Looking for an interesting and fun way to spend time with your family, then why not consider volunteering? Imagine walking along an Australian beach at night counting turtle hatchlings for a survey or painting the walls of a rundown orphanage, whilst your children help the orphans with their English. Volunteering offers a unique way to spend time with your brothers and sisters, your sons and daughters, or even the whole extended family while helping a community, a species or the environment.

Hands Up Holidays offers inspiration for family holidays that combine sightseeing with a taste of volunteering. Our journeys strike a balance between a meaningful and educational volunteer experience, and a well-earned luxury escape.

Why volunteer with your family?

• Spend quality time and share experiences
• Watch your children grow and learn
• Give them the opportunity to develop the confidence to start unfamiliar projects
• Interact closely with another culture
• Help breakdown socially constructed barriers
• Gain valuable insights in a safe context
• Let them discover the joy of helping the less fortunate

Impressions from a luxury family volunteering trip:

"We had wanted to give back in some way and rather than take just another wonderful trip, we contacted Hands Up Holidays about mixing vacation with volunteering. We had no idea at the start where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do. Our consultant gave our family endless options. He was patient and helpful and created the perfect trip for our family. When we finally selected a destination, Guatemala, Our consultant put the whole thing together for us. We spent a week building a home for an indigenous Mayan family, yet we also got to see and experience Guatemala -- thanks to our consultant's planning. When traveling in areas that are perhaps not as comfortable as what we are all used to, it was reassuring to know that we were in good hands."

- Jody Gardner and her family travelled on a tailor-made family volunteer vacation to Guatemala, from the USA

We suggest volunteer projects that:

• Assist with children (such as in orphanages or schools) so that whilst you are teaching or renovating, your children can interact with the local kids
• Assist with environmental projects