Ethical and Eco-Travel Articles and Travel Advice
The Importance of Ethics While Volunteering
When you're choosing a volunteering placement there are a few things you should always consider, and the ethics of volunteering has never been more important.
What is WWOOFing?
WWOOFing gives you the opportunity to experience idealistic lifestyles while learning more about organic farming and the environment, all for free.
Volunteer in Africa
Volunteers in Africa are spoilt for choice and there are a number of options and programmes to choose from. Read all about why you should volunteer in Africa.
The Great Conservationist
Gapyear.com speaks to Borneo conservation leader Leo Biddle to learn more about his journey to the jungles of Asia, the honest reality of wildlife conservation and the rewarding challenge of animal volunteering. Read this fascinating interview of the man aiming to change the volunteer industry.
Building an Orphanage in Cambodia
Red or blue? I asked myself sitting at my desk. It’s something I had thought about for a while, sitting in my comfortable, mediocre paid, extra-super-duper secure government job. Take the red pill and the risk to discover the real world outside of my narrow-horizoned existence or take the blue and stay safe within the confines of my perfectly adequate personal corridor of life?
Climate Change
Calling all green gappers! Yes, I know you're out there somewhere. And even if you're not feeling particularly green today or aren't a current gapper, just lend me two minutes of your internet-browsing time (that Eastenders episode update can wait!). I promise to keep my soapbox firmly to one side, my feet on the ground and not to go all green and airy-fairy on you.
An Introduction to Expeditions
For me an expedition is something a bit more special and conjures up a number of exciting possibilities that 'normal' travel doesn't - an expedition allows you to totally immerse yourself in an unfamiliar culture or environment. It teaches you how to work in a team, overcome adversity and become self-sufficient. The best expeditions live on long after you have returned home.
Conservation Work & Volunteer Projects
How would you like to fall asleep in a hammock in the rainforest listening to monkeys and toucans, and help out on vital reforestation projects? Or nurse orphaned lion cubs in Kenya? In this guide you'll find out the different types of conservation opportunities that are available and what you can expect from a volunteer project.
Expeditions: A Guide by Richard Sheane
It's common sense that the better you are prepared for an expedition the safer and more rewarding it will be. So, in the months leading up to your departure you will probably need to get physically fit. Even if you are planning a trip at the more gentle end of the expeditioning scale, your body will still experience physical strains and challenges that it is probably not used to.
Illegal Poaching in Africa
Illegal poaching and trade of endangered animals has been a huge issue in Africa for decades. Even today, despite great efforts by African wildlife authorities and environmental groups, the killing goes on. Earlier this year, over 1,200 tusks were discovered in Tanzania, a sign that the situation is nowhere near where it should be.
Volunteering in an Orphanage in the Dominican Republic
From the moment I walked through the orphanage gate I had a child clinging from either hand with a third soon hanging round my neck! The children in Villa Bendicion have nothing but are always smiling. This really made me think what is important in life! After a few days at the orphanage I was really starting to feel at home.
Deforestation in South America
Deforestation simply put means the removal of trees and forests, usually through cutting or burning. In South America, most deforestation takes place because of a need for agricultural land. In countries with poor economies, such as those in South America, people turn to agriculture to meet the everyday needs of living.
Global Warming in the Polar Regions
Global warming is an issue we have all been made very aware of. However, although it appears to be a very straightforward process, numerous studies conducted on the problem have yielded varied results and conflicting evidence. This means there is little certainty over what is actually happening, the reasons for it, and the implications.
Environmentally Friendly Gap Years
Making your gap year environmentally friendly doesn't mean that you have to live in a tree house and eat roots. But with a little extra thought, your gap year can be rewarding and help save the planet. With environmental issues increasingly creeping into newspapers, politics and everyday life, how can the gap year traveller do their bit?
Diary of a Volunteer Project in Ecuador
Meet Alice and Jess, two intrepid lasses heading off to volunteer in exotic Ecuador for the next few months. This cheese-loving duo will be taking part in a combination placement with The Leap which includes working with local communities to develop medicinal gardens, breeding piranhas and teaching English to local guides.
Landmines in Cambodia
Upon arrival at Siem Reap, Cambodia, the sight of limbless beggars shocked Ben Davies. By the end of his trip, he had learnt a lot about landmines.
