When Nellie Bly decided to travel the world, I am sure, she must have had her fears and conundrums. But, overcoming all of them, she not only traveled the world in just 72 days, she did it all alone. Just like Nellie, there are many female travelers who have not just traveled places, but dared to travel alone. This trend has only risen over the years, and we have seen women traveling solo to gain experience and explore the world. Among such brave vagabonds, are some who choose a different way of traveling abroad; they choose to volunteer abroad.
And to guide them for making the most of their expedition, here is a list of some activities they must indulge in;
Photo credit: www.volunteeringindia.com
Present a hand-made gift
Most of the volunteering projects include kids and are dedicated for their development. These children come from a highly disadvantaged background struck with poverty, while many are orphans as well. All they seek is love, care, affection, and attention. Buying expensive gifts is only a dream for them, and that dream can be made come true by volunteers. Yes! You may gift them toys, books, designer stationery, and other fancy stuff. But, there is something that can escalate the level of excitement among kids while receiving a present from you; hand-made gifts. It will reflect your dedication and love for these kids, and they can only be as much delighted to see someone going an extra mile to do something like this for them.
Spend time with the locals
One of the major objectives to travel to a destination is to explore. This is can be, easily, achieved by learning about the various traditions and cultural heritage of that place and, by understanding the basic lifestyle of the natives. And to achieve this, the best way is to interact with the locals as much as possible; volunteering abroad creates a great opportunity for this. You get to stay with a local host family during your sojourn, and the project work allows you to spend some quality time with the localities. Make the most of your time spend with the locals by learning about their age-old traditions, culture, and ethics.
Enjoy the traditions and cultural fests
Every country has its set of cultural fiestas that are distributed over the entire calendar year. Figure out the ones which are about to fall during your stay and be a part of it. Don't just be busy capturing pictures, but be a part of the entire carnival to capture the moments in your memories.
Learn local recipes from a native
Ok! Not trying to cliché it because it's about women travelers, but this is certainly one of the most interesting activities to do during your volunteer trip. You will find hundreds of travel tips articles that will advise you to try out some of the best local delicacies during your travel, but I will suggest you not just try out local dishes but also try your hands on preparing some. After all, why not immerse in the local lifestyle completely while you are at it.
Share your experiences
Volunteer traveling is not just a great platform for exploring and learning new about different destinations, but also a unique opportunity for exchanging information, spreading awareness, and sharing experiences. You will be meeting people from different countries as your fellow volunteer mates who come from a different social background, culture, age section, etc. Also, the local people of the destination you are volunteering at, plus the recipients of the program (kids, disadvantaged women, and people from poor communities, etc.) will constitute the part of set of people you will come across. It's a huge audience for you to share your life's experiences and learn about theirs. This is a great way to create a strong bond as well.
It takes a lot of determination and enthusiasm in deciding to volunteer travel abroad. And make it several folds higher for those who decide to travel solo. You can do a lot as a traveler, such as enjoy adventure activities, shop, explore tourist hot-spots, and more. But, if you want to have a truly satisfying and learning experience of traveling solo, these activities are some of the highly advised ones.