Chapter Nine
Publications: Overseas Work and Volunteering
How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas, by Joseph Collins, Stefano Dezerega, Zahara Heckscher, Anna Lappe (Penguin, 2001, ebook and print)
Useful information for volunteering in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Includes case studies, worksheets, and quotes from international volunteers.
Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others, by Bill McMillon, Doug Cutchins, Anne Gelssinger (Chicago Review Press, 2012, ebook and print)
A massive list of charitable organizations and projects around the globe that are looking for volunteers.
Volunteer: A Traveler’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World, by Charlotte Hindle, Nate Cavalieri, Rachel Collinson, Korina Miller, Mike Richard (Lonely Planet, 2007, ebook and print)
Advice and resources for international volunteering opportunities, both short and long term.
The Insider’s Guide to the Peace Corps: What to Know Before You Go, by Dillon Banerjee (Ten Speed Press, 2009, ebook and print)
Uses question-and-answer format to address the concerns potential volunteers might harbor about joining the Peace Corps. Includes tips for travel and living overseas, and facts about Peace Corps projects.
Volunteer Agencies and Resources
Peace Corps
Sending Americans off on worldwide volunteer projects since 1961. “The toughest job you’ll ever love.”
One World Center
Trains and sends volunteers abroad to fight poverty and cultivate social change.
AmeriCorps
Established in 1993, AmeriCorps has been improving lives and strengthening communities in the United States through service and volunteers.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network and brings together almost 14 million volunteers. The network provides relief and resources for natural disasters and emergencies.
Canada World Youth
Develops international educational programs for young people. Works with countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Transitions Abroad Volunteering Resources
Extensive rundowns of links, resources, and articles about mixing travel and volunteering.
Projects Abroad
The world’s largest provider of international volunteering and internship opportunities that promote meaningful travel.
United Nations Volunteers
How to become a volunteer through the U.N.
GVI
GVI has been helping people find volunteer or intern abroad since 1998.
Overseas Work Resources
Idealist.org
Online database for overseas jobs and volunteer opportunities worldwide.
EscapeArtist.com
Online portal for information on how to live, work, and invest overseas.
Helpx
Matches travelers with hosts around the world who are looking for short-term help.
Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF)
This exchange organization gives you room and board in return for your help in working and managing an organic farm or smallholding. Membership is inexpensive, and programs are available worldwide.
Free at Last: Live, Love & Work Abroad: How to Find Jobs and Build Your Career Anywhere, by Kristen Palana and Jacqueline Seidel (independently published, 2017, ebook and print)
Firsthand accounts, tips, and advice for work possibilities around the world.
Work Your Way Around the World: The Globetrotters Bible, by Susan Griffith (Crimson, 2017, ebook and print)
Advice on how to find short-term work and hundreds of job opportunities around the world. Culture and lifestyle information by country.
Transitions Abroad’s Overseas Work Resources
Extensive list of links, resources, and articles about working overseas.
Work Away
A leading organization for finding cultural exchange, working holidays, and volunteering opportunities in 170 countries.
Travel Writing Anthologies
The Norton Book of Travel, edited by Paul Fussell (WW Norton & Company, 1987, print)
An anthology of classic travel writing by the likes of Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus.
An anthology of classic travel writing.
Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer, by Rolf Potts (Travelers’ Tales, 2008, ebook and print)
Far-flung travel tales — and the stories behind the stories — from the author of Vagabonding.
The Best American Travel Writing (Mariner, Annual)
An annual collection of the year’s best travel stories.
Video Night in Kathmandu: And Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East, by Pico Iyer (Vintage, 1989, ebook and print)
Pico Iyer’s classic collection of essays about Asia, and the romance between East and West.
My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who’s Been Everywhere, by Susan Orlean (Random House, 2005, ebook and print)
Susan Orlean shares her adventures near and far.
The Tao of Travel: Enlightenments from Lives on the Road, by Paul Theroux (Mariner, 2012, ebook and print)
Travel writing insights, advice, and outtakes from literary icon Paul Theroux.
Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, by Tim Cahill (Vintage, 1996, ebook and print)
Exhilarating and humorous collection of adventure travel writing.
The Best Women’s Travel Writing: True Stories from Around the World (Travelers’ Tales, Annual)
An annual anthology of the best travel writing by women.
The Kindness of Strangers, by Tim Cahill, Dave Eggers, Don George, Jan Morris, Simon Winchester (Lonely Planet, 2016, ebook and print)
Stories of kindness and connection from well-known travel writers as well as writers published for the first time.
Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler, by Lavinia Spalding (Travelers’ Tales, 2009, ebook and print)
Inspiration and tips for keeping a travel journal.
Travelers’ Tales
Publishers of stories, wit, and wisdom from travelers around the world
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