Volunteer Advisor prepare to volunteer abroad with these volunteer resources

Volunteer Resources

There are lots of helpful resources listed on this page whether you have already planned most of your trip or not. They are all chosen and listed specifically to help volunteers who are going to be working in another country. If you know of another useful volunteer resource that could be listed here please contact us and we will investigate it.

Useful Links and Resources for the Volunteer

The idea of this section is to bring together the useful links from all of the volunteer guides so that they are accessible to you in one easy location. Don't forget that our volunteer organisations section provides you with a number of websites and companies who provide a variety of volunteer opportunities across the world. The rest of this page is dedicated to useful resources which can help you plan and prepare well to be a volunteer abroad.

Learning a Language Resources

It is probably a very good idea to learn the basics of the language of the country you are going to be volunteering in before you travel if you can so you can communicate with the local people and really become a part of the community. Here are some useful websites where you could buy a variety of langauge resources or learn some basic phrases.

[1] Linguaphone provides lots of excellent language learning resources for lots of different langauges.

[2] Rosetta Stone is another provider of a range of good products to help you learn a new langauge.

[3] The BBC provides some free basic resources for some langauges and you can also buy a number of products.

Learning to Teach English (TEFL) Resources

If you are going to be teaching English as a foreign language as a volunteer abroad then you should take a TEFL course before you go. Indeed the organisation or company you arrange your volunteering experience through may stipualte this as a necessary requirement for your acceptance on their volunteer programme.

[1] i-to-i are an established provider of both online and weekend TEFL courses.

Keeping in Touch Resources

Whilst you are away you will want to keep your friends and family (and perhaps sponsors) updated with news of your adventures abroad as a volunteer. If you have internet access where you are going you could do this by sending various emails, but why not keep a travel blog instead? That way people can check your blog whenever they want and it saves you time too.

[1] eblogger is a popular blogging website.

[2] Travel Pod is a specialist site for travel blogs where you can upload your photos and even receive donations during your trip.

[3] Travel Blog is another specialist site for travel blogs and includes a feature where you can integrate your blog into your facebook account.

Travel Guide Resources

If you are travelling you will need a travel guide for the country or places you are going to be visiting and volunteering in. This item is arguably indispensable as it can provide you with lots of useful travel advice and a wealth of information such as places to stay, how to travel around, cultural hints and tips, dangers and what to do in emergencies. Listed here are some of the main travel guide providers.

[1] Lonely Planet - excellent published travelling resources for purchase.

[2] Rough Guides - another excellent published travelling resource for purchase.

[3] World Travel Guides - basic online guides.

Flight Price Comparison Resources

[1] Use Kelkoo to find some of the best possible prices for your flights - very important if you are travelling on a tight budget and have lots of other things to buy.

[2] Or try one of the following major airlines:

• British Airways
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• American Airlines

What to buy resources

You need to carefully consider all your volunteer survival needs. You should certainly consider lifesystems first aid kits, water purification, insect repellents and mosquito nets. You also need to consider sun protection, water bottles, waterproof clothing, warm clothing, comfortable trousers, and more depending on what you are going to do. The suggested online retailers below can provide you with all of this and more.

[1] Pack your bags has a comprehensive travel store for the volunteer abroad. Competitively priced and nicely illustarted products, this site is a good starting point for your travel accessories.

[2] Field and Trek is an established provider of all necessary equipment for the volunteer and adventure traveller.

[3] WildDay also sells a large variety of outdoor gear and at very competitive prices.

[4] Gear Zone stocks a big range of gear for the volunteer viewable under easy to understand categories.

[5] 1st-harrison - Camping and Hiking Shop - has great advice and information about all their outdoor, hiking, camping and travel gear. Buy all you need from travel rucksacks to walking gaiters with fast reliable delivery.

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If there are good resources which you feel would be useful to be listed here, please do not hesitate to contact us so we can consider adding them to the site.