Many young people don’t have the opportunity to travel outside of the United States. After all, a plane ticket is only the beginning of the bill; if you plan on strictly traveling, you’ll also have to think about paying for accommodation, food, and entertainment. If your wallet is feeling slightly pinched, you may want to consider volunteering abroad. There are programs out there that cost close to nothing, while providing a wholesome experience that you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. Additionally, your parents will be happy that you’re traveling abroad with a firm destination in mind, rather than aimlessly wandering.

There’s no end to the range of opportunities available to you, and the locations are just as varied. People volunteer across the world (as well as in the United States, of course!), on every continent. It’s a little known fact that many of the people working maintenance jobs in the Artic are volunteers. Many of them are actually professionals like doctors and lawyers, working for free just to experience the South Pole!

Your volunteer position doesn’t have to be quite as dramatic. Popular programs like Global Crossroads will set up the entire experience for a nominal fee. This site, for instance, offers volunteering opportunities in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Their catalogue is incredible; a typical project would put you in on the coast of Ghana, working in an orphanage or providing HIV/AIDS counseling. Another project, this one in Bolivia, places young adults in the La Paz Zoo, tending to animals. This kind of experience is sure to last you a lifetime, especially if you plan on pursuing a career in medicine or animal care.

If you’re really short on cash and looking for a great way to spend the summer, other (free) options exist. One of the least known and most fulfilling is the WWOOF program. The acronym stands for World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farming. In a nutshell, organic farms across the world participate in this organization designed to place volunteers. In exchange for approximately 4 hours of work per day, the owner of the farm agrees to provide both shelter and food. This can be a great way to access some of the most remote places in the world, while engaging in intimate contact with native peoples that most tourists simply can’t replicate.

If you plan on volunteering while you’re attending college, consider asking your school for a travel grant. If you have some interesting research in mind, many colleges will provide some kind of financial assistance, in exchange for a report due when you return back to school. The fact that you received a grant (most have prestigious sounding names!) will look great on a resume.

Volunteering abroad is a great way to spend your time. For a relatively small amount of money, you can gain valuable work experience while having the experience of a lifetime. Wherever you choose to go, enjoy yourself knowing that you are doing your little part in making the world a better place.

If you enjoy the great outdoors, Canada provides ample opportunity for seasonal occupation. The southern region is occupied by a multitude of tourist attractions from ski resorts to national parks. In the Western provinces, Whistler and Banff have become two of Canada’s most targeted destinations while in the east, Quebec and Ontario host visitors at the Mont Tremblant and Talisman resorts among many others. These locations provide numerous seasonal jobs through exchange and work visa programs. Beyond the available ski resort jobs, camps, hotels, lodges, restaurants, vineyards and retail outlets look to hire individuals to work as chefs, laborers, counselors, sales clerks, technicians, tour guides and customer service representatives.

Working at one of Canada’s resorts or natural destinations allows employees to explore national parks or speed down snow filled mountains while experiencing the comforts of a resort and creating tight knit relationships with co-workers. Many of the Canadian resorts have created a small town ambiance where employees and visitors share interests and hobbies. At Whistler and Mont Tremblant, employees have a chance to partake in winter sports during the day or mingle with the local community at a bar or restaurant in the evening. During the summer these areas become accessible for hikers and kayakers, which has increased off-season demand.

These ski resort towns are known during the summer for their shopping, restaurants, natural beauty and outdoor activities. Hospitality and tourism related businesses have been experiencing higher occupancy and profitability, creating a surge in demand for summer and year round employment. These jobs include waiters and waitresses, chefs, desk clerks, maintenance and labor workers, tour guides, night auditors, sales people and customer service representatives.

The summer months also creates a swell in the number of young children who attend camps in Canada. A number of positions are available for both specialized and general camp counselors and employees. Concentrating in horseback riding, swimming, kayaking, tennis, arts and crafts, care giving and medicine often can earn employees larger paychecks while they practice their hobbies and test their knowledge.

Canada offers visas to prospective citizens as well as temporary workers. Depending on your current status, Canada has a visa that applies to you. Skilled workers, temporary employees, live in caregivers, agricultural laborers and college graduates each have to apply for distinct visas. However, the application process is simplified by the Canadian government in an attempt to attract foreign workers. Processing visas is often completed within three days and ranges from $75 to $150 for the individual. Other opportunities that do not require visas can be arranged through work exchange program, but still involve authorization through Canadian agencies. These reciprocal programs help place foreign exchange students and teachers as well as workers filling co-op positions.

The Canadian government makes a point to advertise work opportunities to prospective foreign employees. This makes job hunting easier for you! There are a number of agencies that position seasonal employees in jobs that match their interests and skills. On top of this, Canadian embassies, individual resorts and national parks all have listings on their respective websites. It’s time for you to visit Canada, find an exciting job and explore the natural beauty.

When many people look for a job they begin their search by looking to employers in their local area. Although this job search method may be simple and convenient, it very well may exclude a number of great opportunities to work away from your home. One great way to look for a job away from home is to search for jobs in other countries. Working abroad can provide not only a the chance to gain work experience, but the opportunity to travel and experience new places and cultures as well.

The first step to getting a job abroad is to secure a visa to work in the country of your choosing. For some countries this is a quick and easy process while for others it can involve a lot of paperwork and careful planning. If you are considering working abroad it will be important to contact the nearest consulate for the country that you plan to work in and inquire as to what the process is to get the proper documentation completed in order to work in their country.

Once you have gotten through the red tape of getting the proper permission to work abroad, the next step will be to think long and hard about the type of work that you are interested in doing abroad. If you are interested in working in the outdoors, there are a large number of tour companies that you can work for in other countries. In many countries you could find job opportunities leading guided hikes or canoe tours, bike tours, guided rafting, and much more. By working for a tourism company abroad not only will you get to experience another culture, but you will also get the chance to get involved in the outdoor adventure activity or activities of your choosing.

If the outdoors is not your cup of tea, there are also numerous opportunities to work in an office, in retail, or in almost any other position that you can imagine abroad. If you are interested in gaining job experience while simultaneously getting the opportunity to experience a new culture, working abroad could prove to be a great way to appease these two interests together.

Whatever your interests in terms of the type of job that you are looking for, it is important not to limit your job search to only those jobs available in your home neighborhood. The number of jobs that you could find worldwide is tremendous and if you neglect to look at your options for jobs abroad, you may miss out on a job opportunity that would be perfect for you. There are far more jobs in the world than most people are aware of, and if you take the time to do a proper job search, it is likely that you will be happier with the job that you settle upon. In the end, working abroad provides a great chance to experience a new country and culture while working and making money at the same time.