Gap Year and Volunteering Abroad Safety Travel Tips

One of the exciting parts about traveling is the unknown factor. When you in a foreign country, in different cultures or just away from home it’s always exciting to experience things that are outside ones comfort or cultural zones. Unfortunately these unknowns can be a negative thing too, crime is a very real thing and is something that one must be aware of.

WorkTravelSA.org has compiled a couple of abroad safety travel tips that will hopefully be of some use to any new travelers or volunteers.

1. Research

It’s always a good idea to do a little online reading on the country you planning to visit. A simple Google.com news (news.google.com) search on the country will also help in getting a better understanding of any possible political/government instabilities in your destination country.

2. Theft

Cellphones
Unfortunately this is a reality in any country and it’s a good idea to be prepared
for this. What we recommend is to make a list of important contact numbers that you will need to cancel cellphone contracts. A extra tip - it’s good practice to make use of password protection on your cellphone, which can prevent high phone bills. Each cell phone also has a unique identification code known as the IMEI code (pressing *#06# on your mobile will show it’s IMEI number) - keep record of this number in case your cellphone provider requires it.

Credit Cards
Credit cards are very useful when traveling but can also be a threat. Once again it’s a good idea to keep record of some contact numbers in case the credit card gets stolen.

3. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a must for anyone leaving there country. What is important to note is that gap year /volunteering travel insurance is different to your normal annual vacation insurance. It’s vital that you make sure your travel insurance company covers you while performing your gap year or volunteering tasks.

Highlight any health issues that you might have, these are all factors that can effect your insurance and if not mentioned it could prevent insurance payouts. Remember when you in a foreign country you don’t want to have unnecessary hassles, especially when it comes to your health. So communicate as much as possible to the travel insurance people.

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Why volunteer?

It’s become highly more acceptable for young people across the globe to volunteer in foreign countries. Majority of these volunteers are young people and I’m sure you as a possible volunteer might be asking the following question…

But Why? Why not just go on a holiday or have a gap year?

Generally the most common reason is to give something back. Wanting to help others, wishing to do good and hoping to make a difference are all important reasons to volunteer. But let’s be honest - this isn’t always the convincing factor that makes you feel you’ve spent your time well, there is more reasons. Volunteering is an excellent way to get under the skin of a country and come to grips with a difference culture. The cultural-exchange element in volunteering abroad is a key part of both you and your hosts will get out of the whole experience. Plus, you can build volunteering into almost any segment of your travels, whether you decide to arrange it formally or just turn up and find a placement yourself.

The educational aspect of volunteering is equally crucial. In almost every placement you’ll have the opportunity to learn a foreign language or to brush up on one. And many of the new skills you’ll acquire or develop can be used back home in your profession.

Many volunteers have found that international volunteering has either helped their career or given them the necessary experience to change careers. International volunteering helps to increase the understanding of development issues, consolidate practical skills, and gain first hand-experience of working in the field.

WorkTravelSA.org has various volunteer programs available for you to start your abroad volunteering walk. Volunteer programs range from wildlife conservation, orphan outreach programs, community development to township development. There are so many arenas where you can make a difference and more importantly where you learn about other cultures that make differences in your own life and career.

Get started, get volunteering today!

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Internship position available in South Africa

Hi Travelers & Volunteers!

A new internship position is available in South Africa, Cape Town. Below are all the details regarding the position. If you are interested than please get in contact with us. Contact Us Here

WorkTravelSA.org (WTSA) arranges work experience placements, internships, and volunteer positions for international students and young adults from abroad. Our clients are school leavers, university graduates and young adults mainly from Europe, UK and USA.

The right candidate will enjoy socialising with young adults, showing them the best the Western Cape / Cape Town has to offer, organizing special events and looking after the overall well-being of our clients. Company transport is provided when needed for related company activities. The internship candidate should be a competent driver with an international driver license and must be able to drive a manual vehicle. The driving duties include regular driving in city traffic, after hours (early morning and night time) driving to the airport, and general driving around the Western Cape region. Administration and computer skills are also required. The internship candidate will work as a Project Co-ordinator and will work closely with the Programme Manager, supporting the Manager on all levels.

Duties include (amongst other):

• Administration and office duties such as handling enquiries and bookings from Agents as well as putting together Welcome Packs for clients, general correspondence, spreadsheets, emails.
• Quality face time with clients - meeting and socializing with volunteers / students to ensure complete customer satisfaction
• Bi-monthly visits to our different humanitarian projects
• Logistical Planning and Transport Arrangements
• Accommodation arrangements in apartments, arranging and monitoring cleaning of accommodation and linen, regular inspections of the property
• Driving duties; transfers to airport, transporting clients to their projects
• Airport meet and assist, town orientation, weekend excursions
• Arrival Orientations, familiarizing clients with their accommodation, the local area and the programme rules
• Arranging special events, travel events and farewell interviews
• Tourism Information, Planning and activity schedules
• Weekly staff meetings and regular task scheduling
• Monthly reports to senior management on clients and projects
• After sales service and follow up

The internship candidate will be young at heart and energetic and able to travel out of town when required. A minimum of two years administrative experience is required, and MS Office computer competency is essential. The intern Project Coordinator will enjoy interaction with young adults, shows attention to detail, is well organised, and fluent in English. He/she is able to work under pressure and handle diverse situations. Experience in the tourism / hospitality industry is an advantage.

A normal 40 hour work week is required. The internship candidate must however be willing to work irregular hours, over weekends, in the evenings and be available for after hours call-out, problem resolution and emergency assistance when required. Given the nature of the Project Coordinator’s duties there will also be enough time for rest and relaxation. The intern will be given the opportunity to take a few weeks off during the 6 month Internship. The intern needs to arrange this with the company well in advance and in accordance with work schedules.

The company will provide accommodation in a private room with shared bathroom facilities in a comfortable furnished apartment. The intern would have to be open minded and flexible about living arrangements as accommodation might be on site with our clients or shared with a second intern at times. A vehicle for company related transport duties is provided. A monthly food allowance will be provided. Please note this is not a salaried position but the company will provide a comprehensive internship report which will be a useful addition to the intern’s CV.

Poem by English volunteer at South African aids orphanage

Volunteering abroad is more than just about getting away from home or being on the road - it’s about getting in touch with other cultures and giving of yourself, getting to live from your heart and experiencing life from a complete different perspective. Quite simply volunteering changes lives!

Lettie Mckie from England was a volunteer at one of WorkTravelSA.org’s affiliated African aids volunteer programs in 2007. Lettie visited Kayamandi , a local townships and was inspired to write a poem about it.

Kayamandi Beats
Come child and I will take you
Through corrugated streets
And together we will flicker
Through corrugated beats.

Come woman let me take you
Cos our time is running short
Take your coca cola body
Now my pepsi heart is caught.

Come you whose heart is burning
From an ache beyond your years
We will walk in dappled sunlight
I will wipe away your tears.

Come child and I will take you
Through Kayamandi streets
And together we will flicker
Through Kayamandi beats

Lettie Mckie
Stellenbosch 2007

10 out of 10 to Lettie Mckie for this poem and we want to thank her for contributing to Africa and sharing what she experienced.

If you want some more information on getting involved with various African volunteer programs than click on the ‘Volunteer Programs’ image below.

Some interesting facts about elephants…

Did you know about Elephants…

• By flapping it’s ears, an elephant can lower its body temperature by 3ºC
• A baby elephant has nearly perfectly Africa-shaped ears
• As elephants mature, their ears get nicked and torn, giving them very distinctive identifying characteristics
• If an elephant charges with ears flapping, it may only be a mock charge, but if the ears are folded back against the head, the charge is for real!

Ever been interested in working with elephants?

Well WorkTravelSA.org offers interesting wildlife volunteer programs. Volunteer programs where you get to experience international expeditions in Africa and get to assist nature conservationists protect wildlife while making many new friends. So if you looking for some adventure this summer be sure to check out our abroad volunteer programs.

WorkTravelSA.org launches blog..

Firstly i want to welcome everyone to WorkTravelSA.org’s first blog post. WorkTravelSA.org has come a long way and we finally getting our online presence a little more active. We are all very excited about this blog and planning to share all our exciting news with the rest of the world!

Who is WorkTravelSA.org?
WorkTravelSA.org has been running for about 3 years in South Africa and since has bought in over 1800 volunteers into the country - volunteers that have been making a difference in South African communities, helping conserve the wildlife and learning more about the African culture.

The purpose of this blog?
To make people out there aware of exciting volunteer and travel opportunities that we offer @ WorkTravelSA.org. Volunteers are constantly coming into the country to assist with various projects and we would like to show the rest of the world what good these volunteers are doing. WorkTravelSA.org is more than just about getting volunteers to help Africa - we also involved with various wildlife projects like animal tracking, nature conservation and continuous development in HIV/AIDS education.