Volunteering for Over 50s

Volunteering when over 50 could be your next big adventure and Pod Volunteer can help make this possible. It's a perfect time to take on an exciting new challenge and volunteering is a fantastic way to travel and see the world. 

What volunteer projects can I join?

Please see our Find a project page to discover what type of project you would like to join, options include animal rescue and animal care, wildlife conservation and marine conservation. We have an incredible range of projects across Africa, Asia and the Americas which allow you to experience beautiful destinations whilst volunteering. 

We can help guide you to the right project for you depending on your interests and can advise on the typical age ranges for each project so that you are with likeminded volunteers. 

Can I have my own private room?

We understand that you may prefer to have your own private room whilst volunteering, you can see all our project options with private rooms available here.

What is the maximum age limit that can I volunteer?

There is no upper age limit to volunteering. Our volunteers are aged up to 75+ and volunteering is increasingly popular for the over 50s.

Can I bring a partner or family member when I volunteer?

Yes absolutely! It's a brilliant opportunity to be able to experience the trip together and have shared memories to take home with you. 

Hear from Perky who joined our Amazon Conservation project in Peru:

“Having just returned from 4 weeks at the Amazon Conservation project, I'm having difficulty coming up with words to describe my time there. I am a 69 year old adventurer, conservationist and lover of rainforests. When I read about the project and the possibility of volunteering, I signed up immediately. When you sign up for an experience like this, you don't really know the reality of it until you are immersed in it. From the minute they picked me up from the airport, until they returned me for my flight home, everything was taken care of from all the travel, food, lodging and volunteer time. 

Everyday was an adventure. One needs to be quite fit to fully participate, so make sure you get prepared physically. The hiking is continuous and is tricky at best because you are navigating mud, roots, rocks and streams. While walking, you are either looking for animals and butterflies to collect data on. Mornings start early. The food is plentiful. You'll want to bring lots of snacks. 

The biodiversity was rich, but often we saw just tracks. But the tracks were everywhere: puma, jaguar, peccary, deer, tapirs...One of our crew met a jaguar on a trail and two others had an encounter with a puma. It gave me so much hope that this patch of land that used to be a cattle ranch had returned to enough health to support so many animals. I saw monkeys daily and a friend taught me their routines, so we could really get to know them. Birds were everywhere as well as butterflies. We saw peccary, a tapir scared us on a night hike, there are agoutis in the compound, If you are a hearty soul who wants to make a small difference, this is your place. I loved it all.”