Have you ever wanted to do more for the environment on your family vacations? Want to explore new places, eat exotic food, all while volunteering for a good cause and improving the country you visit?
So do we!

Voluntourism is a phenomenon where travelers include activities focused on furthering a charitable cause into their vacation. This takes an altruistic spin on the traditional family vacation, and provides an easy outlet to volunteer while visiting various parts of the world.

One example of voluntourism in action is Delta’s bi-yearly Habitat for Humanity builds as part of our Force for Global Good. The Delta’s Force for Global Good campaign began with the airline’s first Habitat build in Katlehong, South Africa, a township located east of Johannesburg where Delta and Habitat volunteers built homes in partnership with four families. It has since grown into several projects and hundreds of volunteers!

Check out pictures from the recent Ghana build on delta.com, read Michelle’s account of the Mumbai, India build last year here on the blog, and learn how to bid on your own voluntourism vacation for opportunities all over the world.

Next up: Delta and Northwest employees are partnering with Habitat for Humanity to build homes in Santiago, Chile this month (Nov 7-14th). Our employees will keep you updated on our progress every step of the way here on our blog.

For your next vacation, consider traveling to a new place (flying Delta, of course) and improving the exotic location you visit. Whether it’s by planting new trees or raising money for a cause, your destination and its native people will appreciate it!

Have you ever taken a voluntourism trip? If so, let us know your experience!

Kelly
Environmental Health Co-op