Top five volunteering trips in Europe

3. Fight food waste in Portugal

Around 2000kg of food is wasted each day in Portugal, and you could be making sure that some of this goes towards feeding the hundreds of homeless people in the capital city, by collecting food from local restaurants, bars, cafes and schools for redistribution. During your stay, you’ll live in one of Lisbon’s most eco-friendly guest houses.

When to go: June to September
Our top selling trip: Volunteering in Portugal: fight food waste
See all our trips: Volunteering in Europe
Read more: Volunteering in Europe and Portugal travel guide

5. Whale conservation in the Azores

Failal Island in the Azores is an excellent place for seeing whales in their natural habitat, and you can spend time working with a research center collecting data on sperm, blue and sei whales, learning how to ID whales and even helping to educate other tourists about whales and dolphins.

When to go: May to September
Our top selling trip: Whale conservation vacation in the Azores
Read more: Marine conservation travel guide and Azores travel guide

Why volunteer organisations charge fees

Anne Smellie, from our specialist volunteer travel supplier, Oyster Worldwide:

“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. Particularly for the younger ones, it’s about balancing that level of support and independence. Quite often it’s their first time traveling but they’re adults, they’re 18, so we try and let them be as independent as possible. However, they can be safe in the knowledge that there is a support network in place should they need any help and advice, and if anything really does go wrong, then we’re there.”

“Take every opportunity you can to make the most of this experience, it’s a beautiful country with lovely people. Go on every trip; excursion, walk you can fit in.” – Angela Nunn, volunteering with bears in Romania

“Bring old clothes and shoes that you can throw away at the end of the experience as you get quite dirty after assisting in the food preparation area.... If you toss them out you have more room for souvenirs. ” – Ferida Reid, volunteering with bears in Romania

“The most memorable [bit] probably listening to the sperm whales underwater and how through the codas that they emit you could always tell when they were about to surface. The most exciting, the sighting of the fin whale. All in all the whole trip was an amazing experience with lovely crew/researchers and guests.” – Tania Fernandez, whale and dolphin research in Ligurian Sea, Italy

“Bring a dependable alarm clock, as the starts are early. The food is great, but watch your waistline. Bring a mask and snorkel for swimming, especially at Valtaki Beach.” – Louise Shaw, Peloponnese turtle conservation vacation in Greece

“Be prepared to do plenty of walking over rough and rocky ground, possibly in high temperatures. Enjoy the local people, food, culture and scenery as much as possible. Don't expect to find bears, just treat it as highlight if you do.” – Liz Pitt, Brown bear tracking in Northern Greece