Volunteer tourism combines travel with voluntary work, attracting individuals that ‘are seeking a tourist experience that is mutually beneficial, that will con- tribute not only to their personal development but also positively and directly to the social, natural and/or economic environments in which they participate’ (Wearing, 2001: 1). Volunteer tourism is, therefore, seen to provide a more recip- rocally beneficial form of travel in which both the volunteer and the host com- munities are able to gain from the experience.