How to take a volunteer vacation
How I did it: I felt like I was going through the motions most of the time - work, friends, family, etc. I had been taking a Spanish class, and decided that if I quit my job, I would go somewhere where I could learn Spanish and work with kids, since I'd done a similar trip. This time, though, I wanted to be gone for a while and really be immersed. I started looking up all kinds of organizations online, reading blogs, newsletter articles, anything to determine whether or not these organizations were legit. I found VE Global, applied, and then waited to be accepted. I had to do a couple of interviews over the phone and a pretty intensive application. But I was accepted, made arrangements to go and took off for four months.
Lessons & tips: Be as prepared as possible, but go with an open mind. I learned so much!
Resources: www.ve-global.org
www.idealist.org
