Posted 17 Aug 2011

Volunteer travel has been steadily growing in popularity as young people realise the many benefits of helping deprived communities and animal sanctuaries during an extended trip overseas.

The rewarding nature of volunteering abroad not only makes for an enjoyable gap year but can really turn around the lives of people in the communities targeted.

According to i-to-i, prospective volunteers who sift through the plethora of projects available can "provide an opportunity for the socially conscious to do something useful, for others as well as for themselves".

What's more, the overseas volunteering specialist believes that gap year travellers can use community projects to develop personally, overcome life challenges and increase their independence.

Gap year travellers often prepare themselves for working life by taking on part-time jobs to fund their trip of a lifetime, i-to-i claimed.

People are also encouraged to budget well as they try and make their money go as far as it possibly can.

According to Lonely Planet's travel editor Tom Hall, shorter gap years in particular require the ability to budget and a good deal of pre-holiday saving.

Category: General Travel