As volunteer vacations take off as a trend, no doubt more and more people are interested in volunteering as a family – and why not? Most people recognize travel as a good thing for youngsters. They can have fun, see a new place, and learn something new, including the idea that different just means different, and not better or worse.

This recent article took a slight negative spin on parents taking their children along for “adventure travel”, implying that many have motives only of outdoing other families and put their children’s safety at risk. While I don’t doubt that this may happen from time to time, the overall tone struck me as more cynical than the examples given merit; I’m not surprised to see foreign travel and activities – such as biking in Thailand and going on safari in Africa – deemed dangerous, but I am disappointed. I think so much can be gained through travel in general and volunteering in particular.

In any case, families wishing to volunteer together do perhaps have additional hurdles to jump. While a well-traveled solo volunteer can turn up and see how it goes, it’s probably unwise to take this kind of risk when small children are involved. Planning becomes much more important and my guess is that, if you want to participate in an organized family volunteer trip,it might cost a bit.

Much like with travel with children in general, it’s important to take health precautions; drinking unsafe water or eating something questionable may have more serious implications for children than adults. But as the popularity of volunteer travel grows, so will, I expect, opportunities for families. Keep reading the Volunteer Logue for a post about the Sierra Club, which offers combination volunteer and travel trips geared towards families.