Voluntourism has become a booming industry, with travel companies marketing volunteer projects focused on animal conservation and building homes. The average 18-24 year old gap year student spends £3,000-£4,000, while older volunteers spend £6,000-£9,000. However, the journalist questions whether these expensive projects are truly productive for charities or volunteers. There is a call for better regulation of companies organizing voluntourism trips.

2. 1. voluntourism = volunteer + tourism
2. a. prospère – b. faire une pause – c. association humanitaire /
caritative – d. court-circuiter – e. exorbitants – f. s’occuper de
3. a. False → “a booming industry that is particularly aimed at gap-
year students” (l. 2)
b. True → “travel co’s now market scores of volunteer projects
focusing mainly on animal conserva° or building homes” (l. 6)
c. True → “The average gap-year traveller, aged between 18 and 24,
is spending £3,000-£4,000” (l. 10) + “older escapees are blowing
£6,000-£9,000” (l. 13)
d. False → “its most popular volunteer project this year (…) costs
from £1,299. And you have to pay for flights on top of that” (l. 24)
e. False → “Patricia Barnett (…) is among those calling for firms that
handle gap-year volunteers to be controlled by a new code of
practice.” (l. 30)
4. A gap year of adventure costs quite a lot of money.

3. 5. Part1: from line 1 to line 16: Voluntourism: a booming industry.
Part 2: from line 17 to the end: Voluntourism projects should be
controlled.
6. The journalist wonders:
– whether these volunteering projects really reach their goal ? → “But how
productive are these projects for either the charity or the volunteer?” (l. 17)
– if it is possible to plan a volunteering project without the help of a travel
agency → “And is it possible to sidestep the travel company projects and
organise your own placement?” (l. 19)
– if it would not be less expensive to organise a volunteer trip on one’s
own. → “And is it possible to (…) organise your own placement that would
be better value?” (l. 20)
7. “daunting prices” (l. 23) – “on top of that” (l. 28)
8. The trips that travel companies propose today to “voluntourists” are
quite expensive and need to be controlled.
Les voyages qui allient tourisme et bénévolat coûtent cher et les organismes
qui les proposent doivent être contrôlés.