Meanings
- uncountableA type of tourism which combines traditional travel and tourism with volunteer work. Travelers are given opportunities to contribute money and/or time to causes related to their destinations.
1 more example
As summer looms, many Americans — college students, retirees and others who stand at the cusp of life changes — will make similar choices in search of transformational experiences. An industry exists to make these easier to make: the voluntourism business. A voluntourist is someone like Jack, who wishes to combine exotic vacation travel with volunteer work.
2014 April 21, Rafia Zakaria, “The white tourist’s burden”, in Al Jazeera America
Origin
Blend of volunteer + tourism with haplology.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch vrijwilligerstoerisme
- vrijwilligerstoerismetype of tourism
French voluntourisme
- voluntourismetype of tourism
German Voluntourismus
- Voluntourismustype of tourism
Spanish volunturismo
- volunturismotype of tourism
Cite this entry
voluntourism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voluntourism
“voluntourism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voluntourism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “voluntourism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voluntourism.
Source: voluntourism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.