Have you really considered volunteer travel?

When I visited Douban at the beginning of last year, I stumbled upon a "volunteer trip". For me, who buried my dream of traveling silently, volunteer travel is a surprise.

I think many peers, like me, wrote down their dreams in the yearbook when I was a child: I want to travel around the world and let my footprints spread all over the earth. At that time, the lofty ideal was so naive, and when I really grew up, I found that this dream was too far away. Bound and fettered by reality, you can only bury it in your heart silently, my friend. Are you the same? As soon as we saw the words about travel, we silently remembered them, from poor travel, free travel, cycling, backpackers and couch surfers. ......

After the emergence of volunteer travel, I like to get to the bottom of it and start to understand and practice it in depth.

Volunteer travel: in short, it is a way to enjoy travel by providing voluntary labor in exchange for accommodation at the place of travel. (Self-created concept, details are self-Baidu) In foreign countries, volunteer travel is a relatively mature and popular way of travel, but it is still relatively new in China and has the characteristics of localization in China. Due to its own limitations, I don't know much about the travel mode of foreign volunteers, so I won't discuss it here. The following remarks are only suitable for volunteer travel in China.

Volunteer work place: generally in youth travel, family hotels, coffee dessert shops, bars, boutiques, etc. in major tourist attractions;

Volunteer recruitment information is mainly distributed: Douban group (volunteer travel group, volunteer travel group, etc. ), Weibo (Volunteer Travel Network), WeChat, Mutual Travel Network (Community), etc. (The above is only a personal understanding. In the Internet age, information is everywhere. If the information is required to be true and reliable, it is more reliable to call in person to learn more about the consultation);

Working hours of volunteers: at least one month (but not excluding short-term volunteers or long-term volunteers on holidays);

Volunteer work content (taking youth travel and inn as examples):

1. Assist in the front desk order work (processing and inputting website orders, answering front desk calls, answering guest inquiries, etc.). );

2. Assist in housework and yard cleaning (changing sheets, cleaning garbage, mopping the floor, cleaning toilets, watering flowers, etc. );

3. Help the kitchen (buy ingredients, clean up ingredients, etc. , do not rule out the need for friends who can cook, self-sufficient);

4. Receiving visitors (picking up guests, carrying luggage, not excluding preparing breakfast, etc. , depending on hotel);

5. Others: feed cats and dogs and pick up express parcels. .......

It is understood that the needs of volunteers are mainly concentrated in youth hostels and family hotels, so the work of other shops will not be repeated here. Specific problems are analyzed in detail, but the work of volunteers is mainly snail nails. Where they need it, they generally don't need technical content. Even if I didn't know it at that time, I could get started immediately after simple study.

Have you really considered volunteer travel?

In information collection and volunteer practice, it is found that volunteer travelers are mainly concentrated in students (during the winter and summer vacations) and those who leave their jobs (during the intermission). This group of people is a bit * * *: I hope to increase my knowledge, find myself and enjoy the trip by saving travel expenses. But here I give some suggestions and advice to friends who want to travel as volunteers:

1. Volunteer Travel As the name implies, you have to work before you can travel. Friends who want to be volunteers must first make it clear that this is a job, not a game, nor a holiday. Any store that needs volunteers is a profit organization, not a charity. Only when you fulfill your work obligations and assume your work responsibilities can you enjoy traveling. Don't volunteer with the mentality of vacation or travel.

2. Volunteer is a job that needs to contact and communicate with people. Have you talked to strangers today? Do you have the courage to communicate with strangers? Can you get along well with strangers? The industry in which volunteers work is the service industry. They should not only get along well with the team, but also get along well with the guests. Remember that colleagues are partners and customers are God.

3. Volunteers are post-it employees, and all trivial chores should be done. Do you have a learning attitude? Are you a proactive person? Do you have a good hands-on ability? Volunteer work is always the first time for a charming girl in the family, the first time to repair the toilet, the first time to cut vegetables and cook ..... Yes, you can, but you must learn, ask and do. Don't use "no" as an excuse to be lazy.

Are you ready for the volunteer trip?

When you want to find a suitable store online after a volunteer trip, you need to make some preliminary preparations:

1. Contact the store. Do you still need volunteers in a few months? (Because some recruitment positions are year-round and individual months are full)

2. If necessary, prepare a resume of volunteers, including: self-introduction, contact information, working hours, expected arrival time, personal specialties and life photos. ......

3. If the store approves, contact the store again to learn more about the questions you want to know and answer questions; (Because there is no relevant agreement on volunteer work, the recruitment position may not be comprehensive, and sincere communication is essential. )

4. If all goes well, book a train ticket and give the store a screenshot of the ticket to inform the arrival time; At this time, the store will usually tell you some routes and ways to get to the store. )

We are all here, which means your itinerary is basically confirmed. It is time to start packing. First of all, get to know the local weather, replenish appropriate clothes and shoes, and then prepare personal toiletries (towels, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush ...). Because you have lived for a long time, general stores will not provide toiletries. Forget it if you have more money. Buy it locally.

Finally, because many students go out to volunteer alone, their parents are always worried and opposed, so some students simply avoid their parents or have a big fight, which is not desirable. As an adult, you should deal with it rationally, have a good talk with your parents, talk about the purpose and significance of your visit, and tell your parents the place, name and contact information of volunteers. I think enlightened parents will definitely approve of your behavior.

PS: These are personal experiences. If there are any shortcomings, please add them clearly.

PS: After that, I will offer my own volunteer trip for record only, so please look forward to it!