Volunteering in Asia: Voluntourism

Voluntourism: What is it?

What does "Volontourism" mean?

Volontourism is a combination of the words "Volunteer" and "Tourism"

As the first gap year travellers strapped on their rucksacks and set out on the hippie trail to India during the 1960s, voluntourism was born. Though the term “voluntourism” only entered the tourism industry’s lexicon within the past ten years, the basic concept of extended travel interspersed with volunteering experiences abroad has been around for decades. Volunteering in Asia is your chance to keep the tradition of charitable travel alive on the world’s largest continent.

Voluntourism is:

  • Volunteering to help people abroad
  • Getting to see more than the ordinary tourist

Whether your gap year project in Asia involves caring for orphaned children in Vietnam or teaching English to Buddhist monks in Thailand, you will experience something that regular tourists, herded onto the same well-worn paths, never have the chance to see. Volunteering in Asia is an excellent way to help people as you learn about their culture.

Voluntourism: What ISN’T it?

Before new gap year travellers go to Asia for the first time, they often have exaggerated predictions of what they will be able to accomplish. Although you may not witness sweeping improvements as a result of your volunteer work in Asia, your help will be greatly appreciated by the local people. It is important to keep in mind that voluntourism has its limits – and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Voluntourism is NOT:

  • Your chance to single-handedly save the world
  • A way to “improve” foreign cultures

Most important:

Keep an open mind, and try to understand your host country’s cultural differences.

It is okay to be optimistic, but try to avoid the common pitfall of thinking you will save the world during your gap year project in Asia. If your focus is too broad, (Example: “I want to end poverty in India!”) you will be disappointed to find that the problem is too big for you to handle alone. Instead, focus on your own small contribution to solving a larger problem, and you will feel much more fulfilled after your time abroad.

Another misconception which new volunteers in Asia sometimes have is that the local culture needs to be changed somehow. This is not only condescending to the local people, it is also a very counterproductive way of viewing a gap year project in Asia. A major benefit of spending a gap year abroad is getting to know and accept a new culture, so keep an open mind, and you will gain much more from volunteering in Asia.