Brits plan to give holiday time to volunteering

One in five Brits say they will give at least some of their holiday time to volunteering this year.

Those donating their annual leave will dedicate an average 32 ½ hours – the equivalent of over 4 full workdays – to good causes in 2023.

And while many among them (77%) will help with projects within their own communities, a quarter (24%) will venture to other UK destinations and one in 10 will join volunteering projects overseas.

That equates to more than one in every 20 (6%) Britons planning to travel away from their homes to go on a volunteering holiday, with this group dubbed ‘voluntourists’.

The poll of over 2,000 people by the Spirit of Highlands and Islands project shows that of those voluntourists, almost half (45%) will give their time to environmental causes such as rewilding and beach cleaning; 45% plan to work with children; and a third (34%) with animals or on animal conservation projects.

Aston spoke to travel writer Laurie Goodlad.

Photo by Timo Stern on Unsplash