Stories from students, retirees, working professionals, couples, families, groups, solo travelers, first-time volunteers, volunteer veterans and everyone in-between from more than 20 countries around the world. Learn about your favorite country in their own words.
Time and again, volunteers report that the community-based service they provide on Global Volunteers’ programs is both impactful and meaningful. These online reviews on GoOverseas by volunteers who served in Ecuador reflect their appreciation for their volunteer experience. Read more on their site and leave your own review to inspire others to follow in your […]
When Cisco increased volunteer time off for employees from one to two weeks, Carolyn Philippe jumped at the opportunity to combine her love of international travel with volunteering. In October 2021, after not having been able to travel for almost two years, Carolyn participated in her first service program with Global Volunteers. Fully vaccinated and […]
Just like other island countries, St. Lucia’s economy basically rests under one single industry: tourism. Endowed with gorgeous beaches and other natural wonders, approximately 1.5 million tourists visit St. Lucia every year to enjoy a piece of paradise. At the end of January, five volunteers returned to the island for the official resumption of the […]
Six-time Portugal alumnus Donn Rance was eager to return to service in Beja last fall after not having been able to serve in 2020 due to the pandemic. During this service program, he worked with many students who had never had a Global Volunteer in their classroom before. Here, he shares what it was like […]
When Don Nash and his daughter Cassidy first heard the term “volunteer vacation”, it seemed like a contradiction to them. Then, they heard about Global Volunteers’ service program with the Blackfeet Nation and thought it would be a good opportunity to give back as well as learn more about Don’s Native American heritage. They chose […]
In this moving story of her experience in service with the Blackfeet in Montana, Jessica Kohn of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shares why she sought to serve in this location, dating back to a childhood promise. In what she describes as a life-changing experience, she talks about approaching this experience with a beginner’s mind, without assumptions or […]
Septuagenarians Bob and Judy Nix have always had a passion for making a difference, especially in the lives of children. Volunteer travel had always been on their bucket list, so when Bob’s sister Linda Murphy asked them to join her on a service program in Greece with Global Volunteers, they were ready to go. In […]
Minnesotan Penny Louise Flavin said that when she discovered Global Volunteers in 2019, she was looking for a way to volunteer, give back, and learn about other cultures after retiring from her career. That year, Penny Louise served in Peru and immediately planned another service program in 2020. Although the pandemic delayed her return to […]
Our Thanksgiving gift to you: First-time Global Volunteer Courtney Curran wrote she couldn’t let the holiday season pass without acknowledging the transformative power of our Tanzania Service Program experience in her life in July, 2021. She participated on the first volunteer team on the Reaching Children’s Potential Program (RCP) since the onset of the pandemic. […]
When Cassidy Matz arrived as a volunteer in Crete in 2019, she was an early childhood education student, and anticipated teaching preschool after graduation. But, she admitted her focus was lacking. After teaching teens English for two weeks, she gained a profound sense of purpose and her career vision became clear. She changed her major, […]