21 December 2010 (back to press release archive)
If you are looking for more satisfaction from your holiday in 2011, working holidays might be just for you. You will not only come home fitter and more energised after spending one or two weeks in a beautiful remote location, but you will also have learned new skills and can rest assured that you have done something worthwhile to protect our planet's wildlife.
Kathy Gill, Strategy Director of Biosphere Expeditions, the award winning not for profit conservation holiday specialists, gives her top ten reasons to join a wildlife expedition in 2011.
1. Give Something Back - By volunteering you will get a chance to make a difference to the survival of the Earth’s endangered species. Laypeople, who need no special skills, can join research expeditions across the globe during their holiday time. Money that normally goes into travel is directed at wildlife conservation.
2. Get fit - Volunteering breaks are active hands-on experiences. You will help to track animals across mountains and survey different terrains in challenging and remote locations. You will come home fitter, not fatter like you might do after holidays.
3. Beat the crowds – Experience something unique and authentic with a small international group of people.
4. Learn New Skills – Depending on what volunteering expedition you choose, you may learn to radio-collar and track big cats with state-of-the art equipment, study whales and dolphins through photography, or become an eco-diver helping to preserve coral reefs.
5. Life Changing Experience – People who have been on volunteering expeditions find them inspirational and sometimes a life-changing event. Many people see the world differently after their experience.
6. Become a Citizen Scientist – By working with scientists you will gain a real insight into how wildlife research and conservation works on the ground. You will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and highlights faced by the David Attenboroughs of this world.
7. Make New Friends – Meet lots of interesting people from all over the world, of different ages and backgrounds. Sharing life stories around the campfire often leads to lifelong friendships.
8. Visit places not in the brochure – Travel to remote places, from the high mountains of the Altai Republic, to the remote deserts of Oman. As part of a research team you will gain access to areas that are not open to general public.
9. Travel with the locals – Travel can be so much more than just a brief stay somewhere. On wildlife expeditions you will work alongside local people, experiencing the culture, the landscape, and the environment through their eyes.
10. Come home with a story – Think of the great dinner party conversations you can have – while some people may have experienced the best cocktail ever, who else has tracked leopards, studied flatback turtles in Western Australia or felt a cheetah’s heartbeat?
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