The 10 Best Reasons to Volunteer Abroad

Everyone that has volunteered abroad has shared stories about how it’s changed their life and they are so happy they did it. If you’re unsure about working hard in a remote location when you’re abroad instead of having fun drinking and sitting on the beach, we’ve gathered the top 10 reasons why you should take the step to volunteer abroad. Everyone has a different reason for doing it, but we guarantee some of these will speak to you and make up your mind.

1. Your health will benefit.

Volunteering, whether at home or abroad, has excellent proven health benefits. Not only does it keep you physically active without having to work out by building muscle and losing fat, but you will get a mental health benefit. Studies have shown that volunteering helps combat anxiety, depression, stress, and lack of self-confidence.

2. You can explore the world.

Tanya Dawson, a travel researcher at Simple Grad and Essay Writing Service, says that “when you volunteer abroad, it’s a great way to see new countries, cultures, and experience new things. It’s even better than travelling because you can go to regions that you would never have thought of seeing, you avoid the tourist locations, and you can really get immersed in local life.”

3. You get a new perspective.

When you volunteer, you develop a new perspective on the world around you. Your priorities might change as you see what truly matters and that the small things are not worth getting worked up about. The things you thought mattered in the first world are very minor, like not being able to eat your favorite snack food when you see people around you struggle to get basic food essentials.

4. You make lasting connections.

One of the top benefits of volunteering is in the connections that you make with other people. You will make so many new friends from around the world who have similar interests as you. These people could also be very important to you in the future whether in a business sense, a romantic relationship, or even someone to visit the next time you go travelling.

5. You are part of a community.

Volunteering addresses the need that all humans have to belong to a community. You become entrenched in people’s lives and their homes and you form intense bonds with the local families that look out for you and shelter you, and these are bonds you will have forever even after you leave.

6. You push yourself.

Volunteering allows you to push your boundaries and see just what you’re capable of. By leaving your comfort zone, you’ll be surprised to find out just what you can handle and it creates self-confidence for any obstacles you’ll meet later in life.

7. You learn new skills.

It’s inevitable that when you volunteer you’ll learn new skills which may be important to you later in life in the personal or work sphere. This includes working as a team, how to adapt to different situations and environments, how to face challenges and overcome obstacles, how to solve problems, and maybe even learn a new language.

8. It will help your career.

As previously mentioned, what you learn volunteering will help you in your chosen career paths because it shows that you’re not just a flighty traveller but you can work hard and handle pressure. As Maddison Freeley, a volunteer at Assignment Help and Do My Assignment says, “prospective employers know that volunteers know how to work with other people and handle challenges, can see the bigger picture, and are willing to sacrifice parts of themselves for the organization.”

9. You may discover a new passion.

This may happen unexpectedly, but you when you volunteer you might discover a new passion. You’ll quickly learn what you love and what you don’t like as much, and this will help you decide on a new career path that you’re more passionate about.

10. You improve the world around you.

All of these benefits you could get by doing some extreme backpacking through rural villages without volunteering. The one true benefit that volunteering has that other options does not, though, is that you’re making a difference in the world. It may seem like what you’re doing is minor when you think of all the problems in the world, but if everyone did a bit of good around them, all of it put together will change the world. Even if you don’t make a different on the grand scale, every single person, animal, or village that you helped has made a world of difference to them.