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ILLUSTRATION BY NILS JAWA
The last few years have seen a huge surge in the variety of volunteer holidays on offer, but they don’t have to be just for gap-year students. Anyone can take a few days or weeks out to try something adventurous, ecological, or to give a helping hand to a European charity. Here’s our pick of the most diverse adventures on offer…
 This trip is ideal for the food lover in you. Near the town of Spoleto (pictured) are a host of luscious olive groves. An ancient and traditional part of the landscape, it is currently not economically viable to maintain these groves, and much of the potential harvest has until recently gone to waste. With the help of volunteers, this scheme aims to keep this stunning area the way it is meant to be. Harvesting the olives is great communal work and you’ll be able to bring back enough olive oil to keep you cooking the Italian way back home.
Cost: €433-€638 (7-12 days) ex flights. www.responsibletravel.com Nearest Airport: Fly to Rome
 If you’d like to help protect endangered species, this expedition to the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia is ideal. Here you’ll monitor the critically endangered chamois (mountain goat) populations on the alpine meadows and their relationship with large predators, such as wolves and bears. Using night-vision goggles and all the latest gear, you’ll keep an eye on these three species, and if the group’s work can help to show that these predators are not primarily responsible for the current chamois decline, this is likely to help prevent large-scale hunting of wolves and bears in the area.
Cost: €1,099 (7 days) ex flights
www.biosphere-expeditions.org/expeditions/slovakia.htm
Nearest Airport: Fly to Krakow
 Morocco is a hot spot on the holiday map right now and it’s not hard to understand why. But opt for something special rather than just going on a shopping spree in the souks. With this trip, you can help build a school for the villagers in Talamenzou, in Guemassa region, southwest of Marrakech. You’ll begin in Marrakech, soak up the souks, go trekking in the Atlas Mountains, and will then be taken to the village where you’ll mix with the local people and help construct and decorate the school. Needless to say, they’ll be thrilled to have your help.
Cost: €1,405 (9 days) ex flights. www.handsupholidays.co.uk
Nearest Airport: Fly to Marrakech
This scheme is run in a progressive centre and allows you to really help the kids. You’ll teach them English and get involved in the general day-to-day running of the orphanage, as well as learning Latvian in the village and going on excursions to Riga and the surrounding countryside with the children. The programme is for the over-20s, but no formal teacher-training is required.
Cost: €1,043- €2,178 (2-10 weeks) ex flights. www.gvi.co.uk
Nearest Airport: Fly to Riga
 Hop aboard the research vessel and help monitor the cetaceans in the Hebridean Seas. Using cameras and acoustic methods, this team keeps an eye on what’s happening with whales and dolphins in the area, using marks and features such as fin shape, notches and scars to identify individual animals. There are around 24 different species in the area, including minke whales, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises, basking sharks and grey seals. You’ll help photograph the cetaceans and will even learn sailing skills.
Cost: €1.405-€1,128 (9-12 days) ex flights. www.responsibletravel.com Nearest Airport: Fly to Glasgow
 Deep in the heart of Estonia in the Alam-Pedja nature reserve is the site of an ecological problem. The rare species that live there, such as the white-tailed eagle, rely on the floodplains to survive, but due to different farming practices during the Soviet era, the land has gone into decline. Nature lovers can help improve the quality of the land by removing the invasive juniper scrub and bringing back ancient farming techniques, which are kinder to the environment.
Cost: €894- €979 (9 days) ex flights. www.responsibletravel.com
Nearest Airport: Fly to Tallinn
 If making bogs is your true calling in life, then look no further. Lake Ammersee in Bavaria needs your help. Teeming with bird species and wetland fauna, the lake and its surrounding wetlands are under constant threat from drying and over-vegetating. You’ll help manage the land, which involves scrub clearance, pond making, bog restoration, and reviving traditional haymaking techniques. As it takes place during the legendary Munich Oktoberfest, you’ll also get to experience the huge variety of beers and traditional foods, as well as visiting the local brewery run by a nearby monastery.
Cost: €546 (15 days) ex flights. www.volunteerabroad.com
Nearest Airport: Fly to Munich
 Changes to farming techniques in the Alvão Natural Park in the Marão mountain ranges are upsetting the fragile ecological balance, but this project will help to restore the meadow habitat for species such as the alcon blue butterfly. You’ll assist with the habitat management, clearing alien shrubs and exotic flora, and help tourists enjoy the area without disturbing the wildlife. On your days off, check out the legendary port caves and vineyards, and try the local vintages.
Cost: €532 (11 days) ex flights. www.responsibletravel.com
Nearest Airport: Fly to Porto
 Always fancied getting closer to chimps, but never had the chance? Then this placement, the only one outside Africa to offer an insight into the daily lives of rescued primates, is perfect for you. Staying in the nearby city of Girona, you’ll spend two days tending to their every whim. You’ll clean the chimps’ sleeping quarters, collect food for them, prepare their meals, and even help to design new toys to stimulate the animals and encourage them to play or forage for food.
Cost: €227 (2 days) ex flights. www.fundacionmona.org
Nearest Airport: Fly to Barcelona
 Go green and help de-clutter the beautiful British beaches of Cornwall. With this trip, you can keep your New Year eco-resolutions and enjoy the stunning Cornish scenery at the same time. You’ll be helping to de-litter the spectacular beaches around the Lizard and Falmouth Bay and, by the end of your trip, you’ll be both super fit and well informed about the coastline. There’ll be talks from people involved in protecting marine wildlife around the coasts, as well as rambles exploring the amazing rockpool wildlife along the Cornish shoreline.
Cost: £250 (8 days) ex flights www.responsibletravel.com
Nearest Airport: Fly to Bristol
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Worthy Adventure