Looking into volunteer tourism - any info or advice you have is appreciated

[Rocknrule]

Nearly two years after graduating from college, I, like probably most people my age, am still trying to figure out what to do with my life. I decided to look into international volunteer/working options, and I just wondered if any of you have experience in this area or advice on some programs that I might want to check out. I've looked a bit into i-to-i and International Student Volunteers, and decided that some of the things I'm looking for include:

- an opportunity to meet people in my age group (18-25), build long-lasting friendships, and who knows, even find romance
- I'd prefer to visit places like New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, or the Carribean, but am open to suggestions
- regarding the focus on volunteer work, I'd prefer environmental conservation
- possibly an opportunity to either work abroad or network to help find jobs when I come back to the states

Again, I'm very new to this whole idea, and it's something that I am just starting to look into, so if you have any tips, advice, or experiences you'd like to share, I greatly appreciate it.