Cookies Are Disabled

Volunteer travel is not about you or the people you travel with.  It’s about the people you’re going to help, and this is the mentality that we must bring with us when we travel on volunteer trips.  We’re volunteering our time to fulfill a need in another area.  However, one of the greatest rewards about volunteer travel are the memories and experiences we take away from the trips.  I think it’s really important to chronicle your experience and make sure you keep good records that you can keep forever.  Here are some ways you can do that.

• Start a blog.  This is great for the time leading up to your trip and the time immediately after your trip.  If you have friends and family financially supporting your trip, this is a great way to share your stories, photos, and videos.  You probably won’t have much access to the internet when you’re on your trip, so bring with you a Moleskin journal to keep track of notes and memories while on the trip. 
• Bring a good camera.   I usually don’t recommend bringing nice equipment with on a trip, but if you have a good camera, bring it with you.  You can get some great photos, both staged and candid, that will capture the moment perfectly.  Make sure you’re not too camera happy, though.  You’re there to help, not be a photographer.
• Bring a Flip video camera.  If you don’t want to carry around a big camera, consider buying a Flip camera for your trip.  It fits in your pocket, is easy to use, and it takes great video that’s easy to upload to YouTube and blogs when you get home.
• Make A Scrapbook.  If you’re crafty, make a traditional scrapbook, but if you’re not, create one digitally by using a service like Snap Fish or for Mac users, use the photo book feature on iPhoto. 
• Ask for personal souvenirs.  Ask the people you meet on your trip and/or the people you work with for something small of theirs that will help you remember them.  These are the most important souvenirs, and you won’t need to spend money on cheesy souvenirs. 

Volunteer travel is a very different experience.  You’re traveling somewhere out of your comfort zone to help others, and it’s an experience that you don’t want to forget.  Journaling and collecting pieces of memories are very important to the voluntourism experience.