Family volunteering advice
Advice on choosing a placement
Ellie Petrie, from our supplier Pod Volunteer, shares her volunteer travel advice:
“Think about whether you want a structured placement with a stricter timetable. We often find that with animal placements, you wake up at six, you do a feeding, you’re cleaning at ten, then there’s another job to do. Our placements with less structure might suit a more confident person who wants to take it by the horns and get really involved in it. If we think the volunteer is not suitable, then it’s beneficial to tell them at the application stage and recommend they join a different project – maybe one where there is a team that might be more suited to them.”
“Think about whether you want a structured placement with a stricter timetable. We often find that with animal placements, you wake up at six, you do a feeding, you’re cleaning at ten, then there’s another job to do. Our placements with less structure might suit a more confident person who wants to take it by the horns and get really involved in it. If we think the volunteer is not suitable, then it’s beneficial to tell them at the application stage and recommend they join a different project – maybe one where there is a team that might be more suited to them.”
Our Family volunteering Vacations
Family volunteering with turtles in Costa Rica
Family turtle conservation volunteering in Costa Rica
From
£1289
7 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Hands-on family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
From
£767
7 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with bears in Romania
Unique family volunteering vacation at a bear sanctuary
From
£925
7 days
ex flights
Family volunteering and safari vacation, South Africa
Take your family on an unforgettable African Adventure
From
US $1095
14 days
ex flights
Elephant conservation vacation, Cambodia
Volunteer with rescued Asian elephants
From
£1195
14 days
ex flights
Borneo family volunteering vacation
Encounter orangutans and meet local tribes in magical Borneo
From
£795
7 days
ex flights
Adjusting to new cultures
Anne Smellie, from our family volunteering vacation expert, Oyster Worldwide:“Have a bit of a grasp of the basics of local language, because you are always going to be working with local people. So, just having the ‘hello’, ‘thank you’, ‘goodbye’ and ‘that was delicious’ if your food is being prepared for you, is brilliant.”
“If your kids are keen on certain snacks, take them with you as you won’t be getting burger and chips anywhere. It is usually delicious, but be ready for rice-based meals. It is also quite hard to access things that are gluten or dairy free, so you just need to bring those things with you.”
Work & play
Anne Smellie, from our supplier Oyster Worldwide:
“Be prepared to get stuck in and work. You aren’t there to lie on a beach, but to get actively involved in the project – all of you. But at other times it is good to be proactive too, For example, we have had families organise a sports day in a local school in Costa Rica before. Setting up football games, beach volleyball, that sort of thing. So just get stuck into local life really is a good thing. Or bring an instrument with you if you play one, so everyone can have a sing song. Just think of things that can be bonding experiences that transcend language, such as sports, music and games.”
“Be prepared to get stuck in and work. You aren’t there to lie on a beach, but to get actively involved in the project – all of you. But at other times it is good to be proactive too, For example, we have had families organise a sports day in a local school in Costa Rica before. Setting up football games, beach volleyball, that sort of thing. So just get stuck into local life really is a good thing. Or bring an instrument with you if you play one, so everyone can have a sing song. Just think of things that can be bonding experiences that transcend language, such as sports, music and games.”
Why volunteer organisations charge fees
Jon Arnold, from our supplier Oyster Worldwide:“We were very thankful after the Nepal earthquake as we made contact with everyone within two hours of the earthquake hitting. Thankfully everyone was safe and in different places, we got them all out within about a week or so but there was no rush – they were fine. People often say, ‘why have I got to pay for this?’ And that’s the nub of it – hopefully you’re never going to need the support that you’re paying for, but it is there just in case. We have representatives or project coordinators in each of the destinations that we send people to, and it is their job to liaise with us and be there as a friend for the participants.”
Should we take gifts?
Anne Smellie from our supplier, Oyster Worldwide:“Take sensible things out for kids in the place you are visiting. Don’t take sweets, or a new bike – take things that are practical for the kids there and that are preferably conservation based. Books for children written in English that deal with a conservation theme are great. All of our vacations are about conserving a species or a habitat, and the children that they are going to meet there are the guardians of that habitat and creatures. So from a really young age they need to become proud of the place they live in, what it stands for, the animals and the biodiversity. Learning English is a sought-after thing in most of the places we volunteer too, such as Borneo and Costa Rica, where community ties are very close to the work we do. One person we know took a pram out as a gift to Costa Rica – it is still sitting there, I’m afraid as people work out what to do with it. Just not very useful in the dirt track of the rainforest.”
Where you’ll be living on wildlife conservation vacations
Erin Sparks, from our supplier, Pod Volunteer:“If anything we describe the accommodation as more basic than it is. It’s very difficult because everyone has different expectations; all accommodation is of a very livable standard, just remember that if you are working with animals, often in earthy and wet environments, it is impossible to keep living spaces pristine. Some are dorms, others you share with between two and four people – it varies and volunteers are responsible for keeping their area clean and tidy. You’re there to slot in and help out as opposed to be waited on hand and foot.”
Our top Family volunteering Vacation
Family volunteering with turtles in Costa Rica
Family turtle conservation volunteering in Costa Rica
From
£1289
7 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
Tailor made: Flexible departures July - December (nesting season)
Tailor made: Flexible departures July - December (nesting season)
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Family volunteering or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
1-866-821-6866
Call toll free
Calling from outside the USA
Health & safety for family volunteers
HEALTH
SAFETY
Family volunteering advice from our travelers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful family volunteering travel advice that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your placement.
We have selected some of the most useful family volunteering travel advice that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your placement.
The most memorable part was watching the giant leatherback turtles come ashore and lay their eggs under a starry sky with our family.![]()
- Charlie Record
"Take a trip to a charity shop before you leave to buy shirts/tshirts etc as part of the fun is getting wet and dirty when cleaning and playing with the monkeys. Leaving things behind when you depart helps other volunteers. Take a pack of rubber gloves and leave behind what you don't use." - Sara Lee, Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
“It was a great experience, but don't go in expecting the comforts of home. It's rustic, there are lots of insects, and it's hot. If you can get past this, then it's a must see. While volunteering we felt like we were supporting the center and we loved seeing the elephants interact with one another in a natural environment.” - Simi Behal booked family volunteering with elephants in Sri Lanka.
“Make time for a bit of relaxation before the project and after as the traveling is very tiring and we would have liked to have had more time to spend in India. Make sure you read all the helpful teaching tips that are sent beforehand so that you are properly prepared.” - Rayner McKenzie booked a family vacation with volunteering in India.
“It was a great experience, but don't go in expecting the comforts of home. It's rustic, there are lots of insects, and it's hot. If you can get past this, then it's a must see. While volunteering we felt like we were supporting the center and we loved seeing the elephants interact with one another in a natural environment.” - Simi Behal booked family volunteering with elephants in Sri Lanka.
“Make time for a bit of relaxation before the project and after as the traveling is very tiring and we would have liked to have had more time to spend in India. Make sure you read all the helpful teaching tips that are sent beforehand so that you are properly prepared.” - Rayner McKenzie booked a family vacation with volunteering in India.
It does get messy... old clothes, good boots and some quality gloves that still allow you dexterity but are also washable.![]()
- Clanci Ferguson
More about Family volunteering
Find out the best time to go family volunteering on vacation abroad, based on your children's age and your school timetable.
This family volunteering vacations guide has two aims. The first is to show you that such wonderful things exist. The second is to show that they involve proper work.
Most volunteering projects that open their doors to families are in pretty far flung places. Think Peru, Thailand, South Africa and Borneo.
We have a wonderful array of types of family volunteering vacations:in the desert, by the sea, some with baby monkeys, others with giant elephants.
You might want to contribute towards the conservation – but you might also be wondering if this kind of trip will actually work for your family.
Though your daytimes are full of conservation and rehabilitation tasks, organisations will always ensure there is a day or weekend built into your itinerary for fun.
Be inspired by a mother and daughter who went off on a family adventure of a lifetime, helping with a sea turtle conservation project in Costa Rica.
Romanian bear sanctuaries don’t get the money they need, so volunteers are essential. Take your family volunteering with bears in Romania, and be inspired by the difference you can make.
Baby monkeys need round-the-clock care – something kids can do just as well as adults on a family volunteering vacation with monkeys in South Africa.
Should I take photos? Should I visit an orphanage? Should I bring gifts? Read on for some more of our thoughts on responsible family volunteering vacations.
