As if taking a year off to travel the globe was not enough of a thrill, Jenni and I decided to give our trip a little something extra. Overachievers by nature, we wanted to use our year abroad to accomplish something meaningful.

What began as a conversation with a friend who spent a year interviewing healers around the world for her PhD has now turned into an ambitious project to tell our story as a lesbian couple and interview gay people across the globe. We named our project Out and Around: Stories From a Not-So-Straight Journey and launched a website to tell these stories. Our latest goal is to raise $6,000 to make an educational documentary out of our journey

During our travels through sixteen countries, we’ll be on the hunt for the Supergays – individuals who are leading the momentum on the LGBT movement. Supergays may be directly involved in community organization, or they may be using their influence in politics, health, arts, entertainment, or business to raise awareness and make progress on gay issues.

The funny thing is we aren’t writers, photographers, web designers, or filmmakers. We’re a social worker and a business manager. Overwhelmed by the steep learning curve ahead, we started to prepare by taking classes in writing and photography. We involved our friends with a range of professional backgrounds who guided us. Then when all else failed, we Googled our questions and watched how-to videos on YouTube.

We learned that when you want to make something happen and follow your passion, people reach out to support and guide you. We’re very ordinary people who found extraordinary support.

In our everyday lives in San Francisco, we are fortunate to live in a supportive “gayborhood”. We know how lucky we are. We live in a city that not just tolerates difference, but celebrates diversity.

At the same time, no one is free from the sobering properties of homophobia. As a social worker, I chose to work in HIV to accompany individuals who struggle with the devastating mental and physical impacts of stigma and discrimination. Meanwhile, Jenni fights the good fight at home trying to educate her devout Evangelical parents who are adamantly against her relationship with me.

Our vision for this project is fueled by our desire to seek out individuals who have struggled and succeeded across the world. Increasing visibility as lesbians traveling abroad also empowers us. The positive responses we have already received from the LGBT community fuels our passion even more. As we prepare for the big trip in July 2011, we are giddy with excitement and we hope this project helps to act as a meaningful ripple in the larger LGBT movement.

You can follow Jenni and Lisa’s journey on Out and Around, on Facebook and also on Twitter.

You can also learn more about their documentary and fundraising efforts.

Phase one is complete. You have decided which volunteer project will benefit from your enthusiasm, expertise, and time. Congratulations!  Take a short breather because you are about to enter phase two – preparing to leave.

TELL ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE what you will do, where it is, and when it will happen. Help them imagine it by giving them glorious details of what you will see, hear, taste, and smell. Describe what it will be like to do the work and how wonderful you will feel upon completion. This is done, of course, in a non-smug way because your intention is not to instill envy, but gain enthusiasm for your volunteer work.

CREATE YOUR TO DO LIST of everything that needs to be accomplished, not only before you leave, but also while you are abroad. Decide how you want your affairs handled.  Immediate family can do many of the items if you are only gone for a month. If you will be gone for an extended period however, you may need a team of people to keep your home life rolling while you are away.  As this topic is covered in detail through the Briefcase to Backpack program, I suggest a preliminary list of topics to be considered:

• Job
• Legal issues
• Bills
• Insurance
• Mail
• Home – Possessions, Pets and Plants
• Car
• Special Events
• Commitments to others.

Brainstorm other issues specific to you and your trip with your family.

ENLIST YOUR “A” TEAM by enrolling your family and friends in your passion for the volunteer project. They will want to feel connected to your experience even from a distance. When they ask “HOW CAN I HELP?”, show them your list. They may have suggestions on additional things needing to be handled or other ways to be helpful.

When your “A” Team is in place, make a contact list with names, contact information, and what they will do for you during your absence. Distribute the list to your entire team and take a copy with you.

GET PHYSICALLY FIT and plan a training schedule at least six months before your trip, or as soon as you decide to go abroad.

Start with your doctor.  You may need a check-up based in the project selected and possibly shots and medicines specific for our destination. Many routine shots are available from your doctor.  Certain shots come in a series that can take up to six months to complete.  Ask your doctor for strategies for how you can stay healthy overseas.

Specialized vaccines and travel related prescriptions are usually available from the local travel clinic.  These clinics have up-to-date information on health issues abroad, and offer great advice on how to stay healthy. They may also know which medical supplies should be carried from home versus what brands are available abroad.

Consider your current level of fitness and what will be needed for your volunteer work.  Begin any exercise or fitness program WELL IN ADVANCE of departure.  If you will need a certification such as SCUBA, or will work with equipment you haven’t used recently, check it out, clean it up, and get comfortable using it before you go.

Figure out what you do to stay healthy at home (diet, exercise, vitamins, yoga, rest), and find ways to incorporate those practices when you are away.

GET MENTALLY PREPARED and start building momentum for your trip before you depart.  Find out as much as you can about the city, country and culture you will enter.  Begin to explore while you are still at home with as many senses as possible. See if you can speak with people from the actual country, as they can be a great resource.

• Read – Magazines, guidebooks, novels, blogs and newsletters about the specific country
• See – Documentaries, movies, TV shows or travel presentations
• Listen – Take language lessons or use language tapes. See if there are recent émigrés to your area and volunteer to be an English coach.
• Smell and Taste – Locate a restaurant that serves the cuisine. Work with the waiters and the chef to find dishes that fit your dietary preferences or allergies.
• Touch – Go to global markets and fair-trade shows to find products from the country.

The time you spend with due diligence on both the logistics for your home life and researching the new culture can have a huge impact on the overall quality of your foreign volunteer experience.  The more prepared you are as you leave home, the easier it is to move your home life to the back burner when you are away. The more cultural research done prior to departure, the faster you will assimilate and begin making a difference to yourself and the world around you.

I wish you the best and trust you will have an amazing time as an international volunteer!

Additional Resources for International Volunteers

For additional information on how to prepare to be a powerful international volunteer, check out the articles KNOW THYSELF and VOLUNTEER ETIQUETTE.

Other resources that “would be” international travelers and volunteers have found useful include:

Mapping Your Volunteer Vacation by Jane Stanfield – This workbook provides a sequence of steps to follow to find, plan, prepare, pack, go on, and then return from an international volunteer trip.

Journeywomen – A marvelous free newsletter with suggestions from women who travel.

Jane Stanfield has a huge passion for animals, volunteering and international travel such that she quit her job to travel around the world completing 12 volunteer jobs, seven with wildlife, within one year.

Upon her return, Jane established her company, Where Is She Heading, which offers presentations, workshops, coaching and classes on how to find a volunteer vacation to suit your heart, interest, time frame and budget.

Jane’s first book, Mapping Your Volunteer Vacation, assists prospective volunteers find, create, plan, pack, and return from an international volunteer vacation.  Jane offers a class based on the book at Arapahoe and Front Range Community Colleges and teaches an introductory volunteer vacation class at Colorado Free University. Her chapter,  “The Color of Poo”, was published in The Voluntary Traveler in August 2009. Currently, she is getting ready to publish a series of E-Books for international volunteers and is planning her next international volunteer vacation for 2011.

First of all, certification normally comes in a couple different forms – CELTA (Certificate for English Language Teaching to Adults) is the most known and recognized. It’s a certification offered by Cambridge University and known throughout the world. Most places require that you have a certificate in order to teach at an English Language school. Keep in mind that certification is not necessary for volunteering, however it does help your effectiveness!

CELTA certification is the same all over the world. It consists of 4 weeks of learning content. It can usually be done in an intensive one month of classes or in night classes over the course of a number of months. It’s not a cake walk – there are homework assignments and instructors are grading & constantly critiquing you.

What It’s Not
You won’t learn grammar rules! The certification is simply learning how to manage the classroom, plan a lesson, and teach a range of grammar lessons. It basically teaches you how to analyze grammar so that you can implement it in the classroom.

Real Life Experience
Implement what you learn immediately…that afternoon! You get experience teaching by instructing students of various levels and being critiqued by the instructors. You have to plan the lesson and deliver it just as you do when you are teaching abroad.

Is It Necessary?
Sometimes. It certainly can’t hurt and it’s actually a great learning experience. With a university degree and a CELTA, you can pretty much get a job anywhere in the world. That’s a powerful combination. However with no CELTA, it’s still possible to get a job – but much harder. Most schools will require a certification no matter what your background is (unless you are already a teacher!). But in person networking is always best; more often than not once they see your career background they will probably give you a second look.

However, why not consider certification while you are in the planning stages of your career break – it’s something that can be done while you are working and will simply expand your options while on the road for working or volunteering. Places like Teaching House, with 4 locations in the US, offer night classes that can fit your schedule. Plus – as an added bonus you meet a lot of great international people who love to travel and live abroad – so you’ll immediately bond with them!

Teaching House has locations in New York City, Boston, Miami, and San Diego.

Teaching English abroad is one of the most amazing travel experiences. I always recommend taking this approach into consideration when someone is pondering the idea of long-term travel. Teaching ESL allows you to connect with the local community in a way that is much different than being just a traveler. You are also able to make money for your travels while giving back, and you truly get to experience life as a local.

For a year I had the opportunity to teach Business ESL in the northern part of Chile in the coastal city of Iquique and in the Middle of the Atacama Desert. During this time, I was able to meet some of the most amazing people, and build friendships with many who I still keep in touch with today – friends who I will always consider a part of my extended family.

When I decided to move away and told my friends, family, and co-workers the questions were endless. Where are you going? Isn’t that dangerous? How long will you stay? How did you find your position? Where will you live? and the list goes on and on. Now that I have returned, I find that the questions are still endless, and many are interested in how they too can sustain their travels through teaching abroad.

Many who decide to teach English abroad partner with the numerous companies out there that specialize in placing ESL teachers with schools to organize their travels and employment. Whereas that may be the best option for many, I took a non-traditional approach. I conducted my own research, solicited my resume, contacted language institutes in the areas of my choice, negotiated my employment, and arranged all of my travel. Although the approach you take all depends on what you are comfortable with, I always like to also let hopeful teachers and travelers know that it can be done on your own as well with a little bit of planning.

Planning can seem a bit overwhelming when you are not quite sure where to begin. I had no specific plan when I first made my decision to move and teach. Oddly enough, I started answering many questions for myself that people ask me today.

How did you decide to incorporate teaching ESL during your travels?
I actually made my decision to start traveling about a year prior to my departure. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to save the amount of money some recommend you save for an around the world trip, so I started brainstorming on how I could sustain living abroad and traveling. I also knew that I wanted my own personal travel experience to be about learning and connecting with the culture where I would be living as opposed to traveling to many various places. So, at this point, I had decided that I would go on a volunteer mission or to teach English.

How did you get certified to teach ESL?
Once I decided that I would consider teaching, I thought it only appropriate for both myself and to my future students for me to ensure that I would enjoy teaching, and that I would be able to offer them the level of education that they would be paying for. Therefore, I started volunteering with my local literacy council as an English as a Second Language tutor. I then eventually started assisting with ESL classes, and because of my volunteer service with them, they provided my training for my ESL certification. I continued volunteering with them as a certified ESL teacher until my departure to teach ESL in Chile.

How did you decide where to teach?
One of my personal goals for my trip was to become fluent in another language. Being from Texas, the most beneficial language for me to learn was Spanish. I had already traveled through most of Central America, so I narrowed down my possible countries to teach in to anywhere in South America or Spain. Then there were other things I took into consideration such as safety, cost of living, and culture. I have always had a love for Latin culture, so South America was really what kept tugging at my heart strings. As I researched, Chile was known to be the most economically stable and safest South American country, so my decision was made. To Chile I was going! My advice to those in the process of choosing where you will teach is to really think about what interests you and what your goals of the trip are. If you plan on trying to save money so you can continue traveling, it is wise to think about the cost of living and traveling in some areas in comparison to others.

What were some of the frustration you encountered? How did you cope with them?
The biggest frustration initially was not speaking the language and adjusting to the pace of life. Coming from corporate America where the sense of urgency is a bit ridiculous to a country where a favorite word is mañana, and being on time is not always important, it took a bit of adjusting.

What were some of the rewards?
The rewards were endless. The relationships, the thankfulness of the students – I taught mainly adults that were learning to improve their career so they were always eager and motivated, the realization of the connections one can make with someone so different than themselves, and most of all the openness I received from all that I met, and how I will always have a home away from home in the country where a gave a piece of myself.

How did you incorporate your business skills to this new experience?
I was able to incorporate my business skills in the initial process of this experience by using my Human Resources and recruiting background to help acquire my position. Once I arrived and got started there are many aspects that you don’t realize where business skills are definitely transferrable. Presentation, communication, organizational, team building, and planning skills are among the some of the most prominent.

Would you recommend teaching ESL to everyone or is it for a particular type of person?
Teaching may not be everyone. If you are looking to do a lot of traveling on your venture, then teaching may not be the option for you as you will in fact be working, and your freedom is a bit more limited. Also teaching children and adults are completely different experiences. If you do not have a teaching or mentoring background, I would highly recommend doing some volunteer work in your local community with adults or children to see if this would be the best choice for you.

Any advice?
One thing to remember is that this is an adventure and an experience. Try not to become too overwhelmed with things not going how you planned or how you thought they would be. In a foreign country, there will be obstacles and surprises. Prepare yourself to have patience and flexibility.

Alisha Robertson is an avid traveler passionate about education involving social entrepreneurship, long term travel, volunteerism, and helping others learn about other cultures. She has recently launched Small World Pursuits – an educational blog about broadening horizons, traveling and working abroad, volunteering, and connecting with cultures from around the world. To keep up with her ventures and planning, you can also follow her on twitter @alishaamr. She will also serve as co-host for Meet, Plan, Go! in Dallas.

Brave and crazy. That’s what people said about me when I told them I was leaving my corporate job, packing up, selling off my stuff, and heading out to travel the world. That was in 2006. Four years later, I don’t regret the decision one bit; here’s why.

• On my career break, I learned to speak Spanish fluently.
• I learned how to ski for the first time.
• I woke up to the sunrise and sipped wine while watching the sun set in the Galapagos Islands.
• I went sailing on a felucca for 3 days on the Nile in Egypt.

But most of all, I got my life back.

Jeff now wants to help inspire other career break dreamers through his site Career Break Secrets, which will offer fun, informative video travel guides and resources to places and activities you want to know more about for your often-dreamed-about career break, sabbatical, or adult gap year.

The first season will cover Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, Patagonia (both Argentina and Chile) and Colombia.

We’ll be covering three types of career break activities:

• Those where you can pick up a new skill. For example, cooking school in Spain and sailing school in New Zealand.
• Those where you can give back. For example, in South Africa, we feature volunteer programs at a AIDS/HIV orphanage and a monkey sanctuary.
• Those that give you an interesting way to see a country. For example, walking the famous Camino de Santiago in northern Spain and taking the TransScenic rail across New Zealand.

All video guides will be downloadable to your iTunes library and available to watch on your computer, iPod or TV. And they are portable, so you can take them with you during your travels without worrying about the extra weight like guide books.

I personally can’t wait for Jeff’s video guides to come out. I’m already planning my next break to Patagonia based on the previews I’ve seen!

Until they are released, check out some of the Career Break Secret Rough Cuts.

In addition to being founder of Career Break Secrets, Jeff Jung will be co-hosting the
Meet, Plan, Go! Austin event.

STEPPING STONE

• Good for the novice traveler
• Group leader to translate and answer questions
• Experience all the new things within the ‘safety’ of a group
• Used it as a ‘test run’ for extended travel

SAFETY

• Comfort level varies for different countries
• Unsure of safety as a woman traveling alone
• Language barriers also vary country to country
• Transportation issues

BREAK UP EXTENDED TRAVEL

• Variety – solo, travel with friends & group tours
• Travel is work!
• Nice break from booking transportation & lodging
• Offered a ‘vacation’ type experience
• Also offers a level of independence
• May provide future travel partners

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

• Access to cultural activities you may not have on your own
• Experience life like the locals, including transportation and staying with families
• If you want to understand a country and it’s people, ride with them
• You aren’t on the outside looking in
• Times when you have to have a guide (ie, Galapagos)

NO TRAVEL PARTNERS

• Some experiences you don’t want to do on your own
• Even if you don’t have a travel partner doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the experience
• Make new friends
• Have cultural experiences within your own group

TIPS

• When booking, think about what you want to get out of the experience
• Comfort level/Age range
• If you are solo, try to arrange an airport transfer when possible
• While on trip, be patient with new cultures
• Also be patient with your group members

Some of the destinations we’ve used small group tours include
Peru | Galapagos Islands | Morocco | Brazil | Cambodia | Vietnam | Egypt

Recommended Tour Operator

We typically talk about career breaks as pausing your career to travel and volunteer and participate in activities that interest you. Carolyn is not the typical career breaker, but she has taken these three important elements of a traditional career break and put them together in a groundbreaking idea to make the world a better place. She left her stable career behind to pursue creating a volunteer opportunity around travel.

I had the opportunity to speak with Carolyn about her efforts to bring photography to all corners of the world.

You decided to take a very unusual career break in order to travel and give back. Can you tell us what you did prior to your career break? My eclectic career has spanned from being a research scientist to most recently the Director of Discovery Montessori School.

How did you decide to take the career break leap and pursue your goal?
I returned after 12 years to again head the nonprofit Montessori school which I had co-founded in 1990 and guide it through a growth period. I indicated to the board that I would not be the next long term director but would prepare the school for the future, so I already had an inkling of wanting to do/create something else as part of my life’s work. So after 3 years as the head administrator I resigned to make space to create what would become the Dog Meets World project, which at the time was just a collection of loose ideas.

Were your family and friends supportive of this bold move?
My children, Brittany and Austin, both in their mid-twenties, were completely supportive and have become very involved in Dog Meets World, the rest of my family was luke warm. They were interested, but concerned about risk taking and losing income. Friends were mostly encouraging, and many have actually gotten involved and offered help from legal and accounting assistance to participation and support.

Giving a personal photograph to a stranger is one of the best, easiest and kindest things people can do for one another. It is an incredible vehicle for person-to-person diplomacy.

–Carolyn Lane

Most people who take career breaks decide that they want to give back and do so by volunteering, however you decided to create a volunteer opportunity! How did you come up with the idea?
Dog Meets World is a confluence of the things that matter most to me, namely philanthropy or the greater good, travel, photography and children.

An experience in Haiti in ’07 impressed upon me how many children/families in need do not even own a single photograph of themselves. To balance the infinite inequity of me and countless others “taking” hundreds if not thousands of pictures and not sharing with the subjects, this project was conceived. Once cognizant of the dearth of means or access to personal photography for many, I became determined to change this paradigm and recruit others to join a community and practice Take & Give Photography when traveling in the developing world.

Why share photographs? We do intuitively at home. Distributed photographs enable other children and families to see themselves – many for the first time – a visual affirmation of their sacred place in the human family as evidenced in their own image tangibly captured in a photograph. The photographs will preserve for others, like they have for most of us, moments of personal history in time and space. Plus the “return on investment” is so great, an inexpensive gift that is treasured for a lifetime!

After traveling for fun with a little stuffed likeness of my own dog, I realized that people resonate with a toy animal and thus “Foto” became part of the project to serve as a branding mascot, an icebreaker, a prop for children unaccustomed to posing by giving them something to do with their hands, and to link all the children while at the same time identifying the photos as part of an intentional project.

What do you think this career break experience has taught you that you will utilize in your career? I’ve always been a self starter but creating a project from an idea to trying to start a movement has been daunting. What I am most aware of and indeed most thankful for is the support of others. By others I really mean that, friends count, but people I have met and engaged that resonate with my idea and offer real encouragement and recognition that what I have embarked upon is real, has an impact, makes a difference. It’s hard to stay “up” everyday and sometimes one email, encounter, connection etc provides the impetus during periods of doubt. So teamwork and creating a network is important. I’ve learned to listen better.

Do you intend to go back to your prior career field once you get DMW off the ground? No I intend to stay in the nonprofit arena, hopefully guiding Dog Meets World to sustainability as little Foto becomes the worldwide recognizable symbol of photo sharing, of acknowledging others with an indelible affirmations and thereby planting tiny seeds of peace.

The community of phodographers comes together to share their photos and stories on the website. The site is updated with new photos daily from around the world. If you are traveling in remote areas, please consider becoming a ‘phodographer’ and sharing your photos with the people you encounter. You can change the world one picture at a time!

You can find Carolyn and Foto at www.dogmeetsworld.org
Twitter – @Dogmeetsworld

August Flanagan, co-founder of Lenguajero.com, a startup that helps people practice conversational Spanish, has 5 tips on how to make it happen.

1. Go to a/the country where the language you want to learn is spoken.
If you are like me and want to learn Spanish, it is pretty easy to get to the Spanish speaking country of your choice from anywhere in the U.S. Frequently, flights into tourist hotspots like Cancun or Buenos Aires cost only a couple hundred dollars one way. Once you are there, you can catch either a domestic flight or a bus to just about anywhere for a whole lot cheaper than an international flight.

2. Settle down somewhere and spend time in a new community.
If you take a few months (or longer) and stay in just one place during this time you will learn a lot more of the language than if you just travel from place to place during that time.

Forming a routine means that you’ll see the same people day in and day out. You’ll stop to chat with the same store owner or vegetable vendor, get to know your neighbors, and, of course, you’ll make new friends. Which, in my opinion, is really the best way to learn a language.

When you first get to your new home try using CouchSurfing to organize a few nights out. Aside from being a website that helps you find a place to crash, CouchSurfing is a great place to meet new people in cities all over the world.

3. Find a good teacher and take some language lessons.
I’ve met a lot of people living in foreign cities who are trying to learn a language completely on their own. Some of them have been quite successful. The vast majority has not, and that is where a good teacher comes in.

Finding a good professor who understands the difficulties of their own language, and understands how to guide you through the learning process can be a bit challenging. Don’t commit to spending all your time with the first professor, or the first language school that you try out. It’s usually pretty easy to tell after two or three classes whether you have a good dynamic with your professor. If you don’t, then don’t try to fight it. Kindly explain this to your professor, and then go find a new one.

4. Do stuff in your new language every single day.
Yes, that is an incredibly vague statement, but learning a new language is pretty vague task when you consider everything that actually goes into learning a language.

There will probably be days when you are really tired, and don’t feel like putting in a ton of effort, and that’s OK. It is a long process so take days off from “All new language all the time” mode. Just make sure you do something for a few minutes, such as:

• Read a news article online, or read two or three pages of a book (Harry Potter was the first book I ever read in Spanish).
• Listen to a radio program or conversational podcast.
• Watch a movie in the language you are learning. (Tip: Set the subtitles to the language you are learning. Listening to the words while reading them is a great way to train your ear.)
• Review vocabulary lists (I like using online Spanish flashcards).
• Make up a short conversation between two people in your head as you go about your daily routine.

5. Get started before you leave.
Yes, you will probably be incredibly busy before your trip starts, but if you can still manage to find that 15 minutes a day to study the basics (alphabet, numbers, greetings, etc.) you will be amazed at how much it will help.

You have to learn the basics before you can really move on to start speaking a language, and it is just as easy to learn the basics at home. This means that once you get to wherever it is that you are going, you will not waste time trying to learn them. Instead you can start focusing on the really fun stuff, actually speaking a new language and forming bonds with people in that language.

Finally, I will add that the benefits of learning a new language are tremendous. In addition to adding a marketable skill to your repertoire, you will open yourself up to experiencing other cultures in ways that you probably would not otherwise. Languages are reflections of culture, and to understand a new language is to understand a new culture.

But by including volunteering as part of your travels, you’re able to immerse yourself into a culture and give a little something back as a way of saying thanks. When I decided to take a career break in the summer of 2006, I knew that I wanted to include volunteering into my experience. And there were many factors that I considered that helped me decide what program was best for me.

1. Where did I want to volunteer?
For a while, Peru had been tugging at my heartstrings, yet I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of spending my career break there. I had been to other parts of Central and South America, but had never been to Africa. Did I want to explore another continent?

After some research, I realized that the heart doesn’t lie, and it belonged in Peru. Why else would I have spent the prior year reading up on the Incan civilization, eating ceviche as much as possible, and enrolling in Spanish classes?

2. What type of volunteer work did I want to do?
I’m not a trained doctor, vet, nurse or carpenter, and I don’t have business expertise to offer, so the type of work I’d be qualified to actually do was limiting. I am, however, a photographer and artistically inclined, so I was hoping that I could offer up those skills on some level. During my research, I kept coming across organizations that worked with children and schools, and felt that that would be the best area for me to pursue.

3. What did I want to get out of the experience?
I had pinpointed the type of work I wanted to do, but what else was I looking for? I had spent most of my travels hop-scotching across countries and continents, so I was looking forward to remaining in one place – Cusco. Still, I wanted to be able to explore the area and hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

I also wanted the opportunity to practice my Spanish, something I find much easier to do when I am in situations where I have to use it. A cultural experience was high on my list.

4. How high was my comfort level?
I’m not adverse to new situations, but there were some areas that I felt strongly about. I wanted to bond with members of the community, but I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable doing a homestay the whole time. I also didn’t want to live on my own, as so much of the travel experience is meeting new people. Ideally I was looking for an opportunity to live with my fellow volunteers.

5. What type of organization did I want?
There are many levels of opportunities out there, from the local NGOs that rely on volunteers to be completely pro-active to companies that offer a great deal of in-country support but cost more.

Given that I was going to be in Cusco for just six weeks, I knew I wouldn’t have the time to make the in-roads I would need to find a grassroots organization, plus worry about accommodation. Yet I still wanted a smaller organization that had their roots on a local level but offered volunteer support. I was willing to pay for just such an organization.

6. How to find an organization that met all my needs?
I started my research flipping through Lonely Planet’s Gap Year Book because it offered great resources for this type of experience. However, the book’s audience is more based out of the UK and skewered to the “just graduated high school” level.

I also found that most of the organizations listed were based in the UK and priced in pounds. I was willing to pay for this opportunity, but given the weakness of the dollar, the prices were too high. (Note: they have since come out with a Career Break book.)

So I turned to Idealist – a great online resource I use to find volunteer opportunities and employment on a local level. I decided to give their international resources a test run, and because I had such a strong list of requirements, I was able to find the perfect experience for me!

Peru’s Challenge
Peru’s Challenge is a local organization based outside of Cusco and they work with the local communities on sustainable projects. Because one of its founders is from Peru, the organization understands the needs of the community. And because the other founder is from Australia, they also understand the needs and expectations of the western volunteer coming into the experience.

I had the opportunity to work with the people of Pumamarca, a community whose members survive on their agricultural products but one in which the Department of Education does not support. We helped with the renovation of the school, teaching art and gym classes, and working with the Women’s Group.

I was also able to put my photography skills to use. I photographed the children of the community and helped design a fundraising calendar for the organization. Funds raised went towards an emergency medical fund for the village.

In addition to meeting my “what can I do” needs, Peru’s Challenge also fulfilled my “what do I want to get out of it” needs. Their program fee included housing for me and my fellow volunteers (we did our own shopping and cooking) and great cultural activities, including Spanish, cooking, and dancing lessons. They also offered several tours of the area (including the Sacred Valley) and organized my Inca Trail trek.

My experience was fulfilling on every level and I attribute that to the thought and research I put in beforehand. (Read more about my volunteer experience in Destinations: Cusco, Peru and in the Peru’s Challenge newsletter.)

So make sure you do your homework. Otherwise pre-conceived expectations will only set you up for disappointment. And don’t anticipate your work will change the world – in many cases it’s about an honest cultural exchange.

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Tell us about your international volunteer experience

My first instinct was to escape to a beach and relax, but I knew that I couldn’t simply ‘vacation’ for a year. And I knew it wouldn’t take long to get the ‘vacation bug’ out of my system. So after that, then what?

This is the time you can try things that you have always dreamed of, but you never had the time to do. If you don’t know where to start, here are some ideas based on my itinerary. Keep in mind, though, this itinerary evolved as I traveled. I didn’t have it all figured out when I started my break; it was far from being figured out. It’s important to leave yourself open to changes and reconsider your plans after you’ve been out on the road a bit!

Great Heights
One of my career break goals was to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. This had been a goal of mine for a while but it was hard to make a reality with my meager corporate American vacation time. This meant that I would need to wait until my retirement, however who knew if I would even be able to climb when I was retirement age. I was in shape now, so why not go now? This Kilimanjaro goal was one of the main impetuses to my career break. It started the wheels turning; considering a long-term break from work so that I could do the things that I wanted to do while I was still healthy.

Not only did I climb Kilimanjaro, I also chose other peaks and athletically minded things to do on my career break. I climbed Mt. Kinabalu, kayaked in the Milford Sound, did the famous Milford trek, climbed Mt. Sinai, hiked up the Franz Josef Glacier, trekked the Great Wall, and hiked Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Don’t be afraid to take on some of those goals that you thought you were saving for retirement!

Language Immersion
If you’ve ever tried to learn a language in the US, I’m sure you’ve thought about how much easier it would be if you weren’t in an English speaking country and working 50 hours a week. If you could just focus on it and be surrounded by it, would it be easier to learn? I had tried to take Italian for a year while living in NYC, but this was my chance to put my money and time where my mouth was – go to Italy and learn Italian.

I took a month of my career break time to live in Italy with an Italian family and attend language school. If there is a language that you’ve been trying to master, check out the various immersion opportunities to assist you in your quest! Here’s a good comprehensive website for all languages and locations around the world – Language Study Abroad.

Self Improvement
I also took this time to take a serious hobby and try to focus on improving it. I had always been an avid photographer, but I wanted to learn more. While traveling I was shooting everyday, however, I really needed some critique and feedback on my work. In addition, I wanted to learn more and really improve my photography. I searched for photography workshops/classes in the cities on my itinerary. It led me to a photography school in Bangkok. After speaking with Jonathan Taylor, the founder of the photography school, he helped me tailor a trip to Laos to work on photojournalism. My travel with Jonathan was one of the highlights of my break.

In addition to photography, I also endulged in another hobby of mine – cooking. In pretty much every country you can find cooking classes; from one evening to a full-month of intense instruction. I did all of the above. A night in Vietnam, a day in Thailand, and a month in Italy…Bellisimo!

Travel Photography
In Asia – Jonathan Taylor Photography School 

International Cooking
Global Cooking Classes
Culinary Schools

Volunteer – Give Back
When I initially started out on my travels I didn’t plan to do any type of volunteer work. All I could think about was getting out of my corporate life and traveling. However, once I started traveling around to various developing countries and seeing it with my own eyes, meeting the locals, and seeing how terribly unfair the world can be, I knew that I had to become involved in some way. I started to feel a bit guilty having the time of my life while traveling around the world and not doing something to give back to it. It was then that I started to consider volunteering.

There are many companies that can help you find the volunteer solutions for you. You can share a skill, help the disabled, set up a business, build a home, teach, develop communities, volunteer with wildlife, and even do sports coaching; the opportunities and needs are endless. For me, I first chose the area that I wanted to volunteer in, India, and then decided upon the company, Cross Cultural Solutions. By talking to them I decided what type of work I wanted to do.

There are many ways to volunteer. A fully supported program is normally more expensive but you have an immense amount of resources at your disposal. Keep in mind that even if you are a self-starter at home, it’s a different game within a foreign country and having in-country support can be very beneficial. The lesser expensive programs depend more on you to take the reigns and may not be able to offer as much support. These are usually smaller organizations within the country that lack NGO status. However, these programs are a great way to really immerse yourself within the local culture.

Here are some great sites to begin your search:

• Idealist –  a great resource for volunteer opportunities abroad and at home. Michaela found her program in Peru through Idealist.
• Matador Travel – offers a large database of local NGO’s. This is where I found my NGO in Nepal. Matador also offers some great articles about volunteering.
• i-to-i – offers a broad range of volunteer travel opportunities.

Voluntourism is a wonderful way to accomplish a couple of things; giving back to the countries that you are traveling in AND really immersing yourself in the culture and meeting locals. It’s something that you’ll never regret!

Farming
I had a roommate in college who grew up on a farm in Nebraska. I went to visit her home town and heard the story about some German travelers that came and lived with her family for a month during the harvest to see what a real ‘midwestern’ harvest was like. I remember thinking to myself – who in their right minds would want to do that? Apparently, there are many people that want to do that! If you are into organic farming, eating, or are just a foodie, then you may want to consider volunteering at a farm anywhere in the world. It’s a chance to learn more about the agriculture of that country and of course a super chance to immerse yourself in a new culture. Here’s a site with a pretty good list of farm work opportunities from around the world – Farm Work Abroad

What Next?
The list of things to do during your career break is infinite – narrowing it down is the challenge. But don’t get frustrated – you don’t have to plan everything in advance!

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Tell us about the activities you did during your career break. Share your career break ideas here

For many years, Peru has called me – whether it was the spirit of the Incas, the mystery of Machu Picchu, or the magic of the Quechuan smile, I needed to answer the call.  In the summer of 2006, I did just that. But unlike other travels, where I tried to see and do as much as possible – never staying in one place for more than a few days – this time I wanted to have some roots.  I really wanted to immerse myself in the culture; experience life as the locals; and maybe pick up a bit of the language.

Cusco was the perfect place.  Chosen as the capital of the Incan Empire for a reason, Cusco has a spiritual essence that can’t be explained – it can only be felt.  But if I was going to take so much from this beautiful culture, I also wanted to give something back.  And that’s when I found Peru’s Challenge.

Peru’s Challenge is a local organization that offers a wonderful cultural and volunteer experience.  Founded by Selvy and Jane, they have their finger on the pulse of the community and how best the volunteers can best help their needs.

During my time, we helped the Village of Pumamarca in the construction of the school.  This project was great because we were able to work alongside the members of the community.  And as it’s a sustainable project, the community is required to contribute, so even after Peru’s Challenge leaves, the village can continue to support the education of their children. In addition to painting, painting, and even more painting, we even had the chance to teach some art and gym classes.  The kids were adorable, and at times mischievous, and their smiles were all the thanks we needed.

Peru’s Challenge was also terrific because it gave me the opportunity to learn more about the culture first hand.  Whether we were exploring the outskirts of Cusco on horseback, taking in the beauty of the Sacred Valley, or enjoying the night life in Cusco – they were perfect guides for an inside perspective. And by living with my fellow volunteers in the village of La Rapa, we got to share our experiences together.  Local traffic jams included.

And a trip to Peru would not be the same without a trek on the Inca Trail.  Machu Picchu was high on my list after trekking in Nepal.  Having it be a part of my volunteer experience made it even more special. After three tireless days of hiking through beautiful terrain, my tired body and weary eyes knew it was worth it after watching the sun come up on Machu Picchu.

In addition to the Incan culture of Peru, I got to see another side of it that I never imagined – the gorgeous volcanic landscape of Arequipa and the Colca Canyon.  But the pinnacle of my experience was the time I got to spend with the people of Pumamarca.  They touched my life in a way that Peru will always hold a special place in my heart.

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I’ve had an ill feeling that has plagued me for the last year. I first remember it coming on in New Zealand. Then it hit me stronger in Vietnam. I was feverish about it in India. It is the feeling of being in some type of moving vehicle, traveling through a country, and seeing about 25 perfect photographs outside my vehicle window. I would feel ill thinking – “if only I could tell them to stop so I could get out and take a picture.” Yet I sat there helpless watching my beautiful shots go whizzing by, wondering if I would ever be able to capture this image again.

I would get queasy when I saw a group of people intimately interacting, simply being themselves, but I couldn’t get the nerve to go up and ask them if I could take a photograph. Instead, I would linger a bit, and then sulk off mad at myself for not having the guts to be a real photographer! The few times I did get the guts to go up and ask if I could take a photograph (fumbling through this conversation in broken English, pointing at my camera and smiling) they would normally say ‘yes’ and then give me some big, posed, toothy grin – transforming the shot from a nice little intimate, cultural gathering, to a Sears family portrait.

However, I have decided to put an end to this fear…I decided to hire a professional photographer to help me improve my photography skills of people so that I am no longer afraid to go ask someone for a photo or to ask someone to stop so that I don’t have to shoot out of a car window. I had actually been thinking about this for quite some time. I had taken photography courses in New York, but now I’ve been practicing photography on the road daily. When you actually start using a skill you had learned, then you have a ton of questions.

So I’ve been traveling around gathering up photography questions in my head with no one to ask them to. Questions about technique, the profession, using flash, saving digital photos, editing digital photos…the list if long. I have looked into taking a photography workshop in various countries, but none really had worked out until now. I was doing research on travel in Laos when I came across an ad for a photography school in Asia – specifically Bangkok. The ad talked about custom photography tours to Laos, so I clicked through and inquired about more information. After a number of emails back and forth with the photographer and checking references, I decided to splurge on this unique opportunity – I hired the photographer to travel through Laos with me and teach me about documentary photography.

Jonathan Taylor is a professional photographer from the UK living in Bangkok. He’s a photojournalist that has done work for various publications including Time, as well as serving as a photo editor for a publication in Bangkok. He also speaks Thai, which would prove useful in Laos. Plus, the real benefit was that he knew how to go into a town, talk to the locals, talk to the taxi drivers, develop the right relationships with people, and sniff out a good photographical story.

In one of our many email exchanges, he told me that we would go into towns in Laos, find out what was happening there, and then hopefully find some story that we could document, such as a traveling Chinese acrobat team. Little did he know, but the idea of following around a Chinese acrobat team and photographing them was what sold me…it sounded cultural, unpredictable, crazy, and fun! Granted – I knew that I may not find that acrobat team, but I would get further with him than on my own. At the very least, I could have him tell someone to stop the car so I could get out and take a photograph. Plus, I would be traveling through Laos – a scenic, quiet little country in SE Asia that I had been wanting to see for quite some time now.

You can read more about my adventures with Jonathan in the “Destination – Laos” section and below is a preview of some of the photos taken during the trip.

Photography School of Asia – http://www.jonathantaylor.net/photographyschool/courses.php

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- Pacific Perspectives with Tom Plate, Asia Media Online

I have not come across a better statement when describing Thailand and its people.  I have had the opportunity to travel to Thailand on three separate occasions, and each time I have found this thought to be true.  The Thais are so proud of their culture and so honored to share it with visitors that you can not help but fall in love with their hospitality and their warmth.

For a year I had the opportunity to prepare volunteers for their Thailand experience through Cross-Cultural Solutions.  After many years of traveling, it was only in 2006 that I decided to combine my travels with volunteering, and did so in Peru.  Upon returning, I wanted to help others discover the wonders of combining traveling and volunteering, and found that opportunity with CCS.

Why is international volunteering so important?  For me, it’s a great opportunity to give back to a community that I’m visiting and an incredible way to be guided through a culture that you would not get to experience if you were there just as a tourist.  It is also an opportunity to learn more about yourself and your place in the world.  Alexandra, a Bangkok volunteer, wrote: “I often stop and just think about how privileged I am and how much I take that for granted.  Thailand taught me how life can be so simple, yet so enjoyable.  I think we often forget that in our materialistic, electronic-run country.”

Sarah, a Trang volunteer, shared that “the warmth of the Thai people really stood out for me.  People there just really take in each moment and don’t hurry about their lives in a busy, frantic state of mind.  They really take time to enjoy life, food, other people, nature, and religion.”

Becoming an international volunteer is also a wonderful way to serve as ambassadors – for most of the world, what they know about us and our culture is what they see in the news and in movies and television shows.  And of course what is portrayed through those mediums are not always representative of who we are.  And as most of the world can not travel to us, by going to them, we can share our culture with them and show that there are people that care.

Alex spent four weeks in the Bangkok program and experienced the Thais appreciation in many ways: “The thing that stood out for me was the overwhelming appreciation of not only the children at the work site, but also all of the staff, and even people we met (at tourist attractions, for example). Before we even began work, I felt that our very presence and motives were enough to make a serious difference. Every Thai person who I told about my volunteering told me ‘Thank you so much for helping my country,’ and the way they said it, it was as if I’d helped them personally. I felt as though my small impact had somehow spread throughout the country, regardless of how much quantitative work I did.  The fact that I was only there 4 weeks had no effect on the quality of my work in anyone’s eyes.”

When I traveled to Thailand the first time, I definitely hit the tourist spots – Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui.  Returning with CCS, I was able to see a side of the culture that most visitors don’t get to experience.  Trang lies in the southern region of Thailand, and though it is close to popular tourist destinations like Krabi and Koh Phi Phi, it has remained off the tourist path.  And because of the large number of Chinese and Malay immigrants in the area, Trang has a unique culture even within Thailand itself. And it won’t be long before tourists recognize this and start to make their way there in order to visit the many mangroves, waterfalls, and of course, secluded islands that dot the coast line.  CCS volunteers in our Trang program have a great opportunity to prepare the community for the future of tourism by teaching English and giving them the confidence to practice the English they know.

Personally, by exploring the world as a volunteer, I feel as if I am so much more apart of a global community.  Instead of just taking on my travels, I am now sharing – both at home and abroad.  And learning can go so much further than just your immediate surroundings.  Brittany, a volunteer in Trang, wrote: “Not only did I learn a lot about the Thai culture, I learned a lot about other cultures that some of the other volunteers came from as well.  I am starting to consider myself a global citizen instead of a U.S. citizen.  I’ve realized how we are all connected despite our differences.”

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Michael and I traveled to Thailand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

Of all the places we would visit on this trip, the last place I thought Michael would be able to relate to the most was a small Muslim Village in Thailand.  But surprisingly, he eased right into sleeping on a mattress on a floor under mosquito netting with roosters crowing at 2am, speaking a completely different language from anyone else around us, and feeding baby goats twice a day.  But he easily compared it to consulting – traveling endlessly from one hotel to the next, needing to learn a new dialect or corporate speak, and understanding a new corporate environment and supporting it.  Makes perfect sense.

Our stay in Tung Nang Dam was thanks to Andaman Discoveries – an offshoot of the North Andaman Tsunami Relief (NATR) organization.  As their website states “we started by doing relief projects FOR community members, then we progressed to development projects WITH community members, now we are assisting with projects led BY community members.”

We were to stay four days/three nights in this small Muslim village, which consisted of just 35 homes and a population of 115.  Even though Tung Nang Dam is protected by mangroves, (hence you can only access it by boat), and no homes or lives were lost during the tsunami, the fishermen lost their boats and livelihood and many fish farms were damaged beyond repair.  And as part of the evolution of NATR “villagers decided that community-based tourism would allow them to generate additional income and support the community of their traditions, culture and lifestyle.  Community-based tourism could fit into their lives, and not force them to sacrifice their traditional lifestyles for the sake of tourists.”

Our host, P’Noi, and her family were the perfect hosts for this experience.  P’Noi was part of the NATR seven-month vocational training program that focused on using tourism as a tool for community development; cultural, environmental and adventure-based guiding methods; first aid and safety training; English language and computer skills; small business management and entrepreneurial training; and hospitality and travel planning skills.

One of P’Noi’s projects was an orchid conservation farm.  Orchids in Tung Nang Dam are becoming increasingly rare, as they are popular decorations for homes and restaurants.  Over-harvesting by mainland people has become a big problem in the jungles of the village.  P’Noi has developed a program of incubating orchid cuttings on her farm and transplanting them to the jungle once they are mature.  In addition, volunteers add their names, hometowns and date of planting on a plaque next to the orchid in hopes of dissuading people from cutting them.  We did our part by planting cuttings in coconut planters with hopes of them returning to the jungle in the future.  We also went on a jungle trek to fertilize those orchids that have been returned.

P’Noi and her family also had a goat farm, so every afternoon we would help shepherd them into their homes for the night as well as feeding the baby goats by bottle.  Michael quickly took to this chore and had a few favorite kids that would nip at his feet for more.  Another cultural activity that P’Noi shared with us was cooking.  She shared with us how to make the Thai equivalent of a small pancake, guided us in cooking a seafood lunch, and even grilled oysters on a fire with her brothers.

Of course the activities were just a side to the actual experience of living within a completely different environment, learning to communicate in broken Thai and sign language, and placing ourselves out of our comfort zone.  But as much as we struggled in this new environment, the fact that these people, who come from a very shy culture and have to learn much more in order to accommodate us, opened up their homes and lives to us was extremely humbling.

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