The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Make your next big adventure a life-changer
Searching for a transformative break that means something, rather than a week spent lounging on the beach? Sarah Baxter has 25 amazing options
ECO-CONSCIOUS EXPLORATIONS
helping in the local community.
A five-night Gondwana Conservation Experience costs from £695 including accommodation and meals. Flights not included. Year round. Gane & Marshall (01822 600600; ganeandmarshall.com).
GET STUCK IN AT HOME, ENGLAND
Surveys show that volunteering imbues people with a greater sense of purpose and well-being. Which means we should all do more of it.
The National Trust’s working holidays are a reminder that you don’t have to travel far to make a difference to both your surroundings and yourself; try its Brownsea Island break, which involves helping to conserve this wildlife-rich Dorset haven.
A five-night Brownsea Island trip costs from £190 including accommodation and meals. Flights not included. March 3 and 24, Sept 22, Oct 27 2019. National Trust (0344 800 3099; nationaltrust.org. uk/workingholidays).
TRACK BIG CATS, BRAZIL
Combine the soul-stirring privilege of eyeballing jaguar with the thrill of assisting in their conservation. On Natural World Safaris’ Jaguar
Research Expedition in the Amazon (limited to just four people), you’ll travel to the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve during rainy season to observe the big cats’ unusual tree-hunting behaviour, as well as helping researchers place camera traps and tracking the animals via GPS. Finish in the Pantanal, the world’s best place to spot jaguar.
A 10-day Jaguar Research Expedition costs from £5,500 per person including accommodation and most meals. Flights not included. June 2019. Natural World Safaris (01273 691642; naturalworldsafaris.com).
SAVE SNOW LEOPARDS, MONGOLIA
There are perhaps fewer than 4,000 snow leopards left on the planet, but the Altai Institute of Research and Conservation is doing its best to monitor and protect this vulnerable species. Steppes Travel is offering a chance to join a research team as they use camera trap data to guide them into Mongolia’s mountains, in winter, by four-wheel drive and on foot, in an attempt to find and collar an elusive cat.
A 10-day Mongolia trip costs from £9,995 including accommodation, meals and Altai Institute donation. Flights not included. June 15 2019 and June 13 2020. Steppes Travel (01285 601050; steppestravel.com).