Thinking of taking your kids traveling to see the world? You can never underestimate how the power of travel and volunteerism can make and shape kids’ lifelong impressions of the world and their roles in it. Here are 10 compelling reasons to take them on voluntourism or a volunteer vacation (adapted from the family volunteering website, Doing Good Together.

Ten Reasons to Start Family Voluntourism:

1. Enables busy parents to spend valuable vacation time with their kids while giving back to the community.

2. Enables parents to pass on key values to their children, such as global citizenship and responsibility, compassion and kindness.

3. Brings family members closer, creating opportunities for meaningful conversations about important personal and social issues.

4. Increases their knowledge and understanding as they learn about another culture or learn about ecology and biodiversity lessons in responsibility and team work through projects such as rainforest conservation.

5. Produces gratitude – grateful for what we have, especially if working with orphans, impoverished communities or the sick. There’s nothing like volunteering to put our own problems into perspective.

6. Helps kids appreciate their own talents, gain self-confidence and feel good about making a contribution.

7. Helps break down stereotypes at a young age, and teaches greater tolerance and understanding. Kids often meet people from diverse cultural backgrounds, lifestyles, ages and income levels.

8. Helps kids discover their place in the world and grow them into responsible, caring changemakers.

9. Breeds a generation of future volunteers. According to studies, adults who volunteered as kids were twice as likely to be involved in community service as adults who didn’t.

10. It’s fun. There can be great joy in serving others, especially when you’re doing it with the ones you love.

Photo by Tikanchay