Gap Year and Volunteering Abroad Safety Travel Tips

One of the exciting parts about traveling is the unknown factor. When you in a foreign country, in different cultures or just away from home it’s always exciting to experience things that are outside ones comfort or cultural zones. Unfortunately these unknowns can be a negative thing too, crime is a very real thing and is something that one must be aware of.

WorkTravelSA.org has compiled a couple of abroad safety travel tips that will hopefully be of some use to any new travelers or volunteers.

1. Research

It’s always a good idea to do a little online reading on the country you planning to visit. A simple Google.com news (news.google.com) search on the country will also help in getting a better understanding of any possible political/government instabilities in your destination country.

2. Theft

Cellphones
Unfortunately this is a reality in any country and it’s a good idea to be prepared
for this. What we recommend is to make a list of important contact numbers that you will need to cancel cellphone contracts. A extra tip - it’s good practice to make use of password protection on your cellphone, which can prevent high phone bills. Each cell phone also has a unique identification code known as the IMEI code (pressing *#06# on your mobile will show it’s IMEI number) - keep record of this number in case your cellphone provider requires it.

Credit Cards
Credit cards are very useful when traveling but can also be a threat. Once again it’s a good idea to keep record of some contact numbers in case the credit card gets stolen.

3. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a must for anyone leaving there country. What is important to note is that gap year /volunteering travel insurance is different to your normal annual vacation insurance. It’s vital that you make sure your travel insurance company covers you while performing your gap year or volunteering tasks.

Highlight any health issues that you might have, these are all factors that can effect your insurance and if not mentioned it could prevent insurance payouts. Remember when you in a foreign country you don’t want to have unnecessary hassles, especially when it comes to your health. So communicate as much as possible to the travel insurance people.

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Why volunteer?

It’s become highly more acceptable for young people across the globe to volunteer in foreign countries. Majority of these volunteers are young people and I’m sure you as a possible volunteer might be asking the following question…

But Why? Why not just go on a holiday or have a gap year?

Generally the most common reason is to give something back. Wanting to help others, wishing to do good and hoping to make a difference are all important reasons to volunteer. But let’s be honest - this isn’t always the convincing factor that makes you feel you’ve spent your time well, there is more reasons. Volunteering is an excellent way to get under the skin of a country and come to grips with a difference culture. The cultural-exchange element in volunteering abroad is a key part of both you and your hosts will get out of the whole experience. Plus, you can build volunteering into almost any segment of your travels, whether you decide to arrange it formally or just turn up and find a placement yourself.

The educational aspect of volunteering is equally crucial. In almost every placement you’ll have the opportunity to learn a foreign language or to brush up on one. And many of the new skills you’ll acquire or develop can be used back home in your profession.

Many volunteers have found that international volunteering has either helped their career or given them the necessary experience to change careers. International volunteering helps to increase the understanding of development issues, consolidate practical skills, and gain first hand-experience of working in the field.

WorkTravelSA.org has various volunteer programs available for you to start your abroad volunteering walk. Volunteer programs range from wildlife conservation, orphan outreach programs, community development to township development. There are so many arenas where you can make a difference and more importantly where you learn about other cultures that make differences in your own life and career.

Get started, get volunteering today!

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WorkTravelSA.org launches blog..

Firstly i want to welcome everyone to WorkTravelSA.org’s first blog post. WorkTravelSA.org has come a long way and we finally getting our online presence a little more active. We are all very excited about this blog and planning to share all our exciting news with the rest of the world!

Who is WorkTravelSA.org?
WorkTravelSA.org has been running for about 3 years in South Africa and since has bought in over 1800 volunteers into the country - volunteers that have been making a difference in South African communities, helping conserve the wildlife and learning more about the African culture.

The purpose of this blog?
To make people out there aware of exciting volunteer and travel opportunities that we offer @ WorkTravelSA.org. Volunteers are constantly coming into the country to assist with various projects and we would like to show the rest of the world what good these volunteers are doing. WorkTravelSA.org is more than just about getting volunteers to help Africa - we also involved with various wildlife projects like animal tracking, nature conservation and continuous development in HIV/AIDS education.