I'm not surprised you didn't get much response from the usual big name suspects. At that level it all shades into the business world, and if you're not buying ....

As you've probably found there's plenty of info out there about which bike to use, what luggage is best etc - all sorts of practical but trivial stuff. Mainly because it's easy to separate the wheat from the chaff, brand X is better than brand Y, and install in you a fear that if you don't have the right stuff the trip will be a disaster.

The area you're asking about though is far more personal and far more difficult to monetise. It's also a moral minefield, with Facebook outrages only a click away no matter what you decide to do. People will talk about this stuff in private but not in any form that could end up backfiring on them. My take on it, from the amount of travel I've done, is that whatever vision or role you see yourself having before you start won't last long once you're there, and that pragmatism is the best approach.

With volunteering, anything I (we - it includes my travelling kids) have done has always been arranged beforehand. Just turning up at the door of an agency and offering your services has never been welcome - they don't know you and without a paperwork trail are unlikely to be able to make use of you. They'll take donations though!

Other people's experiences may be different - and probably are as there's no hard and fast rules with this. This stuff has been discussed here before but maybe it's time to update it. Lat's see what others think