The concept isn't exactly new. However, this is the first time I've heard it described as "voluntourism" and I think the word fits perfectly.
WWOOF is similarly structured, but there are also very many opportunities to travel the world for free in way that is actually somewhat useful to the locals and which can fill a gap in the resume for those who still care about such things. More precisely, the usual deal is that you pay the airfare and work for free (unskilled zero wage labor) in exchange for room and board and sometimes also food and a small stipend.
It presents an alternative to digital nomadism or backpacking and gives you something (work) to do---as opposed to making yup your own---which is important to some. It also is a very inexpensive way to engage with the world (discounting opportunity cost) while cosplaying as unskilled itinerant labor. Your entire budget becomes entertainment+an airline ticket every 3-12 months. This could easily make for <$1k/year ERE solutions, except...
Except, you'll usually be in the company of 20something-yo westerners---the main demographics(?)---and that might get tiresome eventually.
I used to to find this very interesting an thought about it as a way to exist/live for an extended period of time. I have mostly changed my view on it now and am pretty skeptical of it. At least in certain (non first world countries?) situations.
In Guatemala, and I imagine in lots of Latin America, this ends up robbing locals of work. I see hostels, restaurants, farms, etc offering the labor for room and maybe some board trade thing / 'internships' to foreigners. The businesses that seem to use this model for staffing are typically owned/run by foreigners. So 20-somethings that have the good fortune to travel for a while shows up, parties, does a little voluntourisim for a while and moves on. I'd rather see the local people working in those jobs and hopefully benefiting from the presence of the foreigners (who are generally enjoying a much reduced CoL while on these trips)
Surely there are examples where this doesn't happen and it works well. I wonder if it's in more developed countries or countries there is less overall poverty. I think at a glance it sounds altruistic and interesting to those with the time to offer. I don't believe that altruism also exists on the hosts side to the same degree.
Except, you'll usually be in the company of 20something-yo westerners---the main demographics(?)---and that might get tiresome eventually.
Having done some of this, yes, that is the main drawback. Some people are ernest about the project while others want to party and travel for free. Another personality is the 30-something ne'er-do-well (definitely more exhausting). Healthy hosts with good boundaries are vital. When one is the age of the co-volunteers’ parents, it further complicates the matter. In a potentially PITA-way as one can only control and be responsible for oneself.
There are also a lot of what I think of as underpaid semi-volunteer status jobs available. For example, my gig tutoring the under-privileged kids in basic math. A similar example might be working as staff of large community garden, ushering at local playhouse, or lifeguarding at community pool. The upside of these positions is that they are generally fairly flexible, they do pay something, you are appreciated, your colleagues tend to be amiable, and there may also be benefits due to access to facilities shared with full-time professionals. Sometimes these jobs are less available to those who only plan on spending short time living in community, but often your skill set is more important than extended social engagement. For example, there are snowbirds who work as substitute teachers in different locales through the year, and you only have to work 10 days/semester as a substitute teacher to stay valid/enrolled in most districts.
In most cases, you will also not be competing with unskilled or local labor for these positions. They were so desperate for math tutors at my last gig, they were advertising my position on diner restaurant disposable placemats. Think about how many non-profits-doing-something-in-alignment-with-your-values could use somebody with decent Excel skills willing to work 10 hours/week at $15/hr. = 1 Jacob/year. Heck, you cold even start your own non-profit and pay yourself 1 Jacob/year.
Somewhat related, churches and religious organizations often do the same thing, their moniker is "service trip." If people are interested in traveling and seeing cultures different than their own, it's a very good way to integrate into a local community and do things/talk with those that you might not be exposed to otherwise. Many of these organizations also emphasize simple living. For example, in high school I went on a 1.5 week service trip to a catholic community farm in rural West Virignia (nearest town has ~450 people). We spent our time there helping out on various projects throughout the community: helping a neighbor bale hay, hang drywall on a ceiling in a church in town, planting seeds with an elderly couple at their small farm, and paying wellness/social visits others. The farm we stayed at had simple bunk accomodations, only allowed one bucket shower a week, and provided only food grown from the farm and the local area. One of my brothers went to Cairo, IL for his trip and had a similar experience. Another of my siblings went to NOLA.
I really enjoyed that trip and it exposed me to a culture and subset of people that I had never been exposed to until then. I can't think of any other scenario where I'd extensively interact with anyone living in a trailer in an extremely impoverished Appalachian town. I'm now wondering if that's what initially primed me for simpler living and ERE.
Interesting dynamics open up to the voluntourist *with* desired skills. In a few of my gigs once I'd gotten set up with my batch of skilled projects (van PV design and install, aquaponics install, solar thermal panel build, etc), I just worked on them solo while the other volunteers moved rocks or whatever. At the second place I did in Japan, once the host figured out what my deal was he stopped accepting other volunteers for the duration of my stay and I had the run of the place (he was happy to not have to spend time "managing" people while still having someone get stuff done). This can mitigate the potential downsides of hanging out with people you're not that into. It's also possible to skillfully communicate "I'm not here to engage in young person hijinks, but you do you" to the other volunteers without being an ass about it or bringing the vibe down.
It's also not terribly difficult to find gigs where you'll be the only volunteer, or one of only a couple, versus a whole crew.
I think voluntourism + housesitting to break things up a bit could be a really nice balance for ultra-low-cost long term slowtravel, if one were so inclined to go for a high (low) score on that sort of thing.
It's also not that difficult to suss out gigs that aren't stealing jobs from locals. You don't want those gigs anyways, that's just hosts looking for free labor. The vibe is always a bit off on those for multiple reasons.
): https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-faroe ... rs-and-you