Have you always wanted to travel to amazing places? If you have, it is time for you to volunteer in Croatia. There are plenty of opportunities out there for you to visit one of the best countries in Europe. Located between Southeast and Central Europe, this amazing location offers one of the greatest experiences on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. 

Croatia is made up of over a thousand islands and twenty countries. It’s a popular tourist destination and the home of many volunteer and work programs. If you are interested in spending quality time in a country with one of the richest national histories, amazing infrastructure, and mesmerizing beaches, you should definitely consider visiting this European pearl.

Types of Volunteer Programs

For those interested to do some volunteering in Croatia, there are plenty of different opportunities and programs available. Some of the most popular programs you can select from at the moment are:

Environment and Conservation

Being the home of many nature reserves and a myriad of different species, Croatia is the perfect place to do some volunteering in the environment and conservation sector. As a volunteer, your tasks will be to catalogue the species, help cultivate plants, and conduct research on the amazing fields in the country.

Community Development

Croatia is undergoing a huge number of improvements and grand changes in the social, economic, and cultural institutions. If you choose to volunteer in Croatia and help the development of the community, you’ll have a chance at experiencing the unique and warm community and culture spirit of the country.

According to statistics, around 20% of people in Croatia live in poverty.

Youth Development

A youth development volunteer works hard to empower the youth in a country to become more productive, engaged, and healthier. Your task in this position will be to help strengthen the educational and community institutions, implement youth development that’s focused on job skills, life skills, sexual health, healthy relationships, etc.

Education

Due to the many conflicts in the past, people in Croatia have suffered a lot. Many of its people were given a refugee status and were displaced, which naturally, has caused a lot of tension between the different ethnic groups in the country. This also led to many financial troubles and psychological issues, especially after the war in the 90’s. This can be noticed in many ways, especially in terms of infrastructure and jobs.

As a volunteer in this position, you can take part of projects that provide education and training for young people with the goal of providing them with chances of a better future. 

These volunteering opportunities can potentially start your career and provide you with guidance on how to be successful, too. There are plenty of jobs in Croatia you can actually work while or after you finish your volunteering journey. If you’re a college student, the volunteering experience in Croatia will fit perfectly in your job resume. When the time comes for you to apply to a job, make sure you hire the most reliable service to help you with it. At the moment, the best we can recommend is Edu Birdie.

Volunteer Programs in Croatia

Naturally, there are plenty of opportunities for volunteering and work in a popular place such as Croatia, but if you need some help finding the great ones, here is a list of the top volunteer programs at this moment:

• Eastern Europe Conservation and Community Development Projects

• Bottlenose Dolphin Research Volunteer Project with WorkingAbroad at Croatia

• Operation Wallacea in Croatia

• Volunteer World: Best Volunteer Abroad Programs Worldwide

• Explore Croatia and Teach English to a Host Family!

How to Plan a Trip

Have you made up your mind about travelling to Croatia? This can be the most memorable experience you’ll ever have, but if you want it to go as you wish, you need to plan for it.

Volunteering Tips

If this is the first time you’re volunteering outside of your hometown or country, there are some tips that can come very handy.

• Use the time you spend volunteering to explore different options for a future career. Try to gain as much training as you can during this period and build yourself professionally. Volunteering is an excellent opportunity to see what a potential career could look and feel like for you in the future.

• Reach more than one organization for volunteering. Consider all your options. Find the country’s volunteer opportunities form and fill it out to make yourself available to potential volunteering organizations that might want people like you in their ranks.

• Make use of your current skills. Think of the things that you are great at and put them to good use. Volunteering can help you further develop these skills.

• Look for volunteering opportunities that would provide you with fulfillment and pleasure. Don’t choose just any volunteering position – find one about which you’ll feel strongly.

• Meet some new people abroad. This is an excellent way to form long-lasting relationships with people who share the same interests as you. Who knows, it might even open up potential job opportunities for you for later! From Algave golf holidays to skiing trips. 

• Find people who have volunteered there. If you don’t have a friend who has volunteered in Croatia, ask the ones who volunteered anywhere abroad for advice. With technology, you can now find advice by simply joining volunteering groups and asking people for it.

• Don’t focus too much on your college major, trying to find a volunteering opportunity that’s directly related to it. Sure, this would be a nice chance for you to build your skills in the field, but something similar to it is also a good opportunity.

Best Places to Volunteer

There are many places where you can volunteer in Croatia. Some of the most popular ones include Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Split, Korcula, Vukovar, the Plitvice Lakes, and the Komati Islands.

Health and Safety of Volunteers in Croatia

The healthcare in the country are of high standard. Since the country became a member of the European Union, volunteers and other visitors can now use the European Health Insurance Card to get healthcare. For members of EU who travel to Croatia, this card is free to use, so if you come from such countries, make sure that you obtain it.

If you’re not a resident of EU, you should definitely obtain good travel insurance before you go there, or speak to the volunteering program representatives about this.

In terms of safety, Croatia is a very safe country. Thefts and mugging aren’t a grand or common issue there, so you can walk safely around, even at night. Of course, you should still take common precautions for safety.

Are you ready for your new Croatian journey? This is one of the best places in Europe for you to visit and, if you can find a nice volunteering opportunity that will keep you there for at least a short while, you are in for many wonderful moments and experiences.

Make sure to do proper research, choose an excellent volunteering program, pack your bags – and go to Croatia! This is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Europe, making it a must-visit place for every college student. Good luck!

Author’s Bio:
Robert Everett is a travel enthusiast, popular blogger, and an expert writer with years of content creation experience for example resume writer reviews service. You can follow him on Twitter. In his writings, you’ll find tons of travelling tricks and tips, as well as very useful advice for college students.”