Short Term Volunteer Placements Change the Face of Meaningful Travel

Interest in career breaks has shot through the roof in the last couple of years and industry experts are forecasting an increasing demand for the rest of 2006. Professionals wanting to take some time out of the rat race are stepping on the toes of traditional ‘gappers’ in the search of a meaningful experience. Martin Anslow, organiser of the Adventure Travel & Sport Show said: "We are seeing a phenomenal rise in the number of people who are turning their backs on traditional holidays and choosing instead to take an adventure holiday or career break based around helping others and the environment."

This new influx of travellers is helping to shape the future of many gap year companies, who traditionally offered long term placements. Now many companies are starting to offer shorter more flexible placements lasting from 2-4 weeks. Amongst one of the first companies to embrace this change is Sheffield based organisation ProWorld. Their new 2 week programmes are designed for those who want to ‘make a difference’ during their holidays but are not able to take extended periods of time off work. Over 25 different projects exist, ranging from conservation in Belize to education in Mexico. Andrea Leitch, UK Director of Marketing for ProWorld said “People are becoming more and more aware of the world around them; they are starting to tire of beach holidays, they to want experience new cultures and feel like they are making a difference!”