Travel Matters | responsible travel & volunteering

Explaining a career break to prospective employers

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Travel2help.org

Less than a decade ago, the concept of taking a year-long career break travel was thought to be a huge career mistake. Now, times have changed and many employers applaud these sabbaticals as they demonstrate qualities of ambition, motivation and independence.

Although most employers do not toss aside CVs of those who took a career break, applicants must meet the challenge of explaining their choice and how that choice has benefited them in terms of career climbing.

Keep it short

Most of the skills gained on career break travel opportunities are usually considered to be short-lived experiences rather than long-studied skills. Choose carefully as to what you include in your CV; skip useless details.

Listing your career break skills on the CV

Although a lot of people choose to place their career break underneath the work experience section of their CV, a career break is not truly work. Therefore, make a new section that will appear last on the resume. Title this section “other experience” where the travel dates and other information about the break should appear.

Make use of the cover letter

The details of your career break travel are best explained in your CV’s cover letter. In the cover letter, you can tell prospective employers why you choose to go on a career break as well as what you learned while you were abroad and how those skills positively impacted your career.

A career break does not have to end your career

Posted in career, job search, skills | Tagged preparation | View Comments

Getting your parents to agree with your gap year plans

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Travel2help.org

Although gap year travel students do not legally need their parent’s permission to take a year abroad, it is still best to get the parents to agree, especially if the student needs help financing their gap year. If you want to go on a gap year but are unsure as to how to convince your parents, this article will tell you how to explain the benefits of your travel experience.

Future benefits

Most parents object to taking a gap year travel because they think their child will waste a year of their life partying instead of getting an education. So tell your parents about how a gap year will give you invaluable experience in your chosen field of study as well as how favourably universities look upon these gaps. In addition, share your itinerary and the skills your trip will help you develop.

Soft skills

Soft skills are not specific to a subject but are useful in everyday life and cannot be learned in a classroom. Most gap years will give you soft skills such as creativity, critical thinking, decision making, flexibility, interpersonal relations, leadership, making new friends, organisation, preparation, problem solving and teamwork.

Approaching your parents

No matter what, approach your parents calmly. There is no room for arguing here. And be prepared to give them details you have already researched, such as cost and how you plan to pay, information about travel programs and other pertinent information.

Posted in education, skills | Tagged family, preparation | View Comments

Getting by as a woman travelling abroad

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Travel2help.org

Women who volunteer abroad tend to face more restrictions and challenges than male travellers. Usually, men can walk down the streets with less fear and greater freedom. However, this does not mean that you, as a female traveller, should live in fear during your volunteer abroad trip.

Go where other women congregate

Village wash houses and marketplaces are usually two places local women tend to congregate. This is not the place to bring your camera. Simply give other women a friendly smile and ask them a simple question such as how to buy vegetables or how to wash clothes.

Communicating despite a language barrier

Instead of pretending you understand someone or limiting your communication altogether, use non-verbal communication if you do not know the local language. Pairing limited language skills with sign language can get you a long way.

Graciously accept hospitality

In many other countries, people are less possessive when it comes to personal space, food and belongings. Even those who live in poverty do there best to treat any house guest with kindness and give their guests only the best they have to offer. Always accept any gift offered to you even if you do not like it. The only exception to this is if you have a suspicious feeling that makes you uneasy. But, remember to thank locals for their hospitality, and remember that sometimes it is proper to give a small token of appreciation to any local who has been hospitable to you.

Posted in communication, hospitality, language, local culture, safety | View Comments

The principles of sustainable tourism

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Travel2help.org

Sustainable tourism is a part of the ethical travel industry that is driven by the goal of creating a low negative impact on the local culture and environment while simultaneously generating employment, income and conserving the local ecosystem. Because ethical travel is sensitive to local cultures and ecosystems, sustainable tourism activities minimally impact the local community’s culture and environment.

Successfully implemented, sustainable tourism should manage all of the area’s resources so that aesthetic, economic and social needs can be met while at the same time ecological processes, cultural integrity and biological diversity can be maintained. The current and future needs of both the community and its visitors should be taken into consideration.

The principles of sustainable tourism relate to the socio-cultural, economic and environmental elements of developing travel to the area. Of course, a healthy balance must be made between all three of the above aspects in order to maintain these principles.

Socio-cultural

A community’s socio-cultural integrity should always be respected. Their traditions, values and heritage should be conserved as this will help foster tolerance and understanding between visitors and locals.

Economic

Corporations and tourist-centred business that participate in sustainable tourism in the area should provide locals with long-term, stable job opportunities. Business should also offer social services and contribute financially to alleviate poverty in the area.

Environmental

Tourists and business must use local environmental resources in a manner that conserves biodiversity and natural heritage as well as maintains key ecological processes.

If you want to learn more about sustainable tourism, keep reading this blog, and ask any questions you may have in the comments section below.

The benefits of geotourism

Posted in General, conservation, cultural integrity, employment | View Comments

A career break does not have to end your career

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Travel2help.org

Taking a career break travel is becoming quite the commonplace activity for many professionals. Those who contemplate a career break feel apprehensive about the possibility of sacrificing their job unless they decide to enter a new field of work upon returning from abroad. Of course, people do not always lose their jobs when taking a career break.

Leave of absence
Some people are able to receive an unpaid leave of absence in order to fulfil their dreams of travelling abroad and volunteering. Today’s employers are beginning to understand that career breaks are becoming a popular type of travel opportunity and that instead of losing an excellent employee who wants to take one, the employer should instead offer them a leave of absence.

If a leave of absence is not granted
Those who are unable to secure an unpaid leave of absence in order to go on a career break travel should not despair. Taking a break, especially if volunteering while doing so, is a great way to give a CV a boost, allowing the traveller to enjoy more employment opportunities upon their return. The fact that a CV has a career break travel listed on it tells potential employers that a candidate does not shy away from challenges or new experiences. Furthermore, those who do volunteer in another country tend to learn valuable skills while abroad.

In the end, it’s your life, and your career – and if you intend to take a career break, then you need to decide which one is most important.