About Projects Abroad Group Trips

Projects Abroad have specialised in arranging volunteer placements in the developing world since 1992. Over the past 5 years the popularity of volunteering as part of a group has grown dramatically. We have designed this website to cater for groups to give a more detailed outline of what to expect from one of our tailor made group trips.

In the last few years we have been approached by an increasing number of groups, whether it is A-level students wanting to do something different over the summer or a group of medical students in need of some additional experience. With the help of our destination staff we have put together a list of countries and projects that you can join.

We are now working in 25 countries worldwide with over 100 different placements. Projects Abroad has over 15 years of experience arranging individual volunteer projects, 2 week summer specials as well as school and university trips. We have lots of experience preparing customised group trips.

With over 300 trained staff in our destinations, and over 100 varied placements on offer, we are now the world’s leading overseas volunteering and gap-year organisation with specialists devoted to groups from schools and colleges.

Where it all started

In the early 1990s some students wanted a break from study – a "gap year", although the term wasn't yet in common use. They approached their geography professor, Peter Slowe, about travelling and working in Eastern Europe. It was hard to find opportunities for travel combined with work experience, so Peter set about arranging for the students to go and teach English in Romania where he knew some fellow geographers.

Until 1997, we were a small organisation with just two part-time staff sending university students to teach English in Eastern Europe. But with more and more people taking time out on academic and work-related breaks, and with many developing countries in need of self-funded volunteers, our organised volunteer programmes started to mushroom around the world. Our volunteers can still teach English in Eastern Europe, but can also do many other types of work in many other places.

"Last year, we channeled into less developed countries the energy, skills and commitment of some 4,700 volunteers, not to mention over £6,500,000. This is a major achievement."
Dr Peter Slowe, Founder and Director of Projects Abroad, Annual Report 2008.
Otgonbayar Togtuun
Otgonbayar Togtuun

Projects Abroad in the global economy

We help to create local employment wherever we send volunteers. We employ many people directly and provide plenty of work indirectly through the services we provide for volunteers. We have also devolved various "Head Office" functions, such as management accountancy which is done in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Design which is done in Mexico.

Our many local colleagues mean that, our extensive network of local knowledge enables us to channel the skills of our volunteers to places they are really needed.

Cultural exchange and freedom of choice

Volunteers learn from their chosen placements and from the people they meet and vice versa. Mutual learning and mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

We are truly global in our outlook. We welcome approaches from potential partners – schools, orphanages, hospitals and so on – from across the developing world; wherever they are or whatever they do, we will try to meet their needs. And we welcome ideas from potential volunteers too; if a volunteer has an idea for a new programme or a new destination, we will do everything we can to enable them to work in their own way. We will cherish their ideas and we will meet their requirements. We believe that flexibility on our part is a necessary consequence of our respect for our partners and our respect for volunteers.

The Projects Abroad Group

Projects Abroad (UK) Ltd, Projects Abroad (Europe) Ltd and Projects Abroad Travel Ltd are all members of The Projects Abroad Group and are all companies registered in England.