The images in this post were taken pre-COVID-19.

Group expeditions are a great way for troops of travellers to volunteer and travel abroad as a team. Whether you’re part of a school of students, office of employees, or team of sport-enthusiasts – group volunteer opportunities can benefit you in many ways.

We’ve delved deeper into the top five benefits of group expeditions, and found out what makes it one of the best volunteer ideas.

1) It’s the best way to travel on a budget

Volunteer groups offer the opportunity to learn through experience, while also making it easier to travel on a budget.

This is because, when booking flights, accommodation or travel activities, booking as a group usually means cheaper rates per person.

And since group expeditions can assist you with saving, it gives team members the chance to use their money to participate in activities or visit places they may not have been able to afford before. 

Group volunteers could even bank that money for another volunteer trip later on. 

2) You’ll have a built-in support system

Knowing that your travel abroad experience has built-in support will put anyones mind at ease.

GVI’s staff are fully equipped to provide the health and safety support that you and your team might need before, during, and after your experience. 

Volunteer groups can also give you that little something extra in the way of emotional support, by allowing you to be part of a team that works collaboratively to meet goals. 

Because group expeditions cater for up to 22 individuals, group members can act as a support system for each other. And this can be helpful if team members miss home or need assistance that they’re more comfortable asking a teammate for.

3) Every experience can be a shared experience

Of all the volunteer ideas out there, group expeditions make for the best team-building experience.

There’s the feel-good feature of volunteering abroad that participants in a group expedition can experience together while contributing towards making a positive impact. 

You even have the opportunity to share personal experiences like where you grew up, or what you want to do after volunteering with other members of the group.

Because of this, you may work together better than groups made up of solo volunteers who meet only during volunteer tasks.

4) Group expeditions make for productive participants

Your group will probably be made up of people with different personality types – you could have adventurous individuals mixed in with more tentative team members – but this can make a group expedition exciting.

Different types of people can motivate one another. The energy of the adventurer may spark someone more reserved to take on an out-there task. While a quiet worker, who can get lots of logistics work done, could motivate an adventurer to take on more of the administrative tasks in the hopes of contributing in other important ways.

Group expeditions don’t just create impact because of the size of the group. A good group dynamic can push the group’s impact so that it adds up to much more than if each individual were to volunteer on their own.

5) You’ll travel home with new teamwork skills

Once your team has had the full group travel experience, the skills you’ve picked up won’t fade away as you travel back home.

On the contrary, you’ll leave with lifelong skills, like being able to work with people who are different to yourself, and working through any obstacles the team may face to complete a project. 

Coaches, employers and team leaders can benefit from the can-do attitude that group expeditions can cultivate in participants.

And these benefits of group expeditions can even improve the employability of each individual on the team, since volunteer opportunities teach practical skills, as well as people skills, which is important to employers.

So, if your aim is to grow as a team while making a positive impact, then the benefits of group expeditions can tick all those boxes.

Take a look at our group expedition travel opportunities, and get volunteer ideas to take your squad’s team spirit to the next level while volunteering abroad.