Volunteering in Europe

… you don’t want to pay. The cost of your holiday goes towards your food, lodging and valuable pre-trip and in-country support, as well as to supporting vital conservation and monitoring work. … you don’t like roughing it. You’ll be in simple accommodation, possibly sharing a dorm room and helping out with some mucky tasks, such as preparing animal feed or swabbing the decks. … you’re not a team player. Volunteer trips only work if everyone pitches in, sticks to their commitments and follows directions from the research leaders. Ego maniacs need not apply. … you’re doing it just for show. Volunteering is about making a genuine difference; it’s not about having something cool to bulk up your CV or brag about to your mates on Instagram.

Wildlife conservation trips don’t involve getting up close and personal with animals, rather they’re about protecting wild animals and the environments in which they live, whether that be monitoring bear and wolf populations in Greece, or constructing bird and flying squirrel boxes to encourage nesting in the forests of northern Finland. You’ll also get to spend time learning from local conservationists and park rangers, with good chances to see incredible animals in their natural environment, and you’ll have a positive, lasting impact on the environment you explore.

Family volunteering holidays in Europe are a brilliant way to introduce children to a completely different world, giving them a chance to learn about wildlife and conservation issues and, hopefully, setting them up to become future responsible travellers. Options for families include dolphin and turtle conservation or working with wolves or bears in a wildlife sanctuary. Volunteer projects aren’t suitable for very young children, as the minimum age ranges from eight to 12 depending on the trip. Some operators offer more comfortable accommodation for families such as an apartment with kitchen facilities, and will often build more downtime in as well.

Although there are projects in Europe that need volunteers all year round, such as conservation or rehabilitation work, many are time sensitive and only offer volunteer projects at certain times of year. Trips that run year round tend to be to animal rehabilitation projects at sanctuaries, such as volunteering with bears in Romania, or working at a wolf sanctuary in Portugal. And while most marine conservation is season dependent – if you’re cleaning ocean debris then you can go any time of year – it just depends on you and your tolerance for chilly seas. If you want to work on local community projects then you can go pretty much whenever you like, too, though be aware than in cases of bad weather, projects that involve working outdoors – such as building renovation – may be postponed or cancelled. Most small group wildlife conservation trips are weather dependent. Projects involving tracking wild animals, conserving habitats and trekking in Europe’s forests and national parks, including in Finland, Montenegro and Romania, don’t get up and running until May and last until September or October, when the weather is mostly clear, warm and dry. Other projects are dependent on migration patterns and hatching seasons. If you’re interested in working in sea turtle conservation in Greece, for example, then you can take part in projects during nesting season, from mid May to mid August, or hatching season from mid July to late October. If working with blue and sperm whales in the Azores is more your bag, then April to August is the best time to go, while dolphins are most frequently present in Greek waters from May to September.