Socially responsible Schoolies? Unleashed Travel

Socially responsible Schoolies? Unleashed Travel

Socially responsible Schoolies? New hope for parents with community volunteering travel packages just launched!

Schoolies Week. Two words that can send parents into a tailspin and school leavers into heightened enthusiasm. Parents - and students - will now be thrilled to learn that leading Schoolies travel provider Unleashed Travel has launched more socially responsible options for school leavers who wish to combine their schoolies week with a less traditional holiday: community volunteering in Asia.

Jot Lynas, CEO of Unleashed Travel, says, "We are seeing increasing demand among school leavers for greater cultural experiences. Volunteering is growing in popularity. Our existing Project Unleashed program, which manages the donation of books and stationery to Fijian children, has already seen considerable involvement among our travellers."

Unleashed Travel's two new volunteering travel packages to Thailand - Community Volunteering and Elephant Conservation Volunteering - will kick off in November 2013, with tickets selling now.

Community Volunteering provides an opportunity for schoolies to help construct and renovate buildings and facilities in communities in desperate need of restoration. In 2013, Community Volunteering will be dedicated to building a home for refugee children in Sangklaburi, a village located near the Thai-Myanmar border.

Elephant Conservation Volunteering will take travellers to Tha Thum ("District of Elephants") in far-north Surin. There are approximately 250 elephants in the village, with many individually known to the locals due to their unique personalities and behaviours. Volunteers will assist with maintaining and planting crops, which provide the elephants with a vital source of food, and washing the elephants at a local river.

Jot says, "Our volunteering packages have been designed to cater for school leavers who wish to contribute to overseas communities while experiencing authentic day-to-day living in a variety of villages."

Each year Unleashed Travel takes more than 3000 students overseas to exotic locations in Fiji, Bali and Vanuatu. With 30 per cent of its 2013 travel packages sold by March (1300 sold in only 12 minutes) the 2013 volunteering programs are expected to sell by this December.

Unleashed Travel will continue with Project Unleashed, giving travellers the opportunity to donate pre-loved books and other materials to Fijian students in villages where access to such items is considerably limited.