A must read for anyone considering volunteer tourism.
Elizabeth BeckerA manifesto for doing good well, this is an indispensable book for anyone volunteering overseas.
Noam ChomskyThis is recommended reading for all those considering volunteering in a developing country.
Philip GoodwinThe pedagogy of Learning Service is foundational to responsible travel.
Reed HarwoodOrder the book now
This year, over ten million people will go abroad, eager to find the perfect blend of adventure and altruism. Volunteer travel can help you find your place in the world–and find out what you’re made of. So why do so many international volunteer programs fail to make an impact? Why do some do more harm than good?
About Us
International volunteering has grown in popularity, and with so many people going abroad to “serve”, we worry that we are often forgetting a really important step: we have to learn before we can help. If we don’t research our options thoroughly, understand the context and culture of the communities we visit, and ensure that our skills and experience match the needs, volunteering can be wasteful, and at worst, cause a lot of harm.
We are promoting a movement of learning, designed to better prepare young people about to travel abroad for the first time, and travellers of all ages looking to give back through their time, with the skills and mindsets they need to be of “service”, not just for a few weeks on a volunteer trip, but for the rest of their lives.
Videos
We’ve produced an excellent video collection to give you more information. Check out some of the videos on responsible tourism here.
Library
Want to learn more about responsible volunteer travel, but don’t know where to start? We created a few guides to help!
Consultancy
The Learning Service Team offer bespoke trainings and consultancy to travel companies, schools and non-profit organizations. Find out more
From Our Blog
Voluntourism: Intention Does Not Determine Impact
Today's guest post is from Sarah Swank, who recalls her first experience of voluntourism and why she now advocates for a very different style of travel. Volunteering has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. For about 10 years, I served as an acolyte,...
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All the Questions I Never Thought to Ask: What I Learned From Editing the Learning Service Book
Alice Robinson reflects on a volunteer trip in Sri Lanka that she went on as a teenager and how it motivated her in editing the Learning Service book. When I was fifteen, I signed up for a three week international volunteering trip to Sri Lanka. It was organised by...
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“There Were Locked Rooms Full of Stuff”: My Experience As an Orphanage Volunteer
This is a guest post from Catherine Cottam, who volunteered at an orphanage in Kenya in 2012, about how this experience went on to shape her views and activism. I was studying for my Masters in School Counseling when I first thought about volunteering abroad. I really...
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