somewhere with nothing booked.

Hostel World is the flagship website and was the first online hostel booking website out there on the internet. Hostel Bookers is another good independent hostel booking site. Both of these websites are useful; however, some people prefer Hostelbookers because it doesn’t charge a booking fee. Although Hostelworld charges a small booking fee it has a better search facility than Hostelbookers; therefore, you might want to use this website if looking for certain facilities such as Wi-Fi.

Other good hostel information databases include HostelTrail and Hostelz. HostelTrail has a network of more than 800 hostels and budget tour companies in Central and South America. Hostelz.com is fast moving to the top of the growing pile of hostel search engines and reportedly has largest hostel database on the web.

All hostels provide directions on how to get to there and many offer airport pick-ups. You simply need to choose what’s best for you.

Note: You might find that the organisation you will be working for offer accommodation upon arrival or can suggest somewhere to stay. If you intend to study Spanish or Portuguese before commencing your volunteer assignment your language school might be able to offer you accommodation or help you find it. In some instances it might be possible to go directly to the project; however, it is advisable to rest for a few days after a long haul flight.

(c) Travel Insurance

We highly recommend that you take out a travel insurance policy to cover possible theft, loss, accidents or illness. It is worth spending some time shopping around to make sure you are properly insured.

A good impartial travel insurance comparison website is Travel Insurance Guide. The guide has been designed to help you choose from all the different providers out there and make the process of choosing travel insurance as easy as possible. A number of helpful tips will tell you what to watch out for and highlight the areas where you can save money.

There are also a number of good direct travel insurance providers such as Cheap Travel Insurance and Insure & Go Travel Insurance.

(d) Vaccinations

All travellers (particularly those who will be travelling with young children) should consult their doctor (physician) or health clinic 4 to 8 weeks prior to departure.

Depending upon your itinerary, medical history, age (and other factors), your doctor may recommend that you receive vaccinations for the following diseases: Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Rabies; Typhoid Fever; Yellow Fever; Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR). During your visit to the doctor or health clinic, routine immunizations, such as those that protect against tetanus-diphtheria, should be updated, if necessary.

You should also seek guidance on other health related matters such as altitude sickness, insect repellent, malaria, prescription drugs, sun block and travellers’ diarrhoea.

You can find practical and complete health advice for travellers on sites such as MD Travel Health and Travel Doctor.

Summary

We have demonstrated how easy it is to set up your own volunteer placement. You can use this step by step guidance for any volunteer programme that accepts independent volunteers.

The benefits of organising your own placement are numerous but what usually brings most pleasure is the cost. Independent volunteers pay significantly less to volunteer abroad in comparison to those who book through a placement agency. You also have the assurance that any money paid goes directly to the cause rather than paying for the administration and marketing expenses of a placement agency.

You should consult the organization you will be working with for assistance with in-country travel arrangements. They can advise on how to get to the project and some may even be in the position to pick you up from the airport.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 3:03 pm and is filed under Volunteering. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.