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December 23, 2025 14 mins

Saskia Falken, in for Pippa Hudson, speaks to Shirley-Anne McQuade, Western Cape Regional Manager for Flight Centre about what voluntourism really looks like, how to do it responsibly, and whether it’s something ordinary families can actually enjoy — not just endure.

Tags Lunch with Pippa Hudson, Pippa Hudson, CapeTalk, Wander the World, voluntourism, Flight Centre

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Three Talk WhatsApp seven two five six seven one five
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Now traveling is changing. More and more families are saying, yes,

(00:23):
we want a holiday, but we'd also love it to
have meaning. That is where volunteerism comes in. The first
time I've heard this word, and I am so my
curiosity is peaked and I'm ready to hear more about it.
Travel experiences that allow you to actually give back, learn
something new, and still actually enjoy being on holiday. So

(00:45):
today in one of the world, we want to unpack
how this works in real life and to help us,
we're joined on the line by Shirley Anne McQuaid. She's
the Western Cape regional manager for Flight ser and she's
yet to help us understand what is of volunteerism, what
does it look like, how do we get in on it,
do it responsibly? And if it's something that ordinary families,

(01:08):
ordinary South Africans like you and me can actually enjoy.
Welcome to Cave Talk, Shirley Anne Good AFFNN.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Thank you for having me on the show today.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Thank you for joining us. Let's start at the very beginning.
It's the first time that I've heard about this concept
called volunteerism. Can you just tell us a little bit
more about what it is?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yes, sure. Volunteerism combines travel and community service. Travelers lend
their time and energy into meaningful local projects while exploring
a new destination. This all came about sort of in
the early two thousands, where so backpack a trend, but
it has now evolved. Today's volunteerists often families who are

(01:51):
wanting to teach their children about empathy, gratitude and create
a more global awareness. And there's a strong generational shift
for parents who wants back to part across Asia many
years ago, they're now taking their kids on a purposeful
lad adventure.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
I love that. I love that because this is my
generation of people, you see, this is our gen X people.
I love that that they've taken this eat because it's
a value right that you are going somewhere else and
kind of being mindful and intentional. And obviously we've become
a lot lot more aware of our impact as travelers.

(02:30):
So when people go on holiday with a purpose? What
do they usually imagine? What does that normally look like?

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Your family volunteerism transformed an ordinary holiday into something truly
memorable at Forger's and deep family bonds while giving the
children a real world learning experience. And the studies have
shown that use volunteering boosts self esteem, empathy, and resilience.
And it's a very powerful antidote to that screen time.

(02:59):
And that's dressed that families are under these days. And
parents that experience, you know, we love experiencing travel, service
and education can turn the world into a living classroom.
And it gives the children a better chance to actually
experience the world and it's real and it's a real place,
and it's real thing and come back and tell wonderful stories.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Now, Shelly, and some parents are saying, oh my goodness, gracious,
I mean, if I've got it, that just sounds like
more work for me that I want to be on
holiday with my kids. And you know, these kids are
like hurting little cats. So is it going to be
more work or less work? Because do kids then, which
is actually my question, is it appropriate for my kids?

(03:41):
Do my kids need to be a certain age and
do they need to be able to you know, be
able to get involved, because otherwise I can see parents
going like, I'm not going on holiday to get to
nag this kid to go and have this experience.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah. So the thing is that you can just come
to Flight Center. We can put you in touch with
some great organizations that can involve a holiday as well
as a little bit of volunteering and work, so balanced trips.
It's not full time volunteering. Half a morning here, half
a morning there. In between smoking, you can go and
do a few things. Generally speaking, I would say kids

(04:15):
or I wouldn't take the young young children long, but
maybe they're from about eight, nine or ten years up.
Definitely for teenagers, definitely can recommend it if you're looking
at destinations that are really close to home where they
can add value. So for example, like Mauritius, they've got
you know, help care for rescue dogs with paws in
between the beach strips. You know, so maybe a morning

(04:37):
just of passing the dogs, petting them, feeding them, maybe
grooming them, you know, in the same shoals. For instance,
you can go and join the coral restoration with marine
bologists in the Kopinski Resort. So they're really giving a
true impact back into into nature, into the environment and
working alongside marine bologists and maybe inspiring them to follow

(05:01):
that path in maybe one day.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
I mean, I think what I'm hearing you say is
sorry to break your word. What I'm hearing you say
is that if you if you create a holiday where
you're kind of matching the interests of your kids with
the interests of and I think it's such a great
way to keep them off their devices on a holiday
as well. How have families been responding to it from

(05:25):
your clients that have taken this kind of approach to
a more purposeful holiday experience together, because there must be
incredible bonding that happens. How have they experienced it and
given feedback to you?

Speaker 2 (05:40):
So it's really been great because it's inspired people to
youngsters to really get involved in the community. And they
come back, you know, from an overseas holiday where they've
reached out saying Mauritius, or in the socials maybe in
as far as Costa Rica where they've assisted with total
hatching programs. They can get involved closer to home, you know,
like mornings at Sangkop with Penguin Rescue Mornings feeding the penguins,

(06:05):
or maybe getting involved in locally at the Garden Route
with Green Park planting trees, maybe getting involved in the
sand parks in our nature conservation eradicating alien vegetation from
our parks. So it really does give the next generation
of travelers are moving this from no leave no trace,

(06:25):
but leave more to leave a positive impact. So I
think that's where people are going nice leaving a positive impact,
not only just no trace of where I've been making
sure that my travel is sustainable.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
Right, let's talk a little bit more about because I
think it's one thing. And you've mentioned some of the
international destinations, but let's talk a little bit more about
that now, some of the experiences, and let's start local
in South Africa, because you did mention you in Cape
Town the Penguin Rescue mornings at Sancob which is such

(06:59):
a great initiative to be a part of. And you
mentioned on the Garden Route about tree planting with green Pop.
But you can also go further afield to Kruger Region
and Addo regions. What in the day they actually.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Look like they're obviously a little bit more physical activity.
So if you don't you know eradicating the vegetation, so
more of your older teens and physically able people to
go out there and you eradicate some alien vegetation. It
might involve a little bit of walking in the bush,
chopping a few trees, so it does get a little

(07:35):
bit more physical as opposed to maybe feeding the penguins
at San Kop. But also, you know, beach teanups are
also great opportunity. You know, eradicating plastics from our oceans
is such a big, a big problem worldwide, and you know,
a small morning activity of dedicating your time and making
sure that we can clean up our beaches get rid

(07:57):
of all the plastics, and you can just walk along
the beach at Noburg or whatever and just pick up
some plastic, pick up some rubbish and destroy it responsibly.
That will also add to our you know, aid our
environment and also just giving back to the community.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
We're talking to Shelly Anne mccoay. She is the Western
Cape regional manager for Flight Center, and we're talking about volunteerism,
travel experiences that allow you to give back, learn something new,
and still actually enjoy being on holiday. Okay, let's talk
about some of the options for for some of us
who might be thinking about some international experiences because you

(08:34):
don't have to go very very far. I know there's
something in Namibia they do some seal rescue work.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
Yes, so do seal rescue work ye Malvaspe in that
sort of area as well as beach Klemax. They've got
a very big, you know, a call to clean up
the beaches along their coastline as well. So it's just
a simpler matter of you know, signing up to the
Ocean Conservation days and with it's called Ocean Conservation NAMOBIA,

(09:03):
which are volunteers which support trained teams and there's no
direct handling or you know, you don't have to partake
in high impact coastal teanaups, but there's an opportunity to
you know aid sustainability with you know sea breeze and
exploring the local you know environment. But at at glance,
I mean there's only a half day sort of activity

(09:25):
and that normally runs between April to October, and you
would need a bit of staminus. So I would say
you'd need to you know, be fit. That's what I'm saying. Teenagers,
definitely teenagers, young kids, I would say more, maybe you
can go to sangkobs from eight years up, we can
go to feeding the penguins. That you know, some of
these activities do require a little bit more physical activity

(09:48):
that that is what you would find in Namibia if
you are looking at traveling a little bit further Costa
Rica with total hatching programs, unforgettable empathy lessons for kids.
It really really a and that you know, the bulls
to see the big impact that they can have in
the in the in the city.

Speaker 1 (10:05):
And your kids can be relatively young for that, right,
I mean.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yes, I would say I'm about about ten about then
eight nineteen years old upwards. And you know they do
night patrols. It takes about one or two hours. The
peak time for that is between June and November, depending
on the coast. Beach walking, you know, you use red
light tortures only. And what child doesn't get excited about

(10:30):
seeing turtle you know, turtles being hatched and moving into
the sea. It's an adultable experience.

Speaker 1 (10:35):
What adults don't get excited You have to be a
real kill joy if you don't get excited about turtles
adging on the beach.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Absolutely, and another great one, I mean it's the safe
shells with the corals, you know, with obviously drug or
warming and the warming of the seas and damage that's
been done to corals. You know, people can actually invest
their time in between snorkeling going to go and plant
new corals. And it's at the Kapinsk resort. You know,
highly recommend it because they actually even take photographs and

(11:05):
they can actually give you progress reports on the impact
that you've done, so you can actually see the value
that you've added through the environment.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
It sounds really I'm excited. I'm excited. I think before
we wrap up with you, I think I want to
ask you, like if a family is intrigued about us,
but now they don't know where to start, like what's
the what's the first step? And and and I know
that you are worth flight center. A lot of people

(11:37):
are not booking through services like yours anymore. Some feel
like maybe they can curate this on their own. Is
there something that you could curate on your own if
you can just chat to us about about.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, yes, you could create in your own, but I'll
be very mindful of when the impact that you're making
is it because you're coming back rich or is it
you're actually adding value. You know, that is a very
important part with light Center. We do have a operator
that is has various various different trips that you can

(12:14):
have to see. It's like a specialist a gy Adventures
for instance. They are hooked up with Planetarias. So everything
that they do adds value back to the community. So
your impact, it's not about you paying for a photograph,
to be doing volunteer work, or it's actually your money
that you contribute. All the time and energy that you've
contributed to this activity. Actually you can see the benefit

(12:38):
to the local community. It doesn't take away from jobs
from the local people. It actually adds more value to
the environment. And think that is the important part.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
What you're saying, Sally Anne, is there's an ethical component
actually that people need to consider. So it's probably best
to get a conversation going with a good travel advisor
who's an expert that can tell you that if I'm
planting that tree, the actual impact that it's going to
be having, as opposed to like you say, just coming
back and there, I took a picture hatching a turtle,

(13:07):
but I don't know what other biodiversity I might have
killed along the way, and.

Speaker 2 (13:12):
The money that you've volunteered, making sure that that money
that you've contributed, if you have contributed leading towards it
goes to the local people. And that's not day to
go and be for you know, children to be exploited
or in the environment to be exploited, or animals to
be exploited for personally personal gain. You know, it is
about giving back to the environment and to the community

(13:32):
and that's what you really want at the end of
the day.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
Shelly Anna Quaid, thank you so much for chatting to
us today, the Western Cave regional manager for Flight Center.
Where can people get ahold of you? If they want
to know more, you.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Can come to any flights in the store we've got,
you know, forty five stores will cross South Africa and
you're welcome to reach out to any of our travel experts.
They'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
Thank you so much, and that is it for your
rendition of today's wonder in the world Old ready for
your next adventure. Standard Banks, a travel platform makes booking,
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(14:17):
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