Would you be more likely to be a backpacker or engage in voluntourism?

Between being a backpacker and engaging in voluntourism, there comes benefits for both when traveling the world. For me personally, I would rather be a backpacker than engage in voluntourism. It’s not that I don’t like helping people or making myself feel good but it’s the fact that I want more freedom and less constraint when traveling and being a tourist. Voluntourism usually limits where you go once you are there whereas backpacking can include starting at one location and visiting many new areas and even countries. I personally know people who have been on mission trips to Africa with their church and other people that have gone backpacking around Europe. When it comes to backpacking, the trips are often longer than volunteer trips and have less of a budget. At this point in my life I feel that I like the idea of backpacking more than voluntourism because I don’t have that much money that certain volunteering trips cost. Later in my life, there is a possibility that going on a mission trip would interest me more because chances are I will have more money and less available time to go around backpacking through many countries that would most likely be over a month long.  For me, there is something about having almost minimum resources and making the most out of it. Traveling to different countries makes you encounter different cultures and perspectives. Through education and understanding of cultural diversity I feel it can impact me on my everyday life.