When planning a gap year or career break, one of the best ways for people of all ages to get the most out of their time out is to include voluntary work as part of their itinerary.

This view is shared by Monica Stott, writing for the Huffington Post, who noted that many people, particularly students take the opportunity of a gap year to “discover themselves” and to uncover what they really want to do with their lives.

She highlighted that because there are so many opportunities to volunteer abroad with different projects, gapers should try to find something related to their career path. The same should be said to those that are thinking of taking a career break.

Ms Stott went on to give a few possible examples, from teaching children English or sports to building houses in remote villages or working with nature and wildlife on specialist conservation projects.

“Any type of voluntary work is an amazing and often life-changing experience but it can also look great on your CV, particularly if it is related to your chosen field of work,” she added.

Inspire Volunteering offers the perfect volunteering opportunities that are beneficial to your life, career and maybe more importantly, the communities you will be working in. Check out our site and browse the different projects. If you see something you like then have a chat with Kirsteen, our travel advisor, by clicking on the live chat at the bottom of the page.