Type 'volunteer travel' or 'volunteer tours' into an internet search engine and you will see literally thousands of websites from around the world detailing projects that you can contribute to. What is on offer is highly varied, ranging from humanitarian assistance to conservation based work to cultural exposure, and just about anything else you could think of in between.

The cost of these programs is just as varied, but the average would be around $700-800 per month. Programs involving wildlife are usually slightly more expensive, as they start at $1000 per month, though some of these give you some kind of qualification on completion of it. By contrast, you could volunteer in Africa or India on a humanitarian project at a cost of about $500 per month.

Your accommodation will vary based on the type of project that you opt for and, as with most tourism trips, typically, the greater the amount you pay, the higher the quality of the facilities available to you will be. There are fantastic opportunities to stay with local communities, living their life and eating their food. Alternatively, you could sleep outdoors, or in the wilderness, a humbling but immensely rewarding experience.

A typical volunteer program runs for around a month, but many companies allow for a shorter period if you are unable to offer a commitment for that long. You can, of course, also stay for a longer duration, though there is normally a limit of a few months, especially on social or humanitarian type projects.

You should endeavor to find out as much information as possible about any volunteer organizations which interests you. The first stop should be their website, to check their policies and mission statement. Another excellent means of getting information about volunteer organizations is through referrals, either provided by the organization themselves, or sourced by you. Forums, blogs and e-newsletters being particularly good sources of independent information.