What do Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Bono, and Richard Gere have in common? They are all celebrities who have opted to travel abroad for service trips rather than lavish vacations. Philanthropic travel vacations  in the United States and abroad have become popular in recent years and have begun to take precedence over relaxation vacations. Like Starbucks Coffee and fashion trends, this fad is sweeping the nation. But what could be better than helping others in need – right?

Although you may not stay in a 5 star hotel, or enjoy drinks by the pool or a massage on the beach, the fulfillment you will get will trump any other material enjoyment. There are many thriving and successful programs, which offer affordable trips to amazing destinations so now everyone can enjoy doing service at home and abroad. There are now even millions of programs for college and high school students looking to help others abroad. If you are new to travel or service in general, try a trip more locally. There are many programs in which you can travel all over America helping those in need. You may not be a big person of travel but regardless of your experience and your ability to help, you should become part of an Organization like Project Migration. You can help in many ways including the migration vacations. The medical missions, or ‘Migration Vacations’, are so named to inspire people to use their ‘vacation time’ from work to do something positive and meaningful in the world. But if you do not want to travel, Project migration has other ways that you can help out as well. Anyone can purchase merchandise with the Project Migration logo. Project Migration designs and sells exclusive fashion items to raise money for clean water and medical supplies.

Regardless of what program you become apart of or where you destination is, do your research. Especially if you are looking to do a service trip abroad it is pertinent that you understand the area in which you are going to and the credibility of the program that you are going with. Many countries in need of volunteers are very underdeveloped with high rates of violence, disease, and poverty. So before you hop on a plane to help others, help yourself. Research your destination and the company you are working with thoroughly and make a trip to you doctor to makes sure you are in good health and have all of the proper vaccinations to be safe while abroad.