Travelers with a conscience venture beyond the holiday

Australian and Canadian voluntourists dig a mattress out of the sand to help withtsunami cleanup in Thailand.

Forget sipping cocktails by the hotel pool:holidaymakers are increasingly likely tocombine adventure with altruism on"voluntours", where they visit impoverishedcommunities to build bridges, or trek to remoteparts of the world to help scientists with environmentalprojects.

Voluntourism is booming, as tourists with aconscience donate their holiday time to diggingwells, building schools or teaching at orphanages.Conservation Volunteers Australia says voluntourismis one of its fastest growing sectors.About 10,000 Australians join its programseach year.

The voluntourism expedition project takes tourists to the beautiful 26 coral atolls thatmake up the Republic of Maldives.

"For people who enjoy connecting with nature and holidays with a difference, a champagne sunset dinner before heading out to assist with turtle research, or booking out your own private island and assisting a park ranger with penguin monitoring … is an attractive honeymoon or travel experience," company spokeswoman Joanne Davies said.

Critics call voluntours "overpriced guilt trips"' with projects that come at the expense of local jobs, or which the community neitherneeds nor wants.

"I cannot emphasize enough just how importantit is for volunteer trips to be based on areal, genuine local need and work in partnershipwith local people,"

"For people who enjoyconnecting with nature andholidays with a difference, achampagne sunset dinnerbefore heading out to assistwith turtle research, or bookingout your own privateisland and assisting a parkranger with penguin monitoring… is an attractive honeymoonor travel experience."

responsibletravel.com's Krissy Roe said. "Projectsthat have been dreamed up by a marketingdepartment and have not been requested by thelocal community can do more harm thangood."

But it's not just holidaymakerswho combine adventurewith altruism. A spin-offindustry is "'honeyteering," inwhich newlyweds combineromance with road-buildingor revegetation.

With hundreds of projects on offer, she saidvolunteers needed to take the time to researchthe options and ensure that the company offered"responsible" volunteering opportunities.

"The company should be transparent andopen if you ask how much of your money actuallygoes to the program and how much istaken as profit by the organization."

World Expeditions' Karena Noble said mostcompanies tried to do the right thing."Basically, it's a lovely feeling to be a volunteeron one of these trips," she said. "One ofthe things that appeals to people is they get tointeract with the local community.

"Often when you're travelling it's hard to geta sense of connection with the people in thecountry you're visiting. On these trips, wemake sure we're working with the locals on asmall-scale project that they can complete inthe time they're on holiday.

"You're building a bridge, renovating aschool … a project that will have real benefit toa community."

Since setting up its not-for-profit communityproject travel program in 2005, World Expeditionshas completed 34 humanitarian and conservationprojects in Australia, Nepal, Peru,Vietnam, India, Tanzania, Kenya, Cambodiaand Laos.

Sarah Low, from Biosphere ExpeditionsAustralia, said about 80 per cent of those signingup for the company's environmental projectswere single and 20 per cent couples."They are often well-educated, well-travelledpeople who are looking for a very different experience,"she said. "They really don't want todo the package holiday. They want to go to adestination that's unusual and they don't wantto be there as tourists. They want to be useful."

Rasha Skybey, 27, has taken part in threeBiosphere Expeditions Australia projects in thepast two years. In Oman she helped scientistsstudy Arabian leopards, in Namibia she assistedwith research into hyenas and in Broomeshe joined a study of Australian flatback turtles.Bored with life as a paralegal, Ms Skybeysaid voluntourism was a way of getting out ofher comfort zone.

"I've done the Contiki thing and while thatwas fun this is different," she said. "The placesyou go to are extraordinary and you feel likeyou're doing something worthwhile."

But it's not just holidaymakers who combineadventure with altruism. A spin-off industry is"'honeyteering," in which newlyweds combineromance with road-building or revegetation.Hands Up Holidays Christopher Hill saidcouples wanted to start marriage on a firmfooting by doing something meaningful together.

"Often when you're travelingit's hard to get a sense ofconnection with the people inthe country you're visiting.On these trips, we make surewe're working with the localson a small-scale project thatthey can complete in the timethey're on holiday. You'rebuilding a bridge, renovatinga school … a project that willhave real benefit to acommunity."

[ BY MARK RUSSELL ]