Many students today are interested in doing something beneficial over their spring break. While it can be relaxing to hang out by a pool, why not spend the week helping others? There are many programs available for students that give them the opportunity to travel, have fun, and give back at the same time. You can choose from hundreds of alternative break locations both in the United States and abroad.

Going International

For the adventurous student, going abroad for alternative spring break can be a great experience. Many organizations exist to help plan international alternative spring break trips.

For example, Cross Cultural Solutions has full-time staff in foreign locations that are available to meet students the minute they step off the plane. Students are housed in a central location which is safe, and they don’t have to worry about transportation or food. In addition to being able to volunteer in a variety of projects, students also have the opportunity to learn about a new culture, try the local cuisine, and explore the area. Some popular locations include Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Russia, Thailand, among others.

If you want to volunteer internationally but you are uncomfortable doing it alone, many organizations give you the option of making plans as groups to give you the best alternative spring break experience possible.

Within the United States

If going abroad isn’t in your budget, consider volunteering closer to home. The United Way, for example, hosts several alternative spring break locations in the United States. In Newark, New Jersey, spring break volunteers can work with local education providers. They spend the week helping youth gain knowledge and skills needed to suceed academically. In Tucson, Arizona volunteers work with children in the Boys and Girls Clubs on a variety of projects.

Another organization that has thousands of students volunteering each year is Habitat for Humanity. This organization works around the country, building housing for lower income families. They always need volunteers and are very happy to work with students. Most states have Habitat for Humanity locations, making it an easy volunteer option for students. Early in the year, their website posts a list of locations. Many of them are rural locations, but they do provide housing for students.

University-sponsored locations

In addition to these organizations, many colleges offer their own version of alternative spring break. Look at the service organizations sponsored by the school to see if this may be an option. Usually these organizations will raise money during the year to cover the cost of the trip. There is typically only one location, but transportation and housing are usually paid for and the trip leaders plan fun activities in addition to working.

For socially minded students who are looking to give back to their community during a week off, consider one of these alternative break locations. There are many options available, both close to home and across the world for low or no cost. Spending a week volunteering will be a great use of your week full of new experiences and challenges. There are a variety of resources to help you choose alternative spring break program that will help you evaluate your options and decide whether an alternative spring break is the right choice for you.

Alternative Breaks - Find Alternative Spring Break Opportunities

For some, spring break depicts a picture of white sand beaches, out of town vacations, joy rides and travelling around the world. But if you are a typical student who wants to engage with something purposeful during spring breaks, then you may find volunteering to be the perfect alternative way to spend your week. So why volunteer over spring break? What benefits can it bring you aside from having memorable experiences?

Reasons to Choose an Alternative Spring Break

Challenge yourself

You can only appreciate how useful it is to volunteer for a good cause if you are aware of what changes it can bring about for yourself and for the people around you. One of the biggest benefits of doing voluntary services comes from challenging yourself. Putting the greater good ahead of having a fun time is a choice that requires dedication. But if you’re like most students, you’ll come out of the experience not only knowing that you helped others, but you’ll also walk away with lessons that you’ll draw on for the rest of your life. You’ll see for yourself that one individual can, in fact, make a difference in the world.

Learn new skills

Another benefit is that you can learn new things. Learning does not only take place within the walls of a classroom; it can happen anywhere, anytime. ‘Experience is the best teacher’ — that’s what you always hear from your teachers, and they say it for a reason. Taking an alternative spring break gives you the perfect opportunity to learn while doing, which will help you develop new skills and acquire more knowledge and awareness of the world through the new experiences you’ll go through.

Make new friends

Alternative spring break trips bring together a group of like-minded students, so it’s a great way to get to meet new friends. You may also be so fortunate as to have the opportunity to build good relationships with people in the community that you serve. By sharing a challenging experience and working together towards a common goal, you’ll get to know each other quickly, learn how to trust each other, and even learn about what life is like for them. It will help you understand different people and their culture, and despite your differences you may even walk away with some life-long friends.

Explore your passions

Another reason for choosing to take an alternative spring break is that you get to explore your passions and interests. When you commit to volunteering, you’ll get to experience what it’s really like to do the type of work that you chose. You’ll get to assess your own skills in some areas, too: for example, if you spend your week teaching students you’ll get to see not only whether you like the work, but whether you do it well and achieve your goals. Spending a week trying out a new job is one of the best ways to figure out whether to make a career out of it. From there, you can get the courage to go out and explore it in the real world.

Building your resume

Many colleges and employers prefer applicants who have strong community involvement. By choosing to spend your time volunteering to help others, you demonstrate your caring and commitment to a better world as well as your willingness to forego immediate pleasure for yourself in exchange for making a greater impact on the world.

Your alternative spring break location will give them information about you, too. By choosing a location that you’re unfamiliar with or that is far from home, you show that you’re curious, brave and willing to stand on your own and take some risks.

Above all, helping other people is the most precious reward you can ever get. Never underestimate your abilities as an individual, thinking that you are only just a drop of water in the sea. That sea would still be less because of a missing drop. Moreover, what seems to be a small thing to you can mean so much to others. So if you’re inspired to make a difference, there’s no reason to stay at home for your spring break. Go out and explore the world and use your skills to make it a better place.

Alternative Breaks - Find Alternative Spring Break Opportunities

When the words “spring break” are spoken, raucous parties with tequila and bikini-clad women usually come to mind. While a large number of students actually do spend their break this way, an increasingly large number of students are choosing alternative spring breaks in which they spend their week off as volunteers in communities in need.

How to Find an Alternative Spring Break

Alternative spring breaks give you the chance to make a difference in the world you live in and you can choose to work on the issues that are most important to you, as there are a wide variety of programs addressing the issues facing our world. Such trips also give you a chance to sharpen up your resume by gaining new skills and experiences.

The first place to start investigating available trips, costs and discounts is to ask for information at your college or university. Your study abroad office or student affairs office may already offer a program that will interest you.

If your school does not offer an alternative spring break program, or if their programs don’t inspire you, reach out to non-profits that do work that interests you. Many non-profits organize alternative spring breaks and they might provide unique options for trips not available through your own school.

There are also many privately operated tour companies that run alternative spring break trips for students. The organizations providing these opportunities usually charge higher fees, but they take care of most of the planning work so that there is little or no effort required on your part. They also help you with learning how to fund raise for your trip, if necessary.

This list of alternative spring break ideas from About.com goes into even more detail about the places where you can volunteer and will help you start to narrow down your options.

Keep in mind that the fees you’ll have to pay for an alternative spring break trip can vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. The cost will depend a lot on where go, who runs your trip, how long you stay and what you plan to do when you’re there. Check out a variety of alternative spring break programs to compare pricing and options to get the best bang for your buck.

Choosing a destination

The places you can go to lend a helpful hand for a worthy cause vary and depend on whether you want your trip to be within the country or international. Your options are usually determined by the organization offering the program.

If you choose a domestic trip, it can be a great opportunity to visit parts of your own country that you’ve never been to before. Almost every community is in need of some help, and that need can surge at a moment’s notice. For example, about 35000 students from around the United States ended up going to New Orleans, Louisiana to lend a helping hand during Hurricane Katrina’s devastating aftermath.

Worldwide travels enable you to help others while visiting far-off continents like Africa, Asia, and South America! While there, you can make an impact helping with serious issues affecting a community, such as the AIDS pandemic, hunger, child abuse and even homelessness.

No need to wait

Alternative spring breaks have become so popular that it is easy to find programs and organizations that will help you spend your spring break doing good. In fact, the hardest part may be choosing between all the wonderful options you’ll find and deciding where to go! Remember: you don’t have to wait to graduate to have a life-changing experience and start making a difference in the world.

Alternative Breaks - Find Alternative Spring Break Opportunities