lonely planet -volunteer abroad guide

payment, which will give you far greater peace of mind. If you are paying an agent to man-
age your property, they will collect rent monthly and forward it to your bank.

Utilities
If you are using an agent, in the UK they will transfer accounts for utilities like gas,
electricity and water into the tenant’s name. Otherwise, the tenants will need to do it
themselves once you have arranged for utilities to be disconnected. If you are volunteer-
ing only for a short time, you may prefer to leave accounts in your own name and get bills
forwarded to the tenant to pay. The risk, though, is that the tenant won’t cough up, in
which case the responsibility is yours. The telephone is the biggest gamble; you may decide
to stipulate that the tenant use their mobile and stop your line or switch it to incoming
calls only.

Inspections & Repairs
If you are letting privately, you would be wise to appoint a friend to be on stand-by should
anything go wrong, such as the hot water service breaking down. Ask them to inspect the
property – every three to six months is the norm for real estate agents. If you are employ-
ing a managing agent, they will normally do this, but it is still advisable to ask a friend to
be your agent’s main point of contact while you’re away.

Leaving Your House Empty
If you are volunteering for a short period, it may not be feasible to let your house and you
may decide to leave it empty. If so, be sure to appoint a friend to keep a regular eye on it.
One of the biggest problems with leaving a house empty is insurance. Most normal policies
state that a house must not be left empty for more than 30 days (some say 60).

House-Sitters
Another option is to get a friend or relative to look after your house, pets and garden in
return for rent-free accommodation. There are also a number of companies that provide
professional house-sitting services, but this is an expensive option and probably not
feasible for more than a couple of weeks.

Vehicle

What you do with your car, van or motorbike depends on how long you intend to be away.
If it’s just a few months, your best option is to leave the car in the garage or at a friend’s
or relative’s place and ask them to drive it around the block once or twice. Note that they
need to be nominated drivers on your insurance policy.
Amanda Allen-Toland was in Bangkok volunteering while her car stayed behind in
Sydney with her mother. Amanda says:

She turned on the engine occasionally and looked after it. Fortunately, sorting out things
like insurance and registration was a piece of cake because it’s done online.

Many volunteers going away for a year or two decide to sell their cars, adding welcome
cash to their volunteering funds. Another option is to lend the car to a friend while you are
away. Again, there can be insurance snags but they are not insuperable.

Other Transport
If you have an annual or seasonal rail, bus or tram pass and are leaving before it expires,
you can try applying for a refund by returning to the ticket office where it was bought.
Your refund is typically calculated from the day you show up at the issuing office.

Partner & Children

If you have a partner and children, you may need to time your volunteering to fit in

around them. In the case of your partner, there may be an optimum time for you to vol-

unteer abroad simultaneously, or you may decide to spend the time apart. Antonia Stokes,

who spent four months in Namibia, had just started a relationship when she left the UK:

I’d been planning the trip for over a year so decided to go ahead with it and leave my

boyfriend behind. A break of three or four months can improve a relationship, or at least

expose the issues in it. It definitely pushes you to make decisions about your future.

Alternatively, of course, you may be wanting to volunteer abroad because you have just

split up with a partner. Travel can be a great healer and spending time away an ideal way to

cement the break.

Volunteering with children is slightly more complicated, depending on their ages and

whether they are at school or not. Some parents decide to volunteer during the school

holidays, which is easier than longer-term volunteering where you’ll need to make deci-

sions about schooling your child abroad. Teaching your children yourself is not an easy

option if you are volunteering full-time. For information about international schools or

local schools, contact your embassy in the country you plan to be in. And, as always, health

and safety issues will be paramount with children. Lonely Planet’s Travel with Children

contains more information on being abroad with a family.

Making a Will

It may not be the cheeriest subject, but if you don’t already have a will you should make

one before you depart (the country that is, not this world). If you don’t make one and

you die intestate (ie will-less), your family and loved ones could end up with little. Your

partner is particularly vulnerable if you are cohabiting but not married.

You can buy a DIY will kit from stationers or newsagents. However, solicitors claim they

make more money out of unravelling DIY wills than they do drawing them up. So, for a

fee, why not do it properly and get yourself a solicitor? Whatever method you choose, give

your friends and relatives copies of your will, or tell them where copies are kept – your will

is of little use if it’s never found.

Turtle tagging around the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean with Biosphere Expeditions

Photo: http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org

04: Tying Up Loose Ends:

Vehicle