Jaunted

Volunteer Travel / Haiti Travel / Sean Penn / Oprah / Celeb Travel / → All Tags

How to Help Sean Penn with His Mission in Haiti

On the latest episode of Oprah's Next Chapter, the talk show icon visited Sean Penn at his J/P HRO camp in Haiti. Penn has been helping with the Haiti relief effort since the catastrophic earthquake hit in 2010. His organization provides emergency medical services, distributes food and water purification systems, and runs Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps with the ultimate goal of finding stable housing for all those still living in the camps.

Oprah toured the camp with Penn, who explained there are still more than 20,000 people living in the tent city, which includes a market where people trade goods, a clinic, and a free school that educates more than 400 kids.

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Volunteer Travel / Hotels / Voluntourism / → All Tags

Sleep, Eat, Party and...Volunteer at a Five-Star Hotel?

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is once again offering guests the chance to do good in 2012 with their Give Back Getaways project.

The philanthropic initiative gives guests the chance to spend a half-day volunteering with Ritz-Carlton employees in the communities surrounding their properties across the world.

The Give Back Getaway projects often also include an experience volunteers wouldn't be able to have otherwise. The Dallas Soup Savior Project, for example, lets hotel guests work with the culinary team behind the scenes in The Ritz-Carlton kitchen. The end result is a soup that will be delivered to the SoupMobile, which serves approximately 600 meals to the homeless in Dallas on a daily basis.

For more information about what projects are available this year, visit RitzCarlton.com.

[Photo: Ritz-Carlton Dallas]

Volunteer Travel / Disaster Travel / Joplin / → All Tags

Joplin, MO Still Needs Volunteers to Help with Tornado Cleanup

Last week the Joplin, MO Convention and Visitors Bureau sparked controversy among residents of the tornado-ravaged town when they launched a new "Tornado Tourism" Map. Visitors can pick up the map, for free, at several local hotels and restaurants to find the best routes through the disaster zone.

The Visitor Bureau Director defended the map after residents called it "tacky" and "insensitive" saying, "We are not actively promoting the tornado, mainly, (the map) is a piece of information. Maybe people will have a reason to give, or put together a volunteer group because there's still a lot of work being done, or even come into town and buy something."

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Volunteer Travel / Eco Travel / → All Tags

Explore Cambodia and Vietnam and Maybe Build a Footbridge or Two

If your New Year's resolution was to do good in 2012, Destination Earth has just launched a new volunteer tour to Cambodia and Vietnam perfect for kicking off the year in a positive way.

On January 16, the first of group of travelers to take part in the new program are headed to Vietnam and Cambodia for a 2-week eco-volunteer trip which will include donating supplies, teaching English, and finishing a footbridge that will help students get to school.

The group has similar trips planned throughout the year, like a 10-day Cambodia trip leaving on January 20 that will explore Phnom Penh, the Temples of Angkor Wat, and local floating villages. Tours include accommodations, most meals, entrance fees, and ground transportation. Right now Destination Earth is also offering a last minute special for the Cambodia tour starting at $1,875.

For more information about Destination Earth and their upcoming tours visit www.destination-earth.org.

[Photo: veachearnewvision.com]

Volunteer Travel / Eco Travel / Colorado Travel / Active Travel / Hiking / Voluntourism / Charity Travel / → All Tags

Help Build the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado Next Year

Volunteers in Colorado are helping to build a completely new hiking trail, called the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), that stretches from Mexico to Canada and across Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Volunteers with the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA)—based in Golden, Colorado—dig out the trail, clear vegetation and move huge boulders and trees from the established route.

If forging a new trail sounds like a New Year's resolution you'd like to make, CDTA is already lining up volunteers for next season, which runs from April to October. Volunteer trips can last from one day to one week and include trail building, maintaining the existing trail, helping the crew chefs prepare meals, and participating in educational outreach programs. Trip leaders provide all gear, food and water, while volunteers bring their own tents, sleeping bags and day packs.

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Volunteer Travel / Eco Travel / Voluntourism / Green Travel / → All Tags

Try Out Volunteer Vacations with a US Biosphere Expedition

If you've ever thought about taking a volunteer vacation but haven't been sure if it's for you, next year you'll have a chance to get your feet wet in the world of voluntourism, without traveling too far from home.

Biosphere Expeditions, an international volunteer organization that runs conservation expeditions around the world, is giving potential volunteers a chance to see what it’s like to be in the field, without making a huge commitment.

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Volunteer Travel / Holiday Travel / Military Travel / War Travel / Charity Travel / → All Tags

How to Send a Holiday Card to Troops Overseas This Holiday Season

You might not be able to make it to an overseas military base to thank a soldier in person this holiday season, but there is still time to send the troops a holiday card through the Red Cross Holiday Mail For Heroes program.

The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are partnering for the fifth time to ensure all Americans have the chance to send "a touch of home" to U.S. military members who are far away from their homes during the holidays.

To send a holiday card to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, all you need to do is write out a card using the salutation "Dear Service Member," include a note of gratitude, and send it to the address below by December 9, 2011:

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Volunteer Travel / Nepal Travel / Holiday Travel / → All Tags

Spend the Holidays with Habitat for Humanity in Nepal

Hoping to get away and do some good this holiday season? Habitat for Humanity has just the trip for you!

Habitat for Humanity is planning a trip to Chitwan, Nepal from December 9- 24, 2011 where volunteers will help build bamboo homes with the families who need them. There are no special skills required, but travelers must be flexible, willing to learn, and have a positive attitude.

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Volunteer Travel / TV Travel / Reality TV Travel / Celeb Travel / → All Tags

How to Be a Volunteer Builder on 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'

After eight seasons, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has built over 100 homes for families in need, but they couldn't have done any of it without the help of thousands of volunteers.

EM:HE is always looking for people who can help build, paint, and decorate homes in just seven days. Building professionals are a bonus, but even if you've never picked up a hammer they can still use your help!

Currently Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is looking for volunteers in Daybreak, UT, Georgia, and North Carolina. To sign up as a volunteer on the show, fill out the online application at JoinExtreme.com. Once you have signed up, you will receive an email with your work schedule and details about the upcoming project.

If you can't make it to one these locations, you can also sign up for email alerts to see when they are filming in your state.

[Photo: Facebook]

Volunteer Travel / Nicaragua Travel / → All Tags

Spend Time in Nicaragua Helping Kids and Exploring Beaches

It's not to late to plan a volunteer vacation before the end of the year. The non-profit volunteer travel company Crooked Trails has launched a trip to Nicaragua next month where travelers will help locals and experience the beauty of the island of Ometempe in Lake de Nicaragua.

During their stay, volunteers will work at Si a la Vida, a nonprofit organization that works to rehabilitate street boys, rescuing them from the streets of Nicaragua and providing a new home on Ometepe. They will also help bring needed government documents to residents in remote areas who are without birth certificates or documentation. Registering those without proper ID can open open up much needed opportunities.

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Volunteer Travel / Ecuador Travel / Voluntourism / Green Travel / → All Tags

Take a Volunteer Vacation to Ecuador Without Using All Your Vacation Time

Interested in taking a volunteer vacation without making a long-term commitment? Well, Boston-based United Planet is now organizing short-term volunteer trips to Ecuador to work with wildlife, without using too much vacation time.

Included in the packages are opportunities to either work at an Animal Rescue Center in the Amazon or in environmental conservation in the Galapagos, where you can study marine life and then relax on white-sand beaches.

"Ecuador is a wonderful place for almost anyone seeking to volunteer: it’s easy to get to, the dollar is strong, and the people are famous for their warmth and hospitality," said Theresa Higgs, Vice President of Global Operations at United Planet.

Excursions have flexible start dates and lengths of stay (from 1 to 12 weeks) and include local home stays or on-site lodging options, as well as 3 meals a day.

For booking details and pricing information, visit UnitedPlanet.org.

[Photo: Wikipedia]

Volunteer Travel / Beach Travel / Mexico Travel / Animals / Voluntourism / → All Tags

Help Native Sea Turtles While Working on Your Winter Tan in Mexico

For those of us hoping to soak up some sun while doing some good this winter, Baja Expeditions has put together a whale watching and turtle research excursion to Magdalena Bay in Baja, Mexico. This unique trip gives volunteers the opportunity to help local conservationists in their green sea turtle research and learn about gray whales as they migrate to Baja from Alaska.

The eight-day package includes six days camping on Magdalena Bay and two excursions each day, monitoring turtles and going whale watching. But it's not all work and no play, as there's also a daily happy hour with fellow campers at sunset and two days of shopping and exploring in nearby La Paz, which bookends the camping trip.

The Baja Turtle Research & Whale Watching Project is open to everyone and costs around $1500, which includes transportation to the camp site, accommodations and meals at camp. For more information, visit GoVoluntouring.

[Photo: govolunteering.com]