10+ Community Service Ideas For College Students While Traveling Abroad

One of the best ways to make a difference and get work experience in college is through community service. It strengthens your communication and teamwork skills, while helping you build your CV/resume for internships and jobs! From teaching English in schools to turtle conservation, we’ve compiled some of our best community service ideas for college students. 

Volunteering abroad is the perfect way to visit a stunning tropical vacation and help your future self with your job search, since employers say they’re 82% more likely to hire a candidate with volunteering experience. Whether you want to travel over the summer or take a gap year, our community service ideas are the way to go!

For over ten years, Further Travel has helped college students find the best community service travel programs and eased them through the entire process of booking and preparing. We know how difficult it can be to find a sustainable program, organize an itinerary, and meet new people—we’re here for you!

Check out our best programs with community service ideas for college students below:

1. Camp South Africa: Sports Coaching & English Teaching
2. Camp Philippines
3. Camp Bali: Explorer
4. Camp Thailand: Island Explorer
5. Camp Maldives
6. Camp South Africa: Animal Conservation
7. Camp Bali: Island Hopper
8. Camp Thailand: Camp Elephant
9. Camp Vietnam & Cambodia
10. Camp Bali: 10-Day Adventure

Teaching & School Projects: Make An Impact With This Community Service Idea

At Further Travel, we are dedicated to giving back to the communities we visit. That’s why we have travel programs that focus on helping local kids by teaching English, coaching sports, and doing projects with them at learning centers. Read this story from past camper Hannah:

“Being able to spend time with the kids and do lessons and games with them was so rewarding. My favourite class was definitely working with kindergarten. I’ve worked with kindergartners as part of one of my placements, and I know I love the age group. They were just so much fun and so enthusiastic! It’s something I’ll remember forever.”

Most importantly, you’re doing something that the kids will remember forever, too! 

All of our teaching programs include a Young Learner’s Qualification, a 30-hour accredited teacher’s course included with your application, to make sure you feel confident and ready to make a difference.

Check out our teaching community service travel programs below!

Camp South Africa: Sports Coaching & English Teaching

Camp South Africa Sports Coaching & English Teaching combines classroom activities like Math and English with an exciting array of sports like football, netball, hockey, and rugby! Spend 5 weeks working with schools in the local village to get kids excited about learning.

You can choose if you’d like to work in a conventional primary school or a school for kids with special needs—or both! You’ll make a real difference in their lives, because sports aren’t included in the regular curriculum. You’ll get them excited to learn and improve your own communication and adaptability skills.

You might be surprised to learn that you’ll also have tons of free time! In the afternoons and on the weekends, you’re free to explore Port Elizabeth or relax at the pool with your new camp friends. You can get involved with optional activities like:

• Skydiving
• Bungee jumping
• Shark cage diving
• Safari & game reserve drives
• Canoeing trips
• Waterfall visits
• Boat & snorkeling trips

(Note: optional activities come at an additional cost and are subject to availability).

Join us at Camp South Africa Sports Coaching & English Teaching if you feel like exploring an amazing destination abroad while making a real difference through community service—you won’t regret it!

Camp Philippines

Looking for a shorter trip that combines teaching local kids with a rewarding conservation project? Camp Philippines is the place for you! You’ll participate in a teaching program over multiple days and clean up the beach to give back to the community. Visit local schools and use your teaching skills to form meaningful relationships with the kids.

Along with these amazing community service opportunities, there’s also plenty of fun! At these locations, you’ll do tons of exciting activities:

1. Cebu: Get to know this buzzing city with a lively party!
2. Moalboal: Head out on some snorkeling trips, visit the lovely hotel pool, dance with locals at the bar, explore stunning coral, and canyoneer at Kawasan Falls!
3. Puerto Princesa: Party at Tiki Bar and get immersed in local Philippines culture!
4. Darocotan Island: Take a tour of the village, explore the beautiful island (and make sure to snap those pics for IG), and swim out to snorkel around a shipwreck.
5. Nacpan Beach: Take part in party hostel events and spend a whole day relaxing on the beach!
6. El Nido: Explore tropical hot spots like a coral garden, white beaches, scenic mountains, lagoons, and more! You’ll even take an island hopping tour to explore the 45 islands El Nido has to offer.

Past camp participant Sarah shared her experience with Camp:

"This was truly the best experience of my life! The staff were so good and totally made the trip. We got to do so much and visit all these beautiful places I would have never found if I just went on holiday."

Camp Philippines is the perfect way to get some valuable community service experience while visiting a beautiful tropical destination and getting to know the local culture. Join us!

Camp Bali: Explorer

Camp Bali Explorer gives you the opportunity to teach in local schools and participate in turtle conservation. This 20 day program involves teaching English in schools, helping with school projects, and helping out with turtle conservation at a local sanctuary. At the sanctuary, you’ll get to support environmental education programs, so your teaching skills will be put to the test! 

Spend plenty of time exploring Bali, getting to know the local culture, and doing tons of fun activities like:

• Learn to surf at surfing lessons
• Explore famous temples
• Take a selfie with a monkey in the monkey forest
• See rice fields
• Visit beautiful beaches and bays
• Head into the water for white water rafting
• Visit Asia’s number one water park

This travel program gives you an all-in-one experience of giving back to an amazing community and exploring a stunning tropical destination. Ready to apply? Next camps dates are:

• May 13th, 2023
• June 3rd & 24th, 2023
• July 15th, 2023
• August 5th & 26th, 2023
• September 16th, 2023
• October 7th, 2023

Camp Thailand: Island Explorer

On our Camp Thailand Island Explorer travel program, you’ll do community service through projects at local schools and learn about elephant conservation. For six days total, spend time in school making an impact on the education of kids in Thailand.

Visit an elephant sanctuary to learn about elephant conservation and the efforts that are being made to protect these amazing animals. You’ll even have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a mud bath with an elephant!

Over 20 days, you’ll get the ultimate Thai experience, with Muay Thai boxing class, beach visits, boat trips, hot springs, temples, and pub crawls. Camp Thailand Island Explorer offers a well-rounded experience that lets you get to know the amazing culture and make a real difference.  

If you want to expand your knowledge before you visit, make sure to check out 10 Interesting Facts About Thailand!

Wildlife Conservation & Animal Rescue: Learn About And Protect Wildlife

If you want to do community service that involves helping animals and providing sanctuary to them, you’ve come to the right place. We are dedicated to sustainable travel, which is why we have travel programs that give back to the environment you visit!

The United Nations estimates that more than 800 species are affected by marine plastic pollution, so make a difference by cleaning up beaches at our community service programs. You’ll also learn about the conservation of animals like elephants, turtles, and monkeys and spend time caring for them! 

Check out our wildlife conservation travel programs to get some community service ideas.

Camp Maldives

Camp Maldives is the perfect way to do a variety of environmental community service and learn about an amazing culture abroad. Our most environmentally involved program, you’ll work with Save The Beach and complete these rewarding projects:

1. Coral reef conservation: Conduct reef surveys, clean coral frames, assess the health of the coral and update an online database, plant coral, and more!
2. Tree planting: For a whole day, learn about Maldives flora and fauna and identify seagrass! You’ll learn about 260 native plants and leave your own mark on nature by planting coconut palm trees. 
3. Beach cleanup: Join forces with the local community to complete a beach cleanup! By cleaning up the beach, you help local wildlife mitigate the dangers of plastic pollution. 

A beautiful bucket list destination, Camp Maldives gives you the opportunity to have fun with tropical activities, visit Maldives hot spots, get to know the culture in an “off the beaten path” style, and give back to the community! If you want a perfect balance between meaningful conservation work and exciting travel, Camp Maldives is where you should be. Apply here!

Camp South Africa: Animal Conservation

Want to spend time with animals up close and find out what it’s like to work with these amazing creatures? Make a difference at Camp South Africa Animal Conservation!

For two weeks, you’ll volunteer at an animal reserve to learn about the importance of South African wildlife and make both human and furry friends! Working with wildlife means that the days are unpredictable, but most of the work revolves around physical maintenance, interactive lectures, and feeding the animals. 

Like our other Camp South Africa program, the weekends are free for you to explore. Head into the city of Port Elizabeth or head to the beach for canoeing, surfing, and horseback riding. You can also participate in these optional activities:

• Visit Kragga Kamma Game Reserve
• Check out the Bayworld Natural History Museum
• Meet wild penguins at Cape Recife
• Watch the sunset at Sardinia Bay Beach
• Visit Storms River Bridge
• Shop at BayWest Mall
• Skydive

(Note: optional activities come at an additional cost and are subject to availability). 

You can apply here!

Camp Bali: Island Hopper

Camp Bali Island Hopper combines turtle conservation with a rewarding community service project! Get to know the amazing Balinese culture while making a difference in the community. 

Over this 20 day trip, take part in these activities:

1. Community service project: Spend two days working with a local NGO in Ubud, helping out at their learning center for people with special needs. Work varies from teaching classes, craft activities, painting, gymnastics, and plenty of other fun projects!
2. Turtle conservation: Volunteer at Serangan Turtle Conservation. Learn about the importance of these beautiful animals and help feed them, clean and maintain the reserve, participating in environmental education programs, repairing displays, and cleaning up the beach!
3. Explore Bali: Have some exciting experiences, like surf lessons, sunset yoga, a monkey forest, a waterfall tour, an island bike ride, and the famous Gili swing!

This diverse itinerary gives you the fun experience of visiting a tropical destination while giving back to the places you visit. You’ll meet some amazing new friends (including turtles and monkeys) and cross off some bucket list activities! Ready to apply? Next days are:

• April 1st & 22nd, 2023
• May 13th, 2023
• June 3rd & 24th, 2023
• July 15th, 2023
• August 5th & 26th, 2023
• September 16th, 2023
• October 7th & 28th, 2023

We’ll see you there!

Camp Thailand: Camp Elephant

If you want to give back in a variety of ways, Camp Thailand Camp Elephant is the place to be. You’ll visit three (that’s right—three!) elephant sanctuaries and spend four days teaching in local schools and orphanages or helping out with community service projects. Community service projects can vary from temple school construction, clay house building, and sustainability workshops. In fact, one of the reasons we recommend visiting Camp Thailand is because of the opportunity to give back to the local community.

At the elephant sanctuaries, you’ll get involved with the conservation of these amazing creatures in many ways:

• Learn about elephant history
• Walk with them and take a mud bath with them
• Feed them their favorite foods
• Watch elephants in their natural habitat
• Get to know rescued elephants
• Tour the sanctuaries

Give back to Thailand’s communities and wildlife while getting immersed in the culture through amazing hot spots and activities! Take a genuine Thai cooking class and yoga class, learn Muay Thai boxing, explore the 9 waterfalls of Erawan National Park, visit the infamous Monkey Mountain, and take a trip to an artisan village. 

Camp Thailand Camp Elephant is sure to be a memorable experience! Apply now.

Community Development Abroad: A Rewarding Community Service Idea For College Students

Traveling abroad is the perfect way to make a difference in the lives of others—but if you want a more hands-on approach, then community development might be the right community service idea for you.

Community development projects can still involve teaching, but they also involve construction work and renovating buildings in the neighborhood. It’s hard work, but it’s extremely rewarding to take a step back at the end and see everything you’ve done! 

If you want to improve the living conditions of people abroad while getting to know their culture, check out our community development community service ideas below.

Camp Vietnam & Cambodia [From £1,899]

At Camp Vietnam & Cambodia, combine teaching and wildlife conservation with hands-on community development. You will make a difference in the community of Angkor Kreav, where the locals are poor and have no access to English teaching, health checks, and sun protection. At the project site, you’ll help out in many ways including:

• Teaching in local villages
• Construction work
• Renovation
• Seasonal needs of the community

This community service work makes a long lasting impact on the people of Angkor Kreav and paves the way for a brighter future. You will also teach in Vietnamese schools to help kids improve their English skills and participate in a beach cleanup, so Camp Vietnam & Cambodia is the perfect combo of teaching, conservation, and community development! 

Along with the rewarding projects, you will also be immersed in local culture with a variety of fun activities. This includes a duck farm visit, beautiful nature hot spots, Hue’s “Forbidden City,” white water rafting, and history tours and museums. Learn about culture abroad and cross off some bucket list destinations while improving the quality of life for the community—Camp Vietnam & Cambodia is the all-in-one trip you need!

Ready to join us? Apply here.

Camp Bali: 10-Day Adventure [From £1,099]

Improve the living conditions of a local community on our Camp Bali 10-Day Adventure! This shorter travel program involves rewarding community development work and exciting Balinese activities.

For your community service project, you’ll spend two days renovating and painting local kindergartens, schools, and temples in Ubud. Make a visible impact and create meaningful relationships with the locals and your camp friends!

For the other days of this program, you’ll have time for fun in these amazing locations:

1. Ubud: Take an Indonesian surfing lesson, visit Tanalot, Lempuyang, Ganuung Kavi, and Tirta Empul temples, view beautiful rice fields, make a friend at the monkey forest, and head into the water for white water rafting.
2. Beratan Lake: Spend the day marveling at Git Git Waterfall and kayaking across the lake.
3. Seminyak: Explore coral reefs with a snorkeling adventure and maybe even spot a turtle!

Camp Bali 10-Day Adventure offers the wonder of exploring a tropical location with the fulfilling work of community service. If you want to make a difference in the lives of others and have the cultural experience of a lifetime, then this travel program is perfect for you!

Further Travel’s Community Service Ideas For College Students

Further Travel's community service ideas provide fulfilling, exciting, and life-changing opportunities for college students. Aside from the career benefits, 94% of volunteers say that volunteering helped them become more respectful of others! Your career and education will be positively impacted—and so will your personal life. 

At Further Travel, we understand the importance of traveling sustainably and making sure we leave places better than we found them. That’s why we’re dedicated to our four pillars of travel:

1. Fun: Alongside the amazing community service work you’ll do, you’ll participate in fun activities and cross off exciting bucket list destinations. 
2. Community: On our travel programs, you’re guaranteed to make lifelong friendships—80% of our travelers are solo travelers, so don’t let being solo stop you from having the experience of a lifetime!
3. Culture: At the heart of Further Travel, we want to give back to the communities we visit and become involved with their authentic cultures. Our programs are designed to get you off the beaten track to get to know local communities! 
4. Volunteer: Our community service ideas focus on giving you a rewarding experience that makes a real difference, touching the lives of others and improving the living conditions of communities abroad.

We’re here to help college students like you discover the best community service ideas, and we’ll help you through the entire process of booking and planning.

Have questions? Read our FAQs.

Email us or call 0161 222 3780 to get started on making a difference abroad! We can’t wait to see you there.

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