We all know a good Caribbean tan can make you look good, but how about a trip to the tropics that also can make you feel good about yourself? Socially conscious travel has become increasingly popular among students and others who want to give some of their free time to helping others. Volunteer travel in the Caribbean provide an opportunity to help others while learning more about local culture than you would on a typical vacation. Companies like STA Travel and groups like i-to-i and the Earthwatch Institute can help arrange a trip that's both fun and fulfilling.
Volunteers who love the outdoors can work at the Asa Wright Nature Centre protecting the rain forests of
North Trinidad. Located in the Arima Valley, the wildlife sanctuary is home to more than 170 species of birds, and volunteers can spend 2 to 12 weeks helping maintain the fruit trees and flowers the birds depend upon, restoring trails, working in the gardens, or even producing coffee that's sold to visitors.
STA Travel can arrange visits.
The Earthwatch Institute sponsors one to two week volunteer programs to help protect the Leatherback Sea Turtles that nest on
Trinidad's Matura Beach. Volunteers work with the local Nature Seekers group to patrol the beach and tag, measure and weigh the turtles. Free afternoons can be spent visiting a nearby howler monkey preserve, hiking, birding, and more. Meals and accommodations are provided at a guesthouse next to the Nature Seekers headquarters in the Matura jungle.
Join the
Bahamas Marine Mammal Organization for 10 days on sea and shore tracking whale and dolphin groups off Great Abaco Island. Volunteers stay at a reseach center on Sandy Point or have the option of camping on a beautiful
Bahamas beach. Your work will help researchers learn more about where these marine mammals live, their population, and whether individual animals can be tracked based on their vocalizations.
Punta Cana is one of the
Dominican Republic's most popular tourism destinations, but the area also is home to a 1,500-acre ecological reserve maintained by the
Punta Cana Ecological Foundation. Volunteers can work for 4-12 weeks helping to protect and restore the natural beauty of the Indian Eyes Reserve and helping to run the nature center and maintaining the preserve.
This 4-24 week program involves teaching English at schools in Santo Domingo and Barahona in the
Dominican Republic. Students range from nursery-school age to grade 5 and come from impoverished communities. Volunteers need to have a love of children and the ability to control a classroom. Program includes Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification; knowledge of Spanish helpful but not required.
Volunteers will join a rebuilding project in the southern region of the
Dominican Republic that was devastated by hurricanes and landslides in 2004. Houses, schools and aqueducts are being rebuilt, and volunteers will spend 4-12 weeks doing construction work alongside local residents. Program includes a homestay or community accommodations in Barahona, Jimani, or other local towns. Previous construction experience not necessary, but welcome. Spanish language knowlege also helpful.
Volunteers who donate their time to helping special-needs children in the lush island nation of
Dominica will work in Grand Fond and native Carib Indian villages. The project seeks individuals with past experience with special-needs children to work in rural high school teaching math, English and other subjects as well as hands-on projects. Two- to 12-week stays are available. The project is sponsored by
i-to-i in conjunction with local charities.
Spend four weeks or more developing your surfing skills and helping to run a successful surf shop in the
Dominican Republic. You'll spend the summer in Caberete learning everything from organizing lessons to building surfboards.
Volunteers who love sports and the idea of bonding with youth in rural villages in
Dominica will be ideal for this project, which seeks to give youth with a love of sports a chance to develop skills and gain experience. Local communities have recently built sports fields in the Carib Territory and Grand Fond, and volunteers will teach the rules to students, coach, and run games. Home stays will be arranged for the 2-12 week program.
STA Travel also can arrange visits.
Volunteers will work at the
Gerace Research Center for up to two weeks as part of a long-term project to study the coral reefs off San Salvador Island in the
Bahamas. Work includes snorkeling the reefs to survey hard corals and other reef animals and plants, measuring the reefs, and testing the water. Free time activities include scuba, caving, hiking and more. Accommodations are at a former U.S. Navy base, with most meals in the cafeteria.
