Responsible Travel Policy

Ethical Volunteering Abroad

At Volunteering Journeys, we believe volunteering abroad should be a force for good — not only for the volunteers, but for the communities, cultures, wildlife, and environment we engage with. This responsible travel policy reflects our commitment to sustainable volunteer travel, ethical practices, and transparent, community-first programs.

Volunteering Abroad

We partner exclusively with local community centres, NGOs, schools, and grassroots organisations whose needs guide our project design. This ensures that our ethical volunteer programs abroad are responsive, culturally appropriate, and genuinely beneficial.
Our screening process is rigorous: volunteers may be asked for references and background checks; we enforce a strict code of conduct and child protection policy to safeguard ever.
Every volunteer receives pre-departure training and on-site orientation, including guidance on local customs, culture, and appropriate behaviour.
Bilingual staff are present throughout each program to support communication, ensure safety, and help navigate cultural norms.
Volunteers agree to conduct themselves responsibly, including respecting privacy, clothing norms, photography consent, and minimizing disturbance to local communities.

Communities & Locals

We build long-term relationships with local partners: schools, community organisations, and local businesses. These partnerships are based on trust, fairness, and shared responsibility.
Local staff, homestays, accommodation owners, and providers are compensated fairly and trained. Whenever possible, we procure goods locally — including food, project materials, and souvenirs — to maximize community economic benefit.
Accommodations are chosen to immerse volunteers in local life — whether through staying with host families, in locally owned guesthouses, or community volunteer housing. This ensures cultural exchange and meaningful interaction.

Fostering Diversity & Equity

We value inclusion: our programs are open to people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, gender identity, ability, faith, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation.
We customize experiences to match volunteer needs: senior volunteers, families, or those with mobility challenges receive program options that are appropriate and thoughtful.
We avoid exploitative imagery and marketing: we do not sensationalize poverty or use photos that demeaning portrayals. We aim for honest, respectful visuals and descriptions.

Environmental Responsibility

We recognise the impact of volunteer travel on carbon emissions, wildlife, natural habitats, and ecosystems. To address this, we are committed to sustainable volunteer travel practices.
We prioritize hiring local suppliers, minimizing waste, reducing plastic usage, promoting recycling, and choosing more sustainable transport where feasible.
We have joined Declare A Climate Emergency and are working toward measurable carbon reduction targets aligned with global climate goals.

Monitoring & Feedback

We regularly review our volunteer programs and community partner projects to ensure they align with evolving community needs and ethical standards.
Volunteers are asked to complete feedback forms; their reviews are published openly so future volunteers can understand the real experience.
We use metrics and assess outcomes (social, environmental) to adjust and improve our programs.

What You Can Expect as a Volunteer

As someone who joins our programs, you can expect:

Clear, honest information before you sign up: about what the role involves, the location, safety, costs, challenges.
Full orientation on arrival, ongoing support, and a local contact for any issues that arise.
Respect for your wellbeing, meaningful work, and opportunities for cultural immersion.
An organisation that supports sustainable and responsible travel — one that strives to leave a positive legacy in every location.

So accepting the climate crisis becoming increasingly obvious and immediate in its threat, we wanted to state publicly that we recognise the emergency, and pledge to work with the wider travel industry in tackling the need for carbon reform. That is why we are joining a growing movement to Declare A Climate Emergency.

We’ve signed up to Tourism Declares, an initiative that supports tourism businesses, organisations and individuals in declaring a climate emergency and taking purposeful action to reduce their carbon emissions as per the advice from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2030.

Like all signatories, we have committed to the following five actions:

Develop a ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ within the next 12 months, which sets out our intentions to reduce carbon emissions over the next decade.
Share an initial public declaration of our ‘Climate Emergency Plan’, and update on progress each year.
Accept current IPCC advice stating the need to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2030 in order to keep the planet within 1.5 degrees of warming. We’ll ensure our ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ represents actions designed to achieve this as a minimum, through delivering transparent, measurable and increasing reductions in the total carbon emissions per customer arising from our operations and the travel services sold by us.
Encourage our suppliers and partners to make the same declaration; sharing best practice amongst peers; and actively participate in the Tourism Declares community
Advocate for change. We recognise the need for system change across the industry, and call for urgent regulatory action to accelerate the transition towards zero carbon air travel.

Please consider also declaring at www.tourismdeclares.com, and follow on @tourismdeclares on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin