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In November, Toronto residents Kate Woolmer and boyfriend Jeff Cole jumped on a plane to Bolivia for a vacation they had booked through G.A.P Adventures, a company that specializes in off-the-beaten-path trips for those with a serious case of itchy feet. On the itinerary: exploring a country largely untouched by tourists — and spending a few hours at the travel company's Hogar Sucre project, an orphanage for boys.

The orphanage is partly funded by G.A.P's Planeterra Foundation, a charitable arm that collects donations from travellers for projects that better the lives of the people they may be visiting.

When Woolmer and her dozen or so companions arrived in Sucre, a World Heritage Site, they wanted to give something to the kids right then. So they ducked over to a market, bought a TV for the kids and jumped into a cab with it. “The boys just went nuts. They absolutely loved it!” said Woolmer, describing how, between joyous screaming and jumping, some of the boys ran up to her for full-body hugs.

G.A.P Adventures has been merging travel with charity since 2003, and now others in the travel industry are promoting the donation-and-vacation trend. It's an offshoot of volunteer vacations, in which travellers help build schools in developing countries (and it's a little easier on the back.) Cruise ships, hotel chains and travel agencies are all finding ways to encourage clients to donate money, travel points, air miles and time for good causes ranging from breast-cancer research to struggling entrepreneurs. And vacationers are opening up their wallets without a whole lot of prodding.

Since G.A.P started a new program in January that allows clients to donate a dollar for every day they travel, the charity has been averaging about $1,700 a month, says Danielle Weiss, the company's sustainable travel co-ordinator.

“Travellers are awakening to the fact that everything we think, feel, say and do makes a real difference in the world by design or default,” said Judah Freed, author of the personal-growth book Global Sense. “So they are willing to donate to charity travel getaways.”

Meanwhile, Stacy Small, the president of West Palm Beach, Fla., travel agency Elite Travel International, just wrapped up her second annual online luxury vacation auction, raking in more than $90,000 (U.S.) for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a cause she chose because her mother is a two-time breast-cancer survivor. The site listed vacations ranging from six nights' accommodation at Hawaii's Fairmont Orchid (Big Island) and Princeville Resort (Kauai) to three nights at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin with full Irish breakfasts. Continental Airlines provided the airfare.

Despite little marketing and promotion — she relied mostly on e-mailing campaigns to spread the word — bidders from Vancouver to London logged on to score the luxury expeditions. A trip to Italy went for $6,000 (U.S.), although most vacations brought in a couple of thousand dollars, Small said.

While she's busy running the travel agency, Small says the auction has been very satisfying. “If I can find a way to combine doing what I do for a living and giving back part of it, that's a lot more fulfilling than just writing a cheque at the end of the year,” she said.

And don't forget about virtual money. Many airlines and hotel companies are launching programs that allow customers to donate their air miles and points to charity. For instance, Lufthansa's Miles & More program has collected more than 25 million miles and donated the equivalent in cash to provide medical care for more than 12,000 children in India.

Homewood Suites by Hilton gives members the option of donating guest reward points, with 10,000 points representing a $25 donation.

Even private plane companies are getting in on the points-for-charity action. Shaircraft Solutions, a Maryland-based private air-travel consulting firm that helps corporations and the super-rich decide between ownership, charter and jet-card programs, has a version. It will work pro bono for clients who donate their unused flight hours to charity.

Some travellers, however, prefer to take matters into their own hands when it comes to donating points. Cynthia McKay is the chief executive officer of Le Gourmet Gift Basket Inc. in Castle Rock, Colo., which has franchises across the United States and Canada. Because she trains many of the franchisees herself, McKay logs more than 110,000 miles a year and racks up thousands of air miles on United Airlines, she says. Instead of donating them back to the airline, McKay bundles her miles and hotel points herself and donates them to the local humane society's silent auction. Two years ago, she bought several bottles of icewine in Toronto and used her points to build a luxury vacation to Montreal. The trip brought in several thousand dollars for the struggling shelter, which took in many animals stranded by Hurricane Katrina.

But why doesn't she just use the points herself? She doesn't want them, she says. “The last thing I want to do is travel on my day off. The points allow me to donate more generously than I otherwise would if my donation was limited to cash,” she said.

While larger travel agencies and hotel companies are developing charity programs, some independent agents are doing their share, too. Frances Logan, owner of the TravelOnly agency, based in Brantford, Ont., started her own small program about six months ago. Her 2-for-1 package sends a donation to the charity of her clients' choice of up to 1 per cent per fare.

“It's coming out of my income. I'm just taking a lesser commission and donating it back to charities,” said Logan, who before becoming an independent travel agent worked in the non-profit sector for 20 years.

While many travellers and employees in the travel industry are acting purely for altruistic reasons, is there also an element of guilt involved that pushes some people to give their cash to a good cause? It's hard to, say, swill Scotch from the mini-bar if the locals are living in poverty down the street. Guilt may have a role to play, Woolmer said. After all, travel is a luxury only a small percentage of the world's population can indulge in.

“But maybe that's what we need,” she said.

“We're so well off and taken care of that maybe we do need a bit of a guilt trip every once in a while. Is that such a bad thing if it's going to make people give?”

Special to The Globe and Mail

Pack your wallet

Plan a vacation and make a donation. Here are a few companies ready to earmark your cash for a good cause:

G.A.P Adventures and the Planeterra Foundation: www.gapadventures.com or www.planeterra.org.

Elite Travel International and Trips for Cancer online auction: www.elitetravelinternational.com.

Lufthansa's Miles & More: www.lufthansa.com.

Homewood Suites by Hilton's Family Giving Back Program: www.hiltonfamily.com/givingback.

Shaircraft Solutions: www.shaircraft.com.

TravelOnly: www.travelonlyforcharity.com.

Or try these options:

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts:

www.fairmont.com. Its Home Sweet Home package includes overnight accommodation at the Fairmont Winnipeg, breakfast, transportation to a Habitat for Humanity building site for a day of hard but satisfying work, access to the steam room — and Band-Aids. Lots of Band-Aids. All for $219 a night.

On Deck for the Cure: www.hollandamerica.com. Five cruise line brands are coming together to raise $1-million (U.S.) for breast cancer research. Guests are invited to make a $10 to $25 donation and take a five-kilometre walk around the ships' upper decks.