How to Volunteer Abroad (6 Step-by-Step Instructions)

Volunteering abroad is such an amazing experience that everyone should experience in their life. You get to help out in communities around the world, meet like-minded people from all around the world, and experience a new country and culture. But finding the right volunteer program and knowing all the steps it takes to volunteer abroad can be daunting so here is a step-by-step guide on how to volunteer abroad.

Step 1: Pick a Volunteer Program

There are so many volunteer programs out there and the right one might be different for everyone. When I was doing my research I was looking for affordable trips, destinations I was interested in, and volunteer experience I was excited to do. After lots of research I found a program that checked all of the boxes, the program was called International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ). Since doing that research I have volunteered with International Volunteer HQ twice and had such an amazing experience. I volunteered in Fiji teaching and volunteered in Bali doing sea turtle conservation (if you want to read more about my experiences travelling to Bali click here to read about my travels to Ubud and click here to read about my travels to Nusa Penida). Once you pick a program that fits you that is when the exciting steps come.

Step 2: Pick a volunteer project

Steps 2 and 3 can be interchangeable, you can either pick a project and see what destinations this project runs or you could have a destination you really want to travel to and see which projects run in that place. If you volunteer with IVHQ you can choose from 300 projects, from teaching to animal conservation, they really have a volunteer project everyone will enjoy. IVHQ is a program that anyone can volunteer with, they have volunteer opportunities for people on gap years to families that want to volunteer together. Once you pick a project that you are excited about it is time for the next step.

Step 3: Pick a destination

After choosing a project that you are passionate about the next step is to choose a destination. IVHQ has over 50 countries on 6 continents you can travel to, so if you have a destination on your bucket list they most likely have volunteer projects there. Once you have picked both a project and destinations it’s time to apply.

Step 4: Apply

Every volunteer program will have a different procedure for applying, but IVHQ’s application process is pretty simple. You will go it their website, click on the destination and project you wish to apply to and click the button that says apply. Then it will bring you through a series of questions about yourself. These questions shouldn’t take long to fill out I would say around 10-20 minutes. Once you are done, you must submit and wait to be accepted.

Step 5: Preparing for Your Trip

Once you have been accepted to your programs it’s time to prepare for your trip. Every traveller knows there are many steps to prepare for a trip and everyone prepares differently. Steps specific to volunteering (which may be specific to volunteering with IVHQ) include:

• getting a criminal record check
• taking the preparation course
• paying the volunteering fees/costs

Preparation steps more general to normal travel (but still apply to volunteering) include:

• booking flights (check out google flights for affordable flights)
• getting travel insurance
• getting any vaccinations for the destinations you are travelling to
• packing

There may be other small preparation steps but these list include major things you need to consider before volunteering abroad. Once you are done preparing you are on to the last step.

Step 6: Go Volunteer Abroad

After the preparation is over, the last step is to go and volunteer abroad. It is such a wonderful experience you will never forget. You get to help in local communities in the country you travel to, you get to meet like-minded people from all around the world, and you get to experience a new country and its culture. It’s an overall amazing experience and I would highly recommend everyone to try it at least once in their lives.  

I hope this step-by-step guide helps ease some stress that might come with volunteering abroad. If you have been thinking about volunteering abroad, take it from me, take the leap and I promise you won’t regret it. If you have ever volunteered before I would love to hear all about your experiences. And if anyone is planning to volunteer in the future and has any questions or concerns I would be happy to chat.