All you need to know for a volunteer project abroad.

If you read my article https://elvinechloe.com/an-unforgettable-volunteer-program-in-a-vet-clinic/, you know I went to Mexico in March 2020 to volunteer in a vet clinic. It was an amazing experience and. In this article, I tell you basically all you need to know for a volunteer project abroad.

The first thing would be to find your destination and your project. It’s important to spend the right amount of time researching and comparing. What helped me with this part is setting a list of criteria. I knew I wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country in South America. I also wanted somewhere relatively safe for a woman alone. No more than 7 hours by plane from where I live (Seattle back then). And I wanted to find a project for two weeks just in case I didn’t like it.

Once I had my list of criteria, it was easier to target websites and projects. I took a map and found my destination. From there, I looked at the embassy’s website to understand where was safe or not. I also looked at other blogs and read about other women my age that went to Mexico. One of them really help me make a choice: https://theblondeabroad.com/the-solo-female-travelers-guide-to-the-yucatan-peninsula-in-mexico/

I also looked for a volunteer website, spend some time looking at reviews to make sure it was not a scam and decided to go with https://www.oceans2earth.org/

They propose projects in many different countries, on different topics (culture, education, marine conservation, animal care, and rehabilitation…). I found my projects in a vet clinic in Playa del Carmen in Mexico called Kitten rescue and rehoming. There were a few things included in the price I paid. Such as the accommodation on the site, pick up from and to the airport, and laundry. Each project has its own rules.

Once you decide on a project and a destination, you need to make sure your vaccine situation is up to date. For some destination, you will need to get some extra shot. I had to do the hepatitis A on top of the regular vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Polio). A lot of places would advise doing the Rabies one and the Typhoid one too. You can find out the information per destination online on a website like https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.

Then make sure you always have a travel vaccination record with you in case something happens and also know your blood group. Doctors can provide you little carton documents that mention all this information. This step is important and some vaccines need to be injected in advance to work. So don’t wait for the last minute to do it.

The next step if you haven’t done it yet will be to book your flight or whatever transportation you will take to your destination. And also do the visa process if needed. This will depend on your country of departure and your destination but also how long your stay will last and what you’ll be doing there. When I went to Mexico, I didn’t need a visa as I wasn’t staying for more than 1 month and was not going to get paid. You can find information about that online either on consulate websites or websites such as https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en_US/web/france-visas/

You will also need to book insurance, most places would ask to have one and it’s better anyway. I got mine with https://www.volunteercard.com/. It cost $64.5 for a basic plan and it can be very helpful.

Those are the steps you need to take care of way ahead of your trip. Closer to the date, you will need to pack your stuff and maybe look at things to do there in your spare time. For the packing, I received a very helpful email ahead of the time from ocean to heart. They gave me the list of the essentials depending on the season I was going to be thereon. I tried not to take too many unnecessary things with me. It’s worth knowing how often you’ll be able to wash your clothes on-site to make sure you take enough of them. If you go to a country where mosquitos are fierce, it’s better to take spray there as it’s normally more efficient.

In terms of checking at things to do, looking at blogs is probably my favorite way. Then once you get to your destination it’s even better if you can ask local people.

I hope you’ll find your perfect project and have a wonderful time.