By Leanne Haigh, Project Development Manager at Acacia Africa

Voluntourism has generated a new wave in travel, the growing feel good factor creating opportunities for the everyday traveller and not just the career minded charity worker. But the question remains, can you make a difference when you’re a short-term tourist?

This holiday season, turn your gift-shopping experience into a unique opportunity to support innovative businesses that embrace sustainability practices and to promote fun and practical eco-friendly products – as well as sharing some holiday cheer with your loved ones. You can also use your holiday gift giving as a way to educate your friends and family about eco-friendly practices, inventive use of sustainable materials, and creative ways to reuse and recycle used items and help divert waste from landfill.

By Melanie Jae Martin

If you want to see great apes in the wild, Sumatra’s rainforest is one of the most accessible places to do just that. However, you need to know how to visit them responsibly or you could introduce illnesses, since they share over 97 percent of our DNA. Less than 7,000 Sumatran orangutans live in the wild, and they’re an essential part of the rainforest ecosystem, helping seeds to germinate and even pruning the canopy.

Global Vision International (GVI) runs responsible volunteering programs in over 40 countries around the world, and is one of the largest and most respected volunteer abroad organisations in the world. Guided by a unique commitment to volunteers and partners, GVI run almost all of their own operations. This unique ground up approach to volunteer travel allows GVI to run sustainable long-term projects that volunteers can join and contribute on for short periods of time, from two weeks to two years.

By Aaron Smith, Founder, GoVoluntouring

Thinking about Volunteering on your trip? Sure you’ve given it enough thought? Some of us look for opportunities that balance more contemporary comforts within their experiences, while others look for more ‘iconically’ representative options, which can be hosted in more challenging and/or intimate environments. Either way, there are only two pillars of decision making, and they are based on how an organization’s philosophical and operational standards match with your personal needs and interests.

Projects in Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka and Brazil have been announced as the winners of the first Travel2change idea challenge. Since its launch late April 2011, over 500 members joined the travel2change online community, and submitted around 60 innovative project proposals. The submitted ideas were evaluated based on creativity, effectiveness, impact, feasibility and sustainability. The four winning projects were awarded on July 17, 2011 by a jury of experts and will be realized in the coming months, thanks to the support of the travel partner Kuoni.

By Lenka Uhrova

In July 2010, I published an article on the Local Travel Movement website about how I saw tourism in Iceland at the time. I’ve always been particularly interested in regions off the beaten tourist track, which in the past would often be overlooked and overshadowed by the more commonly promoted highlights and ‘must-sees’ of Iceland.

By Irene Lane

One of the more memorable moments during our family tour of Northern Europe last year was during our stay in Gothenburg. While Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, it certainly has not taken on a diminutive status to Stockholm. Instead, the city has a standing of its own including having largest seaport of all the Nordic countries, a diverse music community and beautiful open spaces of forests, meadows, lakes, parks and gardens peppered throughout the area.

By Alexandra Frischmann

Travel2change is a nonprofit organization with the mission to connect travelers, organizations, and local communities in order to initiate change in a sustainable manner. The goal of travel2change is to capitalize on the potential of travel to make a positive difference in the lives of travelers and local communities alike and to create projects that will have an impact and foster sustainable change.

By Kirsty Barnby

Community Support Network (CSN) is Fiji’s newest non-profit voluntourism organization offering a two-week volunteer and island discovery tour program on Fiji’s untouched Northern Islands. This off-the-beaten-track experience prides itself on being an authentic cultural immersion program and puts a wholesome 80% back into the island communities in the form of training, equipment, infrastructure and education.