A Vacation That Pays it Forward

Those looking to give back during part of their hard-earned vacation time can, thanks to the volunteering excursions offered by the new ShoreTrips Give program. ShoreTrips, which offers cruise-goers a chance to come on-shore in 435 ports around the world and to choose from 5,500 different tours, has centered their volunteering arm around seven Caribbean destinations. Travelers to Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, and Tortola can lend a helping hand to children, the elderly, the general community, and even to animals.

The opportunities last about four hours long and can be booked by individuals or groups – and no group is too large for ShoreTrips Give to accommodate. In fact, earlier this year, a group of 350 people came to Aruba wanting to aid with a project that would ultimately benefit youths, and lent their hand to everything from painting schools to entertaining children.

Having the opportunity to volunteer as a free independent traveler (FIT in travel agency lingo) is a unique one, and one that has been a long-held dream of ShoreTrips co-owner, Julie Karp. For help in creating and honing a formula for scheduling logistics, she reached out to Hope Floats, a similar model that has been matching volunteer-willing cruise passengers to more than a dozen island-based charities for five years now. The partners plan to grow the business together, and will soon add Jamaica and Roatan to the destination list.