Top Summer Volunteer Abroad Programs For 2024 – 2025

Volunteering abroad endows you with the scope to travel and explore a country with the locals, and the experience you gather would last a lifetime. Summer is the best time for interested candidates to set sail and travel abroad to volunteer. Most of the high school/ college/ university students aim to optimize their summer break and engage themselves in quality learning.

Off late, more and more people from all across the world are opting for summer volunteering projects and therefore, Volunteering Solutions has come up with specially crafted ‘Summer Volunteering Programs’ in 6 exotic destinations where one can get a perfect experience of volunteering and travel, utilizing their break in the most brilliant way possible.

Let’s take a quick look at the best Summer Volunteer Programs where students and gap year travelers can travel to volunteer in 2024 – 2025!

Thailand Summer Volunteering Program

The Summer Volunteer Program in Thailand with Volunteering Solutions will allow you to experience the authentic Thai way of life while contributing meaningfully towards society. For 3 weeks, this program is perfectly suitable for college as well as high school students, gap year student, families, corporate groups, the first-time solo travelers as well as experienced adventurers who are keen to explore Thailand responsibly.

Being a volunteer, you will get a chance to support the underprivileged communities of Thailand, and volunteer with little ones at Bangkok & spend some quality time with the elephants & mahouts in Surin. Experience the thrill of a jungle trek at Khao Yai National Park, explore the bustling markets of Bangkok, binge on delicious Thai food and learn to cook some authentic dishes as well.

• Duration of The Program: 3 weeks (Extended Beach Week at Koh Phangan is available at an extra cost)
• Location of Project: Surin, Bangkok
• Minimum Age Requirement: 17 years

What can you do on weekends?

In Surin, there are many local bars, shops, and restaurants in the town plus a night food market. The city is an extremely safe place to stay. Surin province once belonged to the Khmer empire (now Cambodia) so you’ll find scattered ancient temples from the same period as the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. The land border crossing into Cambodia is located just an hour from Surin and is easily accessible from the town’s bus station. This accessibility allows volunteers to travel to Cambodia during weekends.

 

Childcare in Social Welfare Program Spain

The childcare volunteering project in Valencia is facilitated to assist children from underserved backgrounds, and work entails tutoring them after school hours in a community center. Volunteers can also assist the local staff in day-to-day administrative tasks as well.

The project lets participants understand the workings of a local care shelter and its role in taking of the local community. Working at the project is also a good way to work on one’s Spanish skills. Another advantage of working in the countryside region that is Valencia is the opportunity to explore its natural beauty and travel around post the volunteering work hours.

Duration of The Program: 3 weeks
Location of Project: Valencia
Minimum Age Requirement: 18 years

What you can do on weekends?

There is a lot to do during weekends and on weekends. On the weekdays volunteers usually work from morning to afternoon and the rest of the day volunteers will have time to relax, go to the beach, join our cultural activities, explore the city, practice sports and go for tapas.

On the weekends, volunteers can travel by train or bus to Barcelona or go to the main Valencia town as well. While in Valencia, you can explore the beautiful relaxing beaches, the futuristic city of Arts and Science and the old maritime quarter of El Cabanyal. Valencia is rich in culture and heritage and has more than 15 kms of beaches. In Denia, volunteers can relax in the quite town and get immersed in the local culture and life.

 

India Summer Volunteering Program

The Summer Volunteer Program in India with Volunteering Solutions will let you experience the best that India has to offer in just a span of 3 weeks! This project is designed to give you a meaningful travel & volunteering opportunity as well as connect you to the cultural, historical and popular highlights of the major north Indian cities.

Being a part of this project, you will mostly work with underprivileged children in Delhi & Palampur. In weekends, you’ll have the leisure to explore the nearby areas and tick them off your bucket list. This program will be apt for high school, college as well as university students, gap year travelers, backpackers, corporate groups as well as solo travelers who are keen on making an impact in the developing Indian society.

• Duration of the Program: 3 Weeks (Additional Goa Beach Week is available at an extra cost)
• Location of Project: New Delhi, Palampur
• Minimum Age Requirement: 17 Years

What can you do on weekends?

During weekends, volunteers can visit the local markets, visit internet cafes and the different restaurants in Delhi and try out the different Indian cuisines. While in Palampur, you will have time to explore the beautiful town and take pleasant walks in the hills as well as practice some Yoga.

 

Volunteer Marine Conservation Program in Bali

Tianyar is a small fishing village in the northern part of Bali, approximately 3 – 4 hours drive from Denpasar. What once was a highly bio-diverse and healthy 3 km coral reef, Tianyar’s reef is currently in poor condition due to many years of unsustainable fishing practices with no regard for protecting the marine environment.

After several visits from scientists, conservationists and divers, an urgent need to protect the reef was identified. With the aim of restoring and conserving Tianyar’s coral reef, this project was started not only to protect its amazing and fragile ecosystems but also to provide a sustainable future for the livelihood of folks residing in this underprivileged village.

Working with LINI (The Indonesian Nature Foundation) to build artificial reef structures such as fish domes, these are deployed along the reef on sampled sand bottom areas. These structures benefit the marine environment because they act as habitats marine sphere to provide shelter as well as a surface for corals to grow on.

Working with fishermen, local community and central government to expand, create local jobs and further improve the coral restoration process – an ideal way to volunteer to restore marine life in Bali.

Duration of The Program: 2 weeks
Location of Project: Bali
Minimum Age Requirement: 17 years

What can you do on weekends?

In Ubud, volunteers can go for leisurely walks in Ubud market and it’ll be a delightful experience. There are hundreds of shops and several restaurants, cheap-eateries, mid-range, and high end, where local as well as international cuisines are easily available. There are several departmental stores like Circle K or Dewata where one can get almost everything that are daily essentials, like water bottles, frozen food, ready to eat food, beverages, snacks etc. Volunteers can also hire a taxi and can visit rice terraces. During the weekend, volunteers can plan a trip to Kuta or Tanah Lot or Seminyak.

Tianyar is located on the coast of Bali Sea. Beach is just at the exit gate of the accommodation. Volunteers can have a bonfire there. During the weekend, they can visit Ubud or they can have 2 – 3 days trip to Kuta, Seminyak, Tanah Lot etc.

 

Family Volunteer Adventure in Malaysia

Volunteering Solutions has curated this amazing & affordable Family Volunteer Adventure Program in Malaysia, which will enable you to experience the goodness of local living, apart from contributing meaningfully towards the conservation of the flora & fauna.

As a volunteer, you & your family will get to live amidst the mysterious Borneo Rainforests and work at the region located along the Lower Kinabatangan River. This wildlife sanctuary is home to singing gibbons, orangutans, probosci’s monkeys, sun bears, hornbills, and the pygmy elephant as well as a host of other rarely seen wildlife. You will contribute significantly towards habitat restoration work by planting trees and maintain planting sites important for orangutans and pygmy elephants.

A perfect program for wildlife and nature enthusiasts, one can have a meaningful learning experience as well. It’ll be an opportunity for you to get closer to nature, and observe the little things that tourists often tend to miss out. It’ll also be a learning experience for your children, who will definitely learn how to value nature and grow up to be responsible travelers.

Duration of The Program: 1 week
Location of Project: Borneo
Minimum Age Requirement: All age groups

What can you do on weekends?

During weekends, you can head out and explore Borneo’s wilderness and spend some time hiking through the jungles. Over the weekends, you can plan a trek to Kota Kinabalu and feel the eeriness of the rainforests. You’ll also get to spend time exploring the rural areas, converse with the local people and get to know more about their lives amidst nature. It’ll definitely be worth experiencing.

 

Peru Summer Volunteer Program

The Summer Volunteer Program in Peru with Volunteering Solutions will make your Summer Break worth cherishing! Engage in some meaningful volunteer work to make a difference in the lives of the people and head out for weekend excursions with your fellow volunteers to Machu Picchu in Cusco and navigate the Amazon River in the Amazonia.

This program is particularly convenient for volunteers who do not have enough time to commit and are looking for 2 weeks volunteering opportunity that would comprise the best which Peru has in store! This program is perfect for college and university students, as well as solo travelers, backpackers, and families who are keen to experience something different.

Duration of The Program: 2 weeks
Location of Project: Cusco
Minimum Age Requirement: 17 years

What can you do on weekends?

Volunteers are free to visit and see places or do shopping during weekends. In the afternoons, volunteers can visit the animal rescue center “Pilpintuwasi” which is 3 minutes by tuk-tuk, visit the houses of the ethnic groups, go fishing, take a walk around the town or visit the houses of the artisans. For weekend trips most of the volunteers plan a trip to Pacaya Samiria, Zoo, go to the city to hang out with friends or shopping.

 

Tanzania Summer Volunteer Program

The Summer Volunteering Project in Tanzania will let you explore the country while giving something back to the community. You’ll be working at a childcare center in Arusha and also explore the city and places around. Of course, a trip to Tanzania would remain incomplete without experiencing thrilling wildlife game drives, and we’ll ensure that you get to spot the Big 5 as well.

In a span of 3 weeks, gain first-hand work experience, know more about the Maasai community, experience the authentic lifestyle and create wonderful memories. Besides meeting the local community, volunteers will also meet other travelers, backpackers, and do-gooders from all over the world and maybe even find a partner to take a hike in Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Duration of The Program: 3 weeks
Location of Project: Arusha
Minimum Age Requirement: 17 years

What can you do on weekends?

Typically most of the volunteers choose to travel in and around Arusha on the weekends and go for Safari trips. You have the option to choose a 2 to 3-day Safari trips to Serengeti, Tarangire, and Ngorongoro. You can also head to Moshi or explore the coffee plantations and waterfalls area near Arusha. Volunteers can also go for short hiking trips near Arusha.

 

Portugal – 2 Weeks Special

Be a volunteer in Portugal and contribute towards the fight against food waste and hunger. As a volunteer, you will participate in a project that simultaneously rescues healthy food from going to waste and feeds thousands of people every day. In 2 weeks you will have the opportunity to get to know better Lisbon and Porto, and have a 2 days amazing experience at Berlengas island in Peniche.

This program would be a perfect choice for high school, college, and university students who are looking for a short-term volunteering program, to make the best use of their break and gain some first-hand work experience, apart from effectively contributing towards attending happiness to others’ lives.

Duration of The Program: 2 weeks
Location of Project: Lisbon and Porto
Minimum Age Requirement: 18 years

What can you do on weekends?

You can choose to spend the most ideal week in Porto amidst your volunteering program. The Algarve to Lisbon; Sintra to Aveiro – the list is endless. From local cafes to amazing beaches, one will not get an opportunity to be bored.

The wait is over! Take a volunteer trip during your summer break and make memories that’ll last a lifetime. All the summer volunteer abroad opportunities that are provided by Volunteering Solutions are extremely affordable and exciting.

 

Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica

Volunteers in this program work in beaches along the Pacific Coast as well as the Caribbean coast. As a volunteer, you will work on projects intended to protect turtle nests from human poachers, help manage sustainable egg-harvesting programs, and work in hatcheries to ensure Costa Rica’s turtle population does not become endangered.

Volunteer work varies from time to time but generally includes work includes; working with local staff to harvest eggs, beach cleaning night patrolling, counting turtles, collecting eggs and to keep them away from predators. Volunteer projects are located around five-six hours from the city of San Jose. All volunteers joining this program should be prepared to do hard manual work and should be in good physical condition.

The most important requirements for this turtle conservation volunteer program are Hard working skills, ecologically sensitive, willing to learn about new cultures and the most important one: enthusiasm. In most of the projects, there will be a volunteer coordinator in charge of assigning jobs, but you are welcome to help anytime you consider it needed.

Duration of The Program: 1 week
Location of Project: San Jose
Minimum Age Requirement: 18 years

What can you do on weekends?

Volunteers are free to visit and see places or do shopping during their free time. You can explore the local markets or travel to the beaches which can be visited on the weekends. The country offers unparalleled natural beauty, active volcanoes, rainforests, and a wide range of national parks and eco-tourism. In addition, Costa Rica has over 1,000 miles of gorgeous white-and-black sand beaches.

 

Volunteer for the Penguin and Marine Bird Rescue Center

If you have the urge to work with animals and care to protect the penguins in South Africa, then Volunteering Solutions has the perfect program you! The Penguin and Marine Bird Rescue Program aims at protecting and caring for the avian species who have been affected by the adverse effects of human behavior.

Volunteering Solutions, in association with a local South African organization, focuses mainly on caring for sick or injured African Penguins (also known as Jackass Penguins) because of their vulnerability as well as other marine birds such as gannets, cormorants, and seagulls.

As a volunteer, you’ll have to play an active role to rescue and rehabilitate, as well as to inform and educate the public through their different programs. The extensive displays at the center give tourists, school groups, and other visitors the opportunity to learn about these endangered birds but also a wider variety of marine life in the beautiful and incredibly diverse Algoa Bay.

This program would be a perfect choice for animal lovers, who wish to make a difference through active contribution.

Duration of The Program: 4 weeks
Location of Project: Port Elizabeth
Minimum Age Requirement: 18 years

What can you do on weekends?

You will have the weekend free wherein you will have time to explore other locations in South Africa as well. You can choose to fly into Cape Town for the weekend and explore the city or just spend the weekend chilling at the volunteer house with other like-minded volunteers from around the world. Other activities that you can get involved in include sandboarding down the giant dunes, having close encounters with peaceful pachyderms at Addo Elephant Park, hiking in the lush coastal countryside around Port Elizabeth…and much more.

 

Volunteer Teaching Program in Morocco Rabat

Morocco has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, despite the fact that the government provides free education to children below 15 years of age. Gap year travelers joining the teaching English program in Morocco are placed in the community, NGO or public schools, which do not have the manpower or resources to provide good English or French teachers to the students. You do NOT need to know Arabic to join this program. You would be teaching children from 10-16 years old with basic to intermediate level of English or French.

Working in the program would allow you to understand the education system in Morocco and at the same time help out the children in need of a better education. You are open to teaching Math, art & craft and do other activities while at the schools under this program. Volunteering for teaching English program in Morocco is a great experience and an amazing opportunity for those looking for international work experience.

Duration of The Program: 1 week
Location of Project: Rabat
Minimum Age Requirement: All age groups

What can you do on weekends?

During the weekdays volunteers usually enjoy roaming around the Medina area where the volunteer Riad is located. You will be located in the heart of the Old quarter area in Rabat which is characterized by small winding alleys and traditional markets. You can visit the Le Tour Hassan mosque or explore the Kasbah Les Oudaias area in Rabat as well. On the weekends volunteers head out further afield to places such as Fez, Marrakech or the desert area.

 

Buddhist Monks Teaching Volunteer Program

Sri Lanka is one of those countries where Buddhism was spread in its earliest days. It’s not just a prominent religion in the nation, but a way of life as well. Being a volunteer for the Teaching Monks Program, you’ll be working at a Pirivena, an educational institution of Buddhist monks (a school, you may say).

In this institution, the monks get a holistic learning opportunity, studying different subjects like Pali (an Indo-Aryan language), Sanskrit, history, prosody, astrology, and logic, apart from the scriptures of Buddhism. The Pirivena is also the place where young monks are trained by their masters to follow the rules and regulations promulgated in the Vinaya Pitaka (a prominent Buddhist scripture) which is one of the three parts that make up the Tripitaka – a collection of Buddhist teachings that are the foundation of the Theravada Buddhist philosophy.

These young monks are highly enthusiastic to learn English, however, they do not have adequate resources to polish their skills. The Government has appointed local teachers who take a 40 minutes class every day, but even the teachers aren’t well versed with the language. Hence, being a volunteer, you’ll get to play an active role in the Pirivena and teach these bright monks.

Duration of The Program: 2 weeks
Location of Project: Galle
Minimum Age Requirement: 18 years

What can you do on weekends?

There is plenty to do during free time and weekends for the volunteers. The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:

• Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
• Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
• Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
• BBQ for volunteers and staff in the garden (monthly)
• Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)

The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our volunteers love to do around the area (at an additional charge):

• Surfing lessons
• Elephant safari
• Whale watching (during the season)
• Rainforest hiking
• Beach hopping
• Local cooking class
• Galle Walking Tour
• Local spice market visit
• Galle Fort visit

Volunteer Girls Teaching Program Ghana

Volunteers working in the Girl’s Education Project work in Tamale in Northern Ghana. The mission of this project is to help young disadvantaged females living in an urban village around Tamale. Volunteers work in a school where the main objective is to educate the girl child in the area. Former volunteers have helped in the project substantially and have raised for the continued education and supply of essentials for the students of the school. Volunteers working in this program need not be qualified or trained teachers. The project is suitable for individuals who want to volunteer teaching on their gap year, summer placement or career break.

Duration of The Program: 1 week
Location of Project: Tamale
Minimum Age Requirement: 17 years

What can you do on weekends?

On the weekends you can head out to explore places such as Mole National Park and Monkey Sanctuary. Volunteers also visit Paga to visit Crocodile Park or further south to Cape Coast to enjoy the beaches. On weekdays, participants have free time in the evenings and spend time relaxing at their accommodation or socializing with other volunteers and the local people.

 

Summer Volunteering in Nepal

The little-landlocked country nestled in the lap of the Himalayas would be a great destination to travel and explore during the summers. Nepal is a beautiful country surrounded by snow clad mountains and has hundreds of temples making it a paradise on Earth. The 3 weeks Nepal Summer Volunteering Program is essentially crafted for those who are looking for a summer plan.

Volunteers will get to explore the capital city of Kathmandu and volunteer with the little kids, and also discover the nearby sites of Pokhara, Nagarkot and Bhaktapur. For those who want to experience some adrenaline rush can travel to Nepal for paragliding, trekking and river rafting.

• Duration of The Program: 3 weeks
• Location of Project: Kathmandu
• Minimum Age Requirement: 17 years

The wait is over! Take a volunteer trip during your summer break and make memories that’ll last a lifetime. All the summer volunteer abroad opportunities that are provided by Volunteering Solutions are extremely affordable and exciting.

For more info, get in touch with our Program Advisors – [email protected]