15 Eco-Friendly Volunteer Vacations

The personal benefits of vacations are well-known: They can reduce stress, rekindle relationships and rejuvenate you physically. But your vacation can also benefit the world around you. Across the country and around the world there are opportunities to study the environment and preserve the landscape with Volunteer Vacations. "The key to a successful Volunteer Vacation is being realistic about your desire and abilities," says Doug Cutchins, one of the authors of Volunteer Vacations. Being realistic about what you'd like to get out of the trip will certainly decrease your chances of winding up in a tent for 10 days dreaming of running water. Think about what areas and subjects are important to you: Do you want to study climate change in the Arctic or preserve the campground you and your family love? Cutchins suggests asking about the demographics of others on the trip with the host organization. Ask: Will there be other families, singles, seniors, or school groups on this trip? You'll be spending a lot of time with these people and although these trips are a great way to meet new people, if you are the only single person vacationing with families you could feel a bit left out. Cutchins gave us some great suggestions for short-term Volunteer Vacations, and we added a few additional trips that we'd love to take. Location, price, activities, and length of stay vary so much that he believes there is something for nearly everyone. Happy trails!

Each year the endangered leatherback, green and hawksbill turtles come to the beaches of Parismina, Costa Rica to nest. Unfortunately, poachers also frequent those beaches. It was with these turtles in mind that the Asociacion Salvemos Las Tortugas De Parismina (ASTOP) was started. The agency was founded by local residents who patrolled the beaches at night to stop poachers and protect sea turtles during their nighttime nesting routine. Volunteers can patrol the beaches while also collecting data on these amazing creatures. Nesting season, March through September, is the best time to go and ASTOP suggests making your trip an authentic Costa Rican visit by staying with a local family for around $25 a night.

Imagine yourself on a small inflatable boat studying dolphins in the eastern Ionian Sea of Greece. The data that you collect will help the Mediterranean common dolphin (which was listed as endangered from 2003 to 2005). When you're done working, you can retire to enjoy picturesque Galaxidi, with its delicious restaurants, or take a swim in the clear waters of the nearby bays. These Dolphin Conservation trips, which are run by Global Vision International (GVI), are available from April to September and cost approximately $900 per week.

Deep in the heart of the Israeli desert lies one of the greenest places you could volunteer, Kibbutz Lotan. This low-impact organization boasts composting (no water) toilets, a passive cooling system and shared gray-water systems, to help conserve water. As a volunteer you'll help with organic gardening, creative recycling projects for visitors (shown here) and construction needs around the kibbutz (in fact, you'll stay in a straw-bale and mud geodesic dome campus that was created by previous volunteers) among other projects. The program has a strong educational foundation; participants gain practical skills and learn about topics such as ecological design and permaculture. Ecological volunteers must stay a minimum of two weeks; the cost is $550 for that time period.

On many safari trips you get see the "big five" (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros), but on this trip you'll be helping to protect them too. During the Siyafunda Bush Experience trip in South Africa you'll learn practical bush survival skills, such as animal tracking and plant identification. You'll take your new skills out into the wilderness while gathering data on the amazing creatures of Africa. Volunteers may stay out on an overnight in the bush and in a tented camp area for the rest of the trip. This trip is run by Enkosini Eco Experience and costs approximately $1,000 for one week.

By monitoring the ecosystem, you'll see that climate change is most visible at the Edge of the Arctic, as EarthWatch calls this expedition. Volunteers are stationed near Canada's Churchill river, near the geographical center of the North American continent. From the tundra to the forests, volunteers measure snowpack, monitor plant development and, during downtime, even learn how to build an igloo. (Your own accommodations will be a little warmer: Volunteers stay in modern dormitories.) Your research will be used by scientists to monitor ecosystem responses to global warming. There are trips scheduled for 2010 and 2011. The price is $3,050. Find out about more EarthWatch volunteer vacations.

There's no more intimate way to explore the wilderness of Montana than by helping to build and maintain trails there. You can volunteer for as little as one day or weekend, or you can spend a week backpacking in the Western Montana wilderness. Families and people of all different ages are welcome — in fact, the youngest volunteer was 8 years old and the oldest was 89. Volunteers clear and maintain trails during the day and have plenty of time to bond with campmates at night, during meals cooked together and in classes such as "Wildflower ID" or "Tracks and Scat." Overnight trips require a refundable deposit and volunteers must bring their own gear — but the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation does not charge for its volunteer trips. Most meals are provided, too. Check out upcoming trips at the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation Website.

Maintaining ancient forests in England, protecting wetlands in Germany, building nests on the Black Sea in Bulgaria: These are not your typical European vacation activities. But each promises an unforgettable experience. Toss out your travel guidebooks and explore a foreign country while helping to protect it with a BTCV Conservation Holiday. (That acronym used to stand for British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, but now they simply go by BTCV.) The organization offers conservation holidays around the world but focuses mainly in the U.K. and other parts of Europe. Trip prices range from approximately $70 to $1,000, and the trips can last from 2-15 days.

The Colorado Trail was built by volunteers, back in the mid-1980s, and each summer volunteer groups organized by the Colorado Trail Foundation set out to remove downed trees, fix signs and markers, educate trail users and generally keep the trails open for everyone to use. Volunteer vacationers camp out in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, cooking, eating and working together. Trips are available for weekends ($25) or full weeks ($50). Find out more information from the Colorado Trail Foundation.

To participate in this project, you won't have to keep up with the speedy cheetahs (which can dash at speeds over 70 miles per hour). You just help save them from local extinction in Namibia. EarthWatch volunteers are based in Eland's Joy, the headquarters of the Cheetah Conservation Fund. This area is the last stronghold of the wild cheetah, so it's the perfect place to conduct wildlife surveys, feed and care for captive cheetahs and spread the word about cheetah conservation to the local people. There are trips planned for 2010; the cost is between $4,250 - $5,750. Learn more about volunteer expeditions at EarthWatch.org.

The Sloop Clearwater is more than a replica of a Dutch ferry; it's the flagship of the environmental movement on the Hudson River. Forty years old in 2009, the sloop works to educate school children about water quality issues in the Hudson and beyond. True to the vision of its founder, Pete Seeger, the sloop is also home to a merry bunch of singers. Volunteers can spend a week learning to sail, and helping the crew with everything from cooking meals to hoisting the sail to -- of course, teaching children. Clearwater also needs volunteers for its annual Hudson River Revival, a weekend-long music festival in June. Volunteers must be 16 years or older and be prepared for physical activity. The cost is $100, which covers all meals and admittedly cramped accommodations. For information about volunteering on board the sloop, and to download an application, visit clearwater.org.

Avid scuba divers interested in taking an active role in the conservation of the coral reefs have been deep-sea volunteering for over 10 years with Reef Check. In fact, according to its Website, in 1997 Reef Check "conducted the first-ever global survey of coral reef health that provided scientific confirmation that our coral reefs were in crisis due to over-fishing, illegal fishing, and pollution." Experienced divers who want to help preserve the reefs for future generations help collect data used for education and scientific research. Reef Check trip locations for 2010 include Oman and Honduras. Trips are usually 1-2 weeks, and the average price for a trip is around $2,000 (not including airfare).

All over the United States, forest trails need volunteers' support. What better way to do this than by joining the American Hiking Society? For a membership fee of $275, you receive Backpacker and Hiker magazines, discounts on gear and access to any of its volunteer vacations — all trips include food and lodging — taking place all over the country. Some particularly beautiful vacation spots include the Virgin Islands and San Francisco, and due to recent natural disasters, there are many trails in desperate need of repair in the southern states. Volunteers can expect to clear invasive species and to build and maintain trails and bridges. To find more information about American Hiking Society, visit its Website.

Do you ever wonder where your organic food comes from? The World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program gives you the opportunity to work at an organic farm in exchange for room and board. Don't worry if your farming experience is limited to visiting your local farmers' market; this program encourages the exchange of agricultural knowledge, so no previous farm experience is necessary. Once you've paid the annual fee for membership ($20), you can access a directory of more than 1,000 U.S. farms looking for volunteers — including farms in Alaska, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Typically, you'll be expected to work one half day in exchange for each night of room and board; most housing is indoors in your host family's farmhouse or in a nearby cabin. Join WWOOF or preview of some of the host farms on its Website.

Across the world, shark and crocodile populations are being threatened. The Oceanic Society's goal is protect sharks and crocodiles, and other endangered species, by working with local groups and universities to research and collect data on the animals and to eventually translate this data into policy proposals. Volunteers on these projects will be living in the Turneffe Atoll area of Belize and participating in such activities as counting crocodile hatchlings and deploying underwater cameras. In their free time, volunteers can explore beautiful Belize and try activities like snorkeling among the coral reefs. The Belize Dolphin research trip and the Belize Crocodile Research trip cost $1,975. More trips are available through the Oceanic Society.

From Mexico to Canada, the diverse Pacific Crest Trail weaves through California, Oregon and Washington, covering all kinds of terrain — from deserts to snow-covered landscapes to old-growth forests. As a volunteer, you'll work hard to maintain and rebuild the trail. Projects include cutting brush and building stone and wood structures. Volunteer opportunities are available all along the 2,650-mile trail. The Pacific Crest Trail Association provides all meals and does not charge a fee for its volunteer vacations. Most trips last 1-2 weeks, but there are certain opportunities to work for one day or weekend. All ages are welcome. A list of upcoming trips is available on the Pacific Crest Trail Association Website.

Read up on your volunteer vacation adventure with these great resources: Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others 700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die: A Traveler's Guide Ecotourists Save the World: The Environmental Volunteer's Guide to More Than 300 International Adventures to Conserve, Preserve, and Rehabilitate Wildlife and Habitats Got a great volunteer vacation story? Tell us all about it in the comments section.