A DIFFERENT HOLIDAY

A DIFFERENT HOLIDAY

Mike Wood spent his last holiday in the Honduras forests. He was helping farmers there. This isn’t most people’s idea of a relaxing vacation but many people choose to spend their holidays like this. They like helping others while they are on holiday. There are many different types of work. These kinds of holidays are called “volunteer vacations” and this kind of tourism is called “voluntourism.” Many people prefer these kinds of holidays now. Some people spend their vacations building houses or schools. Others work at refugee camps or orphanages. Now there are even travel companies and organizations to help people plan these trips. They help people travel to different parts of the world to help others. The travellers are not only middle-aged people. Young people also want to travel to help too. Mike Wood is a history teacher in America. For his last holiday he went on a trip with a group called SHI. Mike paid $1,000 for his 12-day trip. This did not include his airline ticket. He stayed in a village for one week. There was no electricity, running water or cell phone services in the village. He woke up at six o’clock every morning to help people dig holes to plant trees in Honduras. Peggy Fuller went to Sri Lanka to build houses in 2005. This was after a tsunami hit the area. Fuller spent a few weeks there. She helped people build houses. “I probably wasn’t much help at all,” said Fuller. “I wasn’t there very long. But to see the people’s faces—they were so

happy we were helping them. That’s something you don’t forget.”