Hands Up Holidays is endorsed by Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop
'See The World & Make A Difference In It'
"I met the founder, Christopher Hill, of an inspiring travel company called Hands Up Holidays – who offer trips that blend sightseeing with authentic, meaningful interactions with local communities through ‘tasters’ of volunteering...For an adventure that counts I recommend Hands Up Holidays!"
(Read more...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Voluntourism: a guilt trip?'
"By day three, I’m on first-name terms with at least a dozen of the older children, and dangling a toddler off every fingertip. Some are even catching snakes just for me – one has a full-grown toad inside it. I’d trade any number of riverboat cruises and five-star suppers in Kanchanaburi to spend a few more days here.
But it’s time to go. On balance, I reckon I’ve got more out of my stay than the Baan Dada orphans. But I will definitely do more volunteering - and Chris later confides that, with short-term volunteers, that’s secretly the point."
(Read more...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Did Imogen and I contribute much to Bali Island through our volunteering? Not enough - we should have spent more time planting and less birdwatching. I’m sure we got a lot more out of India than we gave back - and both of us are desperate to go back, especially if we can repeat the experience of staying in - and becoming part of - a small community again. But the low impact, sustainable tourism practised by Help Tourism and Hands Up Holidays is bringing money into the area, improving education and health services and hopefully convincing the Indian government that the Sunderbans – and its most royal resident – are worth preserving."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Queensland: The turtle rescue centre that gives an insight into the Aboriginal way of living'
"Aboriginal camp ranger Lawry Booth is utterly passionate about the turtles – and ensures that our nights are spent on Flinders Beach wallowing in their majestic presence. We watch as they nest, we count and measure the turtles' unhatched eggs – noting those that have been disturbed – and when a nest erupts we count hatchlings (they feel like warm, soft leather). In between the action, we flop on the sand and try to locate the Southern Cross in the brightest star-filled skies I've ever seen."
(Read more...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Passports, Tickets, Conscience'
"The travel industry, is shaping up to extend the season of giving and compassion. Volunteering, or “voluntourism” as it is sometimes known to those with a shorter commitment, is on the rise...On Sunday, in Laos, I gave one-to-one conversation classes to a handful of earnest youths. All were drawn from several of northern Laos’ many minority groups, children for whom English is often a third language.
It was then, finally, that I felt truly useful, utility matched to ability, and saw that rewarding glimmer of light in pupils’ eyes when they realised they really could converse with a foreigner."
(Read more...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hands Up Holidays 'Sunderbans Smiles' trip named 'Ultimate Eco Trip'
"Guests in this brave new breaking-down-the-barriers type of tourism can spend part of their time spotting flora, fauna and tigers, or on conservation projects...which means it's a win-win-win situation"
(Read more...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Avoiding the Guilt Trips on a Feel-Good Holiday'
"The number of people inspired to spend their holidays doing something for others is rising...Doing something "worthwhile" with your annual leave has always held a certain appeal for those with a social conscience: digging a well in an African village, perhaps, or painting an orphanage in India has got to be a better way to spend time than lying on a beach topping up the tan.
(Read more...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Good Times With Good Deeds'
"In just a few days, apart from the practical help, visitors bring as many insights and as much cultural enlightenment as they take away. It is a fair exchange and one worth putting your hands up for."(Read more...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIDEO!
New Zealand's leading Primetime Current Affairs show, Campbell Live, made a mini-documentary about our Fiji trips (View it here...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
, New Zealand's leading newspaper's travel editor profiles Hands Up Holidays and its founder, Christopher Hill.
"...Such occasions can be even more rewarding if you're able to give something back to the community that has made you welcome by doing something such as - in the case of the Fijian visit - providing books for the school and clothes for the children."
(Read more...) and "This firm provide opportunities for both sightseeing and aid in places as varied as Tibet, Uganda, Vanuatu, Guatemala and Laos. After a look around the area, you'll team up with local aid projects and do jobs like teaching, building, office work or childcare. On the Borneo trip you'll spend time trekking in the bush and riding in longboats before working on a community development project, alternating doing renovations and teaching English, while staying in the headman's section of the tribal longhouse every night."read even more...
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