Gone are the days when a cocktail by the pool was enough to satisfy a traveller. Today’s holidaymakers want more out of their vacation, and they want to make an impact on the destinations they visit.

This century, more travellers have adopted a responsible and sustainable attitude towards travelling – and they do so by supporting and interacting with locals through voluntourism.

Although the cruise industry is very much about fun, relaxation and learning; it’s also an industry that has recognized the importance and demand for voluntourism.

This month, Crystal Cruises announced an expansion to its ‘You Care, We Care’ program. The program has been around since 2011 and has assisted more than 50 in-need communities around the world.

As part Crystal Serenity’s 89-day LA to London World Cruise, the line will offer guests to take part in seven voluntourism opportunities.

They include; gardening and weeding Honolulu’s Makapu’u Beach; build structures and clean playground at Father’s Home Care Ministries’ home for disadvantages children in Takoradi, Ghana; assist in literacy as part of Singapore’s LIFE program; teach, sing, garden and play with orphans in Sihanoukville, Cambodia; prepare meals for abandoned orphans in Cape Town, South Africa; craft candles to be lit in Nagasaki’s annual peace ceremony; and knit, garden or assist in schoolwork for the orphan children in Durban, South Africa’s SOS Children’s Village.

Crystal executive vice president Thomas Mazloum said participants in the ‘You Care, We Care’ program cherish the connections they make with the destination.

He said: “They love seeing facets of a culture not usually visited on a luxury vacation, and return to the ship feeling like they may have made a difference, however small or large.

“Just a few hours together can be incredibly informative, enriching, and so memorable, for both the recipients and those giving.”