There are many issues that affect the world today. Some of these issues are easily solved while others might take more time to solve. Solving issues that affect the world is one of the major factors in the reason why volunteers go abroad. While there are volunteers who have seen the plight of many through television and the internet and know which issues they want to address. There are some who have been personally affected by an issue and want to help others with the same problems. There are various ways of supporting a cause, volunteering, financial support and working. The best option to make the biggest change is through volunteering.  After they have picked a cause and want to support it, the next step is to pick an organization which is credible. The organization doesn’t have to be large or years of experience but one which is passionate and determined to meet its goals. Also the goals and mission of the organization should be in tandem with the volunteers’.  There are some volunteers who don’t know which cause to support or which issue to pick. Supporting a cause is one of being part of something that is bigger than volunteer. Here are a couple of causes a volunteer who is abroad can try to address

Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.  ~David Thomas. There is no typical day in the life of a volunteer who is abroad but there are some similarities. Many volunteers have different schedules or itineraries when they are working abroad. The schedules normally depend on the volunteer program that they are in. The program determines when they wake up, have meals and when they go to sleep. In some programs the volunteers is limited to a number of activities while in others the programs are open. Wildlife conservation programs are more rigid, in that the volunteer is confirmed to the conservation area for the work period. Hence the activities are limited. Open programs are where there a host of things to do and thus the volunteer is more flexible to choose as many activities that they want to do. In flexible programs they can choose how many days of the week they can work and how many hours per week they can put in. some volunteers prefer to be really exerted in the program and be really busy, while others want to put in little effort in their work. Here is a typical work schedule of a volunteer who is abroad;

“One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind.”  ~Malayan Proverb. Volunteering is a selfless act and by definition it means the practice of people working on behalf of others or a particular cause without payment for their time and services. It’s a service that improves the quality of life for one person or the community in general. While volunteering there are few perks that come with it and little financial compensation. With some organizations the volunteers are given a weekly stipend to cover the costs of doing the volunteer work. When the volunteer decides to go abroad there are no stipends and it is more expensive for them to do their work. Their main expenses are flight fees, accommodation, meals and sometimes they pay an organization to plan and organize their volunteer work. It is hard to justify the expense of volunteering abroad but there are some financial benefits rather than altruistic benefits of volunteering abroad. Here are some benefits of volunteering:

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.”  ~Oscar Wilde
Volunteers who are working abroad are entitled rights and responsibilities. Irrespective of the type of volunteer work being done, the volunteers have rights that should be followed. These rights are there to protect the volunteer and to make sure they are not being taken advantage off. These rights and responsibilities protect both the organization and the volunteers who are abroad and also for smooth running of the volunteer work.

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”  ~Elizabeth Andrew. There are so many organizations out there that a volunteer can choose to use. It sometimes gets hard to choose which organization to use and to find reviews about the organization the volunteer has chosen. Although, there are websites which review and rate organizations depending on their clients experience. Some of the websites are abroad review and review centre, they get views from past volunteers and publish them on their site. This information is useful to find how the organization treats its clients. Here are some of the reviews from the websites:

“Distance doesn't matter if you really love the person, what matters most is your honesty and trust for that relationship to work out” - Trish. The second international holiday celebrated after New Year is Valentine’s Day.  History has it that Valentine’s Day came from St. Valentine a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and he attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers. Although it was forbidden, St. Valentine being a bishop, held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers and young men. This was in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited it leading to his execution. Before St. Valentine was executed he wrote a letter to a daughter of his jailer with whom he had a deep friendship. In his letter he signed: “from your valentine.”  When a volunteer goes abroad for a while it means they will be cut off from their loved ones for a period of time putting a strain on their relationship. Or when they are abroad they could fall in love with one of the local people and after their work is done will have to leave. The volunteers will be forced into a long distant relationship. Here are a couple of tips to help your relationships survive when you are abroad:

“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.”  ~Author Unknown. Since the beginning of this year, there have been political and natural problems in a number of countries. The problems have been spread throughout the globe. First there was unrest in Ivory Coast due to the elections they had, second were the floods in Australia and Brazil and lately there has been unrest in the Arab nations (Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon). Some of these situations are predictable for example there is bound to be trouble when travelling to a third world country during an election year. It is easy to foresee problems in such scenarios, but there some which take the whole world by surprise. A good example is what is going on in the Arab world where they are fighting for democracy and also the natural disasters in Australia where few knew the floods would bring so much trouble. As a volunteer in a foreign country these problems are compounded in that; the country is no longer safe; communication in to and out of the country could be halted, the internet could be blocked; media black outs and a curfew could be imposed in the said country. When choosing the country to go to care has to be taken to avoid being in such a situation. A couple of tips to help you choosing a country to volunteer in

“Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless.”  ~Sherry Anderson. In spite of the fact that volunteering means giving up time and energy to help someone else in need volunteering abroad is not free. Wherever you want to go, from helping the flood victims in Australia, Brazil and the earthquake victims of Haiti, there is always a price to pay to volunteer abroad. Many volunteers work with small community based organizations or not for profit organizations and the organizations don’t have the resources to pay for hosting and feeding them. Volunteers don’t pay to do their volunteer work abroad. They pay for the costs they will incur while they are abroad. There are basic costs that everyone has to pay for example air fare, Visa, travel insurance, and vaccinations. In addition to these costs there are other expenses, like; accommodation, meals, and transportation within the country. When using a volunteer service organization, or travelling independently these factors must be put into consideration. Here are a couple of more things that are included in the cost of volunteering abroad:

“The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers.”  ~Terri Guillemets. There are many organizations that plan volunteer vacations for travelers.  They are numbered in their hundreds and many travelers wonder whether the organization they are going to use is a scam or a fraud. This is especially true with newer organizations which don’t have a previous track record. To help out potential volunteers who are going abroad, the volunteer travel companies have formed associations which try to set up standards for volunteer travel companies. These associations have websites that show a list of credible and weed out the scam volunteer travel organizations according to their standards. The standards set vary from association to association, like for example the amount for the yearly contribution varies; there should be a physical office in a particular country and minimum age of the volunteer travel organization. Note these associations do warn they are not accountable and liable to the behavior of the volunteer travel organizations. Here are a couple of associations that help volunteers:

"Every human being is important and all human beings owe something to their fellow inhabitants of this planet." -- Wallace Campbell. While doing volunteer work in the host countries, there are times when volunteers get depressed, or have a down day, they get into funk or just have one of those days. Everything could be fine in the volunteer life, accommodation, food, work and country could be great. In spite of all that the volunteer might start feeling down and sad. It’s more pronounced with volunteers who have problems dealing with depression. Depression is defined as a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. It is a serious disease and sometimes it is misdiagnosed. The symptoms are that the volunteers may feel like they are sad, anxious, a feeling of emptiness, feeling hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experiences overeating or loss of appetite, or problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions; and may contemplate or attempt suicide. During one of those days there are a couple of things the volunteers could do to change the way they are feeling.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Volunteers who are abroad like other travelers are bound to fall victim of scams. There are people who are out there looking for ways to take advantage of unsuspecting travelers. They come up with lies and scams to steal money from volunteers who are abroad. As an international volunteer it is wise to be aware of the scams are out there and to avoid them. This article is to help current and potential volunteers to avoid being scammed or taken advantage of while they are abroad.  Here are common scams and how to avoid them when the volunteers are going abroad:

“Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.” ~David Thomas. 2011 is the year of the volunteer. Airline fare is a big part in planning for volunteering abroad. After the volunteer has picked a project and country to go and work in the next thing they plan for is airfare. Flight fees are the ones that make volunteering abroad expensive. The fare determines whether the volunteer will be able to save money for their trip. The volunteers who are going to travel this summer should start looking for deals and promotions on cheaper airfares.  The best way to get great fares is by constantly checking the airlines and with travel agents. Volunteers who are going abroad this summer should look into these airlines as they are giving the best deals for this summer.

“When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you are having an adventure you wish you were safe at home” – Thornton Wilder. After staying for some period of time volunteers start to miss home. Even though they are used to the environment they are in and they are comfortable, after sometime volunteers start missing home. There are moments when they sit back and realize how much they miss home, the little things and the big things that they took for granted. That is when they feel they should start packing and take the next plane or bus home. It doesn’t matter whether the volunteers are in developed countries or third world countries. It reaches a point when they want familiarity and the comforts of home. Here are a couple of things volunteers who are abroad are going to miss:

 Life’s more persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Many people who are preparing for a long period of time get excited and are looking forward to traveling. After great planning and researching the volunteer is ready to go abroad. After the volunteer has already gone to see a general practitioner to get immunization shots and other medication; after travel insurance, airline fare has been paid, and if need be they have gotten the required visas to the countries they are going to. The next part is getting ready to leave. Before the date of departure many travelers are overcome with different emotions. Even the most experience travelers feel these common emotions. Many feel this way because they will be away for a long period of time and they will be by themselves in a new environment. Another reason the volunteers have these feelings is because they want to do well and they go away when you leave home. The emotions volunteers who are going abroad are:

“No matter how big and powerful government gets, and the many services it provides, it can never take the place of volunteers.”- Ronald Reagan.  Volunteering abroad is an endeavor that changes the lives of the volunteers as well as the lives of those being helped. As volunteer, especially those who are first time volunteers, they are excited about the prospect of going abroad and helping out. They have a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty because they don’t have much information on how life is abroad, and the kind of work that they will do. There is information on volunteer work on the internet on blogs, reviews and volunteer service organizations. In addition to information on the internet, there are books available. These books are written by past volunteers on how life is abroad. The authors are writing from firsthand experience on volunteer work abroad, and life in different countries. These volunteer books are: