If lying on a sizzling beach during the day and drinking yourself into oblivion every night doesn’t sound like your ideal vacation, Global Vision International may provide the answer to your traveling desires.
Global Vision International (GVI), a United Kingdom based company, has opened its first North American office in Boston. To commemorate this, the Boston office in conjunction with National Volunteer Week is offering an online contest to send one lucky winner on a five-week Costa Rican or Amazonian rainforest expedition.

The contest, “What kind of monkey are you?” involves participants logging onto www.primateprofile.com and taking a quiz to learn their monkey profile. GVI announces winners on April 15, the start of National Volunteer Week.

Since opening in 1998, GVI has sent more than 2,000 volunteers annually to international aid-related programs, ranging from wildlife conservation in South Africa, to teaching English in Thailand, to caring for abandoned street children in India.

“I’ve participated in two Global Vision International expeditions and they truly care for the communities they work in as well as the travelers who desire to do more than the normal tourist,” said volunteer Nicolas Flaherty after returning from the program in Mexico in 2006.

Because GVI runs long-term programs, volunteers are given the opportunity to volunteer year-round, for different durations ranging from a week to a year. Ten-week expedition members are eligible for an internship, and some can even benefit from receiving college credits for their volunteer work. Some programs require language courses or teaching certifications to assure each volunteer is well-prepared.

The closeout date of April 15 is fast approaching, so in order to become eligible to win this unique travel experience, log on to www.primateprofile.com to find out what kind of monkey you are.