Marine Conservation

After the initial orientation in Lisbon, you will spend the rest of your program in Cascais with other volunteers.

A typical weekday will look like this:

08:00-09:00 am | Breakfast at the volunteer house
09:00-12:30 am | First dive of the day. You will start by learning the fundamentals and after a couple days you will start diving in the Ocean.
01:30-02:00 pm | Take the train back to the volunteer house
02:00-02:30 pm | Lunch time
02:30-07:00 pm | Relaxing & Travel time. Usually, the afternoons are free to travel around the city, learn Portuguese or to relax. Sometimes, you can also dive during the afternoons depending on the specialties or certification you are doing. Your instructor will inform you about this on the first day.
07:30-09:00 PM | Dinner at the volunteer accommodation along with the other volunteers.

Please note this schedule can vary depending on the track you are at, the weather conditions and your progress.

No, the price includes all the professional diving equipment you'll need for your dive. We do recommend bringing comfortable swimwear, beach slippers, and a towel! 

Your program fee includes civil liability insurance with limited coverage, that only covers accidents that may happen during your volunteering shift.

We highly recommend you to get full health, travel and accidents insurance in your home country!

In all our destinations, the volunteer program fees include three (breakfast, lunch and dinner) home-made and delicious meals a day!

In Mafra (where the Wolf Conservation program is located), the volunteer program fees do not include meals, but you will have access to a fully-equipped kitchen to prepare your own meals at either location!

Find more detailed program and location-specific information in our program description and pricing details! And if you have any more specific questions or want to make any special requests, feel free to get in touch with us!

Yes, that is generally possible! In most cases, we are quite flexible with making changes to your original booking period as per your wish, as we know how challenging it can be to plan such a big trip far in advance. However, please keep in mind that all of our programs are subject to availability, and therefore, we might not be able to accommodate last-minute changes anymore. Therefore, we recommend that you early on try to organize your plans concretely and get in touch with us as quickly as possible if alterations become necessary so that we are left with a higher chance of managing to change your reservation to cater your new situation!

Yes, of course you can! We regularly receive little groups of friends or family that come to participate in our programs together. 

You are not paying for your volunteer work itself but for your stay with us overall! The costs for your program further include various elements that are part of your stay here! Respective to your program, those elements can, for example, include your accommodation, food, transportation from and to the airport, insurance, guided tours, professional guides, supervisors or instructors, placement coordination and 24/7 support!

In the case of the Marine Conservation program, your participation fee will also include costs that ensure for the project to be able to run successfully, like diving course and instructors, diving certification, equipment and tools needed.

Please have a look at the pricing details of your program to find an accurate overview of all aspects included in your fee. 

No, not necessarily! Depending on the current availability of the program of your choice, we may even be able to accommodate your stay and participation for the upcoming week! However, both in our responsible travel experiences and our volunteer programs as well as regarding our available beds in the hostel, we do sometimes reach our full capacity and therefore recommend booking your stay with us as early as possible to secure your spot!  

No, you don't need to have any previous skills in the local language! All of our programs are run entirely in English and our guides and staff are all comfortable speaking English as well! But we always encourage our participants to get acquainted with some of the most basic terms and expressions, as even just a simple "Good morning!" in the local language can be a great icebreaker to start interacting with the locals! 

There are also language lessons available for volunteers. The language lessons can be booked before or on the arrival. Lessons are taught by a professional teacher and tailored to each volunteer’s current language level.

No! All activities within this program only require a medium or low level of physical fitness! 

You can pay us through Paypal or bank transfer. We will kindly ask you to pay 50% of your bill at the time of your booking to secure your spot! The other 50% will be due at least one month before your arrival! 

Yes, if you are vegetarian or have specific food intolerances, we will be able to adapt the food offered to meet your dietary needs. Please get in touch with us as early as possible so we can make all necessary arrangements! 

Either for the Marine Conservation program or just to relax and enjoy the beach we do recommend bringing comfortable swimwear, beach slippers, and a towel!

Are you already excited about your stay with us? We prepared a little list of essentials which can assist you with your packing:

• Basics (toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner…)
• Medication contact lenses, glasses
• Clothes according to the local weather and the project you applied for
• Plug adapters and power converters
• Unlocked mobile phone – we will give you a Portuguese SIM card that you can charge according to your needs
• Laptop, tablet or smartphone so you have access to Wi-Fi almost everywhere
• Camera (if you want to capture all the unforgettable moments.)

Impactrip deposit fees are designed to be as affordable as possible to allow everyone to join our programs. Therefore, considering its limited capacity and the expectations of everyone involved, ImpacTrip is unable to provide a total refund policy.

Deposit Fee

The payment of the deposit fees confirms a volunteer’s acceptance onto one of ImpacTrip's volunteer programs. Deposit fees are not transferable to other people but may be transferable to another program.

The deposit fee is refundable until sixty days before the start date of the volunteer’s chosen program. Requests for deposit fee refunds must be made via an email to your ImpacTrip Booking Manager, clearly detailing the reasons for cancellation.

Cancellations are subject to the following policies:

• The notice period is based on the earliest start date the volunteer has ever been registered for.
• If a volunteer cancels sixty days or more before their earliest program start date, they can request a refund of the deposit fee, which will be provided minus the transaction costs of the refund. Alternatively, they may ask for a deposit fee credit to be held in their name for future use on any ImpacTrip program, subject to availability, for a period of twelve months from their earliest registered start date. This credit may be issued minus the value of any change fees the volunteer has incurred.
• If a volunteer cancels between fifty-nine and thirty days before their program’s start date, no refund of the deposit fee is available. A deposit fee credit may be held in their name for a period of twelve months from their earliest registered start date, for future use on another ImpacTrip program, subject to program availability and at the discretion of the Impactrip Booking Manager.
• If a volunteer cancels less than thirty days before their programs start date, no refund of any fees is available. A deposit fee credit may be held in their name for twelve months from their earliest registered start date, subject to availability, provided deposit fees have been paid in full by their due date.

Where a group of ten or more people is volunteering with ImpacTrip, the group leader must register ahead of other group members in order to secure the group’s dates and plans. Group members must then register no less than sixty days before the program starts. Group members who register less than sixty days before the program start date may be excluded from the program unless approved by ImpacTrip.

ImpacTrip reserves the right to revise its program fees at any time. All program fees revisions will be made via the ImpacTrip website. Program fee revisions are not applicable to volunteers who have already submitted their payment before the revisions are due to take effect. A volunteer’s placement on a program is not confirmed until the deposit fee has been paid in full and the availability has been confirmed by their ImpacTrip Booking Manager.

Your accommodation differs depending on the location and programs you decide for! What we can assure you is that we want to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible! In most cases, you will stay along with the other participants in dormitory-style rooms. Private rooms may be available at your accommodation as well for an extra cost.

Find more detailed program- and location-specific information in our experience description, itinerary and pricing details! And if you have any more specific questions or want to make any special requests, feel free to get in touch with us!

The minimum age to participate in this program is 16 years old! But if you have less than 18 years old, you need to have your parents formal consent.

In general, you can choose any duration between a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 12 weeks for your stay with us, depending on your personal plans and availability! 

The exception in Portugal is the Wolf Conservation program in Mafra, which is only available for a duration of either 2 weeks or 4 weeks.

Exceptions is Barcelona and Split are the Special Needs Support and Youth Support programs that have a minimum duration of 2 weeks. And the Teaching program that have a minimum duration of 3 weeks in Split and 4 weeks in Barcelona.

The Marine Conservation program in every location  is available for any period between a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 4 weeks.

In the Marine Conservation program in Lisbon and Split, all volunteers complete internationally recognized SSI (Scuba Schools International) diving certifications. The diving certification you complete will depend on your current diving experience and certifications and the length of your stay. The courses range from Open Water Diver to Scuba Diver. 

Please provide us with and previous diving certification in advance so that we can arrange the right course level for you!

We welcome new volunteers twice a month every month of the year. Your arrival date should be the Sunday before an Introduction Day!

• We have Introduction Days on the first and third Monday of the month in Portugal and Croatia.
• We have Introduction Days on the second and forth Monday of the month in Spain.

Please be aware that:

• the Marine Conservation program in every destination is only available between March and October every year.
• the Wolf Conservation program in Mafra, Portugal is only available between February and November every year and have specific arrival dates.

Take a look at the experience description of the program of your choice to find some more detailed information. Also, please keep in mind that all of our programs are always subject to availability as the number of spots is limited! 

We highly recommend you to wait and do not book your flights until you have received our official booking email confirming your stay with us! Once your booking is confirmed, it is in most cases advisable to get your tickets early to catch the cheapest fares! 

If you are a diving beginner, you will start with the fundamentals and safety procedures. Once you get more autonomous - usually during the second week - you can start helping to collect trash. If you already have some experience, you will get to dive right away and contribute to our mission even quicker. You can start the program at any experience level and obtain the next level of certification accordingly!

Here is the detailed table of what you can do each week:

Yes, of course! All of our programs are held entirely in English! 

And... you can book language classes with us before or on arrival.

Of course! We want you to really get to know your natural and cultural surroundings and will provide you with useful tips and tricks that will help you discover the location of your stay like a local!

Your shifts will generally last between 3 and 5 hours per day and will take place either in the morning, in the afternoon or in the evening, which will leave you with plenty of free time to go explore, take a stroll around your surroundings, catch the most important sites, interact with the locals or simply go and relax! And of course, you will have your weekends off as well!

No, you do not need to have any prior experience in diving, the professional diving instructor will teach you all the necessary basics and safety essentials right on the spot! In your program is included a certificated diving course adjusted to your diving skills.

But it's great if you already do have some previous diving experience, as you'll more easily be able to contribute to cleaning up the ocean by collecting trash from the seabed!

We welcome new volunteers twice a month every month of the year. Your arrival date should be the Sunday before an Introduction Day!

• We have Introduction Days on the first and third Monday of the month in Portugal, Croatia and Italy.
• We have Introduction Days on the second and fourth Monday of the month in Spain.

Please be aware that:

• the Marine Conservation program in Portugal is only available between March and October and in Split between May and November every year.
• the Wolf Conservation program in Mafra, Portugal is only available between February and November every year and has specific arrival dates.

Take a look at the experience description of the program of your choice to find some more detailed information. Also, please keep in mind that all of our programs are always subject to availability as the number of spots is limited!