Volunteer your way around the world

One such way is to volunteer your way around the world, helping rebuild communities in need, teaching English, or – if you have nursing or medical qualifications –as a health practitioner in developing countries. The most important thing is to do your research beforehand and decide what you would like to get out of the experience.

First, decide if there is a particular part of the world that you would like to visit and then look into the volunteer projects available in that region. Some volunteer projects will require a fee to participate, which is usually used to keep the project running and to purchase much-needed materials. Almost all projects will require you to pay for your own flights/transportation to the location. Next, consider which skills you have that might be of use to particular volunteer projects. For example, if you are an engineer, architect, carpenter, builder, plumber or electrician, your skills might be particularly useful in communities that are rebuilding after natural disasters. But even if you do not specialise in a particular area, there is always work to be done on volunteer projects, from caring for local children, doing administration work and teaching English to local communities. For more information on what you might be able to do, the United Nations has a website listing different opportunities for volunteering.