Staff Spotlight: Dom Billins

Dom's love of travel began on his Gap year with a 6 month trip around South America where he volunteered at an animal sanctuary in Bolivia and developed a passion for conservation. After several years working in the travel industry, Dom now wants to inspire people from around the world to travel with a difference by volunteering with Raleigh International.

My favorite travel memory was when I had the unique opportunity to live with the Huaorani tribe of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Huaorani have been fighting a prolonged battle to protect their lands from oil drilling and to preserve their way of life which is greatly under threat. It was harrowing to see the juxtaposition between the pristine and lush jungles in Huao territory and the destruction caused by the oil industry just a few miles down the river. The Huraoni's determination to protect the Amazon was truly inspiring and staying with them and learning their story is an experience that will stay with me forever.

Raleigh international has shown me the value of sustainable travel. Our Expeditions demonstrate that you can experience the world, learn new skills and make a real difference at the same time. Working for Raleigh has shown me that with a little determination and can do attitude, we can make a real change for generations to come. I now carry this mentality with me to work every day and inspires me to strive for more.

I was recently hosting an information event for young people in The Netherlands to introduce them to Raleigh and what we do. We invited alumni to come about talk to the audience about their experiences. One alumni spoke about the experience of her home stay in Tanzania where the host family immediately made her feel part of the family. She still keeps in regular touch with the family with letters and she has been already been back to Tanzania to visit. It was so lovely to hear how her experience with Raleigh had impacted her life and has inspired her to go onto work in development.

I would absolutely love to go on Expedition in Nepal. Mountain scenery is one of my favorites and travelling to the Himalayas has been in on my bucket list for a very long time. Raleigh also do incredibly important work in the Gorkha region by helping to rebuild the communities so badly affected by the earthquake in 2015. It would be so great to be a part of that work.

Raleigh International is so unique as we are a non-profit charity that inspires communities and young people around the world to make change. We truly believe that young people should be at the forefront of change and I believe that the Expedition we offer young people is truly unique. By combining an environmental and community project with a trek, volunteers will get a well rounded understanding of sustainable development and have the opportunity to explore very remote regions. I am proud of every volunteer who goes on Expedition, challenges themselves and steps out of their comfort zone.

The biggest factor in being the successful company is teamwork. If everyone is pulling together towards the same goal, you can achieve so much as a company. Two minds are undoubtedly better than than one and everyone has different skill sets. When you work successfully as a unit and merge those talents together, the results are often larger than the sum of their parts.