The past few posts in the “summer work abroad” series have dealt with teaching ESL and work-stays as avenues to make a buck abroad in the summer months (or any month, really).

This third entry will be a bit different. In the rare case that you don’t need to make cash while spending a month or a season abroad, volunteering can be a helpful way to experience a culture first-hand in the process of doing some good. In recent years this approach to travel has gained in popularity. Volunteering’s three-for-the-price-of-one deal is attractive: The opportunity to get to know a culture, make new friendships, and have an adventure while doing a noble deed that’ll look good on the CV when the summer’s over.

And you might even get a nice tan.

Generally, volunteers don’t need special skills, except for medical projects in the Third World. Most programs are just searching for diligent, enthusiastic helpers looking to make a difference to those in need around the globe.

Opportunities can range from building homes for flood victims in humid Southeast Asia to planting crops and digging wells for clean drinking water in parched African villages. Positions helping with conservation and wildlife programs are available too.

Some first-rate organizations always looking for volunteers around the globe are Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders, American Red Cross, and United Nations Volunteers among others. They seek volunteers to fill a critical void in the fields of environmental research, conservation, education, and community development.

More culturally-related opportunities can be in had too, especially in Europe, like digging at an archeological site. I did this at the Shakespeare Home archeological excavation at the writer’s former homestead in Stratford-upon-Avon, England (more about this cool experience in a future post). I made friends I otherwise wouldn’t have met and held a long-buried piece of the legendary author’s home in my hand.

There are dozens of helpful websites that can help you sort through the enormous menu of options. Many of them can parse the possibilities for people looking to volunteer in everything from medical assistance to woman’s empowerment for a week, a whole year or anywhere in between in scores of countries.

Some good resources include: a great site with over 27,000 opportunities abroad updated daily, a non-political, non-religious organization running over 100 programs in 25 countries, this site will help to find a project in most categories in up to 40 countries, and this well-run site with links to lots of excellent organizations and projects.

If this piques your interest, find a place and a position to plug into and get going. You’ll get as much out of it as you’re willing to put into it. Be ready to get your hands dirty and sweat for free, and make a difference.

As most travelers probably know, there’s more than one way to get yourself a great adventure abroad. Last week I wrote a bit about teaching ESL in a foreign country. One in particular is a work-stay arrangement.

Lots of establishments—ranging from host farms (organic and non-organic), lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels, and just plain homes—invite travelers to help out in exchange for accommodation and meals. The short-term “guests” pitch in some light labor (usually four hours or so a day) while getting meals, a bed, and a great big dose of the local culture in the process.

Due to the seasonal nature of agriculture, helping out on a farm bailing hay, picking grapes in a vineyard, or picking berries at an orchard can be a great way to survive a summer aboard on little to no money.

The old system was a casual arrangement whereby owners of farms asked for help by putting up a flyer on hostel notice boards. Word of mouth spread the work-stay gospel as well, and travelers soon began swapping information on the best locations, working conditions, and employers.

As like everything else, the method of finding the opportunities changed with the arrival of the internet. Now the web is loaded with good sites functioning as a digital, world-wide hostel notice board. Any traveler with a connection can find good opportunities, get advice, and interact with prospective employers around the globe.

Some helpful resources aimed at connecting travelers to work-stay opportunities include: one of the original work-stay info hubs, jobs geared toward resort work, a pretty comprehensive site with lots of opportunities, and another good site loaded with helpful links.

Skills like agriculture, animal care, boat-crewing, and carpentry are sought after in various pockets of the globe. Being a certified instructor of boating, tennis, or scuba diving are sought-after skills as well in resorts. Regardless of the monetary savings aside, the opportunity to live with the locals and participate in their day-to-day life is well worth the work, regardless of the monetary savings.

Skills like agriculture, animal care, boat-crewing, and carpentry are sought after in various pockets of the globe. Being a certified instructor of boating, tennis, or scuba diving are valuable in resorts. Aside from the monetary savings, the opportunity to live with the locals and participate in their day-to-day life is well worth the work.