15 Ways to See the World While Making a Difference

While there’s nothing wrong with crashing on a sunny beach and chilling out among gently swaying palm trees, have you ever considered taking a vacation that can change lives — including your own? That’s the idea behind volunteer vacations, a unique way to see the world while giving back, and there are some pretty amazing opportunities out there to visit some exotic destinations while contributing to some noble causes.

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Thailand

Available in Bangkok and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, GoAbroad.com offers a program that places volunteers in a Buddhist temple school to teach English to children — who are also novice Buddhist monks.

Adam Selwood/Flickr Creative Commons

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Fiji

A diverse array of volunteer opportunities are available on the gorgeous island nation of Fiji through International Volunteer HQ. Projects include teaching and sports education at local schools, construction and renovation of schools and community centres, and providing childcare and community support.

Speaking of Fiji, Survivor has filmed there before, and they're back there again for a brand new season.

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South Africa

PodVolunteer is seeking volunteers to join an active research team that will collect data on African elephants, working hands-on with these majestic creatures while living on South Africa's famed Garden Route.

M M/Flickr Creative Commons

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India

GVI Canada offers volunteers the opportunity to visit the city of Kochi in the southern state of Kerala (described as "a must-see destination"), where they'll work with disadvantaged children in a local school. In addition to volunteering, R&R activities include staying overnight on a houseboat and cruising the backwaters, kayaking along the river, cycling through villages, relaxing on the one of the nearby beaches, or indulging in a traditional Ayurvedic massage.

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Peru

Working in Peru's Manu Biosphere Nature Reserve, this opportunity from GoAbroad.com involves helping to construct greenhouses that will improve the diet of local families, as the geographic and climatic conditions don't allow for anything to grow other than root vegetables and grains, resulting in rampant malnutrition among the local population.

Bert Kaufmann/Flickr Creative Commons

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Spain

United Planet will send volunteers to the small village of Monsagro in the Catilla y Leon region of northwestern Spain, located in the Natural Park of Las Batuecas-Sierra de Francia, located 300 kilometres from Madrid. Volunteer opportunities in the village include working with children at the primary school, volunteering with a local NGO to promote environmental sustainability and join in local conservation efforts.

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Nepal

Numerous communities throughout Nepal are still recovering from the devastating earthquake that rocked the region in 2015. Projects Abroad hosts volunteers to help in a variety of relief efforts specifically related to children, including rebuilding and renovating schools that were damaged in the earthquake.

Beth Rankin/Flickr Creative Commons

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Costa Rica

Costa Rica was home to 400,000 jaguars in the 1950s, but that population has dwindled to less than 14,000. But thanks to this volunteer opportunity from GVI Canada, you can help protect this endangered species by working in the rainforest to aid conservation efforts through monitoring and tracking jaguars on Costa Rica’s beautiful Caribbean coast in the Tortuguero National Park. In addition, volunteers will also conduct research on turtles and aquatic birds, receiving some valuable skills and training along the way.

Dennis Jarvis/Flickr Creative Commons

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Greece

An estimated 11 million Syrians have fled the war-torn country, with more than 57,000 refugees in Greece. Cross-Cultural Solutions offers an opportunity to work with programs that support vulnerable women, children and residents at refugee camps in Greece.

Kristin Klein/Flickr Creative Commons

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Honduras

Water Brigades offers an array of volunteer opportunities in different parts of Honduras, all focused on constructing water systems that are custom-designed for rural communities, in order to ensure the local populace has access to clean, fresh water.

Polina F/Flickr Creative Commons

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Italy

Projects Abroad is seeking volunteers to visit in Calabria, Italy, and work with child refugees and recent immigrants to help them integrate into life in Italy by teaching them the skills they'll require.

Lenny K Photography/Flickr Creative Commons

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Australia

The Earthwatch organization offers several ecologically focused volunteer opportunities in Australia, including working with researchers to combat climate change, study humpback whales in Moreton Bay in the hopes of determining why whale populations are declining, and helping scientists monitor the health of the coral that makes up the Great Barrier Reef.

Juan Antonio Segal/Flickr Creative Commons

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Morocco

Volunteers are needed by Go Abroad.com in the Moroccan city of Rabat. Because it's illegal to have children out of wedlock in Morocco, these children often wind up homeless or living on the street, and volunteers will be working with local groups to address this and other social issues.

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Cambodia

One way to visit Cambodia is via a GoAbroad.com program in which volunteers teach English at a Conversations With Foreigners centre in Phnom Penh.

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Jamaica

Many schools in Jamaica don't have running water or sanitary toilet facilities, and Projects Abroad offers volunteer opportunities to construct safe, sanitary toilet facilities in schools located in the Jamaican city of Manchester.