Best Low Cost Alternative Spring Break Trips

Are you bored with the typical spring break vacation options out there? Are you looking for a personal challenge? Does boosting your social skills, resume and confidence while spending time in a foreign country sound like an amazing opportunity?

If you answered yes to any one of these questions you are ready to make the best decision of your life – and sign up for one of IFRE’s many alternative spring break trips.

You get the best of both worlds; the chance to travel and explore a new culture, but also the knowledge that sharing your time and skills with others leaves a long lasting legacy of positive change for the disadvantaged.

Volunteer with friends or go alone and make new ones on the job, if you are ready for a change the world is definitely ready for you.

IFRE’s alternative spring break trips change lives around the world. Be part of something exciting, worthwhile and rewarding. Call now or contact us to learn more about the projects you want to join.

The Benefits of Volunteering

So if you are keen to do something active, useful and worthwhile during your spring break, signing up on a volunteer abroad program ticks all of those boxes. But what exactly are the benefits, or paybacks, of choosing to take an alternative spring break vacation?

The chance to explore a career path Although teaching English in rural Uganda or helping orphans in Guatemala are worlds away from similar roles in your home country these projects do provide a glimpse into the world of education and childcare.

So if you want to check out a possible future career in these, or animal welfare, health or most other fields volunteering abroad is a good path to follow.

You get to help others Of all the things you have already, or will go on to achieve in your life, there’s nothing as rewarding as knowing your work, time and commitment changed other people’s lives for the better. Those memories are precious beyond words.

Life experience Most of us live in a fairly small bubble, something which spring break alternative trips really challenge. This could be the one chance in your life to see firsthand how people live in other cultures, and to  appreciate the things they value which you may not pay much attention to in your regular life.

You can share your skills Being kind, patient and tolerant, a fluent English speaker, or physically strong and able to build things; whatever skills you bring to the table there’s a alternative spring break service trip project where your skills are the most valuable asset imaginable.

Get more from a travel experience Volunteering abroad on a meaningful and organized project immerses you in the local culture, an experience a regular tourist could never even imagine. This adds a satisfying edge to the travel and sightseeing you get to do while in a foreign country.

IFRE Best Low Cost Alternative Spring Break Trips

Summer volunteer and adventure (4 weeks) in Peru

This 4 week special Peru spring break alternative trip offers an exciting mix of travel, cultural experience and volunteer work with people in the poorest families and communities

. The package includes Spanish lessons and a one week guided tour of Peru, which allows you to experience this magnificent country first hand.

The volunteer program run for 21 days, and you will generally be based at an orphanage or local school, alongside a small group of your peers.

There your daily duties will involve 3-4 hours of teaching English – a valuable language for these children to learn, as well as assisting the youngsters with personal care tasks, and of course organizing fun leisure games and activities with them.

Work with a Community Development Project in Cambodia

IFRE’s Cambodia alternative spring break trips exists to support hard working local Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) which provide much needed community support in areas like education, development and peace.

These projects contribute a lot to the goal of creating a more equal society where everyone has the opportunity to live a comfortable life.

Community development volunteers like you are placed on schemes which best suit your skills and interests, which means you get invaluable hands-on experience and the chance to make a long and lasting difference to these wonderful people.

Engineering students could be helping plan and build things to aid development, while student teachers may well help deliver much needed education to rural children.

Teach English in Rural (Kampala) in Uganda

English teaching Uganda cheap alternative spring break trips operate to provide language classes to disadvantaged kids who would otherwise miss out.

Being able to use English effectively really boosts the chance of a good job in Uganda, but in most cases only rich families can afford to pay for private tuition, leaving poor children locked out of the opportunities offered by the tourism industry.

On this IFRE spring break volunteer abroad project you will support local teachers in the classroom of either a primary or secondary school, working six days a week for 2-3 hours per day. Your ideas for teaching methods and activities will be welcomed, and the students really appreciate having you around to chat to.

Work in an Orphanage (Antigua) in Guatemala

Imagine living in an orphanage with no family around or a guaranteed school place.

IFRE’s Guatemala alternative spring break service trip staff and a local NGO work together to provide a safe, cozy place for some of these children to live in, but there are never enough staff to do everything, so as a volunteer you make a very positive difference to their lives.

The IFRE orphanage volunteer in Guatemala roles are very flexible, with plenty of opportunities for you to share your best talents or favorite activities with the staff and youngsters. You could teach a language, organize craft sessions, paint, cook, play sports, or do pretty much anything else you enjoy.

Teaching English in a Buddhist Temple School (Ayutthaya) in Thailand

On this Thailand alternative spring break trip you have the rare and truly amazing opportunity to be a volunteer English teacher in a Buddhist temple.

The monks fund these schools in their temple grounds to give deprived local children the chance to study, and build a better future for themselves.

Volunteers on this project are able to experience Buddhist culture in a way few people ever can. You don’t need teaching experience to apply, just be a fluent English speaker who has tons of patience and is adaptable to new experiences.

IFRE English teaching volunteers in Thailand can expect to be at a school for around 4-5 hours a day, from Monday to Friday.

Individual workloads are assigned based on your individual experience and interests, and could include teaching basic English conversation to youngsters, helping them with homework, organizing fun extra things to so based around sports, computing, arty or musical  themes, an generally help around the school with daily chores and tasks.

Street Children/Children at Risk in Ecuador

There are huge numbers of vulnerable children in Quito, Ecuador, and many have no home except for the streets. They are all at great risk of being abused in some way, of being hungry and cold, and of falling into a life of crime.

Without the chance to get some education and personal care their future is bleak, and it is someone like you who could make the difference to their future.

Perhaps one of the most rewarding Ecuador alternative spring break service trips IFRE offers, this is your chance to join local workers doing their best to give these kids a chance at a new life.

As a children at risk project volunteer your skills are identified and used in the best way possible. This means you could be teaching young people computer skills, math, music or English, as well as helping with things like cooking.

Mostly it’s about being there for them, providing the attention and care they rarely have the chance to experience. By participating in this volunteer project you help the children feel more like part of regular society, and help them develop useful skills for their future.

Physical Education project in South Africa project

Good health is important to live a productive life, and sports are a great way to get fit, experience team spirit and a sense of achievement, and self discipline.

In disadvantaged areas of Cape Town many children don’t have the opportunity to take part in organized sporting activities, which is why this IFRE South Africa cheap alternative spring break trip is so essential to their future.

As a volunteer you bring your passion and ability for a particular sport to the table. Volunteers who are passionate about everything from football and hockey, to swimming and athletics, are welcome to share their knowledge and coach small groups of children in a focused, organized way.

Volunteer hours could be set between 8am and 3pm, or start later and end around 6pm, depending on the actual activities involved. You will also help run a healthy lifestyle program and join in with team building activities.

Photo Journalism Project in Nepal

One of IFRE’s special Nepal alternative spring break trips, this project is a truly excellent way for you to combine traveling with the chance to gain practical photography experience.

The role involves shadowing and being guided by a professional, and overall is a once in a lifetime opportunity too good to be missed.

As this volunteer in Nepal experience is all about photography you do need to have some knowledge of cameras, and a strong interest in the topic.

Your time will be spent travelling around the country with your mentor, quite possibly on a motorcycle, taking shots of everything from ancient buildings and stunning scenery to cultural festivals.

Health/Medical Projects in Ghana

Can you imagine being denied even basic healthcare treatment simply because there were not enough people round to deliver it?

That’s the situation for many people in the world, but on this Ghana alternative spring break service trip your time and effort can turn this situation around. IFRE volunteers are based in rural areas, and you do not need previous experience to sign up for this worthy project, as you will be supported and supervised where necessary.

As a volunteer you could be assisting midwives, lending a hand in the operating theatre, helping to give out medicines, or even treating minor injuries. You will have the chance to spend time in many different departments, and your help is always appreciated.

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