Volunteer tourism (VT) has over the past decades rapidly increased and many young individuals travel to the Global South with intentions to develop communities and travel. Critique has however indicated that unskilled young individuals do not contribute to the development of the community, rather the opposite. This study examines how students of development studies at Lund University reflect back on their volunteer trip, as they hold knowledge within both the field of development and volunteer tourism. The study has used a qualitative case study design to interview students by conducting two focus groups. The material has been analysed based on three frameworks; cosmopolitanism, neo-liberal critique and development education. The findings of this study indicated that development students reflect back on their VT experience with insightful critique towards VT in relation to post-colonial critical theories. Some of the students’ reflections indicate a developed pessimism and cynicism towards the field of development in general. Although students were critical of VT, students also show insightful reflections of potential cultural befits of VT, they however reflect on themselves gaining more cultural knowledge than the host communities. This research contributes academically by increasing the understanding of VT and its outcomes for volunteers and host communities
