Location
  • Romania
Length
1 to 24 weeks

Program Details

Language
English
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment
Groups
Small Group (1-15)
Travel Type
Budget Family Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
504
Price Details
Fully hosted experience from only $504 for 1 week - this includes accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, orientation and 24/7 in-country support.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Airport Transfers Meals
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
May 01, 2024
Oct 30, 2024
59 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Trusted by 136,000+ volunteers, IVHQ offers the world's #1 rated volunteer programs in Romania and 50+ destinations worldwide.

For the past 6 years, we've won the "Top Volunteer Abroad Provider Award" from GoOverseas, so you can trust that you're in the safest hands with IVHQ in Romania.

Our affordable projects start from $39/day for your accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, project placement and local support. Projects run year-round, with durations from 1-24 weeks. Choose from 7 projects, ranging from Teaching, Summer Camp, Animal Care, Sustainable Agriculture, Special Needs Support and NGO Support in the picturesque, quaint town of Miercurea Ciuc. Plus, you’ll stay with other like-minded, impact-focused travelers from around the world (private room options available).

With IVHQ’s superior pre-departure support services, you’ll gain exclusive access to your own Volunteer Travel Specialist, comprehensive preparation tools and volunteer training before you leave home.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Cheapest volunteer programs from $39/day for your accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, project placement & local support.
  • Volunteer for 1-24 weeks, year round start dates most Mondays.
  • 15+ years experience & only B Corp certified volunteer travel organization.
  • Get free changes up to 14 days before you start with our flexible booking policy.
  • Affordable way to earn college credit - gain 5 credits for only US$500!

Popular Programs

Animal Care Volunteer Project in Romania

These adorable doggos and puppers need your help! On this project you can support this animal shelter with hundreds of dogs by giving them attention, loving care and positive social experiences to get them ready for their forever homes.

Teaching English Volunteer Project in Romania

Brush up on your English and help with language lessons at local schools in Romania! This is a great opportunity for you to gain teaching experience while supporting teachers to create engaging lesson plans, or leading classes on their own. As fluent English-speaking teachers are rare, you will encourage students to keep learning the language.

Sustainable Agriculture Volunteer Project in Romania

If you have two green thumbs and a passion for sustainability, this is a great choice for you! On this project, you will assist at a community garden and greenhouse that provides fruit and vegetables for people in need. Volunteers gain agricultural experience, learn about traditional Romanian gardening practices and be able to explore and implement sustainable practices and ideas that could improve the garden’s productivity and impact.

Program Reviews

4.95 Rating
based on 39 reviews
  • 5 rating 94.87%
  • 4 rating 5.13%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.95
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 5
  • Value 4.9
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 25 - 32 of 39 reviews
Default avatar
Jared
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteering Abroad in Transylvania

I served as an NGO support volunteer in Romania for four weeks. This was an immensely positive experience and I gain a deeper sense of appreciation for volunteer work and cultural exposure. IVHQ proved to be a very effective platform for the discovery of such a wonderful opportunity, and I was the recipient of steady support and encouragement from their team. They were quick to answer any questions that I had and I was impressed with their outreach to ensure that I was having an enjoyable experience while on site.

While I was in Romania, I worked with the association Care2Travel, which is a local humanitarian aid group whose intentions are to invigorate the community and inspire them to serve those around them. Care2Travel is staffed with dedicated, hard-working, compassionate people, and it was a privilege to work with all of them. They were all very helpful and kind in helping me feel welcome and useful, and the work that they asked me to complete was meaningful.

Because of this experience, I grew to be more patient and flexible. Even if I was unsure of how to complete a task, I never felt afraid to ask questioins which further developed my confidence and resolve to do my best. I was humbled and inspired by the opportunities to serve in whichever capacity I was needed, which made me feel like a valued member of the team.

I am very grateful for the time that I had in Romania and I will never forget it. I made wonderful new friends, enjoyed beautiful Romanian sites, learned about a new culture, and identified ways in which I could grow to be a better person. A program that allows for all of this to be achieved is truly exceptional.

82 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Thanks for your review! I'm so glad to hear you had such a wonderful experience in Romania and will never forget the experience you had and friends you made. Romania truly is beautiful and I hope you volunteer with us again soon. Meika - IVHQ Program Manager.

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Default avatar
Suzanne
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

4 weeks in Romania

My IVHQ program in Romania was an amazing experience. While the program was located in a small town in Romania, Hungarians made up most of the population, so this was the primary language of the area. We were able to experience everyday life, and had the chance to meet locals through the weekly English conversation groups.

For my placement I was in the Special Needs program, which was a short walk from the volunteer accommodation. This program serves young adults, and helps them with tasks such as cooking, household chores, and language development. There was also other fun activities like a weekly dance class. All the clients received a weekly physical therapy session, and since I am a licensed physical therapist in the US, I was able to provide PT services, which was my motivation in volunteering. Everyone at this day program, with the exception of a few program leaders, spoke only Hungarian. While this was a little discouraging/difficult at first, it did not prevent me from assisting with daily tasks or providing PT services.

As for the volunteer accommodation, the apartment was very clean, and all the volunteers quickly connected, making it a welcoming environment. The accommodation is located on the main street of the town, and just about everything is walkable, including the train station.

The local staff was always available and joined us in events such as bowling, socializing at restaurants, and weekly group dinners. I highly recommend this program.

69 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Thanks for your thorough review Suzanne! It's awesome to hear you had such an amazing time on the program and were able to help in the specific field you were hoping to, your PT skills would have been such an asset to the program. I hope you will be back to volunteer with us again in the future! Meika - IVHQ Program Manager

Default avatar
Robert
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Romanian Fun Adventure

Just an incredible experience from the beginning to the end. I was met with a driver that carried a clearly marked sign and a big smile. From the moment he picked me up and the 4 hour drive to the acommendations, he was informative and so friendly. Additionally, he offer me a snack on a short stop on the way. Sunday, as schedule the representitive gave an outline of the following weeks over coffee at a charming street cafe. I volunteered to work on an Agriculture project and later volunteered my help with summer camps of school age kids. It was fun to see the smiles and experience their curiousity. I was the old guy in the group but never felt old. I was amazed of the experience and energy the young volunteers had. I was included in the many activities on or off of the camps including cleaning up gardens, barbecues, mountain hiking, observing bears, making cheese, and meetings at the local meeting places. I highly recommend the experience but spend enough time to get to know the locals. They are so friendly and humble, wow a stay in Transylvania, how exciting.

77 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Hi Robert, thanks for your awesome review! I'm so glad you enjoyed your time in Romania and it definitely seems as though you made the most of your time in every way possible. It will be great to have you volunteer with us again soon. Meika - IVHQ Program Manager.

Default avatar
Yuran
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Awesome, innovative, worthwhile.

Using limited energy and vitality to try new things and discover different possible answers is what I am willing to do all the time.

I just can't believe that I did so many amazing things during my 3-week journey in Romania. I just made these all happen: Volunteer abroad, teach English, play with kids, make friends and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, get out of my comfort zone and seize every magic-filled minute in Romania.

Days flew so fast that I am still thinking that I am in Romania, I am with my homies. It is just like a dream, which is too perfect.

3-week time in Romania brings me not only so many adorable friends but also an opportunity to truly get to know the big world. I was so lucky to get a chance to see how the world is. I feel like this wonderful experience made me have courage to straightly face the big world and made me realize I can also change the big big world by making small changes.

"Awesome, innovative, worthwhile." I can assure that it is really rewarding beyond words.

Thanks Care2Travel and IVHQ for letting me be A true ivhqer.

What would you improve about this program?
Set more platforms for Chinese people to know Care2Travel.
91 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Waleed
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I will definitely repeat this amazing adventure soon!

It was a great experience with IVHQ Romania, Miercurea Ciuc. I chose the "after school support" program, and it was right choice for me. I've achieved my ambition to volunteer and teach children and play with them in a nice atmosphere, with the kindness of the locals, and a free time to enjoy the rest of the day in a pub, or dining with my volunteer group. It was really a wonderful and useful experience

What would you improve about this program?
Maybe through increasing the period of the summer camp, which is in the time being is 1 week, so that volunteers will spend more time with the same group of children. I think this for both sides' convenience and benefit.
87 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Hi Waleed, thanks for your excellent review. It's wonderful to see you had such a smooth transition into your volunteer experience in Romania. We look forward to having you back to volunteer with IVHQ soon. ^Meika - IVHQ Romania Program Manager

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Default avatar
Callie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great time in Romania!

My trip to Romania was a great experience! The local team was very supportive, and very focused on helping foreign volunteers make a positive, ethical impact on the community. They also gave us many opportunities to interact with local people which greatly enriched my experience. My project at the dog shelter was wonderful. The shelter was a very human and worthy organization, and the conditions were quite good. The staff was friendly and accommodating, and the work was enjoyable as well as meaningful. Romania is a beautiful country with lots of scenic beauty and friendly people. IVHQ made the experience that much better by being well-organized and readily available to address my questions and concerns. I also felt assured that they had a genuine commitment to ethical volunteering. I felt supported from beginning to end.

70 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Hi Callie, thank you so much for your wonderful review. It's great to hear you enjoyed your time on the Animal Care project and enjoyed the uniqueness of Romania, there truly is no other country like it. We look forward to having you with IVHQ again soon. ^Meika - IVHQ Romania Program Manager

Default avatar
Sophie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Will continue to volunteer with IVHQ

This was the first volunteer trip I had ever been on so I was a bit hesitant on what the experience would be like but IVHQ made everything so easy and I felt supported throughout the entire experience! There was always staff available to answer questions I had both before and during my trip, it was easy to sign up, I felt like my skills were being used, and I had plenty of free time during my trip to explore the city. I volunteered both in Belgium for the Mobile Library project and in Romania for after-school support. They were very different from each other in terms of culture but being able to volunteer with IVHQ made the transition easy and I didn't have to worry about where I would be staying or my safety. I definitely recommend to anyone wanting to do some travel while still working on awesome, fulfilling projects and I already want to do many more of the programs! My only regret is not doing them for longer than 2 weeks, I was not ready to be done!!

What would you improve about this program?
I can't really think of anything IVHQ as a whole can do better for their programs. I think it all depends on the individual country and project specifically but I loved both of mine.
74 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Hi Sophie. Thanks for your review! It's so awesome to hear that we made the whole volunteering process easy for you. We really appreciate your contribution to the programs in both Belgium and Romania, and we hope to have you back on another IVHQ program soon. ^Kaila - IVHQ Romania Program Manager

Default avatar
Jenna
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

IVHQ- Romania

Overall, it was a great experience and I would love to go back. With a tour guide employees by Care 2 Travel, it’s a great way to see the country and all that it has to offer. The town itself is a small town with a lot of culture and life, which is such a great way to experience the culture. The town has a small, but enjoyable social scene and a lot to experience within the city itself. The volunteer opportunities that are set up are amazing and I enjoyed every second of working with the children.

88 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Hi Jenna - it's awesome to hear about your experience in Romania, and I'm glad you enjoyed your time working with the children at your placement. I wish you all the best! ^Kaila - IVHQ Romania Program Manager

Questions & Answers

Hi Karolina, IVHQ has volunteer programs for all ages - we have families with school-aged children joining us and many retirees who are seeking meaningful travel opportunities where they can be immersed in a new culture while giving back to their host community. For personalized program recommendations based on your age and interests, you can submit an enquiry here: https://my.volunteerhq.org...