Making some assumptions here but I feel that you (and people in the US in general) downplay the benefits of travel. To me, volunteering in this case would just be..more work?
I'm actually in France, but I agree with travel being great. I haven't traveled as much as I'd have liked to, and I have committments that make travel more difficult than when I was in my twenties.
For me, personally, volunteering in a small association has had a life-changing impact to me in a month.
For me, personally, volunteering in a small association has had a life-changing impact to me in a month.