Adventures in Activism
by Caralee Adams
NRTA Live & Learn
When Viola Wray packed for a recent trip, she stuffed an old Samsonite with bottles of antihistamine from her physician, 25 toothbrushes from her dentist, boxes of rubber gloves, gauze, and tape from her pharmacist, shampoo from her hairdresser, and school supplies from her own stash.
This wasn't an ordinary pleasure trip. But it was indeed a pleasure, says the retired 68-year-old elementary school teacher. Wray left the comforts of her home in Grand Island, Nebraska, to spend three weeks at a poor school in Tanzania, where the contents of her spare suitcase and her teaching skills were most welcome.
"Everything was so different and so new. It wasn't something new every day, it was something new every hour," Wray says of her trip, which totaled about $3,800 with Global Volunteers, a St. Paul-based non-profit. "The best thing was just to be with the students—to teach them words, to do art activities with them, and hear them sing."
Many retired educators, such as Wray, who love to learn and help others are drawn to meaningful vacations. Teachers often make up the largest professional group of participants with volunteer and educational trips.
Do all the volunteer opportunites involve teaching? Hardly. You could do something physical, like erect anti-erosion fencing on a nature preserve in coastal Virginia or restore an aircraft carrier in Texas. You could be a research assistant, recording polar bear activities in Alaska or mapping historic cemetaries on St. Croix. You could even screen films for a film festival in New Mexico. (Really!) The range of options is tremendous.
Participants often find these trips are not only fulfilling, but they come with a built-in set of companions, details handled by the sponsoring group-and, in the case of a volunteer vacation, a tax deduction. But read the fine print so you don't get stuck with rustic accommodations if you prefer a hotel room, or overexert yourself at a construction site if you'd rather be in a classroom.
Your Experience Will be Valued
Seasoned educators are embraced by organizations like Earthwatch
Institute in Massachusetts, which sends volunteers to assist
scientists worldwide. "Seniors have life skills and
experience," says spokesperson Blue Magruder. "They can
do the detail work and [have the] patience required for many
hours of observation." Earthwatch trips are
intergenerational and cost an average of $1700 for two weeks,
says Macgruder.
The average age of participants on a volunteer vacation with the American Hiking Society is 47, according to Shirley Hearn, volunteer program manager. The Maryland-based organization hosts vacations at national parks and forests where teams revitalize trails. Participants stay in tents or cabins for the one- or two-week trips, which cost $80.
More than half of all participants for Global Volunteers trips are over age 55, and over the last five years, the number in that age bracket is growing. Retired teachers are drawn to opportunities to teach English and find that the students are highly motivated, says Michelle Gran, marketing director. "The teachers are so revered that they feel like kings and queens."
While most participants in Elderhostel service programs are age 70-72, shorter programs are being tailored for those in their 50s, who are trying to fit in a program around their work schedule or piggyback it onto another trip, says Elderhostel spokesperson Cady Goldfield.
Find the Right Fit
When exploring volunteer vacations, consider cost, location,
accommodations, composition of the group, and the kind of work
that interests you.
Mary Schlaikjer, a retired high school teacher from Huntington, New York, always wanted to serve in the Peace Corps but didn't have the time. So she signed up for a trip with Global Volunteers to help build an addition to a community center in rural Costa Rica. "I can't give two years, but I can give two weeks," says Schlaikjer, who is 64.
Retired science teacher Ron Daszenski, 64, of Stony Brook, New York, has volunteered for seven summers with Earthwatch at a prehistoric site in South Dakota. While excavating fossils from a pit dated 10,000 B.C., he had the thrill of uncovering the incisor of a cave bear and the lower jaw of a mammoth.
Do Your Homework First
Linnea Matson, 52, a retired junior high teacher from Lisle,
Illinois, has taken ten volunteer vacations fixing up trails from
Colorado to Washington. "As much as I loved teaching, I was
always yearning for more time outside."
Matson advises choosing a trip that matches your fitness level. "No one should go thinking ‘I'm a volunteer and I'm paying them, so if I just do a little, they should be grateful,’" she says. Instead, be ready to get dirty. "It's not for those with soft hands or who get freaked out when a bug lands on them."
There have been a few volunteer trips when 66-year-old Larry Kocher bailed because it wasn't what he expected. One work trip began with a 15-mile hike up a steep grade while hauling a heavy backpack. On another trip, camp was set up on a sloping hill where he ate his meals slipping on rocks.
"You really have to read things carefully-between the lines," says Kocher, a retired high school teacher from Santa Rosa, California.
Practical Considerations
After returning from a service vacation, retirees often talk of
being on a "high" and are anxious to sign up for
another. You know that a volunteer vacation could expose you to
things you'd never see as a regular tourist. And you'd
love to volunteer, but... Whatever's holding you
back—there's probably a way around it.
Language: There are plenty of opportunities in English-speaking countries and countries where English is a strong second language.
Transportation: Hate to fly? Amtrak can take you to volunteer opportunities in the U.S. or Canada.
Access to medical care: Not all sites are located far from civilization. Ask your doctor for metropolitan areas where you could get the kind of care you need.
Sites to See
For specialized types of vacations, try www.earthwatch.org, www.americanhiking.org, or
www.globalvolunteers.org.
For a broader range of options, check out PlanetEdu at www.planetedu.com/category/volunteer and Elderhostel at www.elderhostel.org/Programs/advsearch.asp. At Programs of Type, select Service.
To explore volunteer vacations through faith-based organizations, go to www.google.com. Type in "volunteer vacation" and your denomination. Appropriate opportunities should appear on the first page of results.
