Why Volunteer with i-to-i on your Gap Year?
i-to-i can get you up close and personal with people and cultures on your gap year. With us, you have the opportunity to be a part of another culture, to eat local food, share in local conversation and stay with local families. You will learn from these experiences, not only about a different way of life, but about your own culture and traditions. You will realize that some people (both volunteers and locals) are very similar to you, while others are worlds apart. This type of travel provides you, as a young adult, with the opportunity to learn something about yourself through adventure and the thrill of the unknown.
Why not simply travel?
Hiking through the Andes Mountains provides beautiful, scenic landscapes and a feel of utter tranquillity. The lush green terrain, combined with indigenous Peruvian villages can make for excellent photographs. However, there is a big difference between seeing a culture and actually experiencing it – the difference, some might say, between being a traveller and being a tourist. How would you like to live and work in these local communities? You could go play soccer in the streets with local children or have a conversation with the old man who is sitting outside the small market every afternoon.
Your first big choice…
The word “choice” is something we don’t hear a lot of as children. When this freedom approaches, many excited and/or scared emotions accompany it. If your dream job is not knocking on your door after graduation, why force it? Taking a gap year is a great way to take time out and make this important decision in your own time. In many cases, gap years change a traveller's perspectives and help them to see what they really want. So before you take the plunge into ‘real life’, why not consider giving something back to society and learning more about yourself and the world along the way?
But why do it with i-to-i?
The staff
Because we love to travel just as much as you do! We know about the places we’re telling you about because we’ve been there or we’ve talk to people who have. We aren’t trying to help you because it’s our job, we actually want to. More importantly, we can all relate to the confusion that graduation instigates and the pressures that follow.
The experience
Making the decision to try meaningful travel is challenging in and of itself; finding a company that you can trust to run your trip smoothly is even more demanding. i-to-i has sent approximately 20,000 people of all ages to places around the world and the numbers are growing fast. We are a company you can trust. Feel comfortable knowing that we are here for you before, during and after your journey. In addition, there will be an in-country coordinator wherever you go, so there will always be someone on hand to help should you have any problems or worries.
The flexibility
i-to-i understands that the transitional stage of life after high school or college requires different things for different people. Therefore, we offer various opportunities to cater for every desire. Whether you’re looking for independent or group travel, homestays or volunteer lodging, 2 week or 12 week programs, we can work to accommodate you. We currently offer over 500 unique projects in 36 different countries and we’re adding more all the time. What’s more, we offer gap year travellers the opportunity to stay in a Year Out house where they will have the opportunity to meet like-minded people.
Making new friends
We provide a selection of forums in order for you to read about past travel experiences through the eyes of our volunteers. Many gap year travellers utilize this tool to seek out new friends at their volunteer project or in the general area before they travel. This can give them a sense of security because they know that someone they know is already there.
When all is said and done it is up to you to decide who you should travel with and we can only give you the information you need to make an informed decision. If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to get in touch. Your local number is in the top right-hand corner of this screen and our expert travel advisors will be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have. Not only that, but they’ll be able to help you find the right project for you – one that will send you home knowing you have done something really amazing, something you will remember for the rest of your life.
Please note: All information in this article was correct at the time of writing but please bear in mind that we are adding new projects and destinations all the time.
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