The looming solitude of a solo trip zips through your mind: Am I really going to brave the wilds of Alaska alone? With whom will I eat under the long shadow of the Tour Eiffel?  Will the locals deem me a weirdo zip lining alone in the jungles of Costa Rica, screaming all to myself?

Traveling solo may be ideal for some, but not for all. These days however, voluntourism—altruistic partnerships of volunteering for a cause and tourism— may be just answer. Now, solo travelers can enhance their travels, adding purpose to pleasure and perhaps picking up a new passion, or a new friend while still maintaining a sense of independence and exploration.

But before engaging in voluntourism, it’s fundamental to explore your reasons for traveling in the first place. Do you need a break from work? Are you escaping something or someone? Is boredom overtaking your daily existence? Are you the type that craves guided, air-conditioned bus tours? Or do you get off on lounging on secluded beaches without a chore to do save paying your bar tab? Why you travel at all matters and gets to the essence of who you are—really are. Jot down your reasons for wanting to escape.

Secondly, you’ll want to consider how long you think you can last. Voluntourism is not for everyone. Volunteering your time, and sometimes downright hard labor during a ‘vacation’, may begin to seem wasteful, and can even teeter on the non politically correct conclusion that it’s actually ‘hogging up’ your already short-in-supply vacation time. Adjusting to the concept of spending time on others can be hard to grasp. And while some programs last for just one week, others can last for one to several years.  However, certain voluntourism programs make it worth your time—if you so choose to look at it in this way—by offering weekly or monthly stipends, weekends off and free evenings. Before joining the cause, decide what your breaking point, and how long you’d like to give yourself away for a deserving cause.

If you’re going to dedicate your days to duty, you’ll need to decide what gets you going. Does working with the environment get you stoked? Have you fantasized about preserving thirteenth century stone facades in southwestern France? Many programs can be labor intensive or emotionally intensive, and it’s up to you to choose narrowly. While some programs involve working with ailing children in eastern block nations—draining you of emotions you never knew you possessed,—others are outrageously light-hearted and require nothing more than setting up a stage backdrop for a nightly play in Dublin. While evaluating programs, you should innately know and be aware of what grabs you from the get-go—what is most likely to keep you engaged and interested for the duration of your Voluntourism.

And lastly, choosing the right program is paramount. Voluntourism has risen in popularity in recent years and the quality of programs offered varies greatly in both cost and value. Some programs are free, requiring you only to pay for your airfare, while others charge you anywhere from an application fee of $295.00 to upwards of $6,000. You’re best off researching the various programs in depth and comparing them, making sure that it’s worth the money if you do opt to pay. However, be on the alert for the great free programs out there. Check out http://www.sci-ivs.org for starters or http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net, both of which are very low-cost and highly regarded in the Voluntourism community.