Why Encountour?

Encountour is one of the world’s leading providers of international volunteer opportunities for college students. Because we work exclusively with students, we intimately understand all of the essential ingredients that go in to designing the perfect college volunteer experience abroad. Our goal is to expose students to realities beyond their own so that they may better understand the world and their future place in it. By making international volunteer travel more accessible, we strive to make a meaningful impact on every participant’s life, one experience at a time.

Naked Travel

Rather than just visit a country, volunteers immerse themselves in a local community while working alongside locals. Because community members know that you are there to offer support, they open up and share insights into their lives that a normal tourist would never see. Naked Travelers thus experience everyday life and see a country as it really is, unfiltered.

Naked Travel is responsible travel, so we make sure that our volunteers leave a positive footprint wherever they go. Naked Travel involves staying in locally owned lodging—whether it be homestays or eco-lodges—so your trip funds directly contribute to the local economy. And we keep our administrative overhead as low as possible—in fact, over the past two years, roughly 75% of all trip funds have been spent directly in Central America.

The Experience

Encountour constantly solicits feedback from our volunteers, student leaders, and community partners to offer the best experience possible. We specifically design all of our trips to provide students with the opportunity to make a difference, meaningfully interact with local community members, explore the country, make interesting new friends, and enjoy time for hanging out and relaxing.

Sustainable, Impactful Projects

Our community and non-profit partners create sustainable projects that directly meet the needs of the community they serve. Encountour programs are designed to work towards the long-term goals set by the organizations themselves. Our projects are not "cookie-cutter"; community needs are constantly changing, so we customize each trip to meet the community’s present needs.

We invest heavily in our personal and community partnerships. We work hard to maintain lasting and sustainable relationships so that our local impact is greater and so our volunteers can stay in touch long after their experience ends. We want every project to directly benefit the community and every experience to be well planned, resource efficient, and meaningful.

Community of Students

Hundreds of students from across North America volunteer with Encountour every year. Our experience is unique and our past volunteers share a unique bond with one another and their communities.

This year, many of our previous volunteers are working to start official Naked Travel organizations on their campuses and even more are traveling with us again. By volunteering with Encountour, you are not only signing up for an experience that will impact your life, you are joining a nationwide community of students looking to broaden their horizons and positively impact the world.

Testimonials

"The project was amazing. I have never felt so accomplished in my whole life. Getting to work alongside the family while building the house was something I never thought I´d get to do. I wouldn´t trade it for the world." - Megan from Temple University

"…I am so grateful that I had the chance go to Guatemala through Encountour. And to think I almost backed out of the trip. If I knew of what an experience I would be missing, I would never have forgiven myself. This trip has been a concoction of perfect circumstances. I traveled with an amazing group of people and was given a loving homestay family. Through this trip I have gained new friends and a new family. It is with the sincerest intention when I say I will never forget them.."- Irene from Barnard College

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