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Volunteers experience Indian diversity with TravelWorks

Tour operator promotes multifaceted understanding of India’s cultures, geography

4 August 2010

How can a gap year volunteer gain a well-rounded view of India, considered the most culturally, linguistically, and genetically diverse landmass apart from the continent of Africa?

Tour operator TravelWorks’ solution to this tricky travel challenge, “Combi-Programmes” offer gap year travellers a better understanding of India’s diverse cultures and geography. Instead of planting volunteers in just one spot, the TravelWorks programmes allow participants to live and volunteer in two different regions of India.

Participants can choose to volunteer during the first four weeks of the programme in the north-western desert area of Rajasthan or the north-eastern mountain region of Himachal Pradesh, before spending the final four weeks in Goa, a former Portuguese colony on India’s western shoreline. A trip to the Taj Mahal, other excursions, and a five-day yoga course round out the programme.

“The Combi-Programmes are a great way for volunteers to immerse themselves in two very different cultures in India, to realise that no single Indian standard exists,” said Laura Hoesman, content manager with TravelWorks.

Gaining insight into the contrasts between their home country and India, as well as between the varied Indian cultures, many fascinated participants are drawn back to the country.

“I am so glad that I got to know two Indian regions which are so different from each other,” said former TravelWorks participant Karoline Poguntke, who volunteered in Rajasthan and Goa. “India is an unusually interesting and diversified country, where you can discover so much as a person from the western world. I will most likely return to India someday.”

World Cup boosts volunteering in South Africa

Increased awareness of South Africa leads to bounce in volunteer numbers

9 July 2010

As the World Cup focuses the attention of the world on host country South Africa, it is also bringing more attention to the nation’s charitable volunteering projects, according to international tour operator TravelWorks.

A leading gap year provider in Europe, TravelWorks has noticed an increase in both interest and bookings for their volunteering programmes in South Africa leading up to and during the World Cup. This increased attention contradicts earlier predictions that inflated flight prices during the World Cup would deter potential volunteers.

“I really noticed that there were more inquiries than normal for volunteer work in South Africa or Africa in general before the World Cup,” says programme coordinator Janina Rahenbrock from TravelWorks. “I also received a few inquiries from people who wanted to do volunteer work in South Africa during the World Cup and go to a football game while they were still there. One Swiss participant even went to two of the games.”

This year’s World Cup, the first ever held on the African continent, has not only been a boon for the country’s economy; it has also brought greater awareness to the serious problems facing the country, ranging from HIV/AIDS to poverty. Though the short-term result has been positive for volunteering projects, it is unknown how long the increased awareness of South Africa will last.

“We just hope that the current interest in South Africa will lead to a longer-term increase in volunteers,” said Laura Hoesman content manager from TravelWorks. “As much as the World Cup has helped the South African economy, the country still faces many challenges, and international volunteers are an important part of the solution.”

TravelWorks introduces innovative catalogue download tool

Customisable PDF catalogue personalises gap year planning

2 June 2010

A catalogue download tool recently launched by gap year provider TravelWorks promises to personalise gap travel planning for consumers in the market for volunteer or work placements abroad.

Available via direct download or free e-mail delivery, the new download tool allows savvy consumers to customise the online TravelWorks catalogue to fit their specific gap year preferences. Potential gap year participants can download the entire catalogue or pick and choose the sections they find most interesting, based on two main criteria: world region and type of work.

“What is so useful about this download tool is that it allows you to individually assemble your own catalogue, based on your own personal priorities,” said Sonja Ranft, e-commerce manager with TravelWorks. “It is a simple, interactive tool which delivers only the specific information you are looking for.”

The new system brings a greater degree of efficiency and an aspect of individualism to catalogue-downloading for a niche market of young graduates looking for a personalised gap year experience. It also promises to save e-mail inbox space, shorten downloading times, save paper, and eliminate unnecessary scrolling.

“If you are looking specifically for volunteer opportunities in Asia, you do not want to scroll through farm work in Norway, hotel work in Spain, and volunteer work on three other continents,” said Laura Hoesman, content manager with TravelWorks. “This new system brings the online catalogue one step closer to the experience of reading a print catalogue, allowing you to skip straight to the chapter of your choice.”

TravelWorks’ new online catalogue is available for download at the following  web address: http://www.travelworks.co.uk/catalogue.html.

"Travelling Classroom" fuses adventure, language course

Gap year programme combines Spanish lessons with adventure travel in Venezuela

8th May 2010

Abseiling up a waterfall, hiking over a mountain, or kayaking through the jungle is more than an adventure for participants in the “Travelling Classroom” in Venezuela, a gap year programme offered by tour operator TravelWorks - it’s the way to get to Spanish class.

TravelWorks’ Travelling Classroom programme mingles a series of Spanish lessons with a two or three-month outdoor adventure tour of Venezuela. Starting in Playa Colorada in Mochima National Park, the Classroom sets off for mountain hiking in Caripe National Park, kayaking in the Orinoco Delta jungle, and a Jeep safari in Gran Sabana and Roraima. In the meantime, students take part in a total of 100 or 150 Spanish lessons, meet local Warao and Pemon Indígenas people, and learn about various aspects of Venezuelan culture.

“The Travelling Classroom is ideal for language-interested Latin America fans who would like to experience Venezuela away from the regular tourist spots,” says Stefanie Hargart, programme coordinator with TravelWorks. “Of course, participants need to be flexible, because language lessons really do not follow a strict teaching schedule. Physical fitness and endurance are also a must, as the excursions can be rather strenuous.”

In the absence of set teaching schedules, class time springs up almost organically, fitting in between assorted escapades in the wilds of Venezuela. In addition to the language course and travel, the three-month programme concludes with a week of volunteer work.

For participants accustomed to staring out the window during language lessons, the Travelling Classroom brings a breath of fresh air to Spanish class, making for a unique adventure in an exotic destination.

“Although I have often been abroad in the past, I have never experienced such a wonderful time as I did in Venezuela,” said former participant Nora Gröger. “A brilliant travel group and amazing guides and Spanish teachers made all the landscape and adventure Venezuela has to offer just perfect!”

Gap year workers find hotel jobs in Southern Europe

Summer gappers learn languages, ride out recession in temporary jobs abroad

22nd April 2010

Working abroad may seem like a far-off dream in today’s economy, but according to TravelWorks, a tour operator specialised in foreign job placements, a working gap year in southern Europe is a realistic way for the 18-35 set to evade the financial crisis whilst gaining international experience.

Despite a downturn in the southern European tourism industry, job placements remain ample for short-term hotel and restaurant workers, especially during the summer high season. For gap year travellers, this means there is no shortage of temporary jobs in palm-fringed Mediterranean destinations.

“Spain has always been a tourist magnet, and the hotels need workers, especially in the summer months,” says Jennifer Tick, programme coordinator for Spain, Portugal, and Italy with TravelWorks. “We have no problem placing participants in hotel jobs in southern Europe.”

Once abroad, TravelWorkers in Spain, Italy, and Portugal are provided with a set job placement, room and board, travel advice, a local 24-hour emergency number, and a preparatory language course. In return for their work, participants earn modest monthly wages to offset their travel expenses.

Short-term work abroad can also yield long-term rewards, allowing participants to add language skills and international experience to their CVs, qualifications increasingly sought by employers at home. Aside from its practical advantages, working overseas is also the experience of a lifetime for many participants.

“My stay abroad was absolutely outstanding,” said Dima Argyriadou, who worked abroad in Fuerteventura. “I also learned a great deal, whether it was various computer programmes or simply Spanish customs and manners. These three months were the most exciting of my whole life.”

Joint forces on the language and working holiday market.

20th December 2006

Specialist holiday organisers, carpe diem Language Holidays and TravelWorks, who have been successfully active on the German and Austrian markets for 15 or respectively five years, have recently merged with the Travelplus Group GmbH.

In this way, the product and market know-how of two Münster companies is united. Together, these companies have sent more than 60,000 customers on holiday and count as one of the largest providers in the German-speaking regions in their respective branch segments, the language or working holiday markets.

The product palette of Travelplus Group GmbH which arises from both companies extends from language holidays for adults, teenagers and, especially for careers, for internships abroad, Work&Travel stays and volunteer operations right up to worldwide school exchange programmes. Almost one hundred target regions across all five continents are at your disposal.

"We will not only continue our tried and tested programmes under the established brands carpe diem Language Holidays and TravelWorks, but will also continue consistent expansion, says Thomas Meier, Manager of Travelplus Group GmbH and formerly the only manager of the carpe diem Language Holidays GmbH and Joint Manager of TravelWorks GmbH.

Meier sees the advantages of the merger above all in collaborative marketing, the combined worldwide co-operations network and the strengthened future-orientated perspective: “It isn’t just that our programmes supplement each other perfectly and that both companies often have the same co-operation partners both nationally and abroad, but there are also many synergies in marketing and sales. Combining forces also opens up new perspectives for the future. Our targets are clear: we would like to continue to offer our customers as high quality a service as possible and a varied programme. At the same time, we wish to expand; both organically and via purchases.”

British Holidaybreak plc.,which has owned the Travelplus Group GmbH since 1st October, supports this growth strategy.

Working part-time, travelling and learning languages worldwide - TravelWorks and carpe diem Language Holidays are expanding their programmes for 2007

8th December 2006

Do you want to go abroad, but are looking for more than just a tourist programme? TravelWorks and carpe diem Language Holidays – united since October as Travelplus Group GmbH, have introduced rational, horizon-extending and exciting things to do all over the world in seven new catalogues, if it’s more than just a holiday you're looking for.

According to its motto “Let’s go and experience the world,” TravelWorks offers Work&Travel stays, as well as volunteer work on all continents. Whether a year doing part-time jobs and discovering Australia, hotel work in the South of France, health care in Ghana, wildlife protection in Canada, English teaching in India or caring for orphans in Peru – the opportunities are endless. Whoever wishes to work professionally abroad will find even more work experience options via the travel organiser from 2007 onwards in European neighbouring countries, but also in North America, Australia and New Zealand. The selection for a possible school stay over the border is of a similar size.

Since 1991 carpe diem Language Holidays, with its language courses for adults, teenagers and its courses for careers or courses combined with work experience, has been proving that a language course can be far more than just stuffy learning. It is easy to submerge yourself in the culture of a host country in attractive course locations such as Marbella, Sydney, Vancouver, Rome or Buenos Aires and thereby polish your foreign language knowledge in a specific manner.
For 2007 the range of offers was greatly extended to soothe stressed souls, as well as provide learning success: in Biarritz, Santa Barbara (California) and Barbados, for example, it is possible to walk along the wonderful beach straight after language lessons. In total, you can choose from over 70 course locations in 26 countries worldwide.

Whether a metropolis or a country idyll; a break for several months or a two-week intensive language course; doing a job, learning and/or helping; Europe or the end of the world – the selection of sojourns abroad is huge, and we can guarantee you more than just a tourist programme!

A-levels, Visa, rucksack – off you go!

1st March 2006

This is a motto which is becoming increasingly popular with school leavers, as it is more easy than it ever was to go abroad for a time between leaving school and beginning training or studies. A working holiday means a combination of doing a job, travelling and refreshing language capabilities – an unforgettable freedom adventure!

The special holiday organiser TravelWorks from Münster parcels those thirsting for travel in an all-inclusive package which doesn’t only include aid when applying for Visas, booking flights, lists of other traveller’s names, a travel insurance, joining a starter workshop and organising the first accommodation on location. They also guarantee valuable support with opening accounts and applying for tax numbers, searching for jobs, writing C.V.'s, searching for accommodation and all other questions to do with living, travelling and working abroad.

The organiser thereby relies on a world-wide network of recognised partner organisations which take on supervision of the "guest workers" in the respective target country and provide support in an emergency, 24 hours a day.

The great favourites amongst the destinations are presently Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Whether in a café, on a building site, sailing boat or an outback ranch; as snowboarding teacher, harvest helper, ice-cream seller or sheep shearer – there’s plenty of work to do. Almost 10,000 German working holiday-makers have worked their way through Australia like this in 2005 alone. TravelWorker Stefanie, 20 years old, was one of them: “Australia is so diverse: great cities and beaches, jungle, coral reefs, deserts, Ayers Rock, surfing, skiing, super-friendly people, fascinating wildlife…
”Those who have good knowledge of the English language, are between 18 and 30 or 35 years old, are flexible and adaptable are allowed to participate – you don’t require professional training. What counts are motivation and a fascination for other countries and cultures,” explains Carolin Büscher, programme co-ordinator at TravelWorks.

Sixth-former Andrea also set off for adventure – she spent eleven months in New Zealand: "Everything worked out; I always got swift help if I asked – even the partner organisation in Auckland was great! The trip was the best thing I ever did in my life. I met lots of interesting people. I did lots of different jobs and learned to get by on a little money!"
Oliver, too remembers his time spent at the other end of the world in a similar way: “I really enjoyed my time there – independent and not bound to anyone, ready for something new each day; the country, the people – just brilliant!”