No, this does not mean you are volunteering TO GO on vacation. It means you volunteer WHEN YOU GO on vacation. The
difference is fairly huge.
We’ve blogged about these trips before, even the
Earthwatch trips specifically. But
this peice that ran on CNN
was a nice summary of what you can expect when you head out on a “volunteer vacation”…that is, head out to work for
some scientific or NGO enterprise…for example digging up bones in the Gobi Desert. Or fixing water filtration systems
in India. It may seem strange that you would pay to go on vacation and work, but it’s big biz as people slough away
from their desk jobs to release their inner Indiana Jones.
Sadly, these tris aren’t cheap. Costs for one- to three-week Global Volunteers projects range from $650 to $2,595. In
2004, the average price for a one-to-three week Earthwatch project was $1,850, with projects ranging in price from $800
to $3,500. Travel expenses to the group meeting point are not included for either organization.