Photo from American Hiking Society

By now you’ve probably heard about the idea of “voluntourism” - mixing vacation tours with a chance to give back to the world in a small way. According to one study, in 2007 11% of vacationers planned to volunteer during their trip - a huge increase from just the year before. Voluntourism opportunities are as varied as vacation ideas themselves and a recent article from the Foster Folly News showcases a great pick for folks interested in hiking.

The American Hiking Society organizes Volunteer Vacations in most US states and gives volunteers the opportunity to pick jobs from easy to moderate with accommodations ranging from cabins to primative tent camping. In addition the American Hiking Society organizes National Trails Day each year which attract over 100,000 volunteers annually. For more diverse voluntourism opportunities, travelers can also log onto Voluntourism.org to find even more ways to help.

The next time you plan an outdoor adventure or vacation consider how you can spend a portion of your time giving back - you’ll be surprised how rewarding voluntourism can be!

Related posts:

1. American Hiking Society Supports 10 Favorite Hiking Trails
2. Wilderness Volunteer Vacations
3. National Trails Day Tomorrow (June 6, 2009)
4. Hiking Buddies program pairs hikers with dogs
5. Hiking and backpacking in Ocala National Forest

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 1:05 am and is filed under hiking, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.