Bored with the beach? Tired of the tourist track? Consider a different way to travel: the volunteer vacation. In addition to getting off the beaten path, volunteers can avail themselves of discount airfares, low-cost or free lodging, and opportunities to forge friendships with locals.

In her vivid and inspiring book Smiling at the World (Allegro Publishing; US$12.95), Joyce Major relates how, at the age of 57, she spent an entire year moving from one volunteer project to another: restoring a 12th-century Italian farm, teaching English in China, cuddling lion cubs in South Africa. What makes Major’s book especially useful is her candor about the volunteer experiences that fell short, as well as those that exceeded her expectations.

Volunteer: A Traveler’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World (Lonely Planet; $19.99) is a well-organized exploration of 190 organizations, with stories of volunteer vacations by people from a variety of backgrounds sprinkled throughout. This book is particularly helpful in narrowing choices and identifying the volunteer opportunities that best fit your interests.

The Anasazi Heritage Center in Colorado, the Mountain Gardens farm in North Carolina, and the Center for Photography at Woodstock, N.Y., are just a sampling of the places described in The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures (Ten Speed Press; $21.95) by Michael Landes. This compendium of internships, summer jobs, and working vacations – many of which offer stipends – focuses primarily on the United States. The book provides soup-to-nuts information about how to select the volunteer vacation that’s right for you, how to apply, and even how to keep a journal of your experiences.

From the Leatherback Turtle Project in Costa Rica to the Rhino Rescue Team in Swaziland, Green Volunteers (Green Volunteers/Universe; $14.95), edited by Fabio Ausenda, finds fascinating possibilities in nature conservation all over the world. Most of these projects require a financial contribution (for example, volunteers in the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand are asked to pay $275 per week, which covers lodging, food, and local transportation). By purchasing Green Volunteers, readers also get access to the Green Volunteers online project database.