Sit your family down for a meeting. Pick a time that works for everyone. Explain to them that you're interested in taking a volunteer family vacation.
Ask your kids where they would like to go, what they would like to learn and what they're good at. Jot down several locations that everyone thinks would possibly work out to visit. Brainstorm until several good ideas are on the table.
Divide another sheet of paper into three categories. Label the top of each category. Write down the location in the first box. Label the second box "expense." This is where you will note the total expenses for the trip. Draw a check mark at the top of the third section. This will be where you mark which vacations your family can afford.
Research volunteer vacations. Certain volunteer organizations provide families with multiple destination options. Organizations have different age limits for children, however, some do take on children 8 and older who travel with a parent, according to "Volunteer Vacations, Family Style" in Frommers. Check out volunteer organizations including Global Citizens' Network, Earth Watch and Cross Cultural Solutions. Volunteer family vacations range from helping out the La Push Indian Reservation in Washington state to traveling to Mexico.
Add up the costs of your volunteer vacation in places you would like to go. Vacation costs vary and depend on which organization you travel with and what you're doing once you arrive. As of 2009, a seven-day trip provided by the Earth Watch volunteer organization, designed to help the whales of British Columbia, costs $2,850. Children 10 and older could go on this vacation. Write down the cost of each trip you look up in the finance box. Determine whether you can afford the destination. Place a check mark in the third section if you can afford that trip.
Select a block of time for your family volunteer trip. Pick dates that coincide with children's and parents' time off.
