Voluntourism—traveling with a purpose: Understanding the motives and benefits

Sally A Brown, Purdue University

Abstract

There has been considerable growth in the volunteer vacation concept in the U.S. since around the mid-1980s. Research in this area consisted of three studies that aimed to systematically understand the motives and benefits of travelers that participate in volunteer humanitarian activities while on vacation. The first study consisted of two parts, the first of which was an identification and description of some of the major organizations in the U.S. providing volunteer vacation opportunities. Next the concept of the mini-mission or 'mission lite' was described as a potential means for tour operators to build volunteering into itineraries. An exploratory study was conducted to determine the potential demand for the mission lite concept, which could be instrumental in significantly expanding participation in volunteer vacations in the future. The study's results indicated considerable potential demand for adding a volunteer component as part of the overall vacation experience. The second study centered the literature review specifically on leisure travel motivational scales and how they pertain to and interplay with volunteer tourism. The objectives of this study were three-fold. They were to discover the motivational push factors that drive some leisure tourists to seek volunteer experience during their leisure trip; the perceived benefits that vacation tourists derive from participating in volunteering activities at the destination; and the highlights of the vacation experience with a volunteering component. Using the multi-method approach, four major motivational themes appear to take shape concerning why individuals volunteer while on leisure trips. The third study introduced two new concepts. The first was a new term for this growing phenomenon: Voluntourism. After researching two specific motivational scales in depth, a new model was introduced to give more insight into what motivates individuals to travel in general. The model gives insight into why individuals partake in beach vacations up through a hierarchy to something like a volunteer vacation. The new model uses the acronym of Brown to explain this hierarchy.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Morrison, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Recreation

COinS