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Gap Year Venezuela
If it's a tropical paradise you seek, look no further than Venezuela! With its steamy rainforests, teeming with ocelots, armadillos, and anacondas and its friendly local people with their thriving indigenous culture, Venezuela has all the makings of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Can I participate if I’m not from the UK?
Do I need to take a test to prove my Spanish skill level?
Do I need special references or experience in order to participate?
Is there an age limit? How old are typical participants?
Can I participate with a friend?
Can I combine my volunteer work in Venezuela with a TravelWorks programme in another country?
Can I choose the city/region where I would like to volunteer?
What projects can I volunteer for?
What is the health/safety situation in Venezuela? Do I need vaccinations?
Do I need to apply for a visa?
Should I buy travel insurance?
How much money should I expect to spend on extra costs such as extra travel and food?
What will my accommodation be like?
Will I live and work with other volunteers?
Is there a way for me to contact the other volunteers before I depart for Venezuela?
How much time will I actually spend learning Spanish and volunteering? Will I have free time?
How are the language school and classes organised?
When can I start the programme?
Will I earn money during my project work?
Can I participate if I’m not from the UK?
Yes. Participants from the United Kingdom and the United States are welcome to participate in the gap year in Venezuela, as well as citizens from other countries. If you are from another country, we will have to check your country’s visa requirements to see if you can participate.
Do I need to take a test to prove my Spanish skill level?
When you arrive in Venezuela, you will take a test, which will place you in the Spanish class corresponding to your Spanish skill level. You do not need to have any knowledge of Spanish in order to participate in the gap year in Venezuela. Complete beginners can simply enrol in the beginners’ course.
If you are a complete beginner, it is required that you take the full four weeks of Spanish classes. You may also extend your Spanish course beyond the first four weeks. However, if you already have good knowledge of Spanish, you may shorten the length of time that you take the Spanish course.
Do I need special references or experience in order to participate?
No. You do not need to have any specific teaching, educational, or work experience in order to participate in the gap year in Venezuela. However, any special skills which you could use as you volunteer would be both helpful and welcomed. Motivation, flexibility, and personal initiative are the most important qualities you can bring to your gap year in Venezuela.
Is there an age limit? How old are typical participants?
No, there is no upper age limit, although you must be at least 18 years old in order to participate. Most participants are between 18 and 30 years of age. If you are older than this, you are still welcome to participate in the gap year in Venezuela programme, but you should know that it is rather unlikely that you will meet people your own age on location.
Can I participate with a friend?
Yes. When you apply, you can list a travel partner, and we are generally able to place travel partners together at the same project. However, we cannot guarantee 100% that you will be placed in the same project.
Can I combine my volunteer work in Venezuela with a TravelWorks programme in another country?
Yes. It is often possible to combine programmes. Feel free to contact TravelWorks for more information.
Can I choose the city/region where I would like to volunteer?
Before you leave for your gap year in Venezuela, you will receive a list of the places where you could possibly volunteer, and we will try to place you with your top choice.
What projects can I volunteer for?
There are various possibilities for volunteer work in Venezuela. You will have the chance to list your preference, as to which project you would like to be placed in in Méride or Playa Colorada.
Mérida: In the Fundación Don Bosco social project in Mérida, children from poor backgrounds are cared for. Participants care for the children, playing with them, washing them, organising sports lessons, or offering instruction in English. Participants who want to work in wildlife protection help out in Chorros de Milla Zoo in Mérida, feeding animals, cleaning out cages, and accompanying the veterinarian when he goes on check-ups.
Playa Colorada: the Jakera Club in Playa Colorada, volunteers could organise sports activities or English, dance, or music lessons. Participation in this programme is only available on certain dates; contact TravelWorks for more information.
In the marine conservation project, participants educate the local Venezuelan people about the protection and sustainment of the underwater world. Other project assignments include cleaning up beaches and coral reefs. For this type of work, it is necessary that participants have a diving licence. If you are not already a licensed diver at the beginning of your course, you can get your diving licence in Venezuela for an extra cost of approximately Ł220 (US$360 / or 270 €).
Another project is in the Orinoco Delta. Our partner organisation runs a tourist lodge here. In order to help support the local population, our partners have founded a school here for children of the local Warao people. Volunteers assist by teaching English and sometimes Spanish classes. The goal of the school is to increase the students’ awareness of environmental protection and pollution control. Aside from teaching, which takes place in the morning, participants help out in the kitchen of the lodge bar. Participants in the Orinoco Delta stay in the Orinoco Delta Lodge, and pay an extra fee of about Ł65 (US$110 / or 80 €).
Please be aware that your volunteer project will not be meticulously planned out for you. You will have a general volunteering assignment, and will have to use your own creativity and initiative in order to successfully complete your project. You will need to be very flexible, independent, and adaptable during your gap year in Venezuela.
What is the health/safety situation in Venezuela? Do I need vaccinations?
Venezuela is a relatively safe land for tourists; women can travel here alone. However, there are certain safety precautions which travellers should follow. For example, travel only during the day, carry your luggage in your lap on the bus, and do not wear expensive jewellery. Our partner organisation in Venezuela can give you helpful information about which travel routes you should take and which areas of the country you should avoid for safety reasons. Current information about travelling safely in Venezuela and other countries is available at www.fco.gov.uk and travel.state.gov.
Before your gap year in Venezuela, you may need to get vaccinations. Exactly which vaccinations you will need will depend on your specific travel destinations in the country. Therefore, you should definitely go to a doctor for advice about necessary vaccinations and health precautions. You should do this as early as you can, to make sure you get the proper vaccinations in time. You can find useful information regarding vaccinations at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk.
Do I need to apply for a visa?
No, citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States do not need a visa to enter Venezuela for stays of 90 days or fewer. However, you will need to make sure that your passport will be valid for at least 6 months after your arrival in Venezuela. You could be denied entry into Venezuela if your passport is not valid for 6 more months upon your arrival. Upon arrival, you will also need to show proof that you have a confirmed onward or return flight out of Venezuela.
Please note that you must book your return flight before you arrive in Venezuela – for a maximum stay of 90 days. If you have a flight transfer in the United States, you must follow the terms and conditions for entry into the U.S. You can find further information at www.usembassy.org.uk.
If you are not from the UK or U.S., we will need to check your country’s visa requirements to see if you can participate in the gap year in Venezuela programme.
Should I buy travel insurance?
Yes, we strongly recommend that you get travel insurance to protect yourself abroad. WorldNomads offers flexible travel insurance for short-term and gap-year travellers like yourself. Note that this is only a recommendation. Feel free to search for the travel insurance which is right for you.
How much money should I expect to spend on extra costs such as extra travel and food?
You should expect to pay about Ł360, US$600, or 400 € per month in extra costs, for excursions, souvenirs, nights out, etc. Of course, this will depend on your personal lifestyle, so you may pay more or less than this. You should factor the following expenses into your budget for your gap year in Venezuela:
- Flight ticket
- Travel insurance
- Vaccinations
- Miscellaneous personal expenses
What will my accommodation be like?
Participants in Mérida will stay in a posada owned by our partner organisation, and participants in Playa Colorada will stay in a beach lodge. In both locations half board (breakfast and supper) will be provided, and you will also have a kitchen.
Will I live and work with other volunteers?
You will probably share a room with other participants during your gap year in Venezuela. You will also most likely be working on your project with 1-2 other volunteers, but you may be the only volunteer at your project, depending on how many other volunteers sign up at the same time.
Is there a volunteer “base”?
Your volunteer base during your gap year in Venezuela will be your accommodation. Here, you will meet staff members from our partner organisation, who are there to help if you have any questions or problems.
Is there a way for me to contact the other volunteers before I depart for Venezuela?
If there will be any other volunteers with you in Venezuela, we will send you a list of their names and e-mail addresses three weeks before your departure.
How much time will I actually spend learning Spanish and volunteering? Will I have free time?
During the language course, you will have 20 Spanish lessons per week, and will have free time at the weekend. The length of time you spend volunteering each day will depend on which project you are doing. In most projects, you will be working 4 to 8 hours a day and will have free time at the weekend.
How are the language school and classes organised?
Spanish instruction will take place in groups of up to 8 students. At the beginning of the Spanish course, you will take a Spanish placement test to determine which class you belong in. Class begins either in the morning or afternoon, and you will have 20 hours of Spanish instruction each week. During the volunteer work, you will continue to have 10 Spanish lessons a week.
The language course will help you to communicate well enough in Spanish to work on your volunteer project. If you are volunteering in a social development project, good Spanish skills will be a major advantage for you, especially if you are working with children.
When can I start the programme?
Courses in the language school begin every first and third Monday in the month. Participants should arrive in Mérida or Playa Colorada on a Saturday or Sunday. The overnight stay from Saturday night to Sunday morning in Mérida/Playa Colorada is included in the programme price. It is up to you to decide, if you would like to take language courses in Mérida or in Playa Colorada.
Will I earn money during my project work?
No, this is volunteer work! This means that through your work, you are supporting people in need and assisting in projects, which usually have barely enough money to cover their own essential expenses. Please do not expect payment for your volunteer work. Instead, look at this as an amazing opportunity to help people and gain meaningful life experiences.
What are my next steps?
If you decide to participate in this programme, just fill out the PDF or online Booking Form. Please note that if you are booking online you will need a credit card (we accept Visa or MasterCard). If you choose the PDF booking form, please print, fill out, and sign the form before faxing it to TravelWorks. As soon as we have received your application, we will process your booking. At this point your application will be legally binding. We will contact you if we need any additional information.
You will receive various application materials by e-mail after you have applied for the programme. These documents need to be completed and returned to TravelWorks.
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