With the crazy schedules many of us have, one might not immediately think they want to spend their vacation doing more work. However, volunteer tourism is growing in popularity for a variety of reasons. Either domestic or international, voluntourism is often a more cost-efficient way to travel and offers a less tourist-driven look into an area you visited previously. In many cases, one is allowed a certain amount of time to see the local sights and buy a few trinkets, even if that’s not the main focus of the trip. The time allotted is often short: a few days if it’s a longer visit or an afternoon if the visit is shorter. However, the entirety of one’s stay is spent working and living within the area’s local culture, so any free time is hardly missed. This was the case during my voluntourism venture to Cusco, Peru, where I taught English and worked at a language school. While I only had a few afternoons to visit Machu Picchu and the local markets, the rest of my visit was spent interacting with the local people, eating the local foods and being more than just another tourist in the region. Voluntourism opportunities can be found in many different places. A simple Web search can bring up many sites that offer to match volunteers with host organizations, and some hosts will even allow you to bring along the entire family. International charities and religious organizations often have voluntourism opportunities open to the public as well. Don’t discredit domestic volunteer trips, either, just because they’re not in a far-away location. I participated in domestic voluntourism in Chicago several times, working in food banks and schools, but there are many opportunities all over the country, specifically in areas where natural disasters occurred in the past few years. More than just a vacation, voluntourism is a way to put your extra travel time to good use in a way that not only helps others but also yourself. — Holly Godbey, marketing and sales assistant