Holidays for do-gooders - Go to Sarawak

For a ‘feel good’ vacation, head for Sarawak where you can holiday and help make the world a better place.

THERE comes a time in your life (perhaps after you turn 30 or even earlier) when the idea of getting burned by the pool or haggling yourself hoarse for souvenir T-shirts at the market on a vacation suddenly loses its appeal.

You start to re-evaluate the meaning of life, or try to, and then realise that again, perhaps all you want out of the vacation is a little something different.

Something to write about to the folks back home... that, while the sun and sea are great, you’ve found a better way to spend your money on than souvenirs.

The good news is, you’re not alone. More and more vacationers are discovering that combining volunteer work with their holidays, or “voluntourism”, gives a more meaningful aspect to their holiday, apart from new experiences that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Such getaways are aplenty. One just needs to search the Web and be wowed by the number of displays for the opportunity, from both non-profit organisations and travel companies that organise volunteer vacations.

From collecting field data on turtles to building homes for the unfortunate, the fact remains that volunteer vacations let you feel good, learn and give back all at the same time.

WOX With Orang Utan

Consider the orang utan project run by Sarawak Forestry and the Way Out Experience (Wox) at the Matang Wildlife Centre. Volunteers get to participate in conservation work specifically on orang utan that not only helps to promote awareness of the endangered species, but also lets them be involved with the locals.

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