• The National Park Service uses seniors as volunteer campground hosts.zion national park image by Gary from Fotolia.com
  
  With time on their hands, seniors are searching for travel-related options in volunteer vacations. Seniors who want to travel to a destination with the intent of spending part of their time working as volunteers have a number of options, but thorough research is encouraged. Invest time researching organizations that use volunteers, as well as destinations that interest you. Explore possibilities with organizations you know and trust or that have been recommended to you. Don't overlook companies that locate attractive volunteer vacations and offer packaged, fully planned volunteer vacations to seniors.
  
  

Campground Host

• The National Park System welcomes seniors as campground hosts. At Zion National Park in Utah seniors live at the park free of charge for the length of their two to three month assignment in their own RVs. At Zion, seniors assist campground personnel with operations, patrol the campground to provide helpful information and assistance to visitors, and watch for infractions of park regulations. Volunteers are issued uniforms and two-way radios for emergency communication. Each week volunteers have days off for personal business and recreation. The park reimburses volunteers for propane consumption and provides full hook-ups for RVs.
  
  Zion National Park
  
State Route 9
  
Springdale, UT 84767
  435-772-0177
  nps.gov
  
  

Camp Volunteer

• Seniors are welcome volunteers at camps or conference centers. Begin your search in the winter months for a camp or conference center that uses senior volunteers. Winter is the time of year camp management hires staff and plans for the coming season. Camps have websites where you can view the sites to learn their philosophy, programming and other pertinent information. Start your online research at either Christian Camp and Conference Association or American Camp Association, both trade organizations. Typical volunteer opportunities include: kitchen helper, office worker, maintenance, and teaching crafts, skills or sports. Analyze your skills and decide whether you want to work with children or adults or both.
  
  Christian Camp and Conference Association
  P.O. Box 62189

  Colorado Springs, CO 80962-2189

  719-260-9400
  ccca.org
  
  American Camp Association
  5000 State Road 67
  North 
Martinsville, IN 46151-7902
  
765-342-8456
  acacamps.org
  
  

Plan-It-Yourself Vacation

• Seniors looking for a vacation that includes only a small amount of volunteer work, can identify worthy organizations at a favorite destination and contact them. Many non-profits welcome volunteers who have only a day or a few hours to offer. For example, in Maryland, Greenbelt Park hosts an invasive plant removal day every first Saturday of the month. Leaders instruct volunteers to identify and remove objectionable plants before they choke out the native plants. Greenbelt is part of the National Park Service.
  
  Greenbelt Park
  6565 Greenbelt Road
  Greenbelt, MD 20770
  301-344-3948
  nps.gov
  
  

Voluntourism Trip

• For seniors who prefer fully planned tours, there are a number of tour companies eager to help---for a fee. Again, research is important. A good place to start is the Travel With a Challenge website, an Internet clearinghouse for organizations seeking senior volunteers. Scrutinize the costs and services and read the mission statements before making a final choice.