Unpacking Voluntourism: Five Myths — intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com

Criticizing voluntourism seems almost as popular as voluntourism itself. Five years after stories surfaced about Cambodian orphanages exploiting children (many of whom weren’t orphans) to attract altruistic tourists, reporters and bloggers continue their assault. The media criticism, though well-intentioned, takes a frustratingly one-dimensional view, portraying volunteers as young, selfie-obsessed do-gooders with white-savior complexes. If you believe what you read, voluntourism is a neocolonialist activity only slightly less horrifying than Ebola or Donald Trump.

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