Fun with Finances

The fun finances of volunteering abroad!  When I decided to leave my job and volunteer I knew that this would not be completely “free work” I would be participating in.  Things that I knew I would be covering were flights, program fees, and possibly food and lodging (depending on which program I was excepted to).  Me, like many international volunteers soon learned that it could cost a lot more then that.  For anyone interested in participating in international volunteering I would recommend reading up on all the fun extra fees.  For those of you just checking in on my blog I will try to make this as interesting as possible or your money back guaranteed (that is if you paid for the pleasure of reading my blog)! 

The break down (of my wallet):

-       Flights: this is overwhelmingly not covered by any volunteer programs.  The reasoning behind this is that people like to find their own deals on flights or want the ability to use frequent flyer miles.  I shopped around on sites like Kayak, looked directly through airlines, and through my credit card (American Express). I opted to book through my credit card as they saved around $200 on the flight I wanted.  Your flight cost will also depend on when you book.  My advice, book early and shop around. Total cost for flight: $1,500  

-       Program fee: Like I explained in my last post about differing volunteer programs, there can be a huge range in how much a volunteer program will cost you.  My program fee includes a LOT of things that make it a great choice for volunteers on a budget.  UBELONG is the group I am going with and here is what they cover; setting me up with my volunteer job, a staff mentor that is available for help with everything regarding my time abroad, in country support in case anything should go wrong, and a host family to stay with that provides me with two meals a day.  Anyone who knows my struggles in the kitchen knows this is a great thing for me!  Choosing a program that sets you up with a host family will also save you a lot of money compared to staying in a hostel or hotel.  So what’s the cost for lodging, food, volunteer job placement, and support system?  Total cost for 4 months: $2,700. Which in reality is NOT much at all!  Lets face it, my rent, food, and wine budget is about that much for 1 month here!  

-       Travel insurance: This is going to be a requirement for all volunteer programs that you purchase travel insurance.  This is also a no brainer.  Shit happens and you need to be covered.  Make sure you get a plan that has emergency evacuation coverage in case you need medical treatment not offered where you are.  Don’t break your bank when you break your leg. Get travel insurance!  Total cost for 5 months of travel insurance: $300.  And to my parent’s delight, the insurance I got covers bungee jumping.

-       In country expenses: This is the budget I have for my lunch every day, a cab ride if I need to take one, toothpaste, beer (God I hope they have beer or wine), weekend trips to the museum, SIM card so I can keep in contact with all you lovely people, and so forth.  Reminder, I am not here to be a tourist, but I will have the weekends to explore my new surroundings.  This is the roughest estimate I have for the budget because I am sadly not a wizard who can see the future.  Estimate on extra living expensive for 4 months: $ 1,500.

-      At home expenses: Just because I’m leaving the country doesn’t mean that I’m leaving my debt.  While I am away my student loans and medical insurance will still be there and removing money from my bank account.  I want a “if I don’t use it I return it” policy on both… a girl can dream.  I should note that I was fortunate enough to be at the end of my car lease when I decided to take this adventure and therefor do not have a car payment.  I also lucked out that my parents like me and were willing to be my Room of Requirement and house all my crap – I mean lovely treasures.  Total cost of home expenses: $ 3,350.  OH! And I forgot about my Netflix subscription that I share with my cousin… so tack on $ 40 for the 5 months.  (Note to self – check if I can get Netflix in Morocco).

-       ALL THE GIFTS: I’m sure I will have to get me something pretty while there… and something for everyone else too. Estimate of shopping: $ too much.  I <3 presents. 

-       Oh wait but there’s more!

-       Before you go (aka surprise expenses):  I hope that if you decided to follow in my footsteps of volunteering international you will take to heart this valuable lesson – Sell All Your Stuff!  Ok let me explain.  Before you go you have to get a bunch of crap for your travels like: 

• 5 months worth of drugs (the legal kind)
• Background checks (because you could be sketch as hell)
• Sunscreen (have fun this winter Minnesota)
• Language books (because you took sign language in high school)
• Vaccinations (No they don’t have a Ebola vaccine)
• Host family presents (I’m ok with this one because Presents!)
• Clothes that will cover you from head to toe (because you are going to a 99% Muslim country and would like to respect the culture and it turns out all your clothes lean towards the smutty revealing side)
• And so much more!  

Now a lot of these you might be able already have, but I guarantee that some other expense will come up and you will just have to suck it up.  Back to the lesson – Sell All Your Stuff!  You’d be surprised at how much crap one (or just me) accumulates that people are willing to pay for.  Clothes, shoes, electronics, art, gold jewelry, and kitchen supplies.  Now I’m not going to lie and tell you that I became the Queen of Craig’s List and made a boot load of money, but I was able to get enough to ease the blow of these extra expenses.     

There you go. That’s a rough break down of my budget for this 5-month venture.  Now that brings be to GoFundMe.  This is a social crowd-funding site that allows people to set up a page that talks about what they are raising money for.  I decided to make a GoFundMe page as a way for me to reach out to my friends, family, and others about my volunteer work abroad.  I’ve set the goal of $3,000 which I hope to put towards my at home expenses.  Anything over my goal that I raise I will be donating to the NGO I work with.  Any donation is greatly appreciated!  I will be offering a personalized post card for those donating $25 or more (just make sure to send me your address).  There are a lot of great causes and groups on GoFundMe so I would recommend taking a moment to check out others you can support. 

Thanks again for stopping by my blog!  Later this week I will be posting about how you can keep in contact with me while gone.