More than just work in exchange for accommodation
A lot has been written about volunteering abroad. The Internet is overflowed with offers promoting various – more often than not rather overpriced – volunteering camps and programmes. However, I know from my own experience that finding something interesting, and yet not too expensive, can prove to be a very difficult task. Therefore, I decided to save you a couple of hours, if not days, by sharing the website that I have so far found the most useful.
Why volunteer abroad or “volunteering that does not really qualify as such”
When I tell people about the time I have spent volunteering abroad, it seems like there are only two possible reactions – either they find it very interesting and want to know all about it before I even finish the first sentence, or they put on a look of surprise and ask me why volunteer abroad if I could do it in Slovenia. Or, if I really have to go abroad, why would I want to work for free? I admit, in a way they are right: there are a lot of volunteering opportunities in Slovenia as well, and as far as money is concerned, I could definitely do with some extra cash. But this is not the point I wanted to make. In fact, I should not have used the word
“volunteering” in the first place. Especially when going abroad for only a short period of time, considering the overall experience as a kind of holidays rather than proper work, I should probably describe the concept as “volunteer tourism”. However, this doesn’t really sound any better. In fact, this term has a rather negative connotation; unfortunately, it often signifies paying excruciatingly high amounts of money for some interesting experiences that will above all decorate the CVs of those lucky travellers who have the means to afford it. So I guess I’ll settle for the word “exchange”. After all, it is pretty much what
www.workaway.info is about: connecting hosts in need of an extra pair of hands with travellers who are willing to exchange their skills for food and accommodation.
Pros and cons of workawaying
Other than making your travels significantly cheaper, workawaying can be a synonym for great fun and a lot of new experiences. When searching for a host, results can be filtered not only by the country or the region you want to visit, but also by the type of work you would like to do. This is particularly useful because it offers travellers a chance to try out the jobs that interest them most. Personally, workawaying around Europe has enabled me to experience life in Finnish Lapland, teach English and French, work in a hostel, help in a traditional souvenir shop, etc. Well, every now and then I would also have to tackle a less glamorous task, such as catching runaway horses or cleaning henhouses; but glamorous or not, the point I wanted to make was that there really is a very wide variety of jobs to choose from. Besides, your hosts (whether it is a family or an institution) will usually invite you to take part in various activities that don’t figure in the job description. These could be anything from family trips or a local brass band practice to a party at their neighbours’. For example, when I helped at a vocational training centre in France, I was able to take part in some of their baking classes, and once, when I woke up feeling particularly brave, I even let the hairdressing class cut my hair.
Another thing I like about workawaying is that you get to meet so many interesting people – be it your hosts or fellow volunteers. Sometimes I am absolutely overwhelmed by the incredible stories that I hear, and trust me, some great friendships have been formed thanks to
Workaway. Besides, I can’t even find the words to tell you just how much fun it is to take a trip to a foreign country and pretend it is your own – at least for a little while, you get to forget about the stress of your daily life, step into someone else’s shoes and live by their rules. I believe that living in someone else’s home is a great way to learn a huge deal about the country you are visiting. Besides, if you want to learn a new language (or just enrich your vocabulary), staying with locals is the way to go!
So far, most of my experiences with Workaway have been extremely positive. It actually happens quite a lot that hosts join the website less to find help than to share their own culture or learn about their guest’s country (a little word of advice: introducing your country’s cuisine and sharing some recipes seems to be an absolute favourite, especially if you actually manage to prepare a traditional dish for them to taste). However, there will unfortunately always be cases of exploitation, so make sure you do your homework and read the existing feedbacks before making a final decision to contact a certain host.
And then… Open your eyes, open your heart, and enjoy the adventure!
