Although you might not think of Europe as the most diverse destination with regards to wildlife, there are quite a number of opportunities to work with animals and contribute to the conservation of precious wildlife. From horses in Spain to the conservation of wolves in Portugal and saving bears in Finland, the life on land portrays a variety of amazing animals. But not only does Europe convince animal lovers with its diversity on land - its oceans are filled with wonderful marine life such as dolphins, whales and sea turtles that can be admired on the islands of the Mediterranean.

One of the main problems Europe is facing when it comes to its animals and wildlife is its exploitation for economic purposes. This includes, for example, whaling, poaching of bears and mistreatment of horses. Additional threats are:

• illegal poaching
• wildlife trade
• shrinking habitats
• environmental pollution

The combination of all these threats has led to declining numbers of many animals, even to the point of near extinction. As a wildlife conservation volunteer abroad, you can support efforts to prevent this decline and rehabilitate native European species.

If you want to immerse yourself in European culture and get in touch with the locals during your volunteer work abroad, a community program is a perfect opportunity. Community work calls for open, outgoing and empathetic volunteers that aren’t afraid of getting involved and can face realities.

Depending on what your skills and qualifications are, there are many different ways to help in a community development program abroad, no matter if you see yourself volunteering for projects in Italy, Portugal or Albania. Some of them are:

• taking care of young children
• taking care of people with special needs
• supporting women empowerment and human rights efforts
• working with street children
• renovating and building community facilities, houses, and schools

Before you decide to volunteer abroad with children or people with special needs, make sure you are prepared for your task and understand what you can expect from the project.

It’s possible that some of the children you will be working with on the programs may have experienced a difficult past and are traumatized in a certain way. For this reason, it is important that volunteers have appropriate skills. If not, you could be putting yourself and the people you work with at risk. Therefore, it is beneficial that volunteers have the following qualifications when they decide to volunteer with children:

• experience in working with traumatized clients
• training as a child caretaker
• training for people with special needs
• training as a psychologist
• training as a social worker

It’s not always necessary to have these qualifications but volunteers should inform themselves regarding the content and expectations of the program.

Shortage of staff and geographical difficulties make it difficult for many students, especially in rural areas, to receive the education they deserve. As a teaching volunteer in Europe, you can support the staff in local school programs and support the progress of the children in the classroom by providing extra help and attention. You can also contribute by volunteering for afterschool programs where you help teaching kids certain skills. Depending on the volunteer program you choose, there is a great variety of tasks you can do:

• helping out at a daycare center for children with special needs
• assisting disabled children
• supporting local teachers and staff
• teaching school subjects
• teaching English
• providing shelter and education for orphanages
• teaching sports or other after school activities

As a volunteer in Europe, you can join environmental programs to make a real difference in the effort to preserve the unique environment. Environmental programs abroad are focused on agriculture, conservation work, and marine conservation. All of these conservation programs are spread across the continent, so you will have several options to choose from. Depending on the projects you will join, typical volunteer work might include:

• Habitat restoration
• Biodiversity monitoring: land, sea, and coast
• Clearing trash from the sea
• Recycling trash
• Archaeological preservation
• Diving and snorkeling
• Sustainable farming
• Wildlife monitoring and research
• Wilderness conservation
• Mapping within Geo-information tool
• Educating environmental awareness

Volunteers who are concerned about the environment and maintaining Europe’s unique biodiversity have several projects which they can contribute toward.

Before you leave on your volunteer trip, make sure to read up on the safety advice your government gives for tourists in the specific country you are planning on visiting. Most European countries are pretty safe, however, it is important to use common sense at all times and be aware of the current political situation.

Here are some universal tips you might want to follow during your volunteer work in Europe:

• Keep your personal belongings and important travel documents with you at all times! It also makes sense to bring attested photocopies of these documents, in case you lose them!
• If you are going out, do not take a lot of money, jewelry or other fancy possessions with you. Take only the money you will need and leave everything else back home!
• In the unfortunate case of you being robbed, do not resist the robbery!
• Be careful when withdrawing money from a bank or at an ATM!
• Do NOT ever buy, take or sell any kind of drugs

It is annoying to get sick when traveling abroad and although it’s not so common for travelers in Europe to fall ill, there are some basic precautions you can take to avoid it at all costs:

• Drink tap water only in countries where you know it is safe to do so. Most countries in Europe have drinkable tap water.
• Wash all your fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
• Plan for how you will get health care during your stay. Get a travel insurance and bring medicine with you, especially if you need special medication

It's nice to have an idea of what to expect from a foreign country. It's even nicer to know which packing essentials should definitely land in your backpack! This makes life a whole lot easier when it comes to preparing for your time as a volunteer for one of the programs in Europe. It is always a good idea to ask your project coordinator what volunteers should bring for the specific programs as well.

• Apart from the essential travel documents, like passport, travel medical insurance information, and visa, you should also keep photocopies or scanned copies of these.
• Always carry sunscreen with you in the summer.
• Keep enough cash with you! You might want to consider getting a money belt.
• Carry luggage with you that will aid, not complicate your trip, like daypacks or backpacks; as well as lightweight bags.
• Pack appropriate clothing and shoes! This means clothes that are suitable for a variety of climates, as temperatures can vary greatly on a daily basis in Europe. Especially, when working in the forests, long clothing protects you from bug bites.
• Don't forget to bring locks for hostel lockers and also for your luggage!

We recommend getting both health and travel insurance to all our volunteers. In fact, this is even a requirement for most programs abroad. Get in touch with your program contact person to find out if an insurance plan is already in place for volunteers.

Look into the visa requirements for the country you will volunteer in. Make sure you have a valid passport considering the requirement of the host country. and prepare the correct documents to fulfill the visa application.

And that’s it! You’re ready to volunteer in Europe and fall in love with nature and the people and the rich culture this unique part of the world has to offer. You have a choice of over 60 different volunteer projects that are waiting for volunteers to help lessen the workload.