Lots have been said about how ‘voluntourism’ does more harm than good and at the same time, contradictory voices have surfaced that have researched and attempted to establish the benefits of volunteering as one travels across the globe with the intention of doing something good. While the long and short of it can be debated as both arguments aren’t devoid of merit, what I learned from my personal experience of volunteering abroad in different countries as an independent traveler favors adding volunteering to our travels.

But before going ahead, it’s important to understand what comes under the very concept of volunteering. The act of volunteering has been defined in various ways, ranging from work done on behalf of charitable or non-governmental organizations, to work done by an individual for the benefit of others. The UN General Assembly, embracing an open-ended concept of volunteerism, defines it as “a wide range of activities, including traditional forms of mutual aid and self-help, formal service delivery and other forms of civic participation, undertaken of free will, for the general public good and where monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.”

Volunteerism has been the cornerstone of civilized society the world over. It has been driven by local conditions spanning across values, systems, social norms and more importantly, the ability of the community to reciprocate to its fellow companions almost instantly. Volunteering in this context occurs in every society and therefore has a universal value embedded in human nature that shapes contours of social and cultural heritage in as far as volunteers contributing to the larger social and common good.

But if such are the intentions, why are there so many objections raised to volunteering? Specifically, volunteering abroad.

Undoubtedly, making a market to single-handedly cater self-proclaimed saviors of humanity and volunteering abroad for mere photo-ops led to infamous Cambodian Orphanage like disasters where non-orphans were put into orphanages deliberately to attract ignorant volunteer to help the kids. However, does that take away from the quest to give back by well-intentioned individuals to underserved communities when both governments and civil societies are failing to do enough?

Can the critics of volunteering abroad completely negate the economic, social and intercultural contribution brought in by enthusiastic and ethically conscious volunteers?

Following is an account on why I think volunteering as I travel was one of the best decisions I ever made and would also strongly recommend the same.

It gave me a chance to meet the locals, as people
When traveling as a tourist, sure we do get to meet locals but usually as people who provide us with a service. It is a very instrumental relationship. Seldom can a real conversation can happen in that kind of a relationship. Similar is the case with backpacking. Often backpackers interact with fellow backpackers only. Interaction with locals is merely reduced a photo-op kind of a thing. It is not an up, close and personal encounter unlike what volunteering in a country is like. Living with host families, having conversations with locals, getting a glimpse into the everyday lives of people, having a few ‘boring days’ outside of a ‘custom itinerary’ and making an effort to bring a difference – however small or big – is what volunteering lets us do.

I fondly recall my volunteering trip to Thailand in the summer of 2015 where I stayed an entire week in an off-grid elephant village in Surin. Not only did I get to live with the local mahouts and keenly watch how they take care of the gentle giants but found out how sacred the villagers hold the elephants to their hearts.

I realized that luxury is far too overrated
I personally find ‘luxury travel’ a tad bit too insular way of traveling. It’s like reproducing all the comforts of home and ‘sightseeing’ all experience away without actually exploring and understanding much of the destination. To really experience a destination, it’s important to see the regular non-touristy sights, do the everyday things and not let only custom-made luxury packages decide our entire experience.

I learned to take each day as it comes
That’s the thing about a customized itinerary, it tells us what to do and where to go at all times. We often travel to get out of routine then what’s the point of sticking to one made by somebody else and not let the day unfold itself. It’s not to argue against a structure but organic interaction, spontaneous plans and most importantly carrying out my volunteer work after prolonged interaction with locals is a better bet than being told what to do by somebody over email.

I learned how to have a conversation without knowing the language
Effective communication has a lot to do with using the right words, as it is often touted. However, to be able to understand the world of people who do not have the same first language is trickier but more interesting. Volunteering while traveling owing to its virtue of being a people-centric activity provided more scope for interacting with the locals and I could manage to learn more than phrases to greet.

I met a lot of like-minded people
One thing that happens when volunteering is meeting a lot of like-minded people. People with a passion, people with perspective, people with a quest to make a positive difference and I got to meet such people when I decided to volunteer.

It helped me address my mental health
Some real conversations, some heart to heart talk about struggle and overcoming those challenges and living with people who despite scarce resources do manage a live happy life with their loved ones.

It taught me gratitude
It was during a volunteering to teach stint in Tanzania that I got one of the greatest lessons of my life in gratitude. Working at a local school which barely had 2-rooms for more than 40 children to study and eat their meals in, a regular feature of the kids’ lunch was a drink – wheat flour, sugar mixed with water. It wasn’t the most delicious or the most nutritious meal but the kids cherished it, shared it and looked out for each other instead of finishing all of it by themselves. That kind of empathy, maturity, and sombreness was unreal to see in kids of that age.

It gave me an insight into the international development sector
Volunteering was also beneficial to me professionally besides being a transformative personal experience. As an aspiring development professional, volunteering exposed me into the workings of the international development sector. The nature of state assistance to underserved communities, kind of United Nation programs, the process of attaining sustainable development goals in the region were some of the important things that I got to observe during my time in the country.

It helped me realize the importance of ‘structured volunteering’
Volunteering for an immersive is one thing including the social benefits but at the same time, it is no replacement of structured volunteering or even structured civil society interventions in areas where assistance is needed. It, thus, becomes increasingly important to assist where help is actually needed and in a structured, accountable and impactful fashion.

The concerns around volunteering tourism cannot be brushed aside for they highlight valid concerns. However, it can be discounted that volunteering for a different community that our own, in a new setup is an effective way to bring people closer, create affinity and inculcate a personal sense of responsibility in people to give back where they can.