blog post: give, take and get to know a destination with voluntourism

When you think of voluntourism, do you think of traveling to far flung places and making a costly commitment? I do. Which is why I keep returning to a very simple "ah hah" moment I recently had while volunteering at home in Seattle.

Read my latest column for Wyndham Worldwide's Women on Their Way Jane Air Crew here and find out how you can give back when you're on the go.

foster the people announces partnership with the do good bus

This Fall Take Part In Local Community Service Efforts With Foster The People And The Do Good Bus Which Will Make Stops In All Of The Band's Upcoming 22 U.S. Tour Dates

NEW YORK, July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Foster The People have announced a partnership with the transportable community services venture: The Do Good Bus. In effort to pay it forward, Foster The People have asked the Do Good Bus to join them in participating in local community service work on their fall tour, which starts September 13th in Scottsdale, AZ and ends on October 20th in Los Angeles, Ca. In each of the 22 cities on the tour, The Do Good Bus and Foster The People will work alongside local do-gooders to give back to the community.
With the recent success of the band's debut release, Torches, Foster The People have chosen to relay that success into creating an extended sense of community by asking fans to support local causes. Each day-of-show on the tour The Do Good Bus will transport local do-gooders to a secret location to participate in community service.
"We've been looking for a way to help the communities we visit on tour by giving back locally. We're really excited the Do Good Bus can help us achieve this and also get our fans involved at the same time," says Foster The People.

To kick-off the Do Good Bus' adventure on the road they are asking for fans and supporters to help make the trip happen by supporting their cause via Startsomegood.com. Check out the site for more information on how you can support the cause and give back locally with your favorite band and their fans!

ABOUT THE DO GOOD BUS

The Do Good Bus promises altruistic adventurism to a bus full of passengers by taking them to a mystery volunteer activity to help local causes in a fun and social environment. During each ride, The Do Good Bus strives to create awareness for local causes, create community amongst passengers and encourage continued support of the causes we visit. For more information, please contact Rebecca Pontius at rebecca@dogoodbus.com or visit http://www.dogoodbus.com/.

ABOUT FOSTER THE PEOPLE

Los Angeles based indie-pop trio, Foster The People, released their chart-topping, acclaimed debut Torches this May. The album made its Billboard debut at #8 and includes the bands certified gold single "Pumped Up Kicks." Foster The People will continue to tour the world this summer and well into the fall. With sold-out shows in nearly every market and a live set that's undeniably energetic, this is a band who you won't want to miss in 2011! For more information on Foster The People visit: http://www.fosterthepeople.com/

SOURCE: Foster The People

blog post: sharon tewksbury-bloom and jay holt are service driven

It was an honor to be able to share Sharon and Jay's voluntourism story in this month's Women on Their Way by Wyndham Worldwide Jane Air blog. Read all about this couples' do good efforts here.

blog post: sometomes voluntourism is found in unsuspecting places

Read my latest post for Women on Their Way by Wyndham Worldwide about my recent trip on Aqua Expeditions M/V Aria: "Sometimes Voluntourism Is Found in Unsuspecting Places."

media mention: dog's life magazine

All paws up to Olivia LaBarre at Dog's Life Magazine for featuring my volunteer work with dogs at AWARE Animal Rescue in Guatemala in the Summer 2011 issue.

The article features several voluntourism trips around the world that involve helping our four-legged friends. It's a thrill and an honor to share ink company with Nola Lee Kelsey of The Voluntary Traveler and animal advocate extraordinaire. Be sure to visit dogslifemagazine.com/voluntourism or TheVoluntaryTraveler.com for more animal voluntourism ideas.

blog post: a four star voluntourism experience teaching english in spain

Read all about my recent volunteer experience with Pueblo Ingles in Spain in my latest column for Wyndham Worldwide's Women on Their Way here.

"every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.” - seneca

Eeks. I have very mixed emotions about the completion of The Global Citizen Project. I’ve tried to wrap my brain around how to best sum up this year of my life in a neat and tidy blog post, but it’s next to impossible. So consider this the first several “Final Thought” installments. We’ll see how this plays out. All I know is that I don’t want to be confined to 500 words to verbalize up how I feel.

Truly, The Global Citizen Project has been the most inspiring year of my life. It’s pushed me well beyond my comfort zone and challenged me – over and over again. It brought me in contact with the best, and sadly, the worst of humanity, and shown me sides of people and places I’d never otherwise experience. It’s made compromise, sacrifice, speak my truths and bite my lip. It’s made my heart ache. And overflow with joy. It’s made me more capable of love than ever before. The number of people who’ve humbled me this past year makes my head swim – the 220+ donors who helped fund the project, the countless supporters from around the world, the people, communities and organizations I’ve been so fortunate to volunteer for, and the dedicated volunteers I’ve worked alongside – thank you. When it’s all said and done, I volunteered close to 900 hours. That’s a lot of help for a whole lot of people and I feel very lucky.

So where do I go now? People have been asking me this very question since I launched The Global Citizen Project. Last June. I went into TGCP with a very organic, take-it-as-it-comes attitude. If it evolved into something bigger than itself, like an Oprah Winfrey school for girls in Africa, fine (I kid). If it didn’t, fine. I enter most scenarios in life with very few expectations. It’s not that I don’t think big, work my ass off and shoot for the stars – I just make it a point to not tie myself to any particular outcomes in life. As my volunteer travels draw to a close, I’m nowhere near ready to abandon my efforts to promote responsible travel, voluntourism and humanitarian causes and will continue to make a difference and inspire others to do good.

This path has led me to MISSION, a media platform for global travel, humanitarian issues and (voilà!) making a difference in the world. I’ve signed on as MISSION’s Volunteer Travel Editor and plan to help as many people as possible “See the Planet, Change the World.” MISSION founder Amy Schrier created BLUE magazine (bluemagazine.com), the original Adventure Lifestyle brand presenting the world, its amazing peoples, places and the ways to explore them, through outdoor recreation, action sports + adventure travel. BLUE was described as “Not your father’s National Geographic” by The New York Times, and “National Geographic with a rock-n-roll beat” by New York’s Daily News.

The site, set to launch fall 2011, will be home to the first independent database of volunteer trips on the Internet. Site visitors will be able to sort by location, cause, time and cost required to find the trip that is right for them. MISSION will also create a magazine that brings the themes of global travel and humanitarianism to life in print and iPad mediums and host events that tie to meaningful social causes.

No one is doing what MISSION is doing – creating a humanitarian content media brand. MISSION is the bacon to my egg and I am humbled to be a part of its efforts.

Please check out our pre-launch site out and our Facebook group.

In addition to taking on Volunteer Travel Editor duties at MISSION, I’m coordinating social media and marketing for an area café and wine bar, as well as booking volunteer speaking engagements, consulting on all things media related for nonprofits and humanitarian causes, and continuing to freelance write about food, travel and lifestyle topics (albeit in a much more scaled back capacity). I really don’t know how to function unless I am multitasking like a madwoman.

So, thank you for being part of TGCP journey. The 12-month project may be over, but it’s inspired a new chapter that’s just beginning. I hope you’ll continue to join for me the next adventure(s). Like all things I engage in life, I pinky swear promise it will be fun.

WWOOF your way around the world

What is WWOOFing? Well, for short, it is your ticket to an incredible farming experience in one of over 50 countries in the world. Think of any country and they are likely to have WWOOF hosts there, ready to take you in with open arms.

The acronym stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, but some still refer to it as Willing Workers On Organic Farms. People of varying experience levels and all ages (although, usually a minimum age of 16) have been taking advantage of this excellent program since it started in the UK in 1971.

Read the rest of this fantastic article on humanitarian travel on CNN.com here.

let's talk: how to volunteer - at home and abroad

Americans like to give back. In 2010 alone, more than 63 million Americans volunteered their time. Here in Seattle, people volunteer on average 44.1 hours per year, according to VolunteerInAmerica.gov.

Last June, I swapped a successful career as a food, travel and lifestyle journalist for a backpack to volunteer with 12 community projects in 12 countries over 12 months – a project I conceived and call The Global Citizen Project. With one month to go, I’ve logged close to 800 hours of service in areas ranging from childhood educational development in Honduras and sea turtle conservation in Mexico to working on a permaculture farm in Portugal and building smokeless stoves in Panama. Most of my volunteer projects have been humanitarian focused, but I did throw in several efforts that benefit the planet, like nature and animal conservation, since my passion to help extends beyond people.

My one or two hour presentation (based on your organization or company’s needs), How To Volunteer - At Home and Abroad, will share my diverse domestic and international volunteer experiences, as well as an organized “how to” plan of attack for people who want to take their humanitarian efforts on the global road. This dynamic presentation will be packed with plenty of ‘insider’ tips, humor and anecdotes, as I’ve braved Dengue Fever, mudslides, and giant insects all in the name of volunteerism. It will also incorporate photos and handout materials, which participants can take home. I am very comfortable speaking in front of a group and have teaching experience ranging from speaking to high school students via Learning for Life, guest-teaching journalism classes at University of California San Francisco, co-instructing Writers.com’s Travel Writing Master Class, and most recently, providing more than 100 hours of English instruction and conversation through Pueblo Ingles’ linguistic immersion program in Cazorla, Spain. How To Volunteer - At Home and Abroad will inform, educate, and inspire attendees to engage in something greater than themselves.

I am available for speaking engagements as of mid-May 2011; fees vary. Please contact me at cpfeuffer (at) yahoo (dot) com with any queries or for a presentation outline.

ABOUT CHARYN PFEUFFER:
With more than twelve years’ editorial experience, Charyn Pfeuffer is a well-respected veteran in the publishing industry. From food, wine and travel editor to copywriter, marketing consultant to author and ghostwriter, her successful career has involved her in all aspects of crafting the perfect editorial. She’s authored, co-authored and ghostwritten more than a dozen books and contributed to more than eighty publications, including TravelChannel.com, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Sunset, San Francisco Chronicle, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, DailyCandy.com, SPA, Seattle Weekly and Seattle Times.

In June 2010, Charyn launched The Global Citizen Project, a 12 community project, 12 country, 12 month volunteer tour de force. This year-long humanitarian project has been covered by more than 50 media outlets and chronicled since its inception on her blog (http://globalcitizenproject.blogspot.com). The Global Citizen Project was funded via Kickstarter.com, an online crowd funding platform and true testament to the almighty powers of social media: More than 200 people pledged more than $20,000 in 90 days; 45% of them strangers.

Charyn’s volunteer work has earned her the prestigious honor of a $5,000 Voluntourism Grant from Travelocity’s Travel for Good® Program in WE TV’s First Annual WE Do Good Awards Contest, in partnership with Ladies’ Home Journal. She is also Wyndham Worldwide’s Women on Their Way Voluntourism expert and writes a monthly column for its website. When Charyn isn’t traveling, she volunteers locally with United Way of King County, Food Lifeline and Marra Giving Garden. You can follow her volunteering adventures at @charynpfeuffer.

media mention: go! overseas - how to volun-tour your way around the world

Big thanks to Sarah Palmer of Global Volunteer for her continued rockstar support of The Global Citizen Project and for being such an invaluable resource on international volunteering. She included TGCP in her article 'How to Volun-Tour Your Way Around The World' on Go! Overseas. Read Sarah's 'how to' guide on coordinating your own volunteer travels here.

new blog post on women on their way - voluntourism isn't all about the volunteer

Ten months into The Global Citizen Project, I'm still having "ah hah" moments at every turn.  My recent voluntourism project with Globe Aware in Costa Rica was no exception. Read more about it here in this month's blog post for Wyndham Worldwide's Women on Their Way Jane Air Crew.

february project preview: globe aware in costa rica

In February, I am headed to Costa Rica to volunteer with Globe Aware - The Road Less Traveled Rainforest Village Experience. This volunteer travel program offers a unique opportunity to help a small community next to the Carara Rainforest Reserve improve their well being and create a sustainable future in ecologically important areas. This project was chosen with the Travelocity Travel for Good grant I won via WE tv and Ladies’ Home Journal and I am beyond grateful to be able to bring my boyfriend along for the do good adventures.  He's been extremely patient and supportive of my volunteering efforts over the past eight months and I am excited to be able to share a small part of The Global Citizen Project with him -- especially in one of my favorite Central American countries.

The Carara Rainforest Reserve borders a tiny village where volunteers are immersed. Although the villagers love their natural paradise, they have struggled to make ends meet as much of their farmland was taken over by the national park. They hope to create sustainable community-based tourism, and Globe Aware volunteers will work on community development projects to help them reach this goal.

Projects will vary depending on the number of volunteers, which projects were finished with the prior group, what priorities have changed, weather conditions, which supplies are available, and often the interest and fitness level of the volunteers.

Some completed Carara Rainforest Reserve volunteer work projects:

• Built pedestrian bridges
• Buried and installed new PVC water pipe to bring new clean water source into community
• Painted school
• Built cabinas
• Planted hundreds of trees
• Built book shelves for school
• Built fence around school
• Set up First Aid center
• Made oil lamps to line public road
• Made and installed road signs to community
• Painted communal hall
• Built recycling stations
• Built waste receptacles
• Painted and installed identifying signs in rain forest

To learn more about Globe Aware and its volunteer vacations around the world, click here.

media mention: adventures with alyson

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a lovely introduction to my new voluntourism blog from Alyson at Wyndham Worldwide. I am so grateful that I got to meet this "Can Do" woman at the WE Do Good Awards in NYC this past November and am thrilled to pieces that she asked me to contribute to Wyndham Worldwide's Women on Their Way Jane Air Crew. Thank you, Alyson for providing such a supportive resource for women who travel, but also for giving props to women who give back. Read her blog post here.

yours truly is jane air crew's voluntourism blogger

Wyndham Worldwide's Women on Their Way is a fab online resource for business and leisure travelers to find everything they need to plan and book their next trip. The website, www.WomenOnTheirWay.com, includes expert advice on destinations, hotels, timeshare resorts and vacation rentals, plus special deals and packages.

I recently signed on to be Women on Their Way's brand new Jane Air Crew Voluntourism Blogger. Read my first blog post here and bookmark the Jane Air Crew blog page to read regular posts from a rockstar line-up of wanderlusting women on-the-go. You can also friend Women on Their Way on Facebook here or follow on Twitter here. I so look forward to sharing my voluntourism experiences (the good, bad and the ugly - I've seen it all!) with readers, so be sure to check back each month!

women who rock. in other words, the we do good awards in new york city.

Deep breath. I’m not really sure how to recap the past 48-hours in New York City for the WE Do Good Awards. Morgan (my BF) and I arrived at JFK Monday afternoon and were whisked via sedan car service (read: sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for two hours) to the swank Central Park digs of Trump International Hotel & Towers. Starved and not wanting to stray too far, we opted for cheeseburgers and martinis at Nougatine, the most casual of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s three onsite restaurants. Greg Andres joined in the evening’s festivities and was every bit as wonderful as I knew he would be.  Random side note for the food geeks: Several years ago, I crossed paths with Jean-Georges at an after hours party in Aspen and he made me a grilled cheese sandwich, which I’m sure, staved off a potentially disastrous hangover. The thought of calling in a similar late night culinary booty call did cross my mind during our stay.

Later that evening, we headed to the Rodeo Bar to see one of Morgan’s childhood friend’s, the fabulous Hugh Pool play. In typical New York City, anything is possible fashion, we were out until 4:30 a.m. and I more than made up for the absence of Yuengling in my west coast world. My basic grooming paid the price, since I opted or an extra hour sleep the following day instead of a manicure. Oh well, I'm a girl of certain priorities and fashion and beauty does not top them.

Tuesday afternoon, I finally met my lit agent live and in the flesh who doled out a much needed smack of reality on where this project was (or wasn't) going. I left his office with Julie Klausner’s new book, I Don’t Care About Your Band, which has pretty much rocked my world and I’ve only read the first section. Scott's advice, coupled with Julie's sass and some pretty big "Come to Jesus" realizations during this trip have left me wanting to take this book in a bold new direction and I think I can pull it off.

Completely inspired, Morgan and I raced back to the hotel for a primping frenzy (well, I primped – he’s a  low maintenance soap and razor only kinda guy). I’ve been living in third world countries the better part of the past five months and all beautification has gone to the wayside. I’m lucky if I throw on a bra on most days, much less worry about if my clothes match or if my cuticles are looking a little ragged. Stressed to the max and mouthing my speech in the mirror, I managed to pull it together within minutes of our driver’s arrival.

Nothing could have prepared me for the scene at Espace. Upon arrival, I was shuffled through so many people, checking in here and there and making countless introductions, until I was finally assigned a handler for the evening. Morgan and I were taken to a VIP area, where trays of tasty looking hors d’oeuvres and Champagne were passed around. I was way too nervous to partake (so very unlike me). And then the mayhem began. Myself and the two other WE Do Good Award winners, Hilari Scarl and Theresa Lucas, were escorted to the red carpet for what seemed like 10,000 photos. A sea of photographers snapped away, instructing us to look here and there, move closer, tilt this way, etc. I also got to work the red carpet in the company of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome and a super-sized check for my grant.

Then came the interviews. Reporters lined up at the end of the red carpet and we moved through the roster giving rapid fire interviews. I’ve given my fair share of interviews, but never in this wham bam thank you ma'am succession. It was pretty amazing.

The awards ceremony was fairly quick – about an hour. Sherri Shepherd hosted the festivities, rocking some of the most drop dead sexy heels I’ve ever seen and had me in stitches from start to finish with her irreverent personality. We share the same birthday (April 22, Earth Day) and I had some doubts about her, having read that she once expressed doubts as to whether the world was indeed round. I’m not even going to go there. Andie MacDowell also presented an award, as did Marlee Matlin via satellite. Other celebs on hand included Ally Sheedy, fashion designer Barbara Moses and professional poker player, Beth Shak. I’m sure there were others, but my head was swimming with giddy excitement the entire event.  Big thanks to my friends who came out to share in the celebration: Jody Diamond, Jessica Rodriguez and her lovely friend, Allison, Marisa and Adrian Carstens, Kirsten Alana Larsson, and Gregory Andres.

My award, the Travelocity Travel for Good Award was given to me by Kelly Rutherford of current Gossip Girl fame. As a thirty-something gal, I have fond memories of her role as Megan Lewis on Melrose Place back in the early 90s. She was very sweet and stunningly Grace Kelly-esque gorgeous and set the stage for me to deliver my speech --- all choked up.

Since I know you’ve all been dying to know which project I picked, Morgan and I will be volunteering for Globe Aware in Costa Rica in February. Travelocity has kindly allowed me stretch my $5,000 voluntourism grant dollars to include another person, and the way I see it, is that Globe Aware gets an extra sets of hands to help. My boyfriend has been so patient with me being an absentee volunteer girlfriend the past many months. I’m excited he gets an opportunity to share in something that is so important to me.
All in all, the event was a smashing success. It was kinda annoying that after telling official event planning powers-that-be no less than 10 times how to pronounce my name that it was botched throughout the entire ceremony. I even heard Sherri deliver it correctly during her rehearsal, but somehow, someone managed to screw up the phonetic spelling on the teleprompter. (For the bajillioneth time, it’s pronounced like Michelle Pfeiffer, not like Feffer. Sigh.) What’s not to love about getting flown to New York City for a very all-about-me whirlwind trip, spending quality time with some friends and being recognized for my volunteer work in the company of so many other like-minded and amazing women. It was a humbling experience and exactly the feel good fuel I needed as I embark on the second half of TGCP.

Thank you to everyone who had a hand in making Tuesday night such a success and for making me feel like a super star. Oh, and a shameless plug: be sure to pick up the current issue of Ladies’ Home Journal to read about me and the other WE Can Do Award winners. And if you want to see more photos from the event, click here or here.

ain't too proud to beg. vote. vote. vote.

I’m a big believer in last ditch, Hail Mary efforts, so here’s mine. (When I say “Hail Mary,” I’m talking football, not the prayer.) You have three days left to vote for me in WEtv’s WE Do Good Awards. In case you haven’t received the 3,946 prior APBs, I’m one of five finalists in the whole U.S. of A. to win a $5,000 voluntourism grant from Travelocity’s Travel for Good Program. If you wanted to, you could vote for me every 24 hours between now and 11:59 EST on August 31, 2010, but really, I’d be happy with just one well-intentioned vote. Please and thank you in advance. There’s a very long list of reasons why I want to win this prestigious award – a once-in-a-lifetime voluntourism opportunity, a feature in Ladies Home Journal, a trip to N.Y.C. to accept said award at a swanky gala, a spot on WEtv, and one personal one I’d prefer not to disclose in the blogosphere. But more than anything, winning this award would be a huge honor and a humbling achievement.

Thank you to everyone who voted while I was volunteering in Mexico, posted voting links to Facebook and Twitter and retweeted my admittedly, not-so-personal (but friendly!) scheduled reminders. I really appreciate everyone’s continued support for The Global Citizen Project more than 12 point type can tell you. Three projects into this year-long tour de force and my eyes, mind and heart are already busting at the seams. Thanks for being part such an important part of the journey and for letting me share the play-by-play with you.

PLEASE VOTE HERE.

my volunteer style is definitely not a vacation

Lately, a lot of companies have been trying to sell me on outrageously priced volunteer vacations or voluntourism opportunities. Let me be loud and clear: The Global Citizen Project (in its current limited budgetary glory) is in no way a luxe vacation. It does not even remotely resemble how I travel on my own time and dime. So when I get pitched packages that run into the high hundreds of dollars per week and raise a dubious eyebrow, I’m in no way consoled when they come back with, “But we throw in a two day trip to Machu Picchu, a weekly Spanish lesson or four star accommodations.” That’s all sounds mighty swell, but it’s so not what my project is about.

Everyone is entitled to travel and volunteer however their heart (and budget) desires. I tend to be more of a DIY girl, who doesn’t require a whole lot of handholding, nor, do I subscribe to spending lots of dough to do good. Especially when I’ve taken on the task of participating in 12 volunteer projects over the course of a year; it’s just not financially feasible. Besides, I want to work. As hard as I can. If I had copious amounts of cash to burn, would I like to see how the other half gives back? Absolutely. I’ve seen some pretty slick voluntourism catalogs filled with feel good eye-candy and it all looks so very civilized compared to my current volunteering style. Warm water? Hot meals? Six hour work schedules? Oh my! These experiences seem a bit luxury laden for what The Global Citizen Project aims to accomplish, but if I were embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and wanted to tie-in a volunteer component, these trips seem to strike the perfect balance between service, exploration and amenities.

If I win Travelocity’s Travel for Good Program’s $5,000 Voluntourism Grant through WEtv’s WE Do Good Awards Contest, I’d be over-the-moon ecstatic to participate in any one of Travelocity’s official voluntourism partners’ programs: Cross-Cultural Solutions, Earthwatch Institute, Globe Aware, or American Hiking Society. Any one of these programs would be like a Porsche 918 Spyder to my current Pontiac Bonneville shoestring budget projects, plus I could share the voluntourism experience with someone else. (More give back power, yay!)  Even if these programs don't exactly fit my volunteer travel style, it would provide an interesting first-person perspective in the big picture voluntourism puzzle. (I mean, I am trying to convey as many varied volunteer options as possible to my friends, readers and followers, afterall.)  As added bonuses, it would be a huge honor to be featured in a future issue of Ladies' Home Journal magazine and also featured on WEVolunteer.TV. It’s like the holy trinity of voluntourism wish list winnings.

Please vote daily here. Ballots close at 11:59pm on August 31, 2010. It’s quick and easy to vote and you don’t have to fork over your email address or any personal information. Many, many thanks in advance for your continued love and support. And get out there and volunteer - it really doesn't take much to make a difference. Even just a few hours in your own community goes a long way in provinding comfort and making you a hero to someone else. I pinky swear promise.

voting is live

Woo hoo! I'm one of five finalists in the Travel For Good Award Category of WE tv’s WE Do Good Awards Contest, in partnership with Ladies Home Journal.  From August 1 through August 31, 2010 my nomination will be posted on WE Tv's website and the public can vote.

Here’s what's at stake:
The winner in each category will be notified on or about September 7, 2010. If I am voted the winner, a guest and I will travel to New York City for three days and two nights for the WE Do Good Awards Gala in November 2010. I will also receive a $5,000 Voluntourism Grant from Travelocity’s Travel for Good® Program and will be featured in a future issue of Ladies' Home Journal magazine and on WEVolunteer.TV. (You can see why I want to win so badly, right?!)

PLEASE VOTE HERE and if you feel so inclined, please pass along the link via your Facebook networks, Twitter, blogs, and whatever other all points bulletin methods you prefer. One million thanks in advance.

Photo courtesy of Theresa Thompson.

all volunteery eyed: inside the global citizen project

HotelChatter, Jaunted and VegasChatter contributor Globetrotting Gourmet aka one Charyn Pfeuffer will be leaving shortly to begin the biggest trip of her life--a year-long voluntourism adventure she's dubbed The Global Citizen Project. Here she explains what she's doing, how she's doing it and most importantly, why.