Nomad Nic, my journey so far,
By Nicola Bleach (http://nicolableach.co.uk/)
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I'd always wanted to travel. Simple as that. I can't think where the idea came from (possibly my Dad, after he travelled the world back in the 70's), but after several aspects of my life which were once constants became not-so-constant, I realised it would be now or never for my round the world adventure to finally materialise.

So ensued a substantial period frantic saving, working three jobs, living with my parents again and raiding my savings account in order to buy my round the world flights. And once that was done there was no turning back. After about nine months following my decision to up sticks, I was in my first (and favourite) country, Nepal; and I haven't looked back or regretted a thing since.

You probably think you're already pretty familiar with your own personal traits (because, well, you're you), but until you've been regularly forced out of your comfort zone to be resourceful, flexible, alone, patient or just utterly independent, you won't know yourself at all.

Once you do eventually get on the road you'll inevitably come face to face with obscene wealth, devastating poverty, heart-aching beauty, extremes of weather, truly awful accommodation and thoroughly fascinating people; and it will all be in a completely foreign world to the one that you're used to or are entirely comfortable with. But you'll be a more tolerant, understanding, courageous and better person because of it.

I can definitely say I've learnt a lot about myself in the last six months. For example, I'm definitely more sociable than I thought I was and can only handle a few days alone before craving some kind of companionship. Having said that though, I'm now completely comfortable enjoying a meal in a restaurant by myself. And you can guarantee there's still more I'll discover about myself by the time I eventually arrive back in sunny England about a year from now.

So in short, my advice to anyone playing with the idea of travel would be to just DO IT! Stop making excuses for not doing what you've always wanted because, in reality, most hurdles that are holding you back can be quite simply overcome. It's just your own skewed reasoning holding you back.

You only live once: that's been my motto since I left home. And it's served me well.

With the country’s graduate unemployment number at a 15-year high and thousands of A-level school leavers competing for university places, many are turning to volunteering looking to develop their skills to enhance applications and hopefully improve their chances of landing a job.

Volunteering while on gap years, both before and after university, is becoming increasingly popular. However it can cost a lot of money, as many of the larger volunteering organisations charge fees running into thousands of pounds, often not including flights, which means this is an option only for those who can afford it.
One organisation, Real Gap, a London-based company offering travel adventures and volunteer projects, asks for a fee of £1,349 for six weeks working in a Tanzanian community, whereas an independent placement for a similar project is only £320.

Another organisation charging high fees is World Challenge, which runs gap year and educational expeditions. One volunteer paid £4,000 for one month (including flights), but ‘didn’t feel it was worth the money’.  Another volunteer, with World Challenge, on a different expedition lasting four months offered the advice to ‘make sure that people look around first and do their research as there are cheaper ways to get involved with volunteering that doesn’t cost as much money’.

A spokesperson for Real Gap and World Challenge justified this cost with providing pre-departure and extensive in-country support and security if there are any problems. They identify that often gap year students are young adults, having only been away on family holidays therefore requiring this level of support.

School leavers are particular targets in the market of volunteering. World Challenge and ASDAN, Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network, have partnered up and are offering a new scheme which allows student volunteers the chance to earn up to 70 UCAS points for submitting a ‘portfolio’ demonstrating qualities such as problem solving and research, whilst on their volunteer project.

Other volunteer organisations, such as Raleigh, realise the steep financial cost to volunteer, and offer bursaries for people who can demonstrate they cannot afford the fees or the fundraising amount. One volunteer who spent 10 weeks in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with Raleigh, was involved in building water systems and turtle conservation, as well as having the opportunity to go trekking. Although they enjoyed the experience, the volunteer said they would not have been able to go if they hadn’t received the bursary of £2,000. But with only a limited number of bursaries, this restricts volunteering to only those with enough money.

However an alternative option is independent volunteering, a significantly cheaper choice. Alternatively, independent volunteering cuts out the ‘middleman’ and involves applying directly to grass-roots organisations themselves. There are a number of websites which provide information on independent volunteering and other low-cost volunteer projects. Independent Volunteer, Volunteering 4 Africa, and Volunteer Latin America, contain listings of organisations which charge low or no fees. Mr Stephen Knight from Volunteer 4 Africa and Volunteer Latin America said ‘the economic downturn, cost and the reputation of gap year/volunteer placement companies have all contributed to the increase in people seeking independent and low cost volunteering opportunities’.

I found both my volunteer projects in Africa through these websites. I was lucky enough to spend six weeks in Kenya, with an organisation, Kipepeo Community Empowerment Programme, designed to promote community driven development initiatives. It was a brilliant experience, I had the opportunity to teach English, computer lessons, help with micro-finance training for the numerous women’s groups, and take part in other local projects such as malaria prevention. This was all along side living with a host family and being immersed in the local culture. As I was in small organisations, in Kenya and in Tanzania, I was able to have more of an impact and take part in activities I was particularly interested in. This flexibility is not often found with the larger organisations.
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Volunteering abroad does not have to be limited to the rich and middle classes - independent volunteering offers an alternative way as long as research and preparation is carried out properly. Students leaving school or university looking to volunteer should think about what kind of experience they want to have. For some, volunteering with a large organisation with guaranteed support and guidance will provide assurance and peace of mind. And of course there are risks associated with independent volunteering: you do not have 24-hour in country support, and you have to deal with any challenges or problems yourself, but as long as you manage these as best you can (I travelled with a friend and registered my movements with the Foreign Office) the outcomes are hugely rewarding. So if you are open-minded, ready for a challenge and prepared to be immersed in a different culture, give independent volunteering a go!

 Last year, with university tuition fees set to almost triple form £3,290 a year up to £9,000 in 2012 the once-popular gap year seemed to have followed its course.
But one year on it seems bookings are up again and a new generation of travelers is born, with increased numbers of people disengage from curricular education and/or work to starting to pack up their rucksack and head off on an adventure.

It seems with higher tuition fees starting this year, students have already resigned themselves to the increased expense and are determined to have some fun before the hard work starts, according to Macca Sherifi, travel editor of gapyear.com.

As young travelers pack up and plan their adventure a shift in focus could make the gap year experience even more rewarding in their future career aspirations. With According to http://blog.studylondon.ac.uk, “73% of employers say they would rather employ someone with voluntary experience than someone without”, a gap year could be a golden opportunity to make you stand out from the crowd (hyperlink to stand out from the crowd article).

There are a number of options available to increase value for money:
-         Volunteering rather than backpacking (hyperlink to backpacking vs volunteering news article);
-         Working while travelling, and best of all,
-         Grass roots volunteering (hyperlink to grass roots news article) rather than volunteering through an agency, by independently volunteering it cuts out the ‘middleman’ and involves applying directly to grass-roots organisations themselves making sure any cost go directly to the organisations that need it most and saving you money in the process. 
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For most people that trip of a life time or time out to travel is all gaining new experiences, seeing different cultures and seeing new things, so with that in mind surely the best way to experience all of this is to volunteer while backpacking your way across the globe?

When backpacking, generally you are travelling around alone or with friends, meeting people as you go, staying in hostels and seeing new things. You will have the freedom to do what you want and where as you please, as long as your finances hold up. But will you truly see the places you visit and experience their cultures and traditions?
On the other hand there’s volunteering, which is essentially working for free or for food and board and actually usually paying a fee for the privilege. However your spend a lot less money, stay in one place for longer, meaning your making friends with the local people rather than other backpackers, learn about local culture, language and religions, broadening your life experiences.

 So is it not possible to do both?

In some ways it is, however responsible volunteering is not paying a fee and turning up at and orphanage or school for the day, taking a few photos and reading a book to children, this sort of activity is neither beneficial to the organisation you go to or your experiences. While it will provide a talking point it will not really boost your life experience or career skills. 

In order to meaningfully volunteer you should commit a minimum time period agreeable to both parties, usually requested by the organisation and can range between 2 weeks and 2 years.

So how can a backpack while volunteering?

Most if not all organisations give you time off and actively encourage you to see the sites, experience local culture and will usually help you to do this cheaper and easier than if you were just passing through, either by people involved with the organisation arranging and taking you or putting you in contact with the locals who run the excursions rather than having to use a tour company.

You don’t have to commit a year to volunteer at each place, most organisations are happy with 3 – 6 weeks which will allow you to gain experience, skills and also make a real difference in the community you volunteer within.

OK,  backpacking you may visit 25 countries but your only spend a couple of weeks in each and never really get to experience local cultures, customs, see the sites other than the tourist trail. By volunteering you may only get to see 5 – 10 countries but your come away with new transferable skills, cultural experience and knowing you have made a difference somewhere, however little.
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So maybe it’s worth considering combining both, especially if you fall in love with a region of the world and decide to spend longer there, that way you will experience the true county and not just the tourist trial. For the most rewarding experience try grass roots volunteering.

​For most people that trip of a life time or time out to travel is all gaining new experiences, seeing different cultures and seeing new things, so with that in mind surely the best way to experience all of this is to volunteer while backpacking your way across the globe?

When backpacking, generally you are travelling around alone or with friends, meeting people as you go, staying in hostels and seeing new things. You will have the freedom to do what you want and where as you please, as long as your finances hold up. But will you truly see the places you visit and experience their cultures and traditions?
On the other hand there’s volunteering, which is essentially working for free or for food and board and actually usually paying a fee for the privilege. However your spend a lot less money, stay in one place for longer, meaning your making friends with the local people rather than other backpackers, learn about local culture, language and religions, broadening your life experiences.

 So is it not possible to do both?

In some ways it is, however responsible volunteering is not paying a fee and turning up at and orphanage or school for the day, taking a few photos and reading a book to children, this sort of activity is neither beneficial to the organisation you go to or your experiences. While it will provide a talking point it will not really boost your life experience or career skills. 

In order to meaningfully volunteer you should commit a minimum time period agreeable to both parties, usually requested by the organisation and can range between 2 weeks and 2 years.

So how can a backpack while volunteering?

Most if not all organisations give you time off and actively encourage you to see the sites, experience local culture and will usually help you to do this cheaper and easier than if you were just passing through, either by people involved with the organisation arranging and taking you or putting you in contact with the locals who run the excursions rather than having to use a tour company.

You don’t have to commit a year to volunteer at each place, most organisations are happy with 3 – 6 weeks which will allow you to gain experience, skills and also make a real difference in the community you volunteer within.

OK,  backpacking you may visit 25 countries but your only spend a couple of weeks in each and never really get to experience local cultures, customs, see the sites other than the tourist trail. By volunteering you may only get to see 5 – 10 countries but your come away with new transferable skills, cultural experience and knowing you have made a difference somewhere, however little.
​
So maybe it’s worth considering combining both, especially if you fall in love with a region of the world and decide to spend longer there, that way you will experience the true county and not just the tourist trial. For the most rewarding experience try grass roots volunteering (hyperlink to grass roots volunteering news article)
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When looking to volunteer - there tends to be only one major factor that holds people back……. expense! Fundraising is an integral part of any expedition or volunteer placement and, in many ways, it may appear to be the most difficult challenge you will face.  Remember though however daunting it may seem it has been achieved by countless other volunteers. 
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The best part of applying directly to organisations is that the total cost is generally much lower than using another organisation as a middle man. Many or the volunteer organisations featured within the members area also only require a small deposit or no upfront payment at all.
The best way to ensure success with your fundraising is to mix individual with group fundraising, so events as well as grant applications.

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There are basically four main ways of raising the funds:

1. Fundraising Activities

These events include bag packing, cake stalls, collections, sponsored events, car boot sales, swap shops, fun days, themed parties etc.

2. Raffles and Prize Draws

Throughout the year Sustainable Vision will conduct various prize draws, tickets for the prize draw can be bought by volunteers and organisations for a fee of £1 a ticket and sold for between £1 - £2 a ticket by the volunteer or organisation. A portion of the profits from the ticket sales will go towards the Sustainable Vision Grant fund. You can always create your own raffle or prize draw also.

3. Working for it

Part time jobs, holiday jobs and Christmas jobs - even a few hours a week will bump up that volunteer fund and make those targets even more achievable.

4. Grants and Sponsorship
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Applying to local companies, trusts, schools and universities for funding. Groups such as the Round Table, Lions International, Rotary Club, and parish councils are usually only too happy to help. Sustainable Vision will soon be taking applications for the Sustainable Vision Grant Fund from volunteers and volunteer organisations. This fund will be created with a portion of the membership fee and a portion of profits from any sales of merchandise and raffle tickets, further information can be found in the volunteer resources section.  
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