Some travellers aim to make a difference
Forget the traditional resort holiday. Today there is a new traveller emerging. Joanne Davies, Naturewise program manager from Conservation Volunteers Australia, explains a revolutionary way to holiday.
Voluntourists are experience seekers looking for a holiday which is engaging, enriching and informative. They are active rather than passive travellers and are people who have a desire to interact with the local environment and various communities to make a meaningful difference.
Combining a vacation or trip abroad with volunteering on local projects is one way many travellers choose to immerse themselves in local cultures and make a difference. Experiences range from a couple of days up to months, but this isn’t any back-seat tour. Volunteers donate time and money to be hands on in everything: rolling baits, setting traps and collecting data from animals in wildlife reserves, planting trees, restoring heritage buildings, repairing walking tracks, building schools and working with local communities.
Volunteering is an affordable travel option and a great way to explore places off the beaten tourist track while sharing experiences with like-minded travellers. People feel a world away from their daily routine and there is a real sense of achievement which comes from contributing directly to conservation or local community projects. This is why more and more retirees are signing up to be voluntourists.
Voluntourist Sumi Vasidevan recalls her experience: “Volunteering was truly life changing for me. Helping with animal-monitoring surveys certainly was rewarding. I made some lifelong friends on that trip. The best part of the experience was hanging out with the park rangers and getting an insight into their work. We got to see parts of the national park that are not open to visitors, and learnt a lot from our rangers. The passion and commitment to the environment was infectious.”
Conservation Volunteers is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation specialising in the volunteer travel sector. Each year a remarkable 15,000 enthusiastic volunteers participate in their programs, making a considerable difference to conservation outcomes.
Naturewise, owned and operated by Conservation Volunteers, provides award-winning conservation holidays combining visits to pristine areas with conservation activities in Australia and overseas. You can help restore the seabird habitat on Montague Island Nature Reserve, join an expert turtle-research project at Eco Beach in Western Australia, lend a hand with echidna research on Kangaroo Island, help clean up marine debris in the remote Cobourg Peninusla, monitor turtles in Coast Rica or African game in Kruger National Park, and much more.
The Grampians is a flagship “voluntourism” project between Parks Victoria and CVA, and is in its fifth year in the Grampian Mountains, giving volunteers an opportunity to participate in ongoing wildlife conservation projects. Naturewise is a holiday experience like no other with participants journeying deep into the Grampians National Park and working alongside Parks Victoria rangers and wildlife researchers. The program has contributed to the rediscovery of Long-nosed Potoroo and found new populations of threatened species such as Heath Mouse and Southern Brown Bandicoot.
Rod Collier started as a retiree volunteer with Conservation Volunteers and is now hooked. “There is nothing more rewarding than getting out into nature and helping to conserve our special environments. We had a fantastic experience this year. We trapped 70 different animals and the highlights were definitely the female bandicoot with young, as well as the antechinus (marsupial mouse) carrying six young on board,” Rod said.
Leader of the Grampians research and monitoring program for Parks Victoria, Mike Stevens, said that it was essential to monitor the response of many of Australia’s most threatened native fauna to the impact of problems such as wildfire and fox predation and volunteer help had been crucial. “The ambitious research program that we have developed in the Grampians would not have been possible without the dedication and contribution of the Naturewise volunteers and their efforts are directly contributing to the greater understanding and assisting us in better management of the Grampians landscape,” said Mr Stevens.
Gallipoli is a location on many people’s “to-do” list. For many Australians and New Zealanders, Anzac Cove is the ultimate pilgrimage site. With the increasing number of people attending the Anzac Day commemorations, there are many logistical and management issues that arise. Conservation Volunteers offers a unique opportunity to not only visit and pay respects at this special place, but to also make a contribution – in fact to serve.
Voluntourists assist with site preparation and crowd management for the Dawn Service near Anzac Cove, the Australian service at Lone Pine and the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair. The experience at Gallipoli is something that will live with participants forever, as Carol Holt explained. “We were taken on a journey through the Gallipoli campaign through stories, poetry, music and recorded interviews with original diggers. The volunteer involvement was a wonderful and humbling experience. I had the pleasure and honour of assisting people with special needs, mainly elderly war widows and returned servicemen. I have never been so proud to be Australian.”
Why not grab your sense of adventure and desire to make a difference, then hang on for a remarkable, life-changing journey, as you volunteer your way around the globe.
For more information on voluntourism experiences in Australia and overseas:
– Conservation Volunteers
www.conservationvolunteers.com.au or free call 1800 032 501
– Naturewise Conservation Holidays
www.naturewise.com.au or free call 1800 032 501
– Gap Year for Grown ups
www.gapyearforgrownups.co.uk/
Source: The Retiree Magazine