The Concept
Hands Up Holidays is all about giving you amazing holiday experiences that combine eco-sightseeing with a meaningful 'taste' of volunteering.
These volunteer adventures are for you if:
Most of these trips are upmarket, some of them even luxurious in terms of accommodation, as we know that this is your holiday, and volunteering does not have to involve sleeping on the floor - although we can arrange this if you prefer, and will gladly tailormake a trip to suit your budget and requirements.
The volunteering portion of your trip is generally 4 days out of a 14 day trip - not enough time to save the world, but sufficient to make a positive impact, rub shoulders with the local people, and have your worldview challenged.
It is our hope that after experiencing a Hands Up Holiday you will feel inspired to volunteer for a longer period somewhere (even in your home town), or become a lifelong advocate or donor for the Community Development project you got involved with.
Hands Up Holidays is a founding member of the Ethical Tour Operators Group, part of Tourism Concern that is committed to sustainable tourism that benefits local communities and the environment.
Hands Up Holidays is a fully bonded and licensed member of ATOL, number 9675.
Come and join us for your Adventure That Counts!
The Founder - Christopher Hill
I founded Hands Up Holidays to give travellers the opportunity to not only see amazing sights, but also to have authentic interaction with local people and give something back in a “hands on” way to local communities.
In my life I have been blessed to have had some incredible travel experiences in over 50 countries, from African sunsets on safari, to swimming with dolphins, to hiking up volcanoes and even gasping for breath at the top of the Himalayas.
But as amazing as those experiences are, the ones that have stuck with me most clearly is the times when I have engaged in meaningful ways with the local people: becoming the official photographer at a village wedding in a remote section of North-East Vietnam, sharing chai with Indian farmers, sheeshah with Touareg nomads or copious brandys with gracious Serbian hosts are memories I cherish.
And yet, when these interactions are overlaid with me giving back to the communities through volunteering, they became incredibly fulfilling, enriching, inspiring...and life changing. Experiences such as helping build a house in South Africa and teaching English to my host family in a home-stay in Guatemala are great examples, and the lifelong friends I have made as a result and lives changed were the catalyst for leaving my job in corporate finance in London and setting up Hands Up Holidays.
I set up Hands Up Holidays to make it easy for you, fellow travellers, to have incredible sightseeing experiences and dig a little deeper into a community and give back in ways that enable you to make a positive impact in 3-5 days.
I am passionate about you having superb travel experiences through Hands Up Holidays. Expect to have an amazing holiday with us, while at the same time being challenged to look at the world in a new light.
That’s why we are Hands Up Holidays – Adventures That Count…for you, and the community.
Christopher Hill
Managing Director and Founder
View an introduction to what Hands Up Holidays is all about.
A mini-documentary about a Hands Up Holiday in Fiji
Watch a TV news clip about the launch of Hands Up Holidays