It is now possible to travel the world sight-seeing in style and at the same time help people in need. That’s the idea behind Hands Up Holidays, a travel business owned by Christopher Hill that helps affluent families go on custom luxury vacations which include lending a hand and funding worthwhile projects that give back to the local people.

The idea came to him on a trip to South Africa in 2002 when he was working in finance. Hill enjoyed going on safari, wine tasting and exploring all the exotic wonders of the country, but his aha moment came when he helped build a house for a family in one of the townships. 

Hill says his hands-on volunteering enriched the whole travel experience and got him thinking about how he could use his business skills to help others, especially families, have similar experiences.

“Use my skills and put them into something which I find more meaningful and rewarding,” says Hill.

Since 2006, Hill’s travel company has enabled affluent families to not only take a fabulous vacation, but also help their children see another way of life, appreciate how fortunate they are, and not take the privileges they’ve been brought up with for granted.

The trips can be once in a lifetime eye-opening experiences that give vacationers a deep sense of satisfaction as they interact with local people who are less fortunate and help them complete a project that makes a difference in their lives.

The vacation packages are custom-tailored to each family, based on their preferences and considering such factors as the time of year, the age of the children, the amount of time the family has to spend and what skills they want to use.

The families contribute funding for the volunteer projects as well as pay for their luxury accommodations. While the trips are not inexpensive, Hill says the feedback from clients is hugely positive.

Hill says one of the most popular destinations is South Africa, but Hands Up Holidays has arranged trips to many exotic locales including Hawaii, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Bali, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, India, Guatemala, Belize, Brazil, Cambodia and more.  Hill says the opportunities for luxurious, meaningful vacations are limitless.

Hands Up Holidays offers luxury vacations with philanthropic volunteering to families, couples, and solo travelers.  Other divisions of the travel company arrange socially conscious trips for companies and school groups.

Read the full interview at http://businessinnovatorsmagazine.com/christopher-hill-helps-clients-to-combine-luxury-vacations-with-meaningful-volunteerism/

Link for a family, couple or solo traveler Hands Up Holidays.

Link for a company HandsUpIncentives.com.

For a school group HandsUpSchoolTrips.com.