This “Along the Web” feature explores one of the most rapidly developing subcultures in volunteering – combining travel with service. Originally called ecotourism, it is now referred to as vacation volunteering or voluntourism -- a word which has even made its way to the Macmillan English Dictionary Word of the Week.
 
Why help out in your own neighborhood when you can save the world, literally? 

The real question is whether this will become a source of competition for local volunteer activities.  After all, when faced with an alternative like “Help Save a Penguin on Your Next Vacation,” what chance does a child at risk really have at attracting volunteers?
 
See Steve’s annotated list of resources in these three categories:

• Research and scholarly articles
• Examples of volunteer vacations
• Web sites assisting in scheduling volunteer vacations

Other e-Volunteerism Articles

This article was published in e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community. Subscribe now to access all the articles.

Concerned about whether you can view an electronic book? Viewing the terms of agreement below is a good test to see if you can easily view electronic books. If you can successfully click on the link and open the table of contents, you should have no problem viewing the book. Terms If you have problems, you probably need to install or upgrade Acrobat Reader. Click on the graphic below to download the latest version from the Adobe website. It is an easy download. They also have a support area if you continue to have problems with viewing.