Volunteering abroad is an experience lots of thoughtful travellers contemplate - who doesn't want to give back when we can. But of course, we know that not all volunteering opportunities are created equal. In Episode 228 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three women who have had fairly in-depth volunteer experiences in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Nepal, and their stories might help you reflect on what does make a good volunteer experience.

First, I chat with Lindy Alexander who spent eight months volunteering in a remote part of Uganda. She's very frank with me about how, on reflection some years later, she's not sure that everything they did had a positive impact - although lots did.

I then speak with Julia Salnicki, a zoologist who has spent many years either volunteering or managing volunteers on animal research projects in Africa. Her stories are amazing and apart from her tales on this episode, I've added another one about her three years in a painted dog research project onto Patreon - if you're a supporter, listen now, or sign up at notaballerina.com/supporter

Finally, I hear from Patti Lefkos who, after several decades of experience as a teacher and principal in Canada, volunteered in a small school in Nepal. She tells us some of the many lessons she learnt from that experience.

Links:

• Support the podcast on Patreon - this week's bonus content is an extended chat with Julia Salnicki - https://www.notaballerina.com/support
• Lindy Alexander - The Freelancer’s Year http://thefreelancersyear.com/ 
• Julia Salnicki from Classic Safari Company - https://www.classicsafaricompany.com.au 
• Patti Lefkos - https://www.pattishaleslefkos.com
• Episode 145 on Volunteering Experiences - https://notaballerina.com/145 
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
• Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/228