Volunteering Honeymoons

Continuing with the theme of honeymoons which are a little bit different, many people are reaching out and looking to do good deeds on their honeymoons. Volunteering is the latest theme. People are keen to mix their honeymoon with the opportunity to really do good in the world, and it’s a great way to cement a marriage by starting your new life together with giving back. Here are a few of the facts you’ll need to know before you decide to go away.

1. Volunteering isn’t free. It comes as a surprise to many but you will actually pay the company you’re donating your time to. Trips come at a variety of prices and in a variety of locations, so do some research. Prices also often don’t include flights, so you may want to think about which locations you can afford to travel to in addition to which destinations can offer you the experience you’re looking for.

2. It’s actually quite easy to coordinate your volunteer trip with a gorgeous destination, especially if you have a little more time to go. You might choose to help out with animals in Tanzania or with orphanages in Thailand. There are many trips which take place in stylish Ubud in Bali or even in New Zealand. You don’t have to head to a dangerous, electricity-free country to do some good in the world (although you most certainly can). You’ll be getting a great experience in a gorgeous destination, which makes it easy to combine your time with a more traditional trip.

3. Volunteering won’t necessarily take up every minute of your time abroad. You will still have plenty of downtime for romance, while you’ll know you’re doing something good for the world. Handsupholidays.com has ratings of how much activity each different tour requires, plus how comfortable each accommodation is, so you can more wisely choose your destination based on your individual requirements, and each trip builds in plenty of leisure activities so you can get a good idea of your location in addition to doing good works.

4. You should take your shared interests and capabilities into account before booking a trip. If one of you is painfully shy, it’s a bad idea to volunteer to teach English to local communities. It’s not a good idea to volunteer to build a house if the two of you aren’t fit enough to actually help, or if you don’t really want to work hard on your honeymoon.

5. Finally, you don’t have to actually go out and do good to help, if you really want to do something but also want your relaxation time. Why not choose somewhere local, or slightly less luxurious, and donate the money you’ve saved to a charitable foundation? Alternatively you could invest in a loaner program, empowering people who run their own businesses to take advantage of their lives. Kiva.org is one that I use and I have already had money given back to me. (The site is run in US dollars, so $25 is only about £18 per loan). Give a gift in your new married names. You’ll be doing more to help the poor and you’ll be saving the environment the cost of your flights.

Would you consider volunteering on your honeymoon?