Jaunted

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Celebs Want You To Participate in Voluntourism With Them This Week

If you've watched any network TV this week you may have felt the sudden urge to do good. That's because the networks have teamed up with iParticipate—an industry-wide initiative aimed at urging viewers to participate in volunteerism—to include story lines that spotlight community service. That's also why the photo shoot on last week's Ugly Betty had a Nothing But Net theme and why Kenneth the page is going to try to adopt all of the dogs at a local shelter on Thursday's night's episode of 30 Rock. Not only will your favorite shows have a "do good" theme but the commercials will too. Several A-Listers, like Gwyneth Paltrow and Matthew Mcconaughey, have taped ads for iParticpate reminding us that by helping others, we help ourselves.

But the Entertainment Industry Foundation, who is spearheading the initiative, isn't just spreading the message through TV, they have also scheduled several star-studded events this week to encourage people to get involved in their community. For instance, today, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba will donate her time along with more than 50 volunteers for a day of service at the Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas beginning at 10:30 AM.

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Help The Blind Read By Visiting North Korea

Wilderness experts teach campers to leave a place better than they found it. A tour group responsible for more than half of all Westerners visiting North Korea has taken that sentiment to heart, asking travelers to donate to help children in the impoverished, often aid-rejecting country.

Koryo co-founders Josh Green and Nicholas Bonner, both Brits, came up with the idea for the company when Green was working for a shipping company in Pyongyang in the early '90s. Using his connections, they were able to connect with the Korea International Travel Company, an official government agency that ushers foreigners in and out of the DPRK, and now contribute to the Pyongyang International Film Festival and produce documentaries as well as leading tours.

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'Travel For Change' Is Sending Volunteers To Maine For Gay Rights

Usually, volunteer vacations are about helping the needy, but for some, they can also have a political agenda. Last year, Travel for Change helped send over 400 volunteers to swing states to work for the Barack Obama campaign. Now, they are helping send volunteers to Maine, where voters will take to the ballot box next month and decide whether to overturn a law that allows same-sex couples to wed. "Question 1," as it is being called, is similar to Prop 8, a same-sex marriage ban eventually approved by voters in California last year.

Travel for Change is working with the No on Question 1 campaign to get volunteers from across the country to Maine to work for marriage equality. The organization is raising funds and airline miles, matching volunteers to share rooms and cars, and placing them in appropriate jobs once they arrive in Maine.

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Help Costa Rican Families This Holiday Season On A Volunteer Vacation

Who needs another awkward family Christmas watching Aunt Betty get drunk and grandpa fall asleep? Instead, why not spend the holidays spreading some much needed holiday cheer in Costa Rica and participate in fun activities like zip lining and river rafting?

Tropical Adventures has created a special tour, dubbed The Holiday Project 2009, which mixes fun adventures with much-needed visits to diverse communities to spread the joy of the holidays. The trip is open to families and children of all ages are welcome to join in on the fun. As part of the package, families will spend a total 9 days/8 nights in Costa Rica, 2 nights will be spent in a hotel in San Jose, 4 nights in Puerto Viejo with a host family and the final 2 nights are spent on an Indigenous Reservation. The trip also includes all on-the-ground transportation, most meals, 3 holiday parties with local children and retirees, and 3 adventure tours.

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Spend One Day Volunteering And Get A Free Pass From Disney

Mickey's giving away free one-day passes to Disney's Theme Parks and all you have to do to get one is spend a day volunteering. Beginning on January 1, 2010, you can sign up to volunteer with any participating organization for just one day, and in return you will receive a one-day pass to any Disney park. Disney is hoping to inspire one million people to volunteer (and spend money at Disney World) next year.

If you're not sure how or where to volunteer, Disney has made it easy by teaming up with HandsOn Network, which links volunteers with more than 70,000 nonprofits across the country. Once you've completed your day of service, it will be verified by HandsOn and you will receive a voucher good for one day at any Disney park.

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Tags: Volunteer Travel / Honeymoon Travel / Virgin Islands / → All Tags

Finally, Something Worth Getting Out of Bed For On Your Honeymoon

If you're planning a honeymoon, but want to do something more with your time than just sip on drinks by a pool and stay in bed, The Westin St. John Resort has just the trip for you. The Westin is offering a $100 resort credit and free transfers for couples who book the resort's Honeymoon package and participate in The American Hiking Association's volunteer vacation programs in the Virgin Islands National Park while they are there.

The AHA's volunteer vacation program includes trips that last up to 6 days and combine outdoor activities with environmental preservation. Volunteers are led throughout the Virgin Islands National Park by a crew leader who assigns various tasks ranging from moderate to difficult each day.

The Westin’s Honeymoon package includes breakfast daily, airport transfers, couples massage, snorkel gear, and a picnic basket. Nightly rates start at $440 based on double occupancy. But you must present confirmation of your volunteering plans to receive the resort credit. Leave the marabou-trimmed nighties out of the suitcase and make room for your hiking boots and cargo shorts.

Related Stories:
· American Hiking Society [Official Site]
· Green Weddings: Volunteer Honeymoons [The Knot]
· Volunteer Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cape Cod Stretching]

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Volunteer At Your Local Airport For An Altruistic Staycation

It's great to be able to take a volunteer vacation, see somewhere new and feel like you're doing good, but not everyone who wants to take such a trip can actually afford it. For those of you who are on more of a staycation budget, there is a way to combine altruism with your love of travel without having to leave town.

It's called Travelers Aid International, and they're located in airport terminals across the country, providing travel information, crisis intervention and general help for vulnerable or at-risk travelers. Their information booths are also located in several train and bus stations. With airports and other stations combined, they served more than 6 million people last year alone.

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Exotic Voluntourism At The National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kauai

Love nature and digging in your garden? Have we got a volunteer vacation for you! The National Botanical Garden on the island of Kauai in Hawaii has been dedicated to preserving tropical plant diversity through research, education and by creating a safe haven for at-risk plant species for more than 30 years. Their headquarters at The McBryde Gardens features native Hawaiian Flora, orchids, palm trees and flowering trees that were wild-collected from tropical regions around the of the world.

Visitors to this eden are able to explore the garden via paths and bamboo bridges that cross over the park's natural streams and waterfalls. The garden is always looking for volunteers for the long-term or on a "vacation and volunteer" basis. There are endless opportunities available year-round using a variety of skill-sets. But that's not to say you need any special skills to help out, the garden's staff provides on-the-job training for newbies.

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Tags: Volunteer Travel / Ecotourism / Cancun Travel / Green Travel / → All Tags

First Lend A Hand In Cancun, Then Get Drunk And Sit On The Beach

Think a trip to Cancun is just about getting drunk and returning home with nothing more than a hangover and a sunburn? This might be true for few, but we recommend you think again. Hands Up Holidays' Yucatan Explorer Package gives travelers two weeks to explore Mexico, do a little eco-sightseeing and get a taste of volunteering.

Hands Up Holidays provide an opportunity to help people in need around the world without having to sleep on the floor or share a bathroom with dozens of college kids. Instead, all of their trips include upmarket, often luxurious accommodations. They also provide a balance between helping out and being able to enjoy a relaxing getaway.

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Tags: Volunteer Travel / Cook Islands / Rarotonga / Island Travel / → All Tags

A Truly Exotic Volunteer Vacation: Saving Animals In The Cook Islands

In 1993, an American tourist visiting Rarotonga befriended a dog named Honey and quickly realized that there were no veterinary services available for the thousands of dogs and cats on the island. That same tourist, Cathy Sue Ragan-Anunsen, took action as soon as she returned home and, with the help of her Oregon community, established the Cook Islands' only veterinary hospital, including an all-volunteer veterinary team.

In its 14-year history, Ragan-Anunsen’s organization, which she named The Ester Honey Foundation after her grandmother and Honey, the first dog she met in Rarotonga, has treated 24,000 animals and sterilized 10,000 for free. EHF has also recruited nearly 200 veterinarians and hundreds of other volunteers from a dozen countries.

The organization has now reached out to animals in additional remote locations, like on the islands of Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, Mauke, Mitiaro and Bora Bora via more than 100 "Vet Trek" clinics. Their next trip to Mangaia leaves Monday.

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