There are many ways to change your daily life and start living a new one, in a new place, doing new things. In past we’ve described how you can do that studying abroad for free, making money on the road, saving in advance or becoming a full-time traveler. And now it’s high time to describe another wonderful way you can move abroad even this month, for free, – volunteering!

We should warn you, although, this is not for everyone. You should genuinely want to help a person or a company out and be ready to try and learn things you’ve never done before. Think twice before you apply!

However, if you haven’t stopped reading this article yet, you’re probably interested to learn more.

There are different kinds of volunteering – when you pay to do the job (this applies to various prestige organisations like WWF), when nobody pays nobody (pure altruism), when a person or organisation provides you with certain benefits (living / food / etc).

Let’s take a look a several up-to-date volunteering opportunities.

Note! Before enrolling in any of these make sure you are acquainted with terms of what they’re offering (i.e., will they accommodate you, do you need a visa, do they require any specific permissions and qualifications, etc).

Overview: go to Phnom Penh to teach kids English, help run various projects, participate in trips, etc.

Duration: 3 weeks – 1 year or more; 6-8 hours / day

Requirements: be 18+. Pass an email & skype interview

Perks: free living, basic meals, training and internal transportation

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Overview: help run a Yoga centre in Koh Samui, Thailand

Duration: 7 days – 1 month; 20 hours / week

Requirements: pass an email & skype interview

Perks: free living, breakfast (+lunch and dinner if you work really well), pick up service, scooter

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Overview: help entertain guests, make breakfasts, run social events, etc.

Duration: 6 – 9 weeks; 5 times a week for 5-6 hours / day

Requirements: be 21-35 y.o. Know English. Pass an email & skype interview

Perks: free living and breakfast

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Overview: look after former street children, orphans, children with disabilities and abandoned babies

Duration: 2 weeks – 6 months, 30-40 hours / week

Requirements: be 18+. Know English. Have the right attitude. Send an email application (including motivation & CV)

Perks: free living, food, pick up

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Overview: help run and maintain a surf lodge

Duration: 2 months

Requirements: be 18+, pass a Skype chat

Perks: free living and breakfast

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As you can see options vary, you can do anything from helping out a Yoga Centre in Thailand to helping kids in Zimbabwe. You'll be provided with a living, free food (at least breakfasts), pick up service and excellent experience. All you have to do is pass 2 stages of interviews – email and / or skype – as simple as that.

Also, it is worth mentioning there are many other ways you can volunteer, for example:

Become part of your fav NGO.

Find your favourite non-governmental organisation (NGO) and look for the opportunities on their website. If you don’t find any offers don’t hesitate to contact them via email or phone. Most of the times they are too busy to update their website, but probably need some spare hands, and will definitely appreciate your interest. Our fav NGOs are Survival International, WWF and Amnesty International. Here’s a pretty big list of NGOs worldwide.

Take part in an event

Pick a topic that interests you and look for any related events – conferences, festivals, master-classes, etc. You’ll be surprised at how many options are out there, especially if you speak good English!

Be creative and google:

The possibilities are endless! Here’s what we found after 2 mins of googling – help out the turtles, teach English in Sudan, work on organic farms, become a trek guide, assist on private luxury yachts, etc., etc. Who would’ve thought, right? 🙂

Did you try volunteering and what were your experiences? If not, would you try it?