Tips for 'voluntourists' everything, people

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Volunteer holidays are becoming more popular every year. A study done by 2008 by Conde Nast and msnbc.com found that more than half of the 1,600 people they surveyed said they'd like to volunteer during a vacation.

The trend, known as voluntourism, is popular among all age groups, and encompasses everything from helping at wildlife refuge centres to building schools or homes in impoverished places.

But anyone considering a volunteering holiday should heed some advice. Here's a list of 10 tips from biosphere-expeditions.org, an organization that focuses on ecological conservation.

- Do your research and find out how long the organization has been around; has it won awards?; and what is it's record of credibility in making a "real difference?"

- If you're considering a wildlife project, be sure the people running it are qualified scientists who are working on verifiable grounds.

- Find out where the funding goes. Credible organizations always publicize how their funds are allocated.

- Asked to get regular updates about the progress of the project you were involved with. You may have volunteered for a week or two, but often, programs go on for months or years.

- Check out the company's safety record. Many volunteer trips are in remote parts of the world. Find out what measures are taken to keep volunteers safe from, for example, wild animals.

- Get to know the expedition leader by doing some research on him or her. What are their credentials?

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- What type of training will you be given? You'll likely be doing work you've never done before, so you want to be sure the people training you know what they're doing.

- Know what your goals are. Try to find people who've done the same trip before to get their impressions. A trustworthy organization will tell you how to contact previous volunteers.

- Who will your travelling companions be? Often, you'll be in close quarters with your travel mates. Try to find out the types of people who typically get involved with a particular organization. You'll want to be somewhat like-minded.

- Just because you're doing charitable work, doesn't mean it has to be all work and no play. Find out what kind of hours you'll be putting in and if there's time for a little sightseeing.

Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children and Me to We, thinks that everybody can benefit from voluntourism