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How to Budget for the Volunteer Trip of a Lifetime

by juliette capomolla

 

We know that on a student budget, it can be tough to fund an overseas volunteer trip! This is why we want to help you spare every dollar you can and make this a realistic trip that can fit your budget.

 

Saving for your trip is definitely a major consideration. You will need to plan ahead so you can save wherever you can. This might involve getting a job, fundraising or asking for money for christmas instead of gifts. However you'll be saving for your trip, we've explained three key considerations that you'll need to make when budgeting for your overseas volunteer adventure.

 

1. Choose your volunteer program wisely

Our challenges range in prices. Depending on the type of challenge, the length of your stay and the destination, there are a range of options in terms of cost. Our most cost-effective challenge comes in at $2,050, and the most expensive $3,950, with a range of prices between these. Our health and community challenges are generally our least expensive programs, so those are the best on a small budget!

 

Each of our volunteer programs also has the option of doing an extension trip. This will see you travel through the country of your choice for a week, relaxing and visiting the best sites on offer! These trips range from $800 to $1000 and are something that you will want to factor in to your budget. 

 

2. Flights and other additional costs

It is important to consider that in the price for most of our volunteer programs, your visa, flights, travel insurance and vaccinations aren't included. In our opinion, the main extra cost here is the flights and the best way to save a bit of extra cash is to get yourself a great deal on your flights! This usually means getting organised and booking your flights well in advance. 

 

You should also stay on the lookout for good flight deals to save yourself some cash. As an obsessive flight watcher myself, the best way to be aware of deals is to sign up to airline’s mailing lists. You’ll be the first to know what their specials are! Another great website is Sky Scanner.You can create price alerts which will notify you when the price of your desired flight goes up or down. Once you see it’s down – then is the time to snag it up.

 

You will also need to consider where you are choosing to volunteer, as this can affect the cost of your plane tickets. From Australia, you can grab yourself some great deals to closer countries like Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal and India. Unfortunately, because of the sheer distance to Tanzania and Peru, the flights are just more expensive. If you're volunteering on a tight budget, we recommend choosing one of our asian destinations to volunteer in so you can save on your flight costs!

 

In terms of getting your vaccinations done, it is much cheaper to buy your vaccines (once you have a prescription) at your local discount chemist, rather than straight from your GP. If you shop around instead of taking your first option, you could save quite a lot of money!

 

This is the same with travel insurance. You should look around at what options are available to you and what sort of deals you might be eligible for. If you have another form of insurance, you can often get discounted travel insurance with the same company. Otherwise, credit card points can often be used or memberships like RACV make you eligible for discounts. But remember, always read the fine print of your travel insurance extremely carefully to make sure that you still have comprehensive cover.

 

To save money in these ares you will need to be organised and spend a bit of time doing research and comparing your options. But we think it's worth it if you can save some money in the long run!

 

3. Overseas expenses

Whilst you’re overseas on your volunteering challenge, there are a number of choices you can make to keep your costs to a minimum. The big one is travelling outside of your volunteering. For many of our volunteers, this is a highlight – exploring a fascinating new country and infamous attractions. Of course, this is merely optional and if you’re really on a low budget you can skip this part, because your volunteer project will be an adventure in itself!

 

If you're on a low budget, the best way to get some travel in is to travel during your free weekend in the middle of your volunteer program. Between your two weeks of volunteering, you’ll have a free weekend to explore. All you'll need to consider for your budget is what sort of accommodation you want to book and how much transport and food is going to cost. If you don’t want to open your purse for some additional travel before and after your volunteer trip, then this is the best cost-friendly way to add in some travel.

 

You also have the choice to eat your dinner at the site or out. During project days your meals are provided so you can eat in some nights to save some cash, or you can splash out and head to local restaurants some other nights! It’s all up to you.   

 

An example budget:

For all you major budgeters, we’ve worked it out for you. Let’s say you want to go to Thailand on the Elephants and Hill Tribes Challenge in July 2020.

  • This trip costs AUD$2,250, leaving on the 4th of July.

  • Once you pay your $250 deposit, you’ve got $2,000 left to pay. That’s four payments of $500, the last of which is due in the beginning of May 2020.

  • If you book by the 1st of September on this trip, that works out to be nine months (35 weeks) of saving and planning time.

  • If you save $60 a week for these 35 weeks, you’ve covered the cost of the trip!

  • Return flights to Siem Reap at this time will cost you about AUD$800 if you book early enough. That’s an additional $25 a week.

  • Your total savings would need to be $85 a week to cover your program and flights.

 

When you break down the cost of your trip like this, it’s much more approachable than such a large amount to front up in one go. Once you do this, you can then start to assess if you will be able to afford to travel before/after your volunteer program, or if you want to do a slightly longer program and add on the extension trip. The more organised you can be, the better!

 

Ultimately, the earlier you secure your spot in one of our challenges, the better off your budget is going to be! Have a look at our challenges now and see which program will fit your budget.