FAQs

Who Do You Think You Are?

I've been asking myself that very same question for quite some time now. My name is Amy. I am woman. Hear me roar! Is that helpful? If not, maybe the About Me section is what you're looking for...

What is a Voluntourista Anyway?

Voluntourism is a growing industry for people that want to go exotic locales to work on projects or help organizations. A "voluntourist" is a person that engages in this method of travel. A "Voluntourista" is, well... me. I made up that word (or its Spanish, whatever), but I did not make up the other ones. I swear. 

Ultimately, there are many ways to label this idea of voluntourism, and there is much debate about the value of such a method of travel. Some would even argue that voluntourism is actually harmful to the areas that one is trying to help. I would beg to differ, but that is probably obvious.

What Are You Trying to Do Here?

The plan is to volunteer with projects that I respect and broadcast my experiences on this here web-site. My goal is toto inspire people to volunteer in whatever capacity fits them best.

I would like make volunteering, especially internationally, less scary & more publicized (and I'm not talking about the programs that charge you thousands of dollars to do something that would normally be free, just because they can know some html and can host a web-site). I believe that volunteering abroad has the potential to increase cross-cultural understanding and bring much needed resources to amazing projects around the world. I mean, com'n, not everyone can make a super sweet blog that tons of people will want to read, right?


How Do I Use this Dang Web-site?

As I start to accumulate piles and piles of prose for this project, I'm realizing that upon first visit, you may find it difficult to navigate and understand what the hell I'm doing here. To put it bluntly, the answer to the question is, there is no right way to use this site. This is a story. My story-- raw and ready for the world. 

If I had to make a suggestion, I'd say, read any entry that strikes your fancy, and click on some of the links in the text. Often these links send you to another entry that will give you more back story or help explain what I'm talking about. You can also read it chronologically, if you'd like-- some say it reads like a book. I'll take their word for it.

How Can I Help?

Excellent! How nice of you to ask! There are tons of ways to help. I am, of course, a volunteer coordinator by experience, and would be happy to guide you to the more helpful & service-oriented you:

• Friend & Follow me. I've got Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest. Very few people know this exists, so join up before my entire high school finds out and I get all shy n' shit. 
• Suggest volunteer projects for me to try out. This will be especially important when I'm on the road. 
• Try a volunteer project of your own. Bonus points if you write about it and send it to me! I would love that. 
• Share my posts and/or web-site with your friends & family. I mean, only if you want to, no pressure.
• Give me feeback. I'm not a writer. I don't know what you're interested in, but I would love to hear from you. I've got a thick skin, so go ahead and give it to me straight.
• Donate your skills. Can you turn random videos into a beautiful cinematography? Do you know how to start a non-profit? Eliminate student debt? or make sick web-sites? If so, let's talk.
• House me. This isn't currently an issue, but I plan on increasing my vagabondness and joining couchsurfer and such. Nice people with shelters are always helpful.
• And finally, give me money. To be clear, this project isn't about rakin' in the dough. I've saved up enough money to hire myself for about a year or so, but I'm not rich and still have student loans & hope to get insurance and such. If you can help me stretch this out, please let me know. 

You can always e-mail me at: voluntourista@gmail.com