The Ngatokimatawhaorua is the largest waka (war canoe) in the world. It is named after the great canoe of Kupe, the traditional Polynesian ancestor of the Maori people. It was one of the great ocean sailing canoes used in the migrations that settled in New Zealand. Volunteer vacationers traveling to New Zealand will work alongside the Maori to restore these incredible ships.

Volunteer vacations are becoming increasingly popular with boomers and couples with discretionary income, because they want more than the same cruise or tour. Those kinds of vacations were generally satisfying at the time, probably cost a bundle, and unless a journal was kept, memories of those vacations usually fade. Volunteer vacations are inspiring, exciting, and create memories that last forever.

In our fast-paced world, vacations must also satisfy the need for greater satisfaction and achievement, even when people on vacation still have a concern for the environment, abused and abandoned children, and devastated communities. due to natural disasters, resulting in a greater desire to ‘give back’. Additionally, studies have shown that volunteering leads to healthier and longer lives, and a wonderful feeling of security and independence.

This desire to “give back” is accompanied by an increasing number of volunteer travel opportunities. The trend towards ‘volunteer vacations’ has become more popular within the travel industry, with more companies offering meaningful travel of all kinds. There has been a lot of debate about what a volunteer vacation actually is. It all comes down to what someone wants from their vacation. We are all different, with a wide variety of likes and dislikes, wants and needs. To say that one type of volunteer vacation is better than another is a lesson in futility.

Below is a description of two types of volunteer holidays: “A Sample of Volunteering” and “Voluntourism”.

“A FLAVOR OF VOLUNTEERING” is two-thirds of traditional tourist vacations: hiking, snorkeling, kayaking or just relaxing, with accommodations ranging from 5-star resorts to comfortable homestays. The other third of the vacations are helping with community development projects. Projects range from building a house for homeless children in Argentina, an agricultural development program in Fiji, working with deaf, blind and AIDS orphans in Cambodia, working in Children’s Village in China or helping in a new orphanage in Mexico. .

Prices can range from a maximum of $ 29,900 for a glorious 18-day New Zealand vacation, where you will sail in the stunning Bay of Islands and take a Maori cultural tour, fly to the North Island in a helicopter, see whales in Kaikoura , take a helicopter hike over the Franz Josef Glacier, hike, fly, and speedboat ride on the “Siberia Experience”. For your volunteer project, you will be immersed in the intriguing Maori culture; Your hosts will present you with fascinating tents as you help them preserve their culture by restoring a ‘waka’, a traditional Maori war canoe.

Ngatokimatawhaorua, like many Polynesian names are impossible to pronounce, and Hawkes Bay, New Zealand is believed to have the longest place name in the world (your challenge, try to pronounce it … I certainly can’t): Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanarahu.

A 7-day volunteer vacation in Mexico could cost as little as $ 1,500. You will sail by catamaran and snorkel, choose to zipline and rappel, or visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mayan ruins of Chitzen Itza, or near the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve, or swim in the unique cenotes that dot the peninsula. Choose from a variety of volunteer projects: volunteering at a medical clinic, computer training or web design, photography, or plumbing and electrical assistance.

“VOLUNTURISM” is to spend every vacation in a volunteer project. Affordable volunteer vacations can cost anywhere from $ 160 for a one-week volunteer program at an orphanage in Nepal, to about $ 1000 for a one-week volunteer program in South Africa. . For tourism companies to offer low-cost volunteer vacations, accommodation and transportation to and from the volunteer’s site can be at the volunteer’s expense, additional costs may also include application fees and other in-country expenses. Expect accommodation to be a tent, youth hostel stay, or homestay. Of course, if the hardships don’t fit your lifestyle, most companies offer upgrades to resorts, hotels, and bed and breakfasts.

Almost all volunteer programs include a cultural exchange within the community, establishing links between volunteers and local people in the community, often creating friends forever. Whether it’s building houses, teaching English to local children, campaigning to save an endangered species like turtles or elephants, or improving sanitation and living conditions in the slums. Volunteer vacations are an experience shared by the whole family; young children and adolescents will develop a lifelong desire to “do something good” as they experience new places, meet new people, and learn how the rest of the world lives; no greater meaning can be given to one’s life than this experience.