Soul Travel™

Giving something back can lead to a richly rewarding holiday, writes Kristie Kellahan.

Back in the year 2000, I decided to take some time out of a busy publishing career to volunteer at a Buddhist orphanage in northern Thailand. I wasn’t sure what I would find there, I just knew that my fascination with orphanages and the people who run them was growing stronger by the day and I didn’t want to miss the chance to experience the joy of volunteering first-hand.

I headed over to Thailand on a reconnaissance mission to visit several orphanages till I found the one that was just the right fit for me: home to babies and toddlers (I prefer hopscotch to teenage tantrums), caring nuns and nannies, affordable housing and enough Western amenities so I could access email, nightlife and pizza when I needed them – not usually all at the same time.

I asked the orphanage if I could help out, came back to Sydney to pack up my flat and flew over with nothing more than a suitcase, a credit card and the optimism of one who thinks they can change the world. What followed was what I call a “state of grace”, a period of six months in which everything just seemed to go right.

I enjoyed good health, fantastic friendships, abundant freelance work as a professional writer and the absolute bliss of hanging with sixty giggling, joyful babies and toddlers every day. I wouldn’t change the experience for all the rabbits in China, especially since those initial six months turned into almost two years of living in Thailand.

Since 2002, I have visited at least once a year, often more. I’ve been blessed to watch the babies grow into toddlers and now seven-year-olds, many of them adopted to loving homes around the world. While this idea of combining travel with volunteer service is nothing new, the growing industry of “VolunTourism” is taking the experience mainstream and making it easier than ever for people to set off as ecological warriors to Antarctica or save the turtles in the Galapagos Islands. A growing number of adventure travel companies are creating itineraries, some as short as seven days, for people who might not typically think of themselves as volunteers. At the same time, a number of independent charities are inviting volunteers to help out, without the red tape and restrictions of larger organisations. Here are a few of our favourites:

If you’re interested in volunteering with kids in Africa, check out Food Water Shelter. They build early learning eco-friendly children’s villages and big bright futures – and they’re looking to recruit volunteers.

At www.i-to-i.com, research volunteer holidays, internships and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) jobs abroad.

Earthwatch supports more than 130 conservation research projects around the world. Get involved to save the environment and the animals who rely on it at www.earthwatch.org.au.

If a long-term commitment is not possible but you’d still like to help, consider the CarryforKids project.

Travellers to Bali, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam can help out by carrying donated medical supplies and other goods in their suitcase and delivering them to orphanages in those countries. As most people travel over with space in their luggage for all those bargains they’ll bring home, this is a great way to help the charities keep freight costs down, and as a bonus, you get to visit the orphans in person.