New ways of traveling: solidarity trips

The solidarity trips They have become an alternative to the upside for those who want to know more or less distant or exotic places in a responsible way. But it is not always easy to find interesting projects, nor is it available to anyone organizing a trip outside the usual tourist routes and even less to find projects that accept the participation of volunteers not linked to an NGO.

In addition, often the traveler only has a few dates to make the trip, coinciding with their vacations, which still complicates things more. That's why it's born Travel Tumaini. Aware that solidarity tourism enriches both the volunteers and the communities where the projects are developed, a group of experienced travelers with years of solidarity projects behind them decided to create this platform to connect with each other.

In fact, anyone can participate in a solidary trip: there is no age limit or professional profile; It is not even necessary to have previously worked with an NGO. Nor do we have to resort to large government programs, since there are many small projects throughout the world for which all aid is welcome.

- Travel Tumaini he knows first hand the projects in which he participates and that is why he can look for the profile of volunteering most suited to each one. As for the traveler, he has the guarantee that he will perform work in a field that he knows or that is of interest to him. Of course, a minimum of training is necessary, but Travel Tumaini also takes care of that.

As regards destinations, Tumaini collaborates with projects in nine countries: Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Uganda, Kenya, India, Nepal, Thailand and Indonesia. It is also possible to choose from a dozen areas of intervention, including child support programs, people with disabilities, health, education, the environment, animals, fair trade, empowerment, community development and construction.

In all these programs you can participate individually or as a group. In the latter case, two types of trips deserve mention, corporate volunteering and solidarity trips for educational centers:

• Corporative volunteering. Through these programs, companies participate in projects of their interest by sharing the time, talent and skills of their employees. Although participation in these solidarity projects also has benefits for corporations: it reinforces their own values, improves their reputation, gives them greater visibility, fosters co-responsibility and takes advantage of the technical and human capabilities available to them.
• Solidarity trips for educational centers. This type of experience is aimed at colleges, universities and vocational training institutes. In the former, students participate with their families and the goal is to develop values ​​such as solidarity, respect and justice in children. In the case of universities and institutes, students can choose projects that help them deepen the knowledge they are acquiring, while collaborating in the development of the target communities. They are also an excellent alternative to traditional study trips and a complement to practice programs, as well as a different way to learn or practice other languages. In some cases, they can even be validated as freely configurable credits.

Both contribute to the training of the participants and their personal and professional growth.

Other services offered by Viajes Tumaini are: individualized advice for the choice of the project and the preparation of the trip; flexibility in the dates, with projects starting from a week of duration and at any time of the year; personalized training; insurance, which includes not only accidents but also civil liability; a safe accommodation in the place of destination and a dictionary with the essential phrases to communicate in the local language. Undoubtedly, all this generates trust and contributes to making the experience of solidarity truly unforgettable.

Finally, solidarity trips are also a unique opportunity to get to know places that are secluded from the “all-inclusive” tourist circuits, which are not easy to reach without the right contacts. For its part, working hand in hand with local people and organizations allows the traveler to enjoy aspects of the country that otherwise would not be available to them.

And Tumaini has a special interest in this being so, since travelers who have had positive experiences of solidarity tourism immediately become prescribers of the projects in which they have collaborated, thus contributing to the dissemination of values ​​such as environmental protection environment, respect for human rights, equity and justice.