Go Green Travel Green

Volunteer travel is an amazing way to see a place, get to know the locals, and leave a positive footprint. We volunteered while in Argentina, but there are plenty of local sites for volunteer travel.

After volunteering for five days on small farm– complete with ultra fresh meals and a bit of farming work in a picture perfect setting — I’ve learned a good bit about WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). In retrospect, there are a few things I wish I would have known before going. You Don’t Have to Work Long Hours Because some farms don’t need all the volunteers they have at one time, or if you are paying for part of your stay, you don’t necessarily have to work long 8+ hour farming days…. Your answer, be it “I spent all my money and need to live for free until my plane ticket home” or “I want to know how to garden” or “I want a different experience” should help you figure out what type of farm you want and how long you want to stay.

We took a public bus from nearby El Bolson to the tiny town of El Hoyo, then taxied out to Chacra Millalen, a small organic farm in Patagonia, Argentina where we’d spend the next 4 days volunteering.

…It’s also possible to bring a tent and camp on the land, but we don’t have a tent with us. Then Josephine showed us the three showers and encouraged us to use one of the two that was heated by wood-burning stoves (instead of gas).

We are now off to volunteer on an organic chacra (farm) just outside of El Bolson…. We’ll be on the farm for 5 days, likely without internet access, and will share stories with you when we get back.

Yesterday, in Volunteering Abroad: 10 Things to Know Before You Go we discussed everything you should think about before you sign up. Today we’ll cover why you should volunteer abroad and 21 resources for finding a good program.
5 Reasons to Volunteer Abroad
Help Others. Whether you’re cleaning up a polluted river or volunteering in a [...]

Volunteering abroad can be an incredibly rewarding experience. You get to spend a few weeks or months saving the rain forest or building houses for people who can’t afford them. Every program is not a good fit for everyone. But there are so many different places and types of work to choose from, you’ll definitely [...]