Frommer’s 500 PLACES WHERE YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Frommer's 7 December 2009

"Every time you make an effort, you shift the world-and cause change in bigger ways than you imagined possible." - Andrew Mersmann, author of Frommer's 500 Places Where You Can Make a Difference

Plan those New Year resolutions and make a profound difference in how you travel next year with help from a new guidebook - Frommer's® 500 Places Where You Can Make a Difference - published today.

As public awareness on sustainable issues such as climate change and animal species extinction, is rapidly growing so is the interest in ‘voluntourism' or service travel. Gap years are no longer exclusive to gap year students or philanthropic celebrities. With a new generation of ‘sabbat-packers' taking advantage of unpaid leave to do something challenging, more people than ever before are looking to take an inspirational and constructive break. Frommer's® 500 Places Where You Can Make a Difference offers extraordinary and innovative ways to holiday while also making a positive impact on the world.

The £12.99 guidebook provides a wide range of suggestions for a volunteering holiday at home or around the world, many of which can be done in a one or two-week span. From working on an archaeological dig in Cornwall or collecting scientific recordings on the whales and dolphins in Scotland, to caring for orphans in Delhi, this unique and detailed guide has ideas to suit every personality and age range. The book also gives useful and up to date information on costs and advice on how to pick the right trip, suggestions of sites to visit nearby as well as trip provider contact details.

More examples from among the 500 ideas in the book include:
Restoring a medieval village in Italy
For those inspired by rolling hills and old villages, olive fields and vineyards, this trip offers the chance to preserve a medieval way of life for generations to come. Volunteers will join a team to restore and transform the hamlet of Torri Superiore into an ecological village and cultural research centre.

Living with Maasai People in Kenya
Live with and support the Maasai Tribe in southwestern Kenya. Volunteers will stay with the tribe for a two-week programme modeled after the Peace Corps. Participants will spend time on safari excursions, help in the schools, assist in the medical clinic and work towards the expansion and development of the village.

Archaeological dig in Cornwall, England
Grandkids from 14 years old and up can team up with their grandparents to work on this archaeological site. The trip will teach basic excavation technique, and will give volunteers hands-on experience. Other activities include lectures and educational presentations by world-renowned experts.

Whale and Dolphin recording in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
The Cetacean Research and Rescue unit will take volunteers out to spot the wildlife, record their behaviour and location as well as making note of pod behaviours. When back on shore the data will be analysed and compared to other results to track developments.

Teaching global
There are opportunities to teach the English language and other skills around the world. Locations include Fiji, Brazil, Peru, Ghana, India and Vietnam. Helpers can immerse themselves in small-town, local culture whilst they teach individuals, or a class full of students, all wanting to work on grammar and vocabulary. Other skills to teach include swimming, music and sport.

Caring for baby elephants in Sri Lanka
Located near Buddhist monasteries in the island's hill country, the elephant orphanage covers 25 acres of lush forest. Volunteers will play a hands-on role in supporting the mental and physical health of the elephants. Tasks will include bathing the animals in the river, maintaining the enclosures and bottle-feeding the babies.

Giant Panda Conservation in China
Assist at the Befengxia Panda Base, which opened in 2003. During their time in the mountains volunteers stay in a hostel and are trained in the care of pandas. Participants might be asked to do a range of tasks, from cleaning enclosures to preparing their vegetarian diet, gathering and recording behavioural data and interacting with parent and baby pandas.

Amazon Rainforest Conservation in Peru
Volunteers will live and work in a thatched roof conservation centre, and get on-the-job training with conservationists. Supporters will be helping on jobs such as population studies, mammal observations and cutting new paths through the jungle.

Preserve targeted historic structures in the Caribbean
Caribbean history is rich in arts, folklore and monuments. Volunteers will help to preserve many of the great structures scattered throughout the Caribbean islands with tasks vary from photographing historic civic structures in the Dominican Republic, recording the Jewish cemetery in Jamaica, contributing to light construction and restoration and mapping plantation sites.

Andrew Mersmann is available for interviews and can speak about:

o How to decide what type of volunteer holiday is best for you
o Discounts and perks offered by hotels as a reward for your volunteer work
o Volunteer vacation opportunities across the globe
o Family-friendly trips that will open your children's eyes to the world
o Unique and lesser known volunteer experiences, such as the Homeless World Cup Soccer
o Tournament, becoming a ranch volunteer, or bringing circus arts to at-risk youth
o Celebrity-inspired volunteer holidays such as Richard Gere's Heroes Project in India or Paul Newman's The Hole in the Wall Gang camps for children with serious medical conditions

-Ends-

For further information or images please contact:
Emma Knott / bgb / eknott@wiley.com / 01243 770305
Lucy Pennington / bgb / lpennington@bgb.co.uk / 020 7902 2990

About the author:
Andrew Mersmann has volunteered on service projects ranging from working and living with the homeless on Los Angeles' Skid Row to saving stranded pilot whales in Key West to a humanitarian excursion by horseback in Rajasthan, India. He is a travel writer and Editor in Chief of Passport Magazine and blogs at www.changebydoing.com.
Watch author Andrew Mersmann discuss the book on YouTube! http://bit.ly/GkMxQ

About Frommer's®
The market leader in travel guides, Frommer's has a guide for every type of traveller-from the sophisticated world traveller to the first-time student traveller on a tight budget. Frommer's publishes more than 300 guides and sells 2.5 million guides annually, reaching 7 million travellers who count on Frommer's for exact prices, savvy trip-planning, sightseeing advice, dozens of detailed maps, and candid reviews of hotels and restaurants in every price range. Frommer's-the best trips start here. Frommers.com is a comprehensive, opinionated travel resource featuring more than 3,500 world destinations. For more information, visit frommers.com. Frommer's is a registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Frommer's is a branded imprint of Wiley.

About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfil their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Peace. Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.

 

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