Greetings, from Colombia! I’m on vacation this week, but I wanted to share a recent discovery that I’m really excited about.

There’s nothing I love more than traveling. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit a lot of different places around the world, and some of them have left me feeling very rich by local standards. Sometimes the purpose of these trips was for education or to do volunteer work, but this time, I am visiting Colombia purely for recreation.

Even though I don’t plan on building a school or teaching English while I’m here, I still wanted to give back to the community in some way. After a little research, I found Pack for a Purpose, an amazing organization that allows travelers to do just that.

The idea is simple. When you travel abroad, you are often permitted to check one or two 50-pound bags for free. But unless you are actually moving to the country in question, you probably don’t need to bring that much stuff. So, what if you were to use that extra luggage allowance for good? What if you were to bring items to donate to locals in need? That’s where Pack for a Purpose comes in.

The process literally could not be any easier. You simply go to their website, enter your destination, and they give you a list of local organizations in need of donations. They even tell what items are accepted and how to pack them.

I chose an organization in Cartagena, emailed the contact person, and received a very kind and prompt reply with instructions for dropping off the items. When packing, I filled the extra space in my suitcase with school supplies and children’s clothing, as per the list on the website. Then, after I arrived in Cartagena, the drop-off location was less than a 10-minute walk from my hotel. How amazing is that?!

I plan to use this handy website every time I travel to areas in need, and I hope I can encourage you to do the same!

Please feel free to leave a comment with any questions!