Help the Sea On Your Next Overseas Vacation

Posted: July 5, 2012  |  By: Helen Taylor [Quest Northern California]

If the chance to travel abroad and participate in an ongoing ocean research project sounds more appealing to you than drinking Mai Tais poolside, here are seven sea-friendly ideas for your next vacation. Whether you call it "voluntourism," "travelanthropy" or just meaningful travel, each is an opportunity to support ocean conservation and education efforts around the world with your own two hands.

SEE Turtles is a non-profit which will connect you for free with a sea turtle conservation volunteer project. Typical volunteer work includes nightly beach patrols, looking for nesting adult female turtles and helping researchers measure, tag, and move eggs to the hatcheries. Depending on timing, volunteers may also get to help release baby sea turtles. Six out of the world's seven sea turtles species are threatened or endangered and each project works with specific species, primarily leatherbacks, olive ridleys, and green turtles. Volunteering costs from $20/day to several thousand per week for food and lodging, depending upon the location (travel expenses additional). Most trips are 8-10 days long.

SEE Turtles is a pilot project of SEEtheWILD, an organization that connects travelers with eco-tours and volunteer expeditions around the globe that generate income for endangered species protection.

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