Becoming a Volunteer With ISV

Here are great reasons for you to travel with ISV:

1. Travel with up to 25-50 people who share your passion for volunteering and adventure!
2. ISV provides 24-hour support while you are on your program. So should something go wrong during your trip, we have the staff and support to help you out, so you can enjoy your trip to its fullest.
3. Professional ISV Project and Tour Leaders guide you through your entire volunteer and adventure experience.
4. ISV personally selects and works with host organizations and local communities to ensure your project is safe, fun, meaningful and sustainable.
5. ISV has been an industry leader in running the most professional, responsible and exciting adventure tours on the planet for nearly 30 years!

1. First, take a look through our website and read up on our host countries, volunteer projects and adventure tours to learn what we offer and find out what interests you. 
2. Next, submit an application to volunteer with ISV. You may complete this online or via one of our representatives on your campus.  There is no obligation involved with the application, it is just an expression of interest and lets us know you would like to be considered for our program. ISV will review your application and contact you within 7-10 business days to let you know that you have been accepted or if we need further information. ISV will accept anyone that we feel will make a valuable contribution on our program. 
3. Once you have been accepted, you can then confirm your space on the ISV Program by submitting your agreement and non-refundable, non-transferable deposit. Final placement on the program may be dependent on a review of any medical condition you have to ensure we are able to meet your needs while abroad. ISV will place you on your country and departure date within 7-10 business days of receiving your agreement and deposit. 

There is no official deadline to apply or confirm your space, however it is best to apply early and confirm your space as soon as you are accepted, as spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Many host countries and departure dates fill up within a very short period of time, so we urge you to complete your documentation and confirm your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. 

Yes, you can travel with one or more friends. You will need to list one another’s names on your applications to be placed together. If you have already applied and didn’t list your friend, or if you now have more friends you are traveling with, please email the ISV office to inform us.

No, you do not have to be a student. ISV offers programs for high school students aged 15-18, college and university students aged 18 and older, as well as non-students aged 18 and older. Mature aged participants will be given the option to be placed on special dates to travel with others in their age group.

ISV will place you on your country and date by referring to the preferences you list on your application and program agreement. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and ISV will place you on your country and date within 7-10 business days of receipt of your agreement and non-refundable, non-transferable deposit.

If you are only available for limited countries or dates, please mark a choice for only those options on your application and agreement.

You can indicate conservation, community development or no preference for your preferred type of volunteer project on your application. We will send you a project preference form to complete so that you can let us know what kind of project you would like to be involved in. This information is passed to our Project Managers in your host country to assist with allocating you to your project

ISV will place you on either a conservation or community development project and email you a project summary about 55 days prior to departure, which will contain a brief introduction to your project. Then, your specific ISV Project Overview will be emailed to you 30 days prior to departure, which will include detailed information on your project location, host organization, tasks, goals, accommodations, etc. 

You can confirm for the Spanish Language Program and add the OAP in your host country on your Flight/Options Form by selecting them and making a deposit. All volunteers are required to submit a Flight/Options Form which is available on the ISV website. The Flight/Options Form is due by 105 days prior to departure.

Accommodations vary according to the specific volunteer project and may range from home stays within the local community to national park huts, bunkhouses to tent-camping, and more. On the adventure tour, accommodations range from hostels to eco-lodges, hotels to jungle cabins, tent camps to resorts, and more. The size and style of rooms vary; on project you may be staying singly or with another volunteer in a home stay, while on tour, you may have 3 or more other volunteers in a hotel room, or your entire group in a large cabin or bunkhouse. Depending on the facilities available, the accommodations may be co-ed or may have separate rooms for male and female volunteers.

Meals will be filling and healthy, though you may find there is less variety in food than what you are used to at home, depending on the variety of seasonal foods available in your host country. Vegetarian diets can be accommodated. Three meals a day are provided on your volunteer project and generally reflect traditional local fare and the culture of the region. At least half of the meals are provided during the adventure tour, which allows you to explore the local cuisines at your leisure for the remaining meals. ISV will send you a Travel Manual for your host country 30 days prior to departure, in which the meals provided on the tour will be noted with B, L, D (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).

ISV does not recommend any specific vaccinations, but we do advise that volunteers visit their physician or a travel medicine clinic for recommendations. In your ISV Travel Manual , a list of the commonly advised vaccinations for your host country will be included, as well as information about entry requirements that certain countries may have, such as proof of yellow fever vaccination. 

ISV’s commitment to the safety and well-being of every leader and volunteer takes top priority in the planning and operation of each international program. 

• Each host country is selected with safety as the first priority. 
• ISV has a global risk management plan and emergency routes and medical facilities are designated for each of our locations. 
• ISV maintains our own staff in each host country to provide support for the program. 
• All programs are overseen by a locally-based ISV Country Coordinator, and professionally trained ISV Project and Tour Leaders supervise each project and tour group.
• Volunteers attend a mandatory orientation meeting in their host country before the start of the project and the tour, in which safety is thoroughly discussed. Volunteers are trained to use any tools needed for their project tasks.
• ISV maintains a good relationship with the local communities we serve. 
• ISV provides emergency contact phone numbers for volunteers (and their families) to call in case any emergency arises during the program season. 
• ISV will not run a program or activity if we deem it to be unsafe.

For the Spanish Language Program option, host families are selected by the Spanish school. For volunteer projects that have home stays, the host families are generally selected by the project host organization. Host families are local families who are well-respected in their community. Their homes are inspected to ensure that they have the basic necessities to ensure you are comfortable. Each host family can accommodate one or two ISV volunteers at a time, depending on the size of the house. Getting to know your host family is one of the most incredible and rewarding aspects of our Spanish Language Program (and some Costa Rican projects). Many families have hosted international students before and they are all caring families ready to share their home and culture with you.

In general, ISV recommends using email to contact home, as that is the easiest and least expensive method. You can also choose to purchase a pre-paid international calling card after arrival in your host country. Your ability to contact home during the volunteer project (first two weeks) depends on the remoteness of your project and the facilities available. You might not be able to contact home during those weeks, or you might only be able to contact home on the weekends.

During the adventure tour (second two weeks) you will have access to public phones and the internet to contact home usually every couple of days. The ISV main office staff, your Project and Tour Leaders, and the ISV Country Coordinators will maintain communication with one another throughout the project and tour.

When you book your flights with ISV, you'll find we offer competitive and hassle-free airfares.  Plus:

• ISV takes the guesswork out of when and where to fly (arrival city, dates, time changes, departure cities, etc.).
• ISV coordinates each flight to meet the requirements of your specific project assignment.
• Traveling with ISV will ensure a smooth arrival and departure. 
• ISV uses only reputable airlines. 
• ISV manages your reservation from beginning to end. Avoid strict terms and conditions of tickets purchased online.
• If you have any special flight request such as extension or deviation, please contact the ISV office to discuss (additional fees may apply). ISV organizes all ground transportation to and from the airport in your host country. 
• There is safety in numbers. Meet up with your fellow ISV volunteers at the airport and get to know them as you travel overseas together. 
• Donations from fundraising may be applied to the cost of your flight organized by ISV.
• Less hassle overall!! 

Yes, ISV requires that all volunteers take a flight organized by ISV for the international flights to your host country to ensure the smooth running of the program. If you have any special flight request such as extension or deviation, please contact the ISV office to discuss (additional fees may apply).

If you have extenuating circumstances, and need to organize a flight independent of ISV, you may request this on your Flight/Options Form. Please note that if you arrange your flights separate from ISV, the required flight deposit is converted to an administration fee for management of own flight details by the ISV office.

ISV organizes international flights to your host country to depart from a designated international airport. It is your responsibility to arrange and pay for your own flight or ground transportation to the designated departure airport for the ISV flight. Volunteers are coming from a wide variety of locations and will need to arrange their connecting transport individually. 

The additional in-country transportation refers to flights within your host country that ISV arranges to transport you to your volunteer project, to the start of your adventure tour, or from the end of your tour back to the airport. Additional in-country transportation is only required for some host countries, and the cost is averaged and added automatically to the invoice of volunteers traveling to that country.

Yes, you will need a valid passport to travel internationally. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your trip return date. It may take up to two months to receive your passport from the time you apply for one, so you should apply for one as early as possible.

You may need a tourist visa, depending on your citizenship and the countries to which you travel. It is your responsibility to arrange any tourist visas you require for your ISV host country or any country that you transit through. It may take months to get a tourist visa if you need one, so be sure to apply for one far in advance. Please contact our office with any specific tourist visa questions you have.

We have created a Pricing Breakdown document that will help you determine your program costs. Please contact our office to request last season’s pricing, which you can use as a guide. 

Every volunteer is responsible for the cost of their international flight to their host country, medical and cancellation insurance and spending money (for those traveling on a two week volunteer project only). 

For those undertaking 4 week volunteer and adventure program, please add on non-included meals during the Adventure Tour.

For those adding options such as Spanish Language Program, OAP, Excursions, undertaking academic credit and other non-ISV activities you might choose to take in-country, these costs need to be considered.

For those requiring a visa or vaccinations, these costs need to be added.

Balance payments are due 65 days prior to your departure. You can make payments prior to that time as often as you wish, in the amount that you prefer. Contact our office for information on payment plans that are available.

Look over the fundraising tips on our website and then start making a list of your family, friends, co-workers, local businesses, clubs and organizations, etc., to which you have a personal connection. Next, start contacting these potential sponsors to let them know about your trip and your need for their support. Once you are signed up for your host country, you can then take advantage of the sample letter to sponsors, and the other fundraising materials ISV provides to you. Get together with other volunteers in your area to host fundraising events, or ask a friend or family member to help you. Start fundraising early!

Fundraising varies depending on the individual and how much time and effort they spend on fundraising.  Many past volunteers have fundraised all of their program costs.

You should exchange some money into the local currency of your host country. ISV will send you a Travel Manual and Project Overview 30 days prior to departure, which will have more details on how much money to bring. 

Be sure to get travel cancellation insurance as soon as you book your trip, so that you have better coverage in case of unforeseen cancellation. If you have to cancel your program after you have been allocated to your country and date, you must email our office right away.

ISV offers you a travel voucher (in the amount equal to your non-refundable, non-transferable program deposit) valid for you towards an ISV Program within the next two years. Additionally, you may contact your travel cancellation insurance provider to make an insurance claim. Deposits and donations are not refundable by ISV.

You will need to have both medical insurance that covers you while abroad on the program, as well as travel cancellation insurance that covers your ISV trip.

If you do not already have appropriate medical insurance, you can consider using a travel insurance policy that combines both medical and cancellation coverage ISV will provide you with further insurance information once you have been allocated to your country and departure date.

Travel cancellation insurance protects you against last minute cancellation, provided that the reason for cancelling falls within the terms and conditions of the policy. Travel cancellation insurance often covers other items such as trip delay, trip interruption, baggage loss, baggage delay, international medical coverage and more. All volunteers are required to have travel cancellation insurance.