Volunteering while traveling is a great way to get more involved in the community, and help others at the same time. As we have traveled, I've volunteered at a local veterinarian in Costa Rica, helped out at an animal shelter in Mexico, and walked dogs at a grooming and boarding place in Mexico. You don't only have to volunteer with animals; you can help at orphanages or soup kitchens, depending on what you like doing, and are comfortable with.

If you're not sure how you want to volunteer while traveling, check out Pamela's article to find out a variety of volunteering experiences – and which one might be right for you!

In this article, Michelle tells about her amazing life-changing experience volunteering in Costa Rica. Patrolling beaches and watching baby sea turtles are the two main events in this cool volunteering experience!

On this blog, you can find out more about volunteering with WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and maybe even decide you want to become a WWOOF volunteer! You can volunteer with WWOOF and become a farmhand for however long you want!

This interview with Nancy Christie talks about the benefits of volunteering. She also covers misconceptions, volunteering as a family or couple, and things to keep in mind. It’s a great starting point to thinking about volunteering.

If you're not sure where you want to volunteer, here’s an excellent resource to find tons of different articles about ways that you can become a volunteer in more than 30 different cities in Mexico – and scholarships, funding, and so much more.

Want to have a more memorable holiday? Volunteer! You could be helping with reef conservation, working with lions, teaching English in Malaysia, or even delivering humanitarian aid via horseback.

Love animals? One writer shares her once in a lifetime experience volunteering with lions, striped jackals, and leopards at an African wildlife refuge center! Details like job tasks, monkey grooming (not what you might think it is), and highlights of her volunteer experience will have you start planning your own trip.

I hope that these blogs and articles will give you some ideas on how to volunteer while traveling. Have fun helping out in the community!

Joy Whitehead is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program