Imagine traveling to a remote Himalayan village for a trek, during which you assist local villagers, working side by side with them, in the construction of a tourist eco lodge that utilizes gray water and solar power. Future visitors will pay for their accommodation at the lodge, and the villagers can utilize those funds to invest in the community clinic to improve prenatal care and child health. Or they may build a school to increase access to elementary – and secondary - level education for village children.
VolunTourism is 21st century philanthropy. No longer will we be satisfied to simply mail a check to the headquarters of a multilevel conglomerate non profit organization. If we are to change the world and make a significant contribution to the advancement of social capital, we need to experience firsthand the issues and challenges facing the world’s communities. VolunTourism gives us a chance to educate ourselves, participate in a travel experience beyond our expectations, and offer our help as volunteers- all in an effort to enhance connections.
Why voluntourism ?
VolunTourism is a great way to see an area, also getting to know the local customs and practices. It’s an experience of a lifetime and has a number of benefits. It gives you that much needed time to find yourself, to become more independent, meet new people, experience new food, culture and different lifestyles. It allows you to try something that you wouldn’t normally do at home. It lets you express your creativity without any limits. You will be collaborating with volunteers and tourists from varied fields and are free to design anything. Not just for the people of Pokhri but for the whole country to see and feel proud of.
Since you are also helping the local development, you become part of the community that you are working in. You won’t experience that simply by travelling through any place. You’ll make new friends, you’ll learn new things, and you might have a self-reflection or you may just discover yourself. A great step towards a new career... It’s a choice that you have to make and you might have a life changing experience.
How does voluntourism benefit the community?
For us, the benefits to the community can be immense. First, you come to stay. That signifies more employment for the local community. You’ll stay locally, you’ll eat local food, and you’ll probably end up buying local products (no one can resist the colourful Indian markets!). The locals will also benefit from improving their English skills – a better grasp of English means that they’ll be able to interact more with non – resident guests, and will be able to bring more work for themselves.
The project you will be working on will benefit through new ideas, skills and a fresh approach. Conservation is a part of our program. So you benefit the local community as well as the natural habitat and the species residing in that habitat. In many cases you will be working with local schools, colleges, local youth groups and village elders. – there is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you are helping to transform the lives of a lot of villages in a aesthetically planned & designed, and in a sustainable manner..
Why do you have to pay to volunteer?
We’d love it if we did’nt charge you, but the fact that nothing in this world comes for free and our programs are funded solely through volunteer contributions and without any outside help. We charge you as little as possible, but what we charge goes into the following:
- · Accommodation
- · Food
- · Staff wages (only to the local people)
- · Volunteer/Project Materials
- · Program development and program coordinators
- · Administration costs and organisational overheads
For the money that you have to pay, we do promise that you will receive:
- · Clean, comfortable (if not luxurious) accommodation
- · Delicious home/ camp cooked meals three times a day
- · Clean, safe drinking water
- · The experience of a lifetime
Volunteering and responsible travel
We believe in responsible travel. It is a new way of travelling especially for those who are tired of mass tourism and want to gain a more wholesome experience while they travel. In Peace Trip’s eyes, responsible travel means to care about the land, people, wildlife, respect local communities and cultures, especially contributing towards conservation and environment. We like our guests to leave a footprint but a positive one. Let us all come together and create a model eco tourism/ rural development project based on love, care, compassion, brotherhood and co-operation.
You’re traveling to a place that is off the usual tourist route, getting a firsthand experience of what this area is. You’ll be contributing towards the local community in a number of ways as already mentioned.
Rediscovering Nature
We encourage people to take a step back, slow down, get their hands dirty and rediscover nature. Conservation is an integral part of our work, and everything that we do is done keeping this ecological sustainability in mind. We know how easy it is to lose touch with nature, but nature is easy to rediscover, you just need that chance. A stay with Peace Trips means you’ll experience nature in a way you have never before!
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