Volunteering may not sound interesting to a child, but when you pitch it as “help feed elephants” or “help monkeys have a fun place to live” this often gets them over the line. And once they are there, naturally they love it and the time flies by.
And when you do this alongside your children, you get to share the joy of making a difference together, making this an extraordinary time of connecting and bonding with your little one(s). Moreover, volunteering trips with children can profit your kids in many aspects, such as compassion, understanding of other cultures, and appreciation of “how the other half live”.
Discover fun being a traveler
Selecting a destination and a volunteer project that you will all love doesn’t need to be hard work, especially when you involve your family members and enlist the help of a specialist luxury family travel planner. Choosing a volunteer project that truly fits you and your identity, and matches your family’s preferences is something of supreme importance.
As a rule of thumb, for families with children aged 5 to 12, if they like animals (and fortunately most do!), then a wildlife conservation project is fantastic…even better if they are helping their favorite animal!
So if its monkeys, parrots, sloths (Costa Rica), elephants (Thailand, India), bears (India), penguins (New Zealand), kangaroos or koalas (Australia), pandas (China) or turtles (Bali), we have you covered.
Take Costa Rica for example. You can spend a few days caring for rescued monkeys, parrots, sloths and more: preparing their meals, feeding them, maintaining their enclosures, and assisting the vet on his rounds. You can combine this with your family’s sightseeing preferences, such as zip-lining, kayaking, hiking, gondola rides and tree canopy walks, stand-up paddle-boarding, snorkelling, rafting and much more. All in 5* eco-luxury, so your whole trip is sustainable.
If you children are in their teens, the wildlife conservation is still fantastic for animals lovers, but to strengthen the family bonding and cultural immersion, consider a building or renovation project. The sense of achievement and connection a family makes with each other and with the people they are helping when you build a home for a widow and her children in Zambia, or install an ecological stove for a family in Belize that removes the risk of burns from an open fire, reduces respiratory problems and is much more efficient, is something you will treasure forever. You will be booking your next luxury family volunteer vacation before you are even back home.
Traveling as a volunteer with children doesn’t need to take up a whole month or even your whole vacation; it can be as short and high-impact as you need it to be. You have worked hard, and need a break, a luxury break, even. A specialist luxury family voluntourism vacation consultant can tailor your trip so that you get some down-time and connect with your children as you make a difference together.
The advantages are tremendous. Volunteering provides first-hand insights into empathy, compassion, gratitude, and civic duty. When children discover the pleasure of being helpful to society, it motivates them to become better people. As a parent, you know that little things your child learns as a volunteer can have major effect on your whole family.
Contact the right travel company who can help you plan such transformative luxury family vacations!
