Family Volunteer Vacations:
Doing Good While Having Fun
By Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
F
or your next family trip, how about doing some
good while also having fun. Sound intriguing?
It’s called a “family volunteer vacation,” and
thousands of people across the country are taking
them every year. The trips can last for a few days or
several weeks, but they all have one thing in common:
your family will spend some time helping people or
animals in need.
Why do so many families choose to go on such
vacations? According to Nancy Schretter, the founder
of Together For Good, a non-profit organization that
organizes family volunteer vacations, “families really
want to give back and make the world a better place.
They want to find meaningful trips where they can
make a difference.”
Experts note that family volunteer vacations are
beneficial not only to the communities that are
served but also to the families themselves. “Helping
others while traveling,” says Charis Atlas Heelan, a
16 | S T. J O H N S parent M A G A Z I N E
writer for Frommer’s Travel Guides, “can instill a greater
understanding of the world and teach your children
about the importance of community, compassion, and
consideration for others.” Indeed, says Ms. Heelan,
“a volunteer vacation, that your whole family can
participate in, may just be one of the most rewarding
experiences that you will share together.”
If family volunteer vacations are so good for all
involved, how do you decide where to go? To make
the trip as successful as possible, says Laura Eickhoff,
an expert on family volunteer vacations and author
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.