Your senses are heightened when you arrive in an unfamiliar location and these formative few moments can shape your entire experience.

When reflecting on past travels, how often is it that the rude taxi driver from the airport, difficult person manning the hotel reception or inattentive waiter at the restaurant is the first thing that pops into your head?

It doesn’t matter how fabulous the city, comfortable the hotel or delicious the meal, there will always be a “but” attached to any subsequent sentences on the subject.

Whether travelling domestically or internationally, there is no more powerful force than word-of-mouth in the tourism game.

And social media, as well as review sites such as TripAdvisor, mean people’s experiences – good and bad – can be shared with more people than ever.

This is why the role played by the volunteers at the Bendigo Visitor Information Centre is so important.

Frequently they are the first people a tourist sees upon arrival and their interactions can set the tone for an entire trip.

The feedback on the 55 or so volunteers who regularly give up their time to man the visitor’s centre is consistently exceptional.

A smile can be forced, but there is no faking the pride in Bendigo and all its many and varied attractions that they exude.

Their enthusiasm is contagious. It sets the tone for a person’s visit and they in turn will spread the word.

As people will be aware, there is a day, week or month for everything these days.

They are designed to raise awareness about any number of worthy causes, be it a rare medical condition or a little understood social issue.

But this week’s National Volunteers Week seems to have struck a chord with the community like few others.

There really is a deep appreciation for the men and women – young and old – who give up their time in service to the community.

While we might admire their efforts from afar, the thing about volunteers is that they don’t see it as a sacrifice.

Helen Webb has notched up 21 years as a volunteer at the visitor’s centre. She spoke yesterday of the personal connections with the people who pass through the doors that enrich her life, just as it does theirs.

That is the essence of volunteering.

- Ross Tyson, deputy editor