Volunteer Vacations

Reward travel has a whole new meaning

4/04/05

travel age westLet’s say you booked a trip for a valued client to an exotic land full of sunshine, waterfalls and beaches, and upon arrival, they were handed a shovel and told to dig a ditch, or directed to clear debris from a beachfront, or sent to scrub a ship deck.
And when the couple returned from this trip, not only did they not complain to you, they offered grateful thanks. “Best trip ever!” they said. What would you say about such an unlikely scenario?
You’d say that this volunteer vacation thing is for real.

At least that’s what a host of travel agents and vacation companies are finding out. Take agent Vivian Cruickshank, who works a small territory in Shelton, Wash., but still books several volunteer vacations a year. ..

“My last trip, in October 2004, was to Peru,” Cruickshank recalled. “In Lima, we went to an orphanage that sheltered up to 600 children. These children may have been orphans or taken from abusive homes. In some cases, the children are brought there by a parent who simply cannot provide for them. They always had hugs and kisses for us.”

And, while the work was challenging, there was still time to soak in the culture.

“In each city, we were taken on a tour,” Cruickshank said. “On weekends, we were free to explore as we wished. In Peru, we were taken to the archaeological site of Pachacamac. One evening, a dance group of young men and women from the Dominican Republic were performing in one of the plazas. They were wonderful. What a treat!”

Cruickshank is far from alone. According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), more than 55 million Americans have taken what can be described as a volunteer vacation, and nearly twice that many are considering doing the same. It reflects a rising interest in volunteering in general, with nearly 30 percent of those 16 and older now participating in volunteer projects, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And niche groups within the volunteer vacation trend have emerged; just check out Break Away, which encourages college students to volunteer on spring break instead of heading out to party spots. Tallahassee, Fla.-based Break Away expects 38,000 students to take part in its volunteer vacations this spring, up from 25,000 students five years ago.

Still, many agents say they’re not even thinking of sales primarily when they talk of their involvement in volunteer vacations. To them, it has provided a great sense of personal reward — whether booking such trips for themselves or a valued client looking to enrich his or her life while helping others. And agents say making this kind of unique and profound experience happen will result in a stronger, lasting bond with clients for future business opportunities.

The latter point is especially key among young travelers, as Los Angeles-based agent Dean Jacobberger has discovered. His agency, STA Travel, specializes in student trips. These days, among other volunteer trips, Jacobberger is booking throughout the year for a volunteer vacation at the National Zoo Park of Guatemala, where help is needed with local conservation efforts.

“With all the tragedies going on around the world, students have taken it to heart and are looking for a more satisfying travel experience,” said Jacobberger, who arranges volunteer travel trips through Denver-based i-to-i Volunteer Vacations. “The recent tsunami definitely brought about more awareness of volunteer travel as people really came together and wanted to help. We currently carry a two-week community development disaster relief project in the Dehiwala suburb of Columbo, Sri Lanka. There are other packages available throughout Sri Lanka and Thailand, such as helping at orphanages and youth centers.”

What’s Available
Destinations and service offerings in this niche market are eclectic and plentiful, and there are a number of organizations agents should be aware of.

“The volunteer travel market is a nascent travel segment, more so for international volunteer travel,” said Lee Ann Johnson, managing director at i-to-i. “It is clearly growing, judging by the increasing number of organizations offering such travel opportunities. Adult volunteers can lend a helping hand to conservation, community development, teaching, building, media, health and a multitude of other types of projects.”

Fairfax, Va.-based Global Spectrum specializes in programs in Southeast Asia, and is also seeing a huge increase in interest in volunteer travel because of the tsunami. But even before the horrific disaster — which killed at least 220,000, according to a CNN report — the interest in helping others while experiencing a new destination was booming.

“It is just the beginning of the volunteer travel boom,” said Marcia Selva, president of Global Spectrum. “Travelers, especially the high-end travelers, want to accomplish something. Today, they build clinics, houses, libraries and wells. People now want to get dirty.”

“There are many factors that come into play when a Habitat for Humanity volunteer chooses a Global Village trip,” said David Minich. “Some go for the sense of adventure, as well as the opportunity to give back and the opportunity to experience a country that’s removed from tourist destinations and resorts. In the United States, people have been generous by donating their time and money to many worthy causes. A volunteer vacation is an outgrowth of that generosity.”

Dallas-based Globe Aware has seen a 200 percent increase in travel volunteer participation in the last year, with nearly 220 travelers taking part in 2004. As many organizations are seeing, most volunteers are women, with 60 percent of Globe Aware participants being female. Trips generally cost about $1,000 and include accommodations and food, as well as incidentals such as medical and emergency evacuation insurance. (Air is not included.)

Agents should be aware that, unlike Global Volunteers, accommodations are far from high-end or even medium-end.

“90 percent of our funding goes directly to the communities we serve,” said Kimberly Haley-Coleman, executive director of Dallas-based Globe Aware. “If we were to provide higher-end amenities, our expense ratio would not be focused on the needy communities.”

“People have an innate desire to help in any situation, but some are disenchanted and mistrustful of straight monetary donations because they don’t know how their money is allocated,” said Gordon Hunsucker, director of the organization. “By being part of the volunteer program, they are contributing much more directly and immediately: They see how the money is being used and they have a better sense of contribution and self-fulfillment.”

The level of accommodations is often dependent upon the destination. A recent trip to the Bahamas to help locals with the aftermath of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in fall 2004 was spent at the high-end Pelican Bay Hotel, which donated rooms to Volunteer Relief Aid participants.

“One of the things we do is try to make it as comfortable as possible for the volunteers, with a dry place to sleep, good food and directions,” said Hunsucker, who also runs the Las Vegas-based Outlander Expeditions, a for-profit tour package company. “Volunteers generally work very hard, and in many cases what you see at the site is very disturbing and you need to get a break from it. There are times when the amenities can be very good. This was a large expense for Pelican Bay, but they were — and still are — concerned about helping the people of the island.”

Agents say that, in booking volunteer travel, the accommodations are a key element to research.

“Will the client be unhappy in a hotel that is not a Hilton or Sheraton?” said Cruickshank, the Shelton, Wash., agent who both books and participates in these trips. “I consider a volunteer vacation as an adventure. But not everyone shares my philosophy: If the plane arrives without mishap and the toilet flushes, the rest is icing on the cake.”

AGENT ADVICE: TIPS FOR COMMISSION

There's no doubt that volunteer travel has rewards that go beyond monetary compensation, however, this emerging niche market makes sense when viewed from the bottom line as well. "Often clients will do a volunteer program for a week and then do more typical travel for a second week," said Dean Jacobberger, land product manager with STA Travel in Los Angeles. "Either they'll do tours or they'll travel on their own because they are more comfortable in the country where they've worked." Eric Maryanov, president and founder of All-Travel.com in Los Angeles, sees volunteer travel as having great potential for agents. "We leave our everyday lives as teachers, attorneys, business owners and parents, and visit a faraway place where people need the essentials," Maryanov said. "A knowledgeable travel consultant can assist with flights, itineraries and any additional excursions before or after the program." Vivian Cruickshank, an agent from Shelton, Wash., can speak from personal experience. She's taken five volunteer trips, the last one to Peru. "On that trip we went a little early to go to Machu Picchu. A lot of people in the program did that," she said. Cruickshank pointed out that even when volunteers don't take pre or post trips, they still travel on weekends and off days, giving agents another opportunity for commissions. "When we were volunteering in Mexico, we would travel on weekends to neighboring towns," she said. "There's always plenty to see." These agents agreed that consumers still need a lot of educating when it comes to this type of trip. "Always the first question customers ask is why pay to volunteer," said Jacobberger. "The truth is when you compare volunteer programs with traditional tours, the price is about the same. And you can't put a price tag on the experience."

WEB EXCLUSIVE: More Agent Advice

There is no doubt about the main selling point of volunteer travel.

"In this type of vacation, travelers experience a country up close and personal, and gain a sense of community that is much more fulfilling than being a tourist," said Maryanov.

"These trips are a chance to experience the culture and really be with the people," Cruickshank said of her volunteer trips to Mexic . "It's just an entirely different experience than going to Puerto Vallarta."

Jacobberger, who works a lot with college-age clients, said these trips are especially popular with young travelers, and he pointed out a more subtle selling point for them.

"A lot of college kids will do this and then come back and start going on job interviews," he said. "And how great is it to tell a future employer you just got back from South Africa where you were w or king with lions. That kind of life experience definitely sets you apart from the competition!"

Another selling point is the more intense sense of camaraderie that comes from volunteering.

"You meet people from all over when you do this sort of trip," said Cruickshank. "Last trip, we met a doct or and his wife from Canada. We met a lot of retired teachers and retired medical people, and also a lot of young people."

"Some of the accommodations on these programs involve a home stay with a local family," said Jacobberger. "And others are d or m-style or group accommodations, in which case you'll have volunteers all out doing different projects during the day, but then they get together in the evening to share their experiences. Either way it's a winner with clients - with one you get the real authentic experience of a local family, with the other you get great friendships and get to meet people from all over the world."

The agents we spoke to had various ways of marketing this type of travel.

Jacobberger said f or his agency it's mostly w or d of mouth, but they also give out a lot of branded brochures. And they include those brochures as an option every time they do a presentation to a group of possible clients.

Cruickshank, who lives in a 7,000-person town, said her marketing includes doing presentations at the local library and at local service clubs.

"People like this f or m of travel," she said. "Clients like adventurous trips, and I look at this as an adventure."

Maryanov agreed.

"Sure, we'd feel much better if there were more hours in the day to spend helping make a difference in other's lives. But it just isn't so," he said. "A vacation that includes volunteerism is indeed a life-changing experience."

NON-PROFITS TO KNOW

Globe Aware (www.globeaware. org): Globe Aware organizes weeklong trips to Asia and Latin America. Activities are varied, but include English-language instruction as well as distributing relief aid.