voluntourism

IPA/ˌvɒlənˈtʊərɪzəm/
IPA/ˌvɑːlənˈtʊrɪzəm/

voluntourism — noun

1. a type of travel in which people go to another country as tourists but also spen

1.nounB2
Definition

a type of travel in which people go to another country as tourists but also spend time doing unpaid work to help local communities, for example by teaching, building, or protecting the environment

Example

Minh went on a voluntourism trip to Thailand, teaching English at a rural school.

noun modifier: voluntourism trip

Meera joined a voluntourism program in Kenya that built water wells for rural villages.

noun modifier: voluntourism program

Common collocations
  • voluntourism trip
  • voluntourism program
  • voluntourism project
  • voluntourism holiday
  • voluntourism industry
  • ethical voluntourism
Synonyms
  • volunteer tourism

    direct synonym, slightly more formal and academic

  • service trip

    often used by schools and religious groups for short-term volunteering abroad

  • volunteer abroad

    focuses on the volunteering aspect rather than the tourism aspect

Grammar Patterns

voluntourism + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used in discussions about whether short-term volunteer projects abroad are truly helpful. Critics argue that badly planned voluntourism can create more work for local people than it saves.

Common Mistakes

I went on a voluntourism to Thailand.
I went on a voluntourism trip to Thailand.
'voluntourism' is a type of travel, not a destination, so it needs a noun like 'trip' or 'program' to describe the specific experience.
Voluntourism is when you volunteer while travelling.
Voluntourism is a type of travel that combines tourism with unpaid community work.
Avoid defining with 'when' which creates a vague, circular explanation.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Voluntourism, volunteer tourism, service trip, and volunteer abroad all describe forms of unpaid work in foreign communities. 'Voluntourism' and 'volunteer tourism' are near-synonyms, though voluntourism is often used critically — implying the travel aspect matters more than the help. 'Service trip' is more common in school and church contexts, and tends to suggest a short, structured group experience. 'Volunteer abroad' is the broadest term, covering everything from a two-week teaching project to a year-long medical placement, without the tourist connotation. For example: 'Her voluntourism trip to Cambodia involved building houses and visiting temples' versus 'He spent a year volunteering abroad as a nurse in Rwanda.'

volunteer tourismservice tripvolunteer abroad

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • go on voluntourism
  • participate in voluntourism
  • criticize voluntourism

Prepositions

Etymology

English

A blend of 'volunteer' and 'tourism', first recorded in English in the 1990s. The word gained wider use in the 2000s as international gap-year travel became popular and critics began debating its true impact on local communities.