Travel with Purpose: A Field Guide to Voluntourism

Whether for an hour or two, a day or a week, Jeff Blumenfeld's Travel With Purpose explains how any traveler can give back to the local communities they visit, anywhere in the world. The experience turns you from an everyday tourist into a small part of the solution to some of the globe's most pressing challenges.--Richard Wiese, President, The Explorers Club, New York City

There's no better education for a child than travel that provides a glimpse at how other people live their lives. Travel that also involves volunteer work is perhaps the best of both worlds. As Travel With Purpose shows, voluntourism can expand horizons, and build an important bond between parents and their sons or daughters.--Rainer Jenss, President & Founder, Family Travel Association

Practical, motivating and loaded from cover to cover like an overstuffed suitcase, Travel With Purpose is a big-hearted book full of guidance and inspiration that just may finally get you out the door. Crack it open, then pack your bags.--John Marshall, author of Wide-Open World: How Volunteering Around the Globe Changed One Family's Lives Forever

Jeff Blumenfeld covers everything you need to know about voluntourism, from its upsides and downsides to how to find the right project--and he's included memorable stories that span from Kathmandu to Vegas. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to volunteer abroad.--Ken Budd, author of The Voluntourist

Every traveler can benefit immensely by lending a hand to local organizations wherever they travel for business or pleasure. Travel With Purpose explains how to do this most effectively and with passion. Don't miss this book!--Barbara Corcoran, Real Estate Expert and TV Personality

Starred Review: Well-traveled expert Blumenfeld (You Want to Go Where?, 2009) shares many ways to combine the spirit of volunteerism with a vacation. As he tells stories of his own good deeds abroad--being part of a medical mission in Nepal, chaperoning a high-school expedition to Antarctica--he also expounds on this booming sub-industry, its growth, how to select the right project, and the good and not-so-great sides of volunteering outside of the U.S. He writes well, with a good eye for memorable details, and provides a wealth of do's and don'ts for starting to help readers learn new skills, lower expectations about what the work will be, avoid some of the darker issues (such as lack of sustainability and, unfortunately, human trafficking), and fund the project. Among his stories and advice are tales of a just-married couple who raised funds to enjoy a volun-honeymoon, and a young woman who fundraised through a unique combination of creative food-related events. Blumenfeld leaves almost nothing to the imagination, with appendixes on volunteerism resources, best travel applications, favorite travel books, and volunteerism videos, along with notes and a bibliography. Who wouldn't agree with Albert Schweitzer? "Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you."--Booklist, Starred Review

Blumenfeld places the rise of volunteerism into context, offers tips for choosing worthy projects and insights into adapting and tolerating suboptimal living conditions, safety advice, and examples of various voluntourist trips taken by himself, friends, and acquaintances. The author does not shy away from some of the less-savory aspects of voluntourism, such as narcissistic motivations, economic privilege, and criminal intent. The final chapter gives useful information about funding volunteer projects, including the use of social media and crowdsourcing; securing corporate sponsors; and expressing gratitude before, during, and after the trip. Appendixes include an annotated list of useful links, Smartphone apps, travel books, and videos.--Library Journal