Volunteer on Vacation

Aloha From Hawaii!  

Have you ever thought about volunteering while you’re on vacation?  Do you actively volunteer in your own community?

If you’ve never done any kind of volunteer work,  let me tell you…it is so rewarding and a great way to interact with the local community all while meeting new people that are like minded!

Hawaii is such a beautiful place and as locals we want to keep it that way!  We love our islands so much and we want to share that love with everyone who visits Hawaii.  So by doing some volunteer work while on vacation, you show our community that you truly appreciate and respect our island home and want to make it a better place.

People don’t realize that there are so many little things you can do to make a difference that are so easy.  For example, picking up rubbish and leaving a place you visited cleaner than the way you found it, being mindful of signs that are there to guide and advise and should not be ignored, staying on trails ensures everyone’s safety when you’re out enjoying nature and most important keeping a distance from our wildlife that call this amazing place home!  As tempting as it may be to touch them, please make sure you resist the urge.  These things seem so obvious to some, but for others we need to remind them of the importance of keeping Hawaii…HAWAII!  Respecting the ‘aina(land) and the kai(sea)!

When visitors think about Hawaii, they conjure up images of the beach, the ocean or maybe a beautiful waterfall.  Whatever that image is, think about it if it were littered with garbage and debris…how would that make you feel?  You’d want to do something about it..RIGHT?!?  Well…you can!  Volunteering on vacation can be as easy as a beach clean up.  We all walk the beach and enjoy the peacefulness of it all.  Why not carry a bag and pick up anything that doesn’t belong there?  And that my friends is giving back!  Beyond the beach clean ups there are so many other ways to make a positive impact.  Because this is so important to the people of Hawaii…there is a new campaign that Hawaii Tourism launched called Malama Hawaii!  This program encourages visitors to engage in these opportunities and in turn rewards them for giving back on vacation.  Discounts on hotel stays or even free nights with participating hotel properties are all possibilities!  It’s a WIN-WIN situation!

There are so many groups around the state that need volunteers to help their business function…too many to name!  If you’d like more information on how you can have fun while making an impact and pay it forward, you can visit this website for more information.  https://www.gohawaii.com/voluntourism  Be a DOER not a TALKER!  Take it a step further on vacation and give back while having a great time!  You won’t regret it and you’ll have a deeper love and connection for our beautiful island home!  Memories that will last forever!  ALOHA!