by Sally Brown

In a climate where leisure time is more precious than ever, an intriguing phenomenon is emerging: People are choosing to spend their vacations helping others. More and more social-minded travelers are passing up luxury, packaged tours and, instead, rolling up their shirtsleeves and donating their time and manpower. Organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Global Volunteers are reporting an increase in participants who sign on to build houses and hospitals, assist in medical clinics and schools, and help restore or protect wildlife in destinations both domestic and international. Vacationers once content with sand, surf, and sun are apparently eager to join the ranks of the "doers," in their pursuit of soul, spirit, and stewardship.

Here are the voices of some who travel to serve, as well as those who serve the volunteer traveler:

Building a foundation for volunteerism

Habitat for Humanity is well-known as an organization that rallies volunteers and resources to build affordable housing for families in need. And Habitat’s Global Village program extends this service beyond American borders to help people in need around the world.

"Habitat for Humanity has been blessed for years by many wonderful volunteers," observes Millard Fuller, Habitat’s founder and president. "Thousands have made Global Village trips all around the world. People from 18 to 80 have traveled to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Hungary, and many places in between. They have put in long hours of hard work and have built homes with thousands of families. Many times these trips have made a profound difference in their lives and they all tell me happily that they have received so much more than they have given. And, they want to do it again."

Helping others teaches beyond-the-classroom lessons

You’d think a man who spends every workday attending to the needs of hundreds of elementary-aged schoolchildren might want a break from kids when he travels. As it happens, Steve Foster, principal of Lakeside, an Indianapolis elementary school, often spends his vacations involved in humanitarian missions. His interest manifested itself as early as 1994 when he and his family lived in Grenada, where he was principal of an international school. When he wasn’t working, he and his wife often volunteered at a nearby orphanage.

But when Foster took nearly 30 of his students on a volunteer mission to Mexico City in 1999, the value of volunteer travel really clicked on. "The most rewarding, emotional, positive trip I’ve ever experienced. I know that we touched the lives of so many, but mine has been touched equally by the beautiful children of Mexico."

Foster and his schoolkids were part of a joint effort between Ambassadors for Children and Christel House, both Indianapolis-based not-for-profits. The team visited orphanages, where medical volunteers provided medical, dental, ear and eye checkups, and other participants delivered toys and school supplies. Steve recalls that there were opportunities for the children to play together, attend a carnival, and take a field trip to Teotihuacan Pyramids.

Since then, Foster has taken several other volunteer trips, including a groundbreaking journey to Cuba, with Ambassadors for Children in 1999. Yet, that first experience in Mexico City remains most special to him, as he remembers it as "a life-changing opportunity that will be in my thoughts and all that I am yet to be."

Need to serve leads to a new tourism

As recent world events have often acted to discourage leisure travel, Nancy Rivard, president of Airline Ambassadors, sees that these same events have stirred a growing interest in volunteer travel. Affiliated with the United Nations, Airline Ambassadors is a network of airline employees and others involved in humanitarian efforts around the world.

"Leisure and business travel markedly decreased after the tragic events of September 11, but the market for meaningful travel has increased. Traveling to make a difference is the leading edge of a new tourism. It reflects one of the fastest-growing travel markets in the U.S., touching people whose values are driven by environmental and social responsibility as well as a growing spiritual integration. We have more people wanting to take our trips than ever before. They’re learning to meet a fundamental need within themselves to be of service to one another."

With a firm belief that most people do want to help and make a difference, Rivard also understands that many simply don’t know how to get involved. "They read about UNICEF projects and send a check now and then, but don’t know of a way to get involved personally." She reflects that the only avenue for hands-on service that many are familiar with is the Peace Corps—an impossible commitment for most people, given job and family responsibilities. "Global volunteerism is a perfect outlet to give expression to the drive for meaning and for social action."

Channeling love of travel for a higher purpose

As a career flight attendant, Brenda Skeen is no stranger to travel and the diversity of the world. But it wasn’t until she journeyed to an orphanage in a remote Central American village that she discovered the depth and resonance that volunteerism gave to her travels and her understanding of other cultures and people.

Skeen was part of a mission that delivered humanitarian aid, toys, and medicine to a small orphanage in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. Deeply touched by her experience, she realized she could make a difference in the lives of others by combining her travels with volunteer work. "My love of adventure travel and other cultures and desire to make the world a better place has helped me find a way to travel with a higher purpose."

Her volunteer efforts focus mostly on helping children. She is currently involved with a school in eastern Tibet. "The children of the world are so deserving of our goodwill, and what we give to them comes back to us tenfold."

Gaining new cultural under standing and stirring hope

"Travel that feeds the soul," is how Global Volunteers describes its service projects that have led more than 13,000 participants into in-need communities representing 18 countries. Bud Philbrook sums up the excitement for doing volunteer work on a vacation: "When someone adds a volunteer dimension to their vacation, they gain a unique perspective of the community they’re visiting. They have the opportunity to learn from and about the local people and make genuine friendships in the process. It is an exceptional experience and very often the highlight of any trip abroad."

Philbrook believes that there is an even bigger outcome to volunteer vacations than just helping where there is need: "Volunteer service engenders hope and friendship, both of which are critical to waging peace. As our volunteers work alongside local people, they discover that although we are different in many ways—different language, culture, race, ethnicity, the color of our skin, how we worship, the way we dance—we are all far more alike than we are different. The more people volunteer all over the world and make friends with local people, the more peaceful the world will be."

He continues, "Volunteer service also engenders hope. When classrooms are built and children, who otherwise could not go to school, learn, hope springs forth. When healthcare is provided and vulnerable children are housed and fed, hope springs forth. When young adults acquire marketable skills, hope springs forth. With that said, we have concluded that the role of the volunteer is not so much to accomplish something; that really is the local people’s responsibility. Rather, the role of the volunteer is simply to serve—to share who they are and the talents they have been given."