Host Country – Ethical Travel
Volunteer Travel and the Tour d’Afrique
When looking at voluntourism or volunteer travel from the perspective of the host country, the focus would be on the creating strong bonds between travel organizations and the host organizations.
Ethical Travel is About People
Volunteer tourism, also known as ethical travel is all about people – the travelers and their hosts. How successfully they negotiate this complex and organic relationship, is what makes the program a success of failure.
What Should the Host Country Expect from Volunteers?
This was borne out when Lonely Planet writer Nate Cavalieri, who was asked what host country organizations should expect from volunteers
“I think that has to do with the relationship between the host country, the organization in the host country, and the particular volunteers that they attract. But in the cast of communities that work closely with religious organizations or small community-based organizations, those expectations develop over time,” Nate explained.
He added that he understood the relationships to be pretty much organic and to fairly unique to each organisation and host country.
Keeping in mind that volunteer travel has a great impact of the local communities it is essential that the needs of the communities be put first, although a balance needs to be maintained between this and the needs and expectations of the travelers
Better Oversight Needed for Volunteer Travel Industry
Organizations for highly skilled volunteers like Doctors without Borders, are well known and reputable, but what about the smaller volunteer travel organizations in developing countries and fly-by-night tour operators. How are both the host country and the volunteers protected?
Nate explains: “I wish there were better oversight of the whole process. There is certainly progress in this area that has emerged in recent years but there is still no single organization - at least that I know of - that offers that kind of protection or accreditation”
For volunteers he recommends always speaking to someone who has “been there, done that”- an alumni of the programme.
Volunteer Vacations are Diverse
We know that types of volunteer vacations are diverse, from low-skill work cleaning up local wildlife areas to providing high-skill medical aid in a foreign country. Many organizations provide blended adventure/volunteer experiences to travelers. The fact is that volunteer travel is as diverse as the smiles on the faces of the peoples of the world.
Preparing for the 2009 Tour d’Afrique
Nate Cavalieri has become a successful travel writer because of his ability to emerge himself into the milieu he is writing about. He talks easily about how much weight he gains when writing the food sections of his Lonely Planet Guides. Now he is losing weight for a good cause. In his spare time you will now find Nate exercising on his bicycle in preparation for the Lonely Planet team’s participation in the 2009 Tour d’ Afrique.
Cycle Tour Across Africa
The 7th annual Tour d'Afrique, an 11,800 km (7,375 mile) bicycle race/expedition across the world's most exotic and alluring continent from Cairo to Cape Town, kicks off in January 2009.
“The reason I was drawn to the tour in the first place,” Nate says, “was because Tony Wheeler's (Lonely Planet founder) call for applicants insisted on a charitable component of the event something that - to paraphrase his words - went beyond "patting orphans on the head."
Cycle Tour that Makes a Difference
During the 2008 Tour d’Afrique cycle tour, riders raised more than $15,000 for the TDA Foundation, which resulted in a record yearly donation of 265 bikes. But more than that, riders also raised more than $135,000 for various other charities.
The Lonely Planet team of riders and organizers are still in discussion about how to make the greatest impact in that respect, to benefit the wonderful foundation that has grown with the cycle tour and to bring something to it that really represents Lonely Planet's core principles about how travelers can truly make a difference in the world,” says Nate.
Preparing for a Volunteer Travel Experience
When asked how he was preparing for this particularly physically challenging volunteer travel experience, Nate replied that he was reading everything he could get his hands on about the countries he’d be visiting “including, of course, the Lonely Planet Guide to Southern Africa and all the competitor's guides”.
As an aside, he adds: “I’m also, of course, spending a hell of a lot of time on my bike!
More Information about Voluntourism
In Volunteer Travel Tips - Where, What and How Much Cavalieri discusses "essential questions for the tourist who wants to make a difference."
Nate Cavalieri on Volunteer Travel, Travel Writing
An Interview with Nate Cavalieri: The Lonely Planet Guide Author Describes Travel Writing as a Career, by Jennifer W. Miner.
Nate spoke to Alan Sorum about questions potential volunteers should ask.
African Crafters in Traditional Clothes
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A Street Market in South Africa
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Nate Cavalieri - Carboloading for Tour d'Afrique
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