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There are currently 17 member reviews
for The Voluntourist
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Eileen P. (Pittsford, NY)
Striving towards Eat, Pray, Love
After the unexpected death of his father, Ken Budd sets off on a quest to make sure that his life matters. This sincere but superficial book is the recounting of that quest. While parts of the book were delightful and funny, other parts I struggled to get through as they contained way too much detail and not enough narrative drive.
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Nancy A. (Woodstock, Georgia)
Meaningful Vacations for Volunteers
Although the story was uplifting in that it describes the author coming to terms with personal loss and disappointment through volunteering to help where needed, it somehow left me feeling a little sad and dissatisfied. Maybe it's just the way life is -- the best we can do is accept and allow the things we cannot change and move forward on a positive path, but we still feel sadness over the loss. Although I found the book interesting, and I'm a firm believer in volunteerism, my own volunteer work is closer to home and I'm not particularly interested in taking up "voluntourism". I think the book will appeal to men and women in the author's age range and to people of all ages who are interested in being "voluntourists" or who are interested in traveling to the locations described in the book. I'm sure they would find the book interesting and they would appreciate the information and advice about how to become a "voluntourist".
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John W. (Clayton, Missouri)
Doesn't Live Up to the Hype
My wife and I are extremely active volunteers in the non-profit sectors focused on helping under resourced segments of the population domestically and globally so after reading the description of the book I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately the content didn’t live up to the hype.
Ken Budd's memoir is more than a travel journal of his travels to many different places including Ecuador, Kenya, China, and Palestine. The reader does get a brief look into these places and people, one that is not a typical tourist's view. It is the personal journey view that falls short. The author doesn’t express clearly how his voluntourism experiences changes or redefines him. He spends more time describing other volunteers and his interactions with them than he does the people and projects in a very detached manner.
On a positive note the book shares the challenges and rewards of voluntourism and it is presented in a useful perspective for anyone considering such a trip. I did find the Bethlehem and Kenya sections very interesting, but not enough for me to recommend the book.
