Lonely Planet - Volunteer: A Travellers Guide to Making a Difference Around the World (Lonely Planet Volunteer a Travellers Guide)

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Charlotte Hindle was coordinating author for this book, and also wrote the following chapters: International Volunteering An Overview, Choosing Your Volunteer Experience, The Practicalities and Coming Home.

During her gap year Charlotte travelled overland from England to Australia. In Melbourne, she temped as a foot courier before landing a job at Lonely Planet (LP). She worked at LPs Head Office for three years. In 1991 she returned to England to set up LPs UK office which she ran until June 2002. She then took a mini-career break to spend the summer with her growing family and to consider more flexible, child-friendly work options. Lonely Planet then approached her to contribute to the following books: The Gap Year Book; The Career Break Book; and The Travel Writing Book. When Charlotte helped update the first edition of The Gap Year Book she re-wrote the Volunteering & Conservation chapter. Since then, Charlotte has been fascinated by this sector and has written newspaper and travel articles on it and organised debates and talks on the subject. Charlotte is waiting for her two young daughters to be old enough to volunteer with her: they plan to work with street children in Latin America.

Charlotte is a freelance travel journalist and photographer. Over the years she has written for the following LP guides: Australia, Mediterranean Europe, Walking in Britain, England and Britain and her photographs appear in many others. She also writes for Wanderlust magazine and the Independent newspaper.

Rachel Collinson wrote the Do-it-Yourself Volunteer Placements chapter.

While studying at university, Rachel taught English in Vienna, worked as a counsellor on a childrens summer camp in the USA and volunteered on outdoor residentials. So, when she embarked on a career break after seven years in international marketing, it was a natural choice for her to spend a period doing volunteer work with children. In Ecuador she took on various roles in a home for street children and looked after special-needs babies in an orphanage. Other volunteering stints included visiting foreign nationals imprisoned for drug trafficking and writing a marketing plan for the director of a remote national park in Bolivia. Rachels sideline in travel writing began in Australia during her career break.

Mike Richard wrote the sections of all chapters containing information for American volunteers.

Born and raised in the wilds of northern New England, Mike scribed his way through two university history departments before succumbing to global wanderlust. He has worked and played in Honolulu, studied Japanese in Hakodate, and taught English in Shanghai. Most recently, he served as a TEFL Volunteer with the US Peace Corps in Romania. When hes not writing for Lonely Planet or toiling away in a Federal Government cubicle, he can be found sampling the culture of Washington, DC.

Nate Cavalieri wrote the Organised Volunteer Programmes chapter.

Nates entre into the world of international volunteering happened in 2002 when he was a student at the Pop Wuj School in Quezaltenango, Guatemala and he volunteered crack data entry skills to assist the deployment of American Red Cross volunteers to the Gulf Coast in 2005. Nate has volunteered and travelled extensively throughout Europe, Central and North America, sometimes working as a musician and correspondent to various publications including the Village Voice, Metro Times and Spin. This is his first title with Lonely Planet. He currently resides in Sacramento, California, where he works as a freelance writer.

Korina wrote Structured & Self-Funding Volunteer Programmes, Religious Organisations and Start Your Own Charitable Project.

Korina grew up on Vancouver Island. She packed her bags at 18 and hasnt quite unpacked since. En route she volunteered in India, in rural Uttar Pradesh and with remote tribal communities in Jharkhand. She also worked with minorities in southwest China on a sustainable tourism development project; ran an Asian arts charity in Vancouver; and managed an intercultural arts charity in London. These days shes back in Vancouver, working as a childrens writing coach with a local charity. Korina studied intercultural communications and development at Vancouvers Simon Fraser University and has an MA in migration studies from Sussex University. Shes been an author with Lonely Planet since 1999, writing on everything from bears in the Canadian Rockies to street snacks in Beijing.

Sarah Wintle wrote the Tying Up Loose Ends chapter and the sections of all chapters containing information for Australasian volunteers.

Sarah traded her backpack for a suitcase marked Bangkok as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) in 2005 and returned one year later loaded with memories. She can take or leave the title, but the programme gave her the chance to spread her wings in Asia while she worked for a regional conservation organisation. When she wasnt putting together a brochure, writing communication strategies or editing in Laos, she was chasing the best kho naw m-mang (mango and sticky rice) in town, or travelling. She says her time away gave her a sense of m jai (full heart). Sarah has been writing for Lonely Planet since 2004 and has contributed to Australia & New Zealand on a Shoestring and South East Asia on a Shoestring among other titles.