Remember Sally from the Cat in the Hat? I feel like her today. "What a boring day. There's nothing to do." After having sat around on call for 3 days, which for some reason feels like a million this time, I am about to go stir crazy. Even though I have been out and about doing stuff, I feel like my four walls are closing in on me and I have to get out! Come on scheduling! Call me! My job, which I love, does have its drawbacks. One of the best perks about my job also gives way to one of the worst. While being on call allows me the chance to jet off to places like Bangkok, Saipan and Beijing at a moments notice it also lends its self to the mind numbing reality that you have to sit and wait for that call to pack your bags. So whilst I am just sitting around staring at walls, watching Gossip Girl and How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory and, well you get the idea, I thought I would blog about something.
After deciding to put my trip to Argentina on hold this month (due to a friend being out of town and needing to get a new passport) I was trying to decide what to do with my 9 days off at the end of May. I felt like that critter in Dr. Seuss' 'Oh The Places You'll Go" (I must be in a Seuss mood today) I think I have considered every state except for Nebraska. I considered going to Alabama and volunteering with the tornado clean up. Shockingly, as I inquired about it, all the websites I came too said most of the initial clean up had been done. I find this hard to believe and will be looking into it more, but it lead me to this post: Volunteering!
I have been very lucky and blessed to have been able to volunteer all over the world. From schools in South Africa, to construction in New York, I have enjoyed helping others, while at the same time feeding my travel bug.
Why should you spend your hard earned vacation volunteering? Well just let me tell you:
1: You will come home with way better stories than if you had just sat by the ocean drinking Mai Tais all week. (Don't get me wrong, this is great too.)
2: If you are doing something physical, you may come home a few pounds lighter.
3: You will feel great! Sure maybe it's selfish to help someone out knowing that its going to make you feel better. (Ever see the Friends episode where Phoebe tries to find a selfless good deed? They aren't out there! You WILL feel awesome!)
4: You will really get to see the people of the area you are going to visit and learn about them.
5: Often it will be cheaper than another trip.
6: You will be helping someone else! What better reason do you need?
You're still not convinced, I know. I understand giving up that week of beach lounging is a big decision so you can always start small. Maybe a weekend near your house? Maybe just one day on your trip? I guarantee there are 1,000's of places out there that would love to have you come visit and help out just for a few hours.
Hopefully, now you are thinking, "But where do I even begin to find somewhere to volunteer?" Well again let me tell you. It can seem overwhelming, there are a lot of wonderful organizations out there. There are a lot of companies now that offer volunteering trips. These can range anywhere from very light volunteer work, like the 1 day scenario I suggested above, or they can get down and dirty building houses or helping conserve the rain forest. I promise there is something out that that you can do that is tailored to your interests and talents. Here are some great websites to check out:
Volunteer Abroad This website is a great place to start! It allows you to search for opportunities via country or type of work and how long you want to go for. Once you see something you are interested in surf on over to :
Charity Navigator This is the best spot to check out how good a charity is working. Are they efficient with their money? Where does the money go? How much do their CEO's make? Its a great spot to see if your organization is reputable.
Most organized volunteering trips cost money. This doesn't make a lot of sense to some people, me included sometimes. But you do have to think about the fact that the organization is organizing everything, often finding you food and housing, even transportation. You can avoid this and find your own way. Check out: Couch Surfing a community where people allow you to sleep on their couch for free. You are then free to find any organization in town that accepts volunteers!
So think of something you want to do; rock babies to sleep in the Congo, help save sea turtles in Costa Rica, support a girl that has been trafficked in Cambodia, anything that appeals to you and do some research! See what your next vacation can do for you and someone else. It may just be the trip of a life time!
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