Archive for the Hints and tips Category

Keen to volunteer but don’t know where? Read on…

For some, the desire to travel to a particular country will come before the idea of volunteering. Indeed, if you’ve always dreamt of living in, say, Japan or Canada, volunteering can be a great way of getting to know the destination of your dreams while giving something back to the community. However, some of you are just born with an innate desire to volunteer, without any particular focus of where such energies should be directed…

But do not fear! Although the range of potential destinations may seem overwhelming, if you are a keen volunteer it is highly likely that you will enjoy living in whichever country you end up. The key thing to ask yourself is, what do I want to get out of this experience? The answer to this question can provide a giant clue as to where you should volunteer. Here are a few more specific questions that may also help to point you in the right direction:

1. Would you like to learn a new language?

If so, perhaps a placement in Argentina or Ecuador might be best for you. Or perhaps even Germany, Poland, France, China or Japan. Although we don’t ask for you to have previous language skills to volunteer in most of these countries, you will most certainly be able to pick up some key phrases during your time there! Similarly, if you know that you most definitely do not want to live in a country where English is not the native language, you may be more suited to our programmes in Australia, New Zealand or Canada.

2. Grassroots or more developed volunteering?

Deciding between grassroots projects or programmes in more developed countries can also help narrow down your choices. Volunteering in Australia or New Zealand can be a great first step into the world of volunteering abroad, while gaining you some valuable skills in a more developed country. On the other hand, our placements in Africa or Asia may be more suited to those thinking about a career in international development.

3. Do you want to live in an urban or rural environment?

This is also an important question. If you have always lived in a city and enjoy living in areas where there are lots of transport links and things like cinemas to keep you busy, perhaps you would be best suited to our city-based placements, such as in Quito or Cuenca in Ecuador. If you see yourself as more of a country bumpkin though, you might prefer one of our more remote placements, in Fiji or Vanuatu for example. Both types of placements are usually available in most of our host countries!

4. What are you own personal interests?

Taking a look at your own personal experience and background can provide help in deciding which country to volunteer in. Do you enjoy Asian cuisine? Have you ever been tempted to learn to dance the tango or the salsa? Are you a closet anime fan? A keen interest in getting to know the local culture in your host country can make a volunteering experience truly unforgettable.

If all else fails, try having a read through some of the Lonely Planet’s country overviews for some inspiration, or check out Lattitude’s own country overviews here.

All by myself: should young people travel solo?

For many people, spending some time travelling around their host country after their volunteering placement is a top priority. Although the chances are you will find at least one other person to travel around with after your placement, what should you do if you suddenly find yourself short of a travel buddy? It would be a shame to have to come home early and miss out on seeing some truly unmissable sites, just because your fellow volunteers don’t want to stick around. But is travelling alone a good idea?

This is a question many young people ponder over, particularly if they are female. In some countries, locals will be unused to seeing young, unmarried women travelling alone, which can lead to solo female travellers attracting unwanted attention. So should young women travel alone? Absolutely. And many do.

In fact, although in many countries it may be considered unacceptable for a local woman to travel the world by herself, most people are used to seeing female tourists travelling alone. And – although we are often raised to believe that the outside world is a scary place – the reality is that in most places you’ll be just as likely to run into trouble as you would be in any major city back home.

Travelling alone, whether you are male or female, does however require you to be slightly more prepared than you would be if travelling with a friend or in a group. Here are a few hints and tips to consider before embarking on your solo adventure:

It’s all in the planning

Although you may not want to plan your entire trip down to the last detail before you go, make sure you leave at least a rough itinerary to leave with someone back home. Also, keep in regular contact with your family back home; this will stop them from worrying if nothing else! It is also a great idea to have all the contact numbers in case of an emergency with you at all times. These may include contact details for the relevant embassy closest to where you will be travelling, as well as for friends, contacts (such as your Lattitude local rep!) and places where you have booked accommodation. The more prepared you are the better!

Be prepared

Although it’s important to keep your wits about you while you’re away, it’s also important that you don’t waste your trip worrying. Investing in a few helpful gadgets can help put your mind at rest. Wearing a discreet money belt and securing your bag with cable lock can, for example, be an easy way to keep your belongings safe on overnight bus journeys.

Take something to read!

Although you will often meet people on your travels to keep you company, there will inevitably be moments where you will find yourself alone. For some, the thought of eating alone in a restaurant is a big turn off… avoid any awkwardness by arming yourself with a book/magazine/travel journal at all times!

Alone but never lonely

Many solo travellers are surprised at how little time they do end up spending truly alone. Staying in hostels is a great way to meet people, and socialising with fellow travellers is often easier when you are by yourself. Travelling solo can also allow you greater choice and flexibility in your itinerary, so if you meet folk along the way you can easily change your plans and tag along with some like-minded people. Also, remember you are not the first person in the world to have travelled solo. If you’re feeling jittery about going it alone, reassure and inspire yourself with some solo-travel literature.

It’ll be one of the best experiences of your life, without doubt, but the question is: do you do it all on your own or do you take a friend along with you for the ride?

Go it alone!

For: Aside from the reassuring fact that most volunteers opt for solo adventuring, the wonderful thing about being on your own has to be the independence. This means you can do pretty much what you want to do, and you don’t have to make compromises. Because of this, there’s also a phenomenal potential for self discovery, where you can learn all about your skills and limits as well as getting a clearer picture about your life path. It’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll make friends along the way anyway – if you’re in a volunteering placement then it’s inevitable!

Against: There are some negatives though. Safety is a key aspect; if you’re volunteering with an organisation then this needn’t be a worry, but if you’re travelling on your own then you must stay as safe as possible at all times and keep in regular contact with someone in case of an emergency. Being on your own also makes it difficult in times of emotional need; for example, if you’re pining for home and your loved ones, it’s hard to say this to someone that you barely know. There’s a lot of support out there, of course. But it might be nicer to have a friendly face in this case.

Go with a friend!

For: Friends make everything better. Having an adventure together will allow you to become better friends as well as allowing you to have a constant source of entertainment and conversation. It would be hard to get lonely if you had a friend around and if you are feeling homesick then you’ve got someone’s shoulder to cry on. Financially it may well be a wise idea to have a friend with you as it shares the burden of money managing and overall makes the trip cheaper for you, as well as having an extra pair of hands to do any chores!

Against: The downsides to this, however, are obvious: human beings fall out. Even if you considered each other best friends, it’s still perfectly natural to fall out once in a while and annoy each other. People work through issues like this every day, but it may well start to interfere with your overall experience at some point. Fundamentally, though, a gap year is all about learning new things and with someone from home with you, it might feel as though they’re dragging you down and you can’t experience as much freedom as you could otherwise.

At the end of the day, there are many reasons for both and there’s no obvious answer. It’s entirely up to you who goes (or doesn’t go) with you, but ultimately you have to question what you want out of your gap year and how you’re going to achieve that.

A breakdown of gap year statistics!

Since its birth forty years ago, the gap year has gone from a rare occurrence to an everyday choice. These days gap years are extremely common, with an average of 7% of UCAS applicants choosing to defer entry in order to take a year out, and this number is expected to grow with £9,000 tuition fees now in effect.

• There’s no fixed number for the amount of students taking a gap year as no one chooses to do the same activity, but in 2012, it was estimated that there would be 2.5 million young people in the UK planning a gap year

• 20% of parents decide to help fund their child’s gap year, with the rest usually fundraising in order to raise money. On average, a gap year will cost parents £763 per child, though this will obviously differ if you choose to go through an organisation or on a volunteering placement

• Only 10% of gap years are fully-funded by the individual

• 30% of gap year students choose to travel alone – the Foreign Office calls these travellers ‘Invincibles’.

• The average gap year will cost between £3,000-£4,000 - meaning that 22% of young people cannot afford to take a year off

• British parents spend as much as £995 million a year in helping to fund their children’s gap years!
• Australians lead the highest number of gap year students; in 1974, only 4% of students opted for a gap year whereas it’s now about 11%. The UK remains at a steady 7%.

• Although they’ve been around for ages in the UK, the USA are only catching on to gap years – but only 5% of universities and colleges have a deferral policy for prospective students

• A study by the University of Western Australia discovered gap year students scored better than those who went to university straight from school – an average of 2.3 per cent higher in their first year results

• 66% of gap year students said that they took their academic work more seriously after having a gap year experience

• 60% of those who took a gap year said that their year out helped them decide what subject to concentrate on at university, and possibly what they wanted to do as a career

• 88% of people thought that their gap years had added to their employability

• 40% of gap year students do not apply to university before embarking on their gap year

• 80% work in Britain at some point during their gap year

• Gap year students are more likely to graduate with a First or Upper Second class honours degree than those who go straight to university

It’s very clear that the UK is leading the way for gap year students – and with gap years becoming more popular than ever, it’s more than likely that these statistics will be more impressive during the next academic year.

Our friends at the Gap Year Travel Store have put together a quick guide to help you prepare for your travels!…

Ensure you leave for your volunteering experience equipped with everything you need to make your trip as stress free and simple as possible. Our handy top 10 of travel gear essentials gives you the low down on the kit you should not leave for your trip without!

1) Travel Backpack

You will most definitely need a decent backpack for your trip and this 60 litre travel backpack by Vango is a great choice. The backpack comes with a padded adjustable back system for optimum comfort and also features a detachable 20 litre daypack for shorter trips.

2) Sleeping Bag

Many volunteer projects are based in countries with warm, tropical climates, the Vango Planet 50 sleeping bag is perfect for these conditions and even comes with a built-in mosquito net in the hood. Suitable for use in temperatures ranging from 10°C to 25°C.

3) Travel Towel

Compact, lightweight and quick drying, a travel towel is a must have item for your trip! This Trespass towel comes with an anti-bacterial treatment which helps prevent odours and mould from developing, even in those hot and sticky climates. A fraction of the size of a normal towel, saving you masses of packing space in your backpack.

4) Insect Repellent

You will without a doubt come across mosquitoes, sandflies and other pesky biting insects during your trip, so a good quality insect repellent is paramount to avoiding painful and irritating bites. Mosquitoes can also transmit deadly diseases such as Malaria, so preventing mosquito bites is extremely important.

5) Sterile Needle Kit

When travelling to remote areas, you may find that the medical facilities are extremely basic and lacking in sterile equipment – this can become an issue should you require urgent medical attention. This sterile needle kit can be handed to a medical professional in an emergency and contains sterile needles and syringes, so you can ensure you don’t contract AIDS, Hepatitis B and other blood borne diseases.

6) Mosquito Net

Protect yourself from Mosquitoes and other insects during the night with an impregnated mosquito net. This Sea to Summit mosquito net comes with Permethin impregnation and is easy to hang. Travel mosquito nets are usually supplied in compact storage cases, so they won’t take up too much space in your backpack.

7) Water Treatment

This Care Plus chlorine based water treatment comes in liquid form and can be added to water in remote areas to ensure it is safe to drink. Drinking contaminated water can lead to stomach and intestinal upsets, something you can definitely do without during your trip!

8) Wash Bag

Keep all your favourite toiletries and wash gear in one safe and secure place! A wash bag is a must for travelling, the Alpha wash bag by Gelert is the perfect choice with several storage compartments and a handy hanging hook.

9) Waterless Shampoo

Keeping clean in remote areas can be a nightmare but this waterless shampoo can make life much easier! Simply apply it to your hair, massage it in and towel dry for fresh and clean feeling hair.

10) Shewee Extreme

If you’re struggling to find toilet facilities out in the wilderness, this portable urinal device by Shewee is a lifesaver. The Shewee Extreme allows you to urinate standing up with a handy extension tube and a sturdy plastic case for storage.

Homesickness

Even the toughest amongst us can fall victim to homesickness, even if we don’t want to admit it. But it’s not embarrassing, in fact, it’s perfectly normal to feel a longing for home when you’re far away and in a new environment and there are many techniques for helping you cope and adjust to your new life.

1) Tell someone

Having someone to talk to is paramount; having your troubles building up inside you will only lead to emotional strain so it’s important to talk to a friend or family member for support. Putting your anxieties out in the open will give you such a relief and communicating with others will ensure that you have someone to share your worries with.

2) To Skype or not to Skype

Fortunately we now live in an age where you can now talk to people on the other side of the world at the click of a button, thanks to the invention of Skype and similar software. Seeing your friends and family on a screen gives you the reassurance that they can be with you in the same room, despite your distance, and regular communication is key to ease of mind.

This technique however does not suit everyone Some people find it much better to detach themselves completely during their first few weeks away until they are settled. Talking and seeing family and friends can bring on the flood gates as you are reminded of home. It is important to use Skype as a way to talk about what you are doing, not a tool to pine for home. Have a goal of what you want to achieve and see yourself telling your friends and family about. Try and make them jealous! From their point of view they would much rather see you enjoying yourself than upset!

3) Little things

Memories of home can also alleviate your homesickness, so don’t be afraid to plaster your new bedroom walls with photos of friends and family and have no shame in secretly packing some Cadbury’s chocolate in your luggage – the smallest things can really help put a smile on your face. These mementos are great to share with the community you live with too, particularly if you are teaching where they can be used as fun and interesting teaching aids.

4) The British ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ Technique

For some, that’s not the best way to ‘cure’ homesickness. Some prefer to change the subject altogether, so putting your mind on something else - like planning a journey, for instance - focuses your energy on something else entirely. There’s nothing wrong with doing this and it may well work for some people, but if you keep bottling up your feelings then it might be worth going to step one before it all becomes too much! There is a lot of truth in the cliche of ‘keeping busy’

5) Embrace it!

Yes, it’s far easier said than done, especially if you’re dealing with a huge culture shock and a landscape far different to your usual one. But just remember that you have been given an extremely good opportunity and you should make the most out of your time there.

6) It’s not forever

Unless you’ve emigrated, then you won’t be in your new home forever. It has to end one day and you will be back home in the UK before you know it, pining for the adventure you just came back from. Many volunteers find that they suffer from reverse culture shock, feeling homesick for the country and placement they have just left

Although it might seem hard at the beginning and you find yourself welling up at the mere mention of home, you are not alone. It takes more than a few weeks for you to fully get used to a new location, but before you know it, you’ll be counting down the days until you can go on your next adventure.