2018-09-10 04:00
Our volunteers in Da Nang, Vietnam stay in our group volunteer house during their service trip. The “Volunteer House” serves as home-base for our volunteers in Da Nang. They live… Read More
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Volunteer abroad travel programs in developing countries
2018-09-03 06:00
I stayed at the Tuan Phuong Motel in Da Nang on my volunteer trip to Vietnam for Cosmic Volunteers in August 2018. I loved staying at Tuan Phuong Motel! I Continue Reading →
The p… Read More
2018-08-13 06:00
(Note: This post applies only to volunteers going to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City who get the “Tourist” visa for Vietnam. If you are volunteering in Da Nanang, you Continue Reading… Read More
2018-08-03 06:00
Curtis, one of our teen volunteers from California, volunteered in Guatemala this summer with Cosmic Volunteers. Curtis lived in the town of Quetzaltenango, about a 4 hour bus ride from Cont… Read More
2018-07-31 10:00
Uber is incredibly popular in Costa Rica with locals and visitors alike. We at Cosmic Volunteers recommend that our volunteers in Costa Rica use Uber at times for getting around. Riding… Read More
2018-07-30 04:00
Lots of folks (properly) offer advice on the potential for reverse culture shock when volunteers return home from abroad. (We at Cosmic Volunteers are no exception). But what about practical… Read More
2018-07-26 06:00
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2018-07-24 06:00
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2018-07-23 04:00
I made a visit last week to the El Comedor Soup Kitchen in Costa Rica. El Comedor (“The Dining Room”) serves lunch to 75+ children and families Monday through Friday Continue Rea… Read More
2018-07-20 19:10
Michele, a journalism major from the University of Verona in Italy, recently spent four weeks in Cosmic Volunteers media internship program in Ghana in West Africa. Michele served as a Conti… Read More
2018-07-19 04:00
I walked the famous Crocodile Bridge in Costa Rica the other day. I had no idea this bridge and its crocodiles even existed before this. My local coordinator Marco was Continue Reading &rarr&hell…Read More
2018-07-16 04:00
…With rain!! Yesterday I took one of our volunteers, Hannah, to Irazú Volcano for a look at one of Costa Rica’s most popular sightseeing spots. The Iraz&u&hell…Read More
2018-07-02 04:00
I love chocolate (who doesn’t?) — whether it’s Hershey Kisses or Ghanaian chocolate bars. Of all the delicious offerings in Guatemala, chocolate is perhaps the Latin Americ… Read More
2018-06-25 04:00
For those returning from volunteering abroad, the reverse culture shock can be just as significant as the culture shock when you arrived in the program country. Below are some tips Continue… Read More
2018-06-18 04:00
(Excerpt from Emma’s blog. She volunteered with our house building project in Guatemala). My life changed today. Our new house-building location is located on the backside of a mountai… Read More
2018-06-11 04:00
Claire, a student from Cockeysville, Maryland, volunteered in Ghana with Cosmic Volunteers at an AIDS advocacy organization. She emailed us with some of her impressions: I just wanted to tha… Read More
2018-06-04 04:00
Some more photos from our archives: Erica from California volunteered in Ecuador at an animal rescue center.
The post Wildlife Rescue Volunteering in Ecuador appeared firs… Read More
2018-05-28 04:00
Congratulations on signing up to do a volunteer trip to Guatemala with Cosmic Volunteers! You are about to leave home — if only for a short time — to become Continue Reading &rar&hell…Read More
2018-05-21 04:00
Food is one of the best parts of volunteering in Vietnam (besides saving the world!). The street food in Vietnam especially is cheap, delicious and (very important) mostly safe for Continue… Read More
2018-05-14 04:00
We always recommend that our volunteers have insurance for their volunteering trip abroad. This can be a policy purchased from your airline or a policy bought seperately from a private Conti… Read More
2018-05-07 04:00
Meghan recently volunteered in Ghana with Cosmic Volunteers: Hi Scott [Burke], i just got home from kpando and i wanted to write you and tell you that i had an Continue Reading →
The po… Read More
2018-04-30 04:00
Participants in our healthcare volunteering programs in India have seen a lot over the years. They have especially seen up close the challenges faced by India doctors and nurses, especially… Read More
2018-03-21 04:00
Here’s a blast from the past from our volunteer projects in Ghana. A little over 10 years ago, in December 2007, Cosmic Volunteers Director Scott Burke visited villages and towns Conti… Read More
2018-03-18 04:00
More and more middle age people are taking a “gap year for grown-ups”. What is a gap year? Also known as a sabbatical year, a gap year is typically a year-long Continue Read… Read More
2018-03-14 14:02
There are many documents needed for volunteering abroad. The big one of course is your passport. But there are others that are also important documents to have on your trip. Continue Reading… Read More
2018-03-13 19:00
It is never to early to think about fundraising for a volunteer trip abroad. As a starting point, I came up with 14 fundraising tips for volunteering abroad.Let me back Continue Reading &rar&hell…Read More
2018-03-11 08:00
The internationally acclaimed African Children’s Choir will be performing March 30th in Philadelphia at Community Bible Fellowship, 6035 Ridge Avenue, 19128. The concert is free and op… Read More
2018-03-07 15:10
Serving as a volunteer teacher abroad is a wonderful experience. With our volunteer programs in China, you can either teach in Yantai or teach in Mashan. In addition to arranging your C… Read More
2018-03-01 19:55
Volunteering as a concept and practice continues to grow both locally and abroad. People are understanding more and more that volunteering has benefits not just for those in need but the vol… Read More
2018-02-26 04:00
What to pack for your volunteering trip abroad??
It can be a difficult task, especially if this is your first tip abroad.
First, there are a handful of country-specific items whic… Read More
2018-02-05 04:00
So, you have signed up to volunteer in Ghana.
Fantastic!
Now, one of the next decisions you have to make is choosing the town and setting where you will live and volunteer in Ghana.
It… Read More
2018-01-18 04:00
The Chinese language and its characters can seem so mystifying to us outsiders.
But when you become a volunteer teacher in China, you can have a better experience if you can learn some of th… Read More
2018-01-15 04:00
Volunteering in Nepal has many benefits of course. Including exposing you to Nepali pop culture!
The music video “Viral Bhaidiyo” is THE latest viral hit in Nepal. Produced by Sa… Read More
2018-01-12 04:00
Ten years ago, travel guidebook writer Thomas Kohnstamm, co-author of a dozen Lonely Planet guides to Latin America and the Caribbean, admitted that he worked on a book for Colombia though h… Read More
2018-01-11 12:47
Kenya Airways is making it even easier to volunteer in Kenya.
In 2018 Kenya Airways is beginning daily direct flights from Kenya to the United States after years of being blocked by U.S. aut… Read More
2018-01-09 04:00
If you are volunteering in India now and looking for a fun event during your free time this week:
The New Delhi World Book Fair 2018 is running from January 6-14 at Pragati Maidan… Read More
2018-01-01 04:00
After volunteering in a hospital in the Volta Region of Ghana, Montreal nurse Julia Garland decided to start fundraising with handmade cloth hats.
Julia has raised over $10,000 to date, enou… Read More
2017-12-25 04:00
We at Cosmic Volunteers just received a heartfelt Greetings from Sri Ramana Matriculation School in Tamil Nadu, India.
The principal Mr. Karuna writes to us and our volunteers in India, &ldq&hell…Read More
2017-12-17 04:00
Check out the scene in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as the city comes alive with decorations for Christmas and New Year’s.
Are you considering volunteering in Vietnam? Why not come during… Read More
2017-11-13 12:51
For vaccination and health advice for volunteering abroad trips, we have always recommended the website of the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC now has an app for that too. It&rsquo&hell…Read More
2017-11-06 04:00
Catherine Gradel, from London, spent eight weeks teaching English at a children’s shelter in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
She and her fellow volunteers also helped paint and do light rep… Read More
2017-10-30 13:32
Norman Kirby and Ankur Agrawal, both friends from New Jersey, volunteered at a children’s facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with Cosmic Volunteers.
They taught computer and English… Read More
2017-10-26 04:00
Journalist Jeffrey Gettleman wrote an article in the New York Times about his 36 hour trip to Nairobi, Kenya.
The piece appeared last December, but I liked it so much that I wanted to share… Read More
2017-10-19 04:00
Lindsey Elliott sent us some wonderful photos from her orphanage volunteer program in Ghana.
She spent three weeks volunteering at an orphanage in the city of Cape Coast.
Thanks again for yo… Read More
2017-10-16 04:00
Kristina Cooke, a university student from Scarborough, Ontario, volunteered with children in Quito, Ecuador through Cosmic Volunteers. Here are some photos she shared with us:
The post… Read More
2017-10-03 04:10
International House Philadelphia is hosting a Diwali celebration on October 11 featuring Indian food and sweets, traditional music and dance, and activities including henna, diyas, rangoli… Read More
2017-09-28 04:00
Kathryn Kirk, from Hawthorndene in South Australia, volunteered with Lisa Crannage at an orphanage in the Philippines in Tacloban City for two weeks. Kathryn wrote to us about her volunteer… Read More
2017-09-27 04:00
Jade, an 18 year old from from Gig Harbor, Washington, volunteered at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand for four weeks. She wrote to us with her feedback:
Did we do enough to prepare… Read More
2017-09-26 10:37
Singapore Changi Airport was named best in show at the World Airport Awards earlier this year, picking up the top gong for the fifth consecutive year.
A record 58.7 million passengers were l… Read More
2017-09-25 14:00
As the world gets smaller, it’s rarer and rarer today to find true explorers, those who are the first to visit and map out foreign lands and cultures.
For Nepal, that explorer was Toni… Read More
2017-09-22 04:00
I rode on the back of a motorbike in Guatemala this past summer.
Don’t try that at home. Or anywhere abroad!
I wasn’t exactly hitchhiking. But I WAS walking on the side of t… Read More
2017-09-21 04:00
Celebrity chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain takes us on a tour of Ghana with a focus on the country’s food.
The post Anthony Bourdain Eats in Ghana appeared first on Volunteer Abroad… Read More
2017-09-20 04:00
Canada-based Ayushi Patel wrote recently in her article “When Volunteering Abroad Does More Harm Than Good” that:
While volunteering abroad can dramatically change the quality of… Read More
2017-09-19 04:00
American pilot Patrick Smith, who wrote the popular aviation column “Ask The Pilot”, wrote about his fascinating experience flying domestically in Ghana in West Africa.
Patrick h… Read More
2017-09-18 04:00
When preparing for your volunteering trip abroad, it may be tempting to pack as much as possible.
After all, you’ve probably never been to the host country, and you want to make sure y… Read More
2017-09-17 04:00
For our former volunteers and anyone else in the Philadelphia region who might be interested in a graduate school fair with a non-profit and international focus:
The Philadelphia Idealist Gr… Read More
2017-09-16 04:00
Westerners are slowly but surely stealing ideas from the developing world on how to live.
I’ve been noticing it since my first trip to the developing world (in 2000).
Why is it happeni… Read More
2017-09-15 04:00
From our archives: The Philadelphia Women’s Journal published a story on Cosmic Volunteers in October 2008:
Travel with a Conscience
As an alternative to scratching travel plans, peopl… Read More
2017-09-14 04:00
The State Department alerts U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Kenya that Kenya’s Elections Commission has announced that new Presidential elections will be held on October… Read More
2017-09-13 04:00
Make sure you get the proper visa for volunteering in India.
Why?
If you land in India for your volunteer trip with the wrong visa, you might get sent home immediately from the airport by In… Read More
2017-09-12 04:00
Today was butterfly excursion day at the Sri Ramana Matriculation School. The school is one of our volunteer teaching placements in India.
The school’s principal Mr. Karuna sends us up… Read More
2017-09-11 18:04
The idea of volunteering abroad for free is gaining in popularity.
Especially after the sticker shock when browsing organizations online who charge thousands of dollars for just a short stay… Read More
2017-09-10 04:00
Freelance travel writer and food blogger Lauren Razavi outlines 10 ways students can travel around the world for free (or almost free).
Lauren posted these ideas several year ago, but I like… Read More
2017-09-09 11:17
The boxer Mike Tyson famously said that “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
Hopefully you won’t have to take a punch on your volunteering trip abroad… Read More
2017-09-08 04:00
Kaitlyn Scott volunteered with us not only in Ghana but in India as well. Kaitlyn, from Springfield, Virginia, spent her spring break in 2005 volunteering at an orphanage in Ghana. The next… Read More
2017-09-07 04:00
As we have written before, Cosmic Volunteers does not send volunteers to orphanages any longer.
The studies about the harms of orphanage tourism are piling up year after year and are just to… Read More
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