This year, pledge to take a trip that gives back to the community you鈥檙e visiting in a meaningful way. Whether it鈥檚 donating your time doing trail work or beach cleanups or saving endangered species, you鈥檒l feel like your trip has a greater purpose. Plus, planning volunteer vacations can save you money鈥攎any come with discounted rates on lodging and food, insight from local guides, and a tax-deductible chance to explore the less-touristy side of whatever country you鈥檙e visiting.
Build a High-Altitude Home
Bolivia
partners with nonprofit organizations around the world to help you donate a day of community service on your next international trip in areas like community health, wildlife conservation, and environmental initiatives. Have a stellar vacation planned in Thailand or South Africa? There鈥檚 probably a way to spend one day giving back. , spend six hours helping build a house for a local family outside La Paz, where you鈥檒l lay bricks, dig a foundation, or paint walls for those in need. Free.
Help a Glacier
Alaska
This with REI 国产吃瓜黑料s and Conservation Volunteers International Program starts with a service project in Juneau. There, you鈥檒l help with vegetation management and erosion control near the Mendenhall Glacier. Next, you鈥檒l head out via ferry through the deepest fjord in North America before arriving in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, where you鈥檒l help restore the historic 33-mile Chilkoot Trail. The trip includes lodging at bed and breakfasts, all meals, and bike rentals, just in case you want to take a spin after your trail work is done. There鈥檚 ample time to explore the local area. You can also enjoy a ride on the scenic White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. From $2,995.
Repair Fire and Flood Damage
California
The massive wildfires that ravaged the California coastline made headlines around the world. Now you can do your part to help restore these afflicted areas. The American Hiking Society leads all over the country, including an upcoming weeklong trip to , scheduled for April 2018, where you鈥檒l restore trails damaged by recent wildfires and flooding in Los Padres National Forest. You鈥檒l hike up to six miles a day and camp in tents at night. From $300.
Become a Citizen Scientist
Australia
You don鈥檛 have to be a climate scientist to join researchers on this Earthwatch Institute trip to , off the Queensland coast and within the Great Barrier Reef. On this nine-day trip, you鈥檒l study how rising temperatures and frequent droughts affect the local ecosystem by conducting surveys of native plant and animal species as you hike along the coast. The trip includes three meals a day and accommodations at a field station on neighboring Keswick Island. From $2,975.
Restore Scenic Trails
North Carolina
Led by the Sierra Club and the U.S. Forest Service, this is a weeklong trip to to develop, maintain, and restore local trails. In the past, crews have rebuilt a 2.5-mile section of the Appalachian Trail and constructed a wheelchair-accessible fishing path. You鈥檒l stay at a historic lodge surrounded by old-growth trees, where you鈥檒l be treated to breakfast, dinner, and one day off from trail work to head out on your own. From $1,035.
Save Endangered Turtles
Costa Rica
Spend two weeks working with local biologists on a with the Bamboo Project on the beaches of Costa Rica. You鈥檒l start the trip with a walking tour of the city of San Jose, then move to a remote spot on either the Caribbean or Pacific coast, where you鈥檒l patrol the beaches for endangered turtles, move nests to hatcheries, count eggs, and do community outreach to educate locals on the plight of the leatherback and olive ridley sea turtles, all while staying with a local host family. $1,350.
Remove Invasive Plant Species
Maui
Spend a half-day volunteering with the and you鈥檒l get a ride to the top of Haleakala, a 10,023-foot-high dormant volcano and the highest point on Maui. In Haleakala National Park, you鈥檒l work with Park Service staff and a trained naturalist to remove invasive plants, then be set free to hike and explore on your own. Volunteer days are scheduled twice a month and include a picnic lunch. Free.