Volunteer Tourism (Voluntourism)

Voluntourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry!  The annual forecast poll by American travel specialist, Travelocity, found that 11 percent of respondents plan to volunteer during their holidays in 2007, an increase from 6 percent in 2006. Which makes us at EverGreen Escapes feel pretty good about the world…

This growth market has been coined ‘voluntourism’ a combination of a holiday or overseas trip with volunteering on local projects. It is a holiday choice travelers are making to immerse themselves in local cultures, contribute to the environment and make a difference. Voluntourism – where people of all walks of life offer their holiday time to volunteer to help out with what they see as a good cause – differs from "volunteerism" where people with specific professional skills volunteer themselves for an extended period of time.

Worldwide, voluntourism can take a variety of forms from repairing walking trails, cleaning up the environment, rescuing animal habitats, teaching English, or restoring historic sites. Voluntourism expert David Clemmons, founder of the website voluntourism.org, estimates there are some 10,000 voluntourism projects underway worldwide. Regardless of how these travelers choose to contribute their time and energy into such a globally beneficial cause, they always return satiated, their souls well fed after making a lasting difference in the lives of their international neighbors

Voluntourism involves people from all ages and social classes traveling globally to give aid to communities in need and intimately experience the culture. This combination of exploration and inspiration is growing in popularity, mostly due to an increase in the number and variety of opportunities now available. No longer do travelers need to stay enmeshed in a foreign land for months to make a difference—they can now impact an entire community over the course of a week or two, or even during their honeymoon.

The Pacific Northwest has a few unique opportunities to travel with a purpose. 

EverGreen Escapes can craft a fantastic Volun-Tourism experience just for YOU or your corporate group! We can design it to fit in a half or full day out on our local trails or waterways!

OR you can check out our Calendar of Escape Routes for our Seattle Voluntourism 1/2 day Program at one of Seattle's many parks!

Many Seattleites cite our region’s natural beauty and proximity to outdoor adventures and experiences as their primary motivations for living here. Even better, you don’t necessarily have to leave the city to “get away from it all.” Take 550-acre Discovery Park located in the Magnolia neighborhood, minutes from downtown. This natural oasis, the largest park in Seattle, boasts over eight miles (13 km) of hiking trails, including a few miles skirting the edge of Puget Sound, and offers views of Mount Rainier, the Olympic mountain range, Mount Baker and Puget Sound. This park is not only a refuge for the urban naturalist it also contains critical habitat for a diverse range of wildlife – Bald Eagles, Voles, Mountain Beavers, Salamanders, River Otters, Saw-whet owls, and much more. Thanks to the work of Seattle Parks employees and volunteers, Discovery Park habitats continue to improve for the benefit of all - despite the continued threat of invasive species and human impact. Imagine spending the afternoon learning about the local ecology AND being part of the restoration effort! Our Voluntourism experience brings you to Discovery Park or another local nature park where you will meet with restoration stewards and assist them with ongoing efforts to improve the habitat of an urban park. Depending on the season, volunteers will either remove invasive plants that choke out important native plants, plant native plants and trees or conduct a beach cleanup, removing trash that is harmful to wildlife. You will have the opportunity to search for Pacific Northwest birds and marine-life, paired with expert interpretation of local natural history, geology and ecology. This behind-the-scenes look at the heart and lungs of our “Emerald Necklace” provides an example of how the city of Seattle is leading in the way in sustainability!

Want more? Click the links below for more information

Voluntourism,org Home Page

International Voluntourism & Community Based Tourism Organizations
Explorers 3 Adventures
Pepy Tours
Crooked Trails
Earthwatch

Washington Trails Association leads local "Volunteer Vacations" that
involve week-long backcountry trail work.  

Earthwatch
http://www.earthwatch.org/site/pp2.asp?c=dsJSK6PFJnH&b=1147535
http://www.earthwatch.org/site/pp.asp?c=dsJSK6PFJnH&b=2246951
http://www.earthwatch.org/site/pp2.asp?c=dsJSK6PFJnH&b=1147589

Nature Conservancy offers opportunities to volunteer in our region as well.
http://volunteerprogram.createsend.com/viewEmail.aspx?cID=85FDC8462F5513DB&s
ID=8B71A618FED04A3F8A65286C75750186&dID=5CB9CB5A1CE688CE

The Nature Conservancy of Washington asks you to take time to drink in the beauty and wonder of Washington state.

The Nature Conservancy has put together a field guide to their conservation efforts in Washington. This fold-out map highlights the Conservancy's conservation projects around the state, and suggests 15 places you can visit to enjoy Washington's rich natural heritage.

Over the past 40 years, the Conservancy has collaborated to conserve more than 500,000 acres of irreplaceable natural lands in Washington state, including nearly 50,000 acres owned by the Conservancy. From tiny Yellow Island in the San Juans to the wide-open sagebrush lands of the Hanford Reach National Monument, the Conservancy is working with a wide range of people to conserve the astonishing diversity of life – in our state and around the world.

The NOAA and People for Puget Sound offer some marine based Volunteer opportunities as well...
http://www.volunteer.noaa.gov/index.html
http://www.pugetsound.org/index/volunteer