Volunteering in Guatemala

Given the current economic climate, cutting back has become a way of life for a broad sector of the population. Retirees, in particular, are looking at ways to stretch the shrinking dollars in their portfolios. Common techniques for reducing expenditures include eating out less, incorporating energy-saving devices and routines in the home, and eliminating or curtailing such things as club memberships and season tickets. Important note:

Exacerbated by increased travel costs, one extra that often falls away when finances are tight is travel. But it is travel that is so often listed as an aspiration of retirees—and not just “some travel” but “more travel.”

A growing number of retirees and pre-retirees have found a more affordable way to satisfy their wanderlust, while making memories and feeling good about themselves. Voluntourism, or “vacation with a purpose,” is gaining greater and greater acceptance among people of all ages.

Alison Gardner, in her guidebook, Travel Unlimited: Uncommon Adventures for the Mature Traveler (Avalon Travel Publishing, 2000), contends that older people generally sign up for volunteer service for at least one of three reasons:

1. A strong interest in a particular