Family vacations offer a chance to create experiences and memories that last a lifetime. But what you leave behind in the places you visit and the communities you encounter matters, too.

Before the pandemic, volunteering on vacation was one of the fastest-growing choices for U.S. travelers, with one in four planning to volunteer on vacation in 2019. As travel restrictions ease, families are once again hoping to instill that sense of responsibility in their kids through travel.

“People want to help. They want to do something positive with their time,” says Alex Dubois, executive director of Discover Corps, which offers family vacations with volunteer components. “They want to leave something a little better behind.”

But no child wants their vacation time turned