Posted 06 Jan 2010

Voluntourism can have a positive impact on the destinations that people travel to, as well as broadening the minds of those who take the trips, it has been claimed.

According to the Montreal Gazette, Gap year travel in the form of internships, exchange programs and extracurricular activities afford opportunities for university students and recent graduates to challenge themselves and meet people in ways they never would on a straightforward holiday.

Relaying her experiences of gap year travel in Ghana to the news provider Concordia University graduate Megan Putnam said that she is working with the country’s ministry of food and agriculture to tackle poverty.

"We talk about poverty and international development, but I really learn well by doing and I felt I needed to go overseas and experience that hands-on to better understand the challenges and what kind of solutions we can work on," she said.

Last month, Daily Mail travel journalist Anna Pasternak described voluntourism as the biggest travel trend of 2010.

Category: General Travel