Travel and tourism is the world’s largest and fastest growing industry today. A new trend in this industry is the volunteer vacation known as voluntourism.

The Volunteer Vacation

While abroad visitors work with various charities to coordinate community efforts to aid the local community. Some vacation goers assist with agricultural or environmental aid, replanting forests or grasslands or working with the animal populations. Others assist in humanitarian efforts such as building or restoring homes, orphanages, or hospitals. Still other volunteers assist in local medical clinics, delivering much needed medical supplies and care. But not all of the trip is work and special care is given to ensure volunteers are given adequate time to enjoy and explore their foreign surroundings.

Financial Incentives for Volunteers

To make the most of the volunteer skills, some organizations offer financial assistance and incentives for a potential volunteers. For volunteers with medical training, construction experience or prior humanitarian experience, special volunteer opportunities exist in the form of grants and other financial assistance.

Companies such as Travelocity, through the Sabre Holdings Foundation, award grants up to $5,000 for volunteers. The Omprakas Foundation offers grants to defray travel and living expenses for volunteers. There are even grants and financial aid through the United Nations volunteer program.

In addition to financial aid, many organizations who charter these volunteer travel vacations often provide heavily discounted rates at local accommodations and restaurants as well as special tour packages. The combination of financial aid and discounts can make the difference for someone who desires to volunteer, but does not have the financial means to do so.

Katrina Thompson and her mother, Kerry Thompson, 68, are taking volunteerism to new heights. That’s because each has officially been assigned a task by Vancouver Olympics officials on and around the Whistler ski resort during competitions.

Kerry’s responsibility will be keeping fans orderly that attend the Whistler Sliding Center and its luge and bobsleigh track clear of debris.

Katrina, a West Seattle High School class of ’87 graduate and former Alki resident, will be stationed in the Whistler Media Center, armed with computers, three monitors, two printers, and seven copiers.

“I’ll be sort of the hub for media,” said Katrina, an IT consultant for Avanade Inc. “A huge contingency of media from all over the world will stop by the Media Center to pick up printouts of the results from skiing, luge, curling, hockey, and other sports. I print those out. You’d think they’d prefer to get the information electronically somehow, but no. They want the sheets of paper in their hands.”

Katrina said that judges, coaches, athletes, and others receive similar printouts at the various venues where they participate, while she will deal exclusively with media requests.

“It’s thrilling,” Katrina said. “I have an all-access pass. I am most interested in watching the newer sports, like snowboarders doing tricks. Mom and I are like Olympians in our own little way.”

In addition to passes, they get winter jackets, pants, two shirts, a fleece vest, jacket, and hat which they get to keep, and one free meal a day. Volunteers must seek and pay for accommodations. Katrina and Kerry are two of some 25,000 volunteers selected. Most are local Canadians who live in the area, while only 200 or so volunteers have been selected from Washington State.

“Two summers ago when I was watching the Beijing Olympics on TV a commercial came on and said, ‘The Vancouver Olympics are only 530 days away. Register to see if you’re fit,’” recalled Katrina. “I had to fill out this super long application and was given three phone interviews. It was over a year before we were given a spot.”

Katrina is not always on the sidelines during athletic competitions. Every Sunday she tries to shave a bit of time off her 5K runs at the West Seattle Track where she participates with the Seattle Frontrunners, a gay-oriented running and walking club. She also plays soccer as she had done in high school.

Katrina’s partner, Jennifer Thompson, a graduate from Seattle Lutheran, is an event planner at the Sanctuary, that ornate brick landmark building, the former Christian Science church at 42nd and Lander, across from Hiawatha Playfield. Their son, Lewis, turns two years-old Feb. 22 and Katrina and Kerry will drive back for the day to celebrate with the rest of the family.

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