Travel and volunteer abroad

My sister will be volunteering overseas India next month and she's very excited and nervous because it’s her first time to volunteer. Can anyone give me some advice for first time volunteers? I would really appreciate it.

Dianne, this really isn't the kind of discussion board that talks about things like that. You are better off seeking other forums for that sort of information. [I wrote this reply when the original post was placed on the Travel Discussion forum.]

I think it would be very worthwhile for you and your sis to do so, as there are a lot of things that would help your sister out if she learned about them BEFORE she went! Save her a lot of misunderstanding, lost opportunities, unintentional rudeness, etc.

I'd recommend that she learn all she can about the culture of the region of India where she is going, and I DON'T mean "culture" like art and music, but "culture" in terms of sociology/psychology/religions/shared values, as well as "culture" in terms of practices/expectations/greetings/niceties/clothing/gestures etc.

If she can take a course in what to expect when relocating to India, or how to conduct business with people from India, even an online course, it might be worth it.

(I know she isn't "relocating" or going there to "do business", but many of these quick-overview courses I am thinking of are pitched at people who are setting out to do those things.)

There are books available too - check Amazon.

There are many subtypes of these books - some are aimed at business managers being sent on expat packages, some are aimed at students going to do exchange programs with schools, some are aimed at religious people who are going to do missionary work, some are aimed at academics who are studying cross-cultural psychology, communications, sociology, anthropology and the like.

Amazon actually doesn't have this area categorized very well, so you can search for hours and think you've seen everything, but really there are huge other sets of books on your topic that you're never even shown, because they are so differently categorized, yet are actually about the same subject. So choose wisely when you are looking up which book(s) to buy.

I'm afraid I don't know much about India, so I can't point you to any particular references.

Always check the state department travel advisories for any region you are traveling to, and call the embassy in the area, ask for the CLO (community liason officer), and ask what to expect! Also ask what local scams to watch out for, the embassy always knows this stuff!

momgoingbroke said: I have never done this overseas, but my first guess would be for her to hook up with a mentor from her organization that has been there, and then find one to hook up with when she gets there. A mentor will provide a good list of dos/don'ts, help her make a packing list, and help her with paperwork. Like NS said, there are probably too few here on FW that have volunteered in India to give you the info you need.

Hello Broke,
Volunteered is really interesting work you can really enjoy on it. By the way thanks for your reply. Have a nice day.

Tips from an Indian..
- Dont drink water (unless it's boiled or from a bottle opened in front of you)
- Dont eat/drink milk products

I would do the things above maybe (since I was in India for the first 14 years of my life), but a foreigner, that would be a big no.

KayK said: Tips from an Indian..
- Dont drink water (unless it's boiled or from a bottle opened in front of you)
- Dont eat/drink milk products

I would do the things above maybe (since I was in India for the first 14 years of my life), but a foreigner, that would be a big no.

I've never lived in India, however I did grow up in some unsanitary third-world countries and I would add leafy vegetables to the list of things I'd be wary of. We used to was lettuce with iodine water.