Diane Valenti, owner and founder of Llama Expeditions, says their trips “are a chance for culturally curious travelers to make a meaningful connection with the people and the land of Peru”. Llama Expeditions tours offer full cultural immersion giving guests the opportunity to see how Peruvians live – to talk with them about their dreams and accomplishments, and to learn about the challenges they face.

By Phyllis Kaplan

Laos was once called the “the land of a million elephants,” currently there are less than 900 alive: 450 domestic and 400 wild. There are 2 births for every 10 deaths. Crunch the numbers. If this is not addressed, Laotian Asian elephants will be eradicated very soon.

By Katie Boyer

Women all over the world are fighting for the protection of their basic human rights. From the extremes of honor killings in Pakistan and female genital mutilation in Africa, to a universal lack of educational opportunities and reproductive choices, to worldwide domestic and sexual abuse, there is still a long way to go to reach gender equality.

By Angie Aspinall

Thanks to the hard work of the charity Earth, Sea and Sky and volunteers of ARCHELON Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, there are some successful Loggerhead turtle nesting sites on Zakynthos. While nesting beaches are constantly under threat from encroaching tourism, by being a considerate tourist – or helping out as a volunteer – you can do your bit towards preserving this endangered species.

Many of our readers are interested in volunteer opportunities around the world, and are active supporters of travel experiences that help give back to local communities. We’re therefore very proud to collaborate with our blog partner Go Overseas, a leading review site for international study, volunteer, internship and teaching programs. We’ve interviewed Katie Boyer, Volunteer Abroad Director for Go Overseas, to learn more about their work and get to know the volunteer travel field better.

In rural areas of Ghana, the Student and Youth Travel Organization (SYTO) works to arrange volunteering trips, internships, homestays and cultural exchanges for foreign visitors. To reach and get around the most remote and underserved villages of rural Ghana, these visitors need transportation on which they can rely; however, they often find that there is nothing suitable in their village destinations.

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?

By Shelley Seale

Three decades after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, its legacy remains: over 30% of Cambodia’s population is under age 14 and uneducated. Nearly all of these post genocidal-era children work or beg in the streets rather than attend school. Without proper education this cycle of poverty cannot be broken and the suffering merely gets passed from generation to generation. That’s something that Ponheary Ly wants to end – with the help of an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit called Windows of Wonder Institute (WOWi).

By Cynthia Ord

Sustainable Bolivia is a registered non-profit organization in Cochabamba, Bolivia’s third-largest city. Here, it partners with 28 local non-profit organizations to coordinate volunteer and internship opportunities for international students and professionals. The organizations span a number of fields of development: public health, the environment, education, human rights, and social services.

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.