of The Abroad Guide, a well-known travel blog, it’s
important to find a destination that’s aligned with
everyone’s interests: “If everybody’s not onboard from
the start, you may find yourself with some less-than-
eager participants.” Amy Whitley, a travel reporter
with a lot of experience in family volunteer vacations
agrees, saying it’s particularly important to follow the
passions or interests of your kids: “Pursue a volunteer
vacation that’s in line with your children’s interests.
For instance, if your child loves animals, consider a trip
aiding marine mammal rescue or if your kids have a
passion for the outdoors, get your feet wet with a trip
maintaining trails or landmarks with your local state
park system.”
There are many places your family can go and
volunteer; here are just a few places from across
the country:
# Give Kids the World Village (Kissimmee,
Florida) . At this non-profit resort for kids with life-
threatening illnesses, family volunteers help run the
resort. You can expect to help out with pony rides, run
the merry-go-rounds, scoop ice cream, and assist with
many other things.
# Hands Up Holidays (New Orleans, Louisiana) .
You will help with the post-Katrina recovery of New
Orleans with activities such as rebuilding houses,
sorting clothing donations, and entertaining the
elderly in assisted living facilities.
# Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (Kanab, Utah) .
Here at the largest animal sanctuary in the country
with about 1600 animals, you help care for rescue cats,
dogs, rabbits, horses, and pigs. You can adopt many of
the animals and continue to take care of them
at home.
There are many organizations that can help you
organize your family volunteer vacation to suit your
particular interests. These include Give A Day Global, the
Global Citizens Network, Global Volunteers, Globe Aware,
Habitat For Humanity, Love Volunteers, Me to We, the
Nature Corps, the Sierra Club, and Wilderness Volunteers.
Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of
Communication Arts, Sciences and Disorders at the City
University of New York – Brooklyn College.
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