Service-Minded Travel

Many travelers express the desire to volunteer or be of service on their international trips, but the volunteering industry has done a great job of making this a confusing, daunting prospect. Shannon started her travels in 2008 with little first-hand knowledge of the volunteering industry, and over the years has made it her mission to help support service-minded travels that work sympathetically with the communities, people, and places travelers visit. This talk is adaptable to the core message you’d like conveyed, but is generally weaves personal stories and industry research to include:

• practical advice for navigating the often confusing volunteering landscape
• emphasis on current development and aid best practices
• illustrative stories and examples to inspire ethical travel situations
• how social enterprises are changing the face of modern development work
• ideas for how travelers can be of service on their travels beyond traditional volunteering

Speech participants will be given a custom online landing page with links and resources they can use to followup on Shannon’s advice and actively plan volunteer travels. Shannon also offers a bulk discount rate on her critically acclaimed book, The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook, which is a perfect accompaniment to the speech.