Home > News & Events > Special Events > Addventure VSA - holiday with a purpose!

Addventure VSA - holiday with a purpose!

22 April 2008

Travel and give back... Sightsee and pitch in on a community project... The next four Addventure VSA tours have been announced!

Take a closer look...this short DVD will give you a taste of Addventure VSA. (link will take you to YouTube)

Cambodia, January 2009 and January 2010
Intriguing, hospitable, beautiful.

East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, April 2009.
One of the Pacific's friendliest places; "paradise".

Tanzania July 2009

Scenically intense, challenging ...the trip of a lifetime.

Future destinations to include: Vanuatu 2010 and Lao PDR 2010

What makes Addventure VSA travel options unique?

• Small group sizes

• Interactive, responsible travel

• Good mix of cultural activities and sightseeing

• Spend time working on a project that has been initiated by the community you visit

• Tours are led by ethical travel company, Gecko Trails - a personable, knowledgeable and responsible New Zealand travel company.

• Fundraise to get there if you like - and know that you'll be supporting other volunteers by participating

• Visit VSA and other local organisations working in development

• Have experiences you'd never get as a tourist.

Spend a part of your holiday seeing the sights and getting to know the country and culture - and the rest of your visit contributing to a community project. Support VSA assignments that have the greatest needs. Register your interest (PDF)now and we will forward you more information.

Cambodia

The first three Addventure VSA trips to Cambodia have proved so successful that Gecko Trails will be leading two more VSA trips to this wonderful destination. Several days are spent travelling, getting to know Cambodia and learning about the work of non-governmental organisations there - including VSA. Five days are spent pitching in on a community project, in the rural Province of Takeo.

Cambodia was the most bombed and landmined country in the world, and has suffered from genocide and political instability. VSA volunteers are involved in supporting community development initiatives throughout Cambodia. They work with government organisations and NGOs which target marginal groups.

For 29 December 08 departure, download itinerary and project.

East New Britain, Papua New Guinea

East New Britain is fascinating culturally, historically and scenically. But like most of Papua New Guinea, it is lacking in infrastructure. Those social services that fall outside the mainstream are especially in need of support. Addventure VSA will be working with Callan Services, an organisation offering assistance to East New Britain's disabled. Callan have plans to develop a pre-school in Kokopo, and have asked Addventure VSA to assist them by helping gear-up the centre with a playground and other resources. They have also asked for IT help. East New Britain is a beautiful destination and you will meet delightful, friendly people, as well as VSA volunteers working there.

For 18 April 09 departure, download itinerary and project.

Tanzania

Tanzania - with its wildlife, intriguing culture and exceptional scenery, has been spared the internal strife that has ruined many African states. However, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with many of its people living below the World Bank poverty line. VSA retains a core focus on education, community development, health, environment, and the IT sector. Assignments continue to be mainly in the Arusha region, and the Addventure VSA project is to be based with a group in Arusha, at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro. The proximity to this famous mountain, many game parks, and some of East Africa's top attractions will make this trip a very popular option. Due to VSA's presence in this region, Addventurers will enjoy a unique and rewarding experience. The tour and project will be for almost 4 weeks, with optional tours and attractions available at the end.

This tour will be led by returned VSA volunteer and experienced Tanzania tour guide Sue Verrall through Innovative Travel.

Holiday with a purpose Addventures, organised by VSA and Gecko Trails , include a mix of cultural activities, sightseeing, and working on a community project. They run as 'responsible tourism' initiatives, and include a fundraising component. This means that around half of the trip costs are used to help support VSA assignments in communities that would otherwise not have access to the key skills they need. Participants must also pledge to share their insights upon their return as part of VSA's commitment to making New Zealanders more aware about global and development issues.

So involvement in Addventure VSA is all about getting involved and giving to make a difference in the world. And, in the process, you will gain the experience of a lifetime. Project plans are being scoped now for up-coming trips to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Tanzania. In East New Britain, Addventurers will engage with an organisation providing care and education for disabled children. The project will involve developing resources and play equipment, some building and IT training. Places on each Addventure VSA project are limited to just 12 participants.

Costs of Addventure VSA trips:

Cambodia $5,500 ex New Zealand
East New Britain, PNG $6,000 ex New Zealand
Tanzania approximately $13,000 ex New Zealand

As soon as you are formally registered on Addventure and your place has been confirmed, you can start fundraising. On previous trips, Addventurers booked out restaurants and theatres, sold pot plants, held garage sales and raffled holiday homes. One even imported a rickshaw and used it to draw attention to his fundraising efforts. To supplement this kind of fundraising, most people used our on-line fundraising facility, finding it an easy and non-confrontational way of encouraging friends and family to contribute. Others paid the full cost outright.

Keen to join us? Need more encouragement? Here's some feedback from past Addventurers.

"I'm 61 years old and being part of the school project in Takeo was one of the best experiences of my life." Judith Stehr.

"This Addventure will be the most rewarding trip you will ever make, and in some way have an impact on your life. A wonderful thing to be a part of." Suzanne Porter.

"An awesome way to get under the skin of Cambodia." J. Stairmand.

"I hope that in being a part of this Addventure group we have in some small way been a part of the solution, been able to be part of a skill transfer process, been able to be changed by the experience to be better inhabitants of the planet, be able to talk about our experiences and encourage others to see developing nations in a new light and how we can all make a difference." Tracy.

For an information pack, or to register your interest, please contact Jo Prestwood or at VSA - 0800 VSA TO GO (0800 872 86 46) or contact us.

Read on to find out more . (PDF)

CAMBODIA STORIES.......

Three groups of twelve New Zealanders have travelled to Cambodia, as part of Addventure VSA.
This small group, responsible travel initiative came about as an opportunity for potential VSA volunteers, or those wanting to experience more than just travel. They see the sights, and also give something back - by working in schools in the Takeo Province, South of Phnom Penh.

Addventurers enjoyed spending time in the historic and beautiful temple region of Angkor and then travelled south to Phnom Penh. A myriad of transport options were used, and some of the slower methods were at a level and speed which enabled the groups to really appreciate the Cambodia that so many other travellers drive past - and miss.

VSA's travel partner, Gecko Trails, is a small group South East Asia travel specialist, and prides itself on sustainable travel options. Part of the content of these trips involved visiting development agencies, supporting local initiatives and witnessing some of the museums established around the atrocities of the Pol Pot regime - including a local landmine museum. Everyone came away understanding why there is still such a need for support in Cambodia.

During the five days at the projects, The Addventurers were based at a home stay near Takeo. Living and sharing exquisite meals with the truly hospitable family was a real highlight. The projects were carried out at schools in nearby Angastom. The first group built a reading shelter and catalogued hundreds of books that they had donated to the Kla Krohim School's library. The second project was at Moy Sophea High School, and again the library was the main focus - to paint, build shelves and catalogue hundreds of donated books. A large external mural was also developed, and many of the students got involved. The volunteers all enjoyed conversing with the students, and many helped to teach English in the classes. The third group worked with school's eco-club; fenced a garden to be used for horticulture training, created a compost area, painted a colourful mural designed by the students, and help clean up and find solutions for the copious amount of litter.

Below is some feedback from a few of the Addventurers:
"I have done some travelling in the past and have been fortunate enough to have been on home stays before. This trip was no exception in that the local people were generous beyond measure, welcoming and warm to our presence in their country and their home. I was especially affected by the elderly people. Those that had survived Pol Pot were few, but those that lived through it showed little outward sign of the trauma they had endured. And we knew very well by the time we got to the home stay some of what they had been through. The Land mine museum and a visit to the Genocide Museum at Tuol Sleng and the killing fields were graphic introductions to the atrocities. After the home stay and meeting some very gregarious seniors along the road, I came away with a sense of hope for the future, the human spirit can endure many hardships and not only continues on, but with a willing spirit, thrives.

For me responsible tourism meant getting under the skin of the place so the trip was often hard in that it was heart breaking and wrenching, but it was also extremely rewarding, joyful and life changing. This trip was only two weeks long but we did so much in that time that it felt like we had been away for two months".

A highlight for one Addventurer was watching rural Cambodia wake up during an early morning one and a half hour tuk-tuk ride through some stunning rural scenes and then witness the sun rise over the Banteay Srei temples.

Find out more about Addventure VSA on Gecko Trails website, or contact us for an information pack.