WWOOF: Bad farm. How we felt like uninvited guests
As I have written more than once, opportunities should not form desires, but on the contrary, desires should create opportunities. Lack of money can in no way be an obstacle for someone who really wants to travel.
An acquaintance told me about one opportunity to travel on a minimal budget, who dropped in a few days ago with a letter to me in the mail, after two years of silence. I have already talked about him somewhere on this site, but allow me a lyrical digression.
We met in 2001, in the city of Lincoln, which is located in England. One cold March evening, our group of emigrants were sitting in a pub on the street corner. The establishment was run by an elderly Englishman named Norman, a huge, six-foot-tall former truck driver who loved us like his sons.
Besides the fact that we drank two months' supply of alcohol in one weekend, he liked our company because we behaved quietly and decently. We fit in perfectly with the company of regular customers: apart from a dozen old men who came to Norman for a glass of beer, we were often the only visitors.
It was really cozy there: it was drizzling outside the window, and Pink Floyd was playing from the jukebox in the bar, beer was poured and there were a lot of stories to be told and listened to. I probably laid the foundation of my English in this pub, because somehow I couldn’t talk to real English people in other places.
And so, as I said, one cold March evening a group of Englishmen came into the bar. An acquaintance began, and after a couple of hours we were already happily singing something, moving the tables together.
Since I was the only one in our company who spoke English sufficiently, I had to act as a translator. As it turns out, one of our new friends, Kevin, arrived a few days ago from Australia.
Kevin had been hopelessly interested in surfing for many years: according to him, where he comes from, only babies don’t surf. He graduated from the university and got a good job, but by the age of 30, something clicked in his head, and, throwing his fledgling career to hell, he went on his first voyage along the beaches of the world.
In two years, he visited almost all the iconic places for a surfer. There is a whole subculture in the world, if you have watched Point Break, then you understand what I mean, but the fights between surfers and the crime in the film are fiction.
So, since Kevin could no longer force himself to work in an office, and he needed to earn something, he got a job as an industrial climber, washing glass on skyscrapers. Kevin joked that he felt sick just from the thought that one of those he sees in offices through the glass outside could be him. 🙂
For six months he worked as a glass washer in Australia, and for the other six months, with the money he earned, he traveled around the world with a couple of dozen other crazy people in search of waves. We met just as he was on his way to meet his group of surfers, who had set up a meeting place on one of the deserted beaches of southern England. Despite March, cold wind and water of +10 degrees, they are already surfing with all their might, and live in a caravan park on the seashore.
Then they were going to fly somewhere to warmer climes, where especially at this time of year a big wave. Then I was simply amazed by this man’s lifestyle; I didn’t even think about travel, considering it an unnecessary whim. To me, he looked like a man from another planet: I dreamed of a new car, and Kevin said that he was happy because he didn’t need anything other than a board, a neoprene suit and a wave.
Kevin, drunk, described his adventures and what not. There are people with iron charisma - as soon as they start talking about what they do, you listen with bated breath, although you have never even thought about anything like that. The dark room of the pub was filled in my imagination with the bright Hawaiian sun and white sand, the English drizzle gave way to scorching heat... It was wild to realize that I would go to work tomorrow, and he would fly to his waves.
In general, we still talked about a lot of things, or rather, he talked, but I had nothing to tell. We exchanged emails and said goodbye. Once every two or three years I received a letter from him in which he wrote about his life, which has changed only in that now he travels not only with a board, but with his wife and two children.
This time he wrote that they are now in South America, and since a tent on the beach is not entirely suitable for the family, they live for free on farms under the WWOOF program. Of course, I immediately became interested in what it was: freebies when traveling are a very important thing.
It turned out that for more than 40 years, the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) program has been operating in the world, which “brings together” farmers in need of free labor and people who want to exercise in the fresh air, receiving accommodation and food for this.
This is not a job, because people are not paid (sometimes, on the contrary, they pay the owners a couple of dollars for food), so you can use the program with a regular tourist visa (however, this is not possible in all countries - you need to google it in each specific case) .
Farm guests help with housework for 4-5 hours a day; the length of their stay depends on their desire and sympathy from the owners - from several days to many months. Kevin wrote that they rarely stay more than a week in one place. As a rule, farmers task guests with simple work, such as weeding, picking fruit, feeding animals, or cleaning the area.
WWOOF is designed to help owners of organic farms (the word Organic in the name) who do not use chemicals. Often running such a farm is unprofitable for a family of farmers, and the program helps them get free labor, which allows them to stay afloat.
Who uses this program? These could be travelers, like my friend, or they could be students looking for language practice or new acquaintances in a foreign country. Sometimes ordinary people spend their holidays this way to improve their nerves and save money.
The relationship between farmers and guests is completely informal - in some places the workers get what they came for - free food and a bed, but in others they become almost family members, living and eating under the same roof with the owners.
Surprisingly, I have never even heard of such a program, while it is very popular in the West. You may ask whether there are many such eco-farms around the world, and I will answer - there are thousands of them! For us, with our dead agriculture and unborn farming, it is difficult to imagine that all of Europe is endless fields on which something is grown. In addition, there are still a lot of ordinary people living from their own land.
You ride a bicycle in Italy, and literally every kilometer you see signs - Agriturismo. Agritourism is when people come to a farm to live in an environmentally friendly place and eat natural food without pesticides. Organic farm owners survive by catering to these tourists and selling their products to expensive restaurants or stores, where they sell them under the Organic brand.
And the matter is not limited only to Europe - there are eco-farms in Asia, in the Americas, and everywhere around the world. Moreover, the profile can also be anything - from horse breeding to butterfly cultivation.
Therefore, for a traveler, the choice of where to stay for leisure or work is large - hands are needed everywhere. But you need to understand, however, that this is not a hotel where you can book a place - you need to make arrangements in advance, and you shouldn’t count on being given a whole room and breakfast in bed. Students live several people in a room, families and couples receive a separate area.
People come to such places not for comfort, but for communication, because if there is a way to get to know a foreign country, it’s just to live in the outback, eat country food and do a little work. On such farms there is a special atmosphere of friendship - everyone is on the same wavelength, because they didn’t come for the money. Some photos of happy village life:
Of course, I won’t say that everything is so smooth - it’s not always possible to immediately find a suitable farm. To use the WWOOF database, you need to pay an annual fee of 20-50 euros, depending on the country. Also, the language barrier can be a problem, because farmers rarely speak English, but whoever needs it will always find an opportunity.
In my opinion, this program is very interesting for anyone who wants to find something new, see an unfamiliar country, meet people and just save money. If you still want to travel, but don't have the money, then just Google the word WWOOF, read and try it yourself!
After hanging out for two weeks in Jeju as tourists, we went to the fourth and last farm in Korea: a two-month stay visa-free stay, released Russian tourists, was coming to an end. The farm had a WWOOF Korea code of JJ-112 and a tangerine theme. The owners of the farm also ran a guesthouse, where we were offered to live in a common room. The tangerine season in Jeju doesn't start until November, so we weren't expecting anything particularly interesting and thought that weeding would be our main occupation. No matter how it is. But first, the good stuff:
Besides us, a lot of people volunteered at the farm: American-born Korean Jenny and her boyfriend, Korean Kwan, French women Sophie and Isabelle (the second left the next day), Shian from Singapore, as well as Monica from Lithuania and Katie from Taiwan. Thanks to the Koreans on the team, we had no language barrier with the hosts; everyone understood what needed to be done and how. Of course, I was happy to finally socialize, especially since everyone spoke English. The guesthouse had two hefty rooms in which we, the volunteers, and ordinary guests who paid to stay lived. We were entitled to breakfast and dinner together with the guests in a cafe (the guesthouse provides half board), and lunch at the host’s parents’ house, which is located nearby. There was also a ranch with horses nearby, which you could pet if you wanted by carefully approaching from the side. And from the veranda of the guesthouse you could see the sea. Here, in fact, are all the advantages that emerged during our stay.
I'll tell you a little about the daily routine. Considering that there was only one bathroom for each room, the ladies and I had to get up at 7 so that everyone had time to perform water procedures and be in time for breakfast at 8. There was supposed to be no food until all the guests had served their food and started eating. They were mercilessly woken up for breakfast, so everything went according to schedule. Afterwards, we were supposed to clean the guesthouse: vacuum, clean the restrooms, and also make our beds in a certain way. At 9, we were supposed to start working on the farm.
However, in the three days that we have been here, we have not yet seen the farm. The entire scope of work is concentrated around the house of the parents of the owners of the farm. These are granny and grandpa, quite nice, unlike the owner of the farm, our host, who turns to us: “Hey, Russia!”, being unable to remember the names, which, however, he didn’t even ask. We spent the entire second half of the first day repairing their bathhouse using cement and the devil, and the entire next day we painted the house. You are supposed to work until 16:00, with no long break in the middle of the day, only a short lunch break. As a result, for now, for now, we ended up at the guesthouse closer to 17, and we still had to stand in line for the shower. Dinner was at 7 pm, and again we had to wait until the guests took the food, while the volunteers huddled on the sidelines. Dinner was quite human, and after that everyone was free until the morning.
To be honest, for me it’s a crapshoot of working hours, despite the fact that the work had almost nothing to do with wufing (volunteering on organic farms). Considering the fact that we already had excellent volunteering experience on two other farms (three days on the third does not count), where we worked together with the hosts, communicated and shared knowledge with each other, our stay here became increasingly unattractive. The hosts not only didn’t work with us, they practically didn’t talk to us. We worked alone, since the hostess was in the guesthouse all the time, the owner for some reason disdained working together, and grandma and grandpa were a little too old for these things. We devoted one day entirely to painting the house. All except two girls, who for some reason were always busy servicing the guesthouse (the French woman and the girl from Singapore had been here for almost two months, and in the local hierarchy they clearly occupied a position superior to us, newcomers). It was hot, but we all tried and almost got the job done. Somewhere there was a rumor that a Korean barbecue was expected for dinner, and everyone was looking forward to fried meat (except Monica, who was a vegetarian). Later, during dinner, it turned out that only guests and hosts were allowed meat, and the volunteers had to be content with small fried fish, mostly consisting of bones. When Monica asked for some lettuce leaves (traditionally they wrap meat in them), she was refused: otherwise there might not be enough for the guests.
We, of course, were not going for food, but we were shocked by what was happening, because before this it had never happened that the owners of the farm and the volunteers not only did not eat at the same table, but in general received different food not in favor of the latter. Also new was the inequality of rights among the woofers: here two “old guys” gave out instructions with all their might and had access to such benefits of civilization as a coffee machine, and the six of us were in the “give-and-bring” position, if anyone talked to us at all. In general, none of the charms of wufing (working together to achieve common goals, cultural exchange and communication) were even close to being seen here.
And yet there was one big plus, why we didn’t send everything on the first evening and didn’t move out wherever we looked. Thanks to him, and also good company, we decided to stay and not change plans. So, if on other farms we got one day off a week, here there were much more. We worked for three days, and now we are left to our own devices for two whole days. And this is very cool, because Pasha and I will be able to go through those walking routes, which have not yet been walked, despite the weather forecast promising rain throughout the day.
Of course, we will leave a corresponding review on the wwoofkorea website to warn other guys who are hoping to have a positive experience here. And now we ourselves will know what to look for when reading the description of the farm and reviews about it. And - yes - we decided to continue volunteering in other countries, not only in Korea, and have already agreed with one farm in Malaysia.
Unfortunately, there is only one photo in this post, because we are talking about woofing, and we were all doing something else.
UPD: I am adding this paragraph after the main text. The situation changed somewhat for the worse: in the morning the host tried to kick Monika out (from Lithuania) because someone (obviously a French woman) complained to him that she was working like crap (even though we all, apart from two privileged ladies, work the same). So not only did he tell her to vacate the premises, but he also complained to WWOOF Korea. Monica cried all morning because of how unfairly the farm owner treated her. It’s good that there is a Korean on our team, and he called the Korean office and explained what was happening. They find Monica another farm, but the situation is absolutely terrible, and all the guys are upset because of the unfriendliness of the hosts and because of the discrimination towards newcomers. We wanted to leave today, but then we decided not to change our plans, and we didn’t want to leave the guys in this nasty environment: after all, it’s much easier together. I didn’t think that such a wonderful thing as wufing could be ruined like that. But the lack of respect and attention from the owners eloquently tells us that here we are not volunteers helping with housework, but free labor, and the rest of the time we are unwanted guests.
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Imagine two week's vacation not on some hackneyed beach in Egypt, but, for example, on a ranch somewhere in Jamaica, where you will live and eat for free, how to spend your free time, you are free to determine it yourself, but before that you will need to work for 4 hours.
Many will be surprised: why would I turn my vacation into work and go somewhere to harvest? It's actually very simple: programs like this allow you to immerse yourself in your natural habitat local residents. Well, the second, of course, important plus is the opportunity to travel almost free of charge.
And given that the geography of volunteer programs is huge, you can find shelter and work in any country in South America or, say, Australia, and even in Alaska! In some regions where hosts are invited (owners of farms, ranches, etc.), you will never even rent a hotel if you wanted to - they simply aren’t there.
We will tell you in this article how and where to look for such options.
Helpx Volunteer Program
What is the feature of the program: in fact, this is an online directory of owners of various farms, cottages, ranches, guest houses, etc., who invite travelers from all over the world and are ready to provide them with free accommodation, plus often food in exchange for work (usually 4-5 hours a day).
How to get involved : There are two types of helpx memberships: free and premier. The first type of account gives you the right to view advertisements from all hosts and create your own profile, but does not allow you to contact the hosts. At the same time, if some host liked your profile or, for example, you indicated that you can do specific work, then he can write to you, even if you have a free account for which you just need to register on the site.
But a prime account allows you to write directly to any host you like. It's not free. If you want to become a Premier Member, you will need to pay a membership fee of €20 (for two years).
Basic Rules : each host prescribes living conditions separately. That is, the number of hours of work, the specifics of this work (cleaning, teaching children, helping with housework) - please clarify directly in communication with the owners (often this is all spelled out in detail in the host’s application).
But keep in mind that Helpx has age restrictions: if you are under 18 years old, you can only participate in a program if accompanied by your parents and with the consent of the owners. Otherwise, wait until you reach adulthood.
Example ad : Do you like horses? Do you like warm, tropical climates? Organic gardening? Are you interested in learning practical riding skills and horse training? Then you need to come to us!
Our farm is located in Dominican Republic, on top of the mountain with beautiful view to the city of Puerto Plata and the ocean. We offer travelers accommodation in a comfortable, furnished private cottage with a bathroom, WI-FI, plus home-cooked meals. You will need to help us look after the horses, help with agricultural work (harvesting, weeding, etc.) No experience required.
Traveler reviews : I just returned from Australia where I spent 6 months on two different farms that I found through HelpEx. This was definitely a great experience and I highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity, writes Tiffany M. on www.yelp.com.
The only thing to keep in mind is that you need to choose a place to volunteer very carefully. For example, you'll be hard-pressed to find hosts whose accommodations are close to the beach (or somewhere scenic) and not too far from major cities.
WWoof Volunteer Program
What is the feature of the program: by and large, this is the same directory of hosts as Helpx, but with some significant differences. Firstly, on Wwoof only farms are presented, here you will not find advertisements “we invite you to work in our cafe on the beach” or “practice English with poor Nepalese kids.” It is supposed to work in the field, so to speak.
The second significant difference is the format itself. Read more about this in “how to become a member.”
How to get involved : It’s not enough to just register on Woof. First, you need to select the region in which you would like to work (say, Europe or Asia), then select the country.
The next step is to become a member of the local Wwoof organization (for example, Wwoof Canada). To do this, you need to pay a membership fee (from $40 to $55 depending on the region). After this, you will have access to lists of farms (they will send you a printed catalog or an online catalog - as you wish).
Basic Rules : Farmers go through a rigorous selection process before being accepted onto Wwoof. Thus, each host must confirm that his farm meets certain standards (for example, prove that volunteers will not have to deal with pesticides), and also provide information about housing, which must also meet sanitary standards.
Example ad : Working on a family farm in Tuscany, Italy. Working hours per day are limited to 4 hours. This is mainly work caring for vineyards (harvesting) and olive groves. The food is mainly vegetarian. Accommodation in a separate house with shower and toilet. There is room for two volunteers. Minimum period - a week, preferably English speaking.
To access the announcement, you must become a member of WWOOF Italia http://www.wwoof.it/en/
So what about woofing? Let's work for food and get some fresh air. For example, in the French Pyrenees. Where they make foie gras... Country skills will come in handy.
Organic cottage
WWOOF is an abbreviation that has two meanings: English language: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, that is, “Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms,” or Willing Workers on Organic Farms, that is, “Voluntary Workers on Organic Farms.” In general, we can say that this is a kind of ecotourism that allows you to combine relaxation and work in the fresh air with gaining knowledge about organic agriculture, which has become especially fashionable in Europe over the past few years. Although this knowledge will be surprisingly familiar to many Russians. In essence, this is the same Russian dacha: a compost heap, mandatory waste separation, saving water and electricity, manual labor and a minimum of fertilizers. In Russia it is a forced “ecologically friendly farm”, in Europe it is a hard-won one.
A farmer who wishes to participate in the program pays a small annual fee to the WWOOF organization in his country, confirming that his farm meets some organic standards Agriculture(for example, no chemicals are used), and also that volunteers will be provided with housing that meets sanitary standards.
A volunteer who wants to participate in the program contacts the office of the organization of the country where he wants to visit and pays an annual membership fee ($20-60). In exchange for this, he receives a catalog notebook with a list of farms, their addresses, conditions and telephone numbers. Then all that remains is to write off and call the selected people and arrive at the appointed time. 
As a rule, such an ecotourist stays on the farm for a period of no less than two weeks; the stay can be up to six months. You don't have to work that much - four to six hours a day - in exchange for food and housing. The farmer and the volunteer do not pay each other any money. In 2010, 50 countries were registered in the system, although 20 had only one farm. Work on a farm for food and housing (and not only on a farm) can also be found through the sites http://www.workaway.info/ and http://www.helpx.net/ However, no one there can guarantee “organic” farms, but some exclusive offers are possible.
The work can be very varied - in South Korea you will help make kim chi and tofu, harvest grapes on farms in France, collect coffee beans in Northern Thailand, and honey from Ligurian bees on the Kangaroo Islands. Of course, there is still the issue of visas. Work, even volunteer work, sometimes requires a special visa. The type of visa required depends on the immigration laws and practices of the country being visited. But in some countries there is a simplified exchange. For example, Europeans can go to work in New Zealand without a visa.
There are no such concessions for Russians, but in many countries you can still work for free and on a tourist visa. In addition, farm owners can help you with invitations. And, of course, why specify for what purpose you are going to Spain - to watch bullfights or pick apples. In Australia, wufing on a tourist visa is allowed to everyone; in Canada, you can also work “for free” for one to four weeks.
The story of one farm
Jane and Peter and their 13-year-old daughter Eli-Flo moved to France from Albion 12 years ago when they realized they had become terribly disconnected from nature. It was impossible to buy a plot of land in England for the amount received from the sale of their modest apartment, but the Pyrenees was full of very good offers. They really liked the name of the farm - “New Doors”, since they were just opening the doors to new life, so they decided not to change it. This is how the New Doors permaculture farming association appeared. Yes, in the French Pyrenees, opening your own association is a piece of cake. Therefore, in Miron - a neighboring town of 3.5 thousand inhabitants - there is a fairly developed shooting club, swimming clubs, bagpipe clubs and a couple of hundred other clubs and organizations. This is because registering such organizations allows you not to pay taxes on your commercial activities (for example, on the sale of fruit grown in your garden). Therefore, small and very small businesses in this region are thriving - farms from all the surrounding villages producing homemade apple juice and cider, foie gras and pates, buns, waffles and bread, fresh vegetables, fruits and canned food from them, thousands of types of cheeses, represent their products at the Saturday morning market in Miron. What a sight this is! Wood crafts and handmade ceramics, baskets, salad, croissants - everything is mixed under the roof of the covered market, which flows out onto the street, filling all the surrounding streets of medieval Myron. However, things that are sold here are not entirely “handmade” - Turkish jeans, Chinese combs, T-shirts from Thailand, etc. The prices are not at all rustic. It’s not for nothing that France is considered one of the most expensive countries in the European Union. 
Of course, before getting on their feet and becoming a farm that provided itself with vegetables and fruits all year round, Jane and Peter had to work hard - restoring the house, building another one, putting the garden in order. Woofers helped them with this - from the very first year they had them regularly - once every few months - and helped them build, dig and weed. A very cozy van was allocated for the volunteers - a mobile home turned into a guest house with a wide bed and electricity. The farm, in general, is small - a couple of donkeys for preparing firewood, very thick, but “working”. Ducks with ducklings, hens with chicks. Three cats and one “very protective dog” named Bomba. Several fig trees, from which Jane sells figs at the local market. Cherry trees. Pond with six carp - fish not for food, but for checking cleanliness drinking water. Well, beds with all sorts of little things.
Wufing from personal experience
Having learned that we got from Barcelona to the tiny village of Beloc-Saint-Clemens, a hundred kilometers from Toulouse, in just 12 hours, Peter was very surprised: for an experienced hitchhiker, getting there in just twice the time of a car is a good result, but for a first-time hitchhiker The hitchhiking experience is simply superb. However, we would have gotten there faster... We had problems only in Spain - the Spaniards rarely give us lifts, but the deeper we got into the French wilderness (Toulouse-Oche-Miron-Belok-San Clemens), the friendlier the people became. And so a neighbor takes us to the very doors of Les portes nueves (“New Doors” in French)... We are met by 13-year-old Eli-Flo and her friend Emily. My parents left to look for us - they received our message and did not think that we would find a ride right to the door.
I met a family of British musicians and farmers by chance - through my French friend Joanne, who, having learned that I wanted to try wufing, gave them their contacts. This way I managed to avoid the registration procedure and registration fee. Well, I already had a Schengen visa. 
The first three days we really worked very hard. The task was to clear a fence overgrown with thorny bushes and the area around it overgrown with grass. In three days, the task was completed, at the cost of two pairs of slippers almost torn to shreds. Jane and Peter were surprised and asked to cut the nettles under the fruit trees. We asked if they knew that nettle hay is very beneficial for ducklings and chicks in winter. Of course not. I had to make hay. Well, it was quite easy. Meals are provided by the owners. In the morning - “French” breakfast - cold juice or tea, white bread with butter and jam or honey. Unusual for us, traditional for them. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon there is tea, which for the British is just tea, without any sweets or buns. At 6 - an aperitif (three types of homemade liqueurs), smoothly turning into dinner - invariably appetizing. Then the program became more varied - trim branches using a special pruner, eat cherries from a tree, help load a canoe into a car to take it to the river and ride it...
One day we went to the cottage of Jane’s friend, who breeds horses, to restore order there, since the owner broke her spine after falling from a horse and was in the hospital. This farm, according to Jane, was more “manicured”, but we liked it less than “New Doors” - everything was too “civilized”. Here our task is to put back the stones that have fallen out of the fences, cut the grass with a lawn mower and... swim in the pool. Which we did with pleasure.
After restoring the stone fence, the owners realized that they could trust us with more serious tasks, so the last thing we did on the farm was repairing the steps going down to the garden. The earthen steps, covered with broken shards and bordered by boards, crumbled - 12 years ago they were erected by the first woofers, who now have their own farm in England...
This work was creative - we had to re-plan the entire staircase. But the owners were satisfied. Then we were entitled to the weekend - we wandered around the neighborhood, walked the dog, slept in the shade and sunbathed in the sun. We swam in the pool again. We ate barbecue and drank. In general, woofing was definitely a success. The week flew by like one day. It was a pity to leave, but Peter and Jane promised to leave the farm at our disposal for a whole month - when they went on vacation...
Text by Natalia Vladimirova, photo of the author, published in the in-flight magazine “Vladivostok Air” No. 49, 2011.
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How to volunteer in Europe
Last year, my wife and I took a break from work and went to Europe for three months.
Andrey Tarasov
traveled around Europe for three months
We visited Spain, Austria and Germany, walked kilometers of mountain routes, lived in a theater, a church and a water mill, made friends with dozens of good people and made acquaintances even in South Africa. Our trip cost about 150 thousand rubles for two.
We wanted to save money, so we decided to go to Europe as volunteers. Volunteers work 4-5 hours a day and in return receive housing, food and entertainment. I'll tell you how we found volunteer projects, came up with a route, and what we spent the money on.
What kind of volunteers?
Anyone over 18 years old can become a volunteer. The main thing is independence. If you live separately from your parents, cook, wash dishes after yourself, or tried to repair something around the house, most likely you are ready to become a volunteer. Most of our work consisted of simple tasks: repairs and cleaning, helping with housework or organizing events.
On a farm in Spain, we helped harvest the almonds, cleared the old part of the territory from fallen trees, and weeded the beds with vegetables and fruits. Everything was quite simple, and peeling the almonds felt more like meditation than work.
In the Alternative Farming Park, we worked almost like archaeologists - excavating the foundation of an ancient stone barn, clearing the forest of excess trees and processing logs with machetes.
In Austria we helped take care of a dilapidated old theater building. We were preparing for the next exhibition of paintings by local artists, cleaning the park adjacent to the theater building and hunting for mice in the storeroom. Sometimes the work was dusty.
It is not necessary to have special skills. But if you teach yoga or English, know a lot about construction, or know how to train dogs, you will find projects where it will come in handy. It is only important to search properly.
At the same time, you need to understand that working on a volunteer project is not a full-fledged vacation.
If you already have a hard job and 10 days a year to rest, volunteering is unlikely to suit you. We worked for several days with a girl from London who decided to devote her week-long vacation to restoring the theater. She woke up at three o'clock in the afternoon, when we had already finished work. Asthma and dust allergies made her not the best assistant. On the fourth day, the owner of the project asked her to leave. They explained to the girl that in such a situation it is better to pay attention to her health and get proper rest.
Where are projects looked for?
Official organizations coordinate volunteers to help public, environmental, educational and educational organizations. They will help the volunteer find a suitable project, collect documents and arrange insurance, and take care of housing and food.
Here are a few organizations we considered:
European Voluntary Service (EVS) is the most famous international volunteer organization in Europe. Allows young people (from 17 to 30 years old) to volunteer in another country for a period of 2 to 12 months.
International Volunteer Headquarters - leading volunteer Travel Company, sends volunteers to countries around the world.
Plan My Gap Year - in addition to helping volunteers, they are working on creating a network of volunteers, uniting participants through social networks.
Obtaining volunteer status was not easy. Organizations charge a fee for participation in the project.
Some organizations require a guarantee. For example, European Voluntary Service does not work directly with volunteers. Instead, other organizations, such as Sphere, do this. Participation in their program costs from RUR 6,500 per project per person. We did not find a free guarantee.
Many projects required great responsibility: working with children or emigrants, caring for the sick, protecting environment. We were not yet ready for such a trip.
Directory sites. There are websites where people from all over the world are looking for help for their projects. For example, harvesters, helpers for construction or temporary staff in a hostel. These are either small organizations or private farms. No one is responsible for your journey here. All risks are on you. You will resolve issues directly with the host - this is the name given to people who are looking for help in exchange for food and housing. Participating in such a project is much easier.
Here are the catalogs we looked at.
Helpx.net - this site started volunteering on the principle of “work-exchange” - when services are exchanged for housing and food. But by modern standards, it has an outdated design, inconvenient navigation and search. Already on the trip we communicated with other volunteers - in Lately none of them were able to find the project through this service. Subscription costs 20 € (1468 RUR) for two years.
WWoof.net was not suitable for us because it is aimed at farmers. The projects here are of the same type. The cost of participation depends on the country, on average $50 (3266 RUR).
Workaway.info - we chose it because the site was the leader in the number of active projects. For example, about 3,000 projects are available in South America, and about 18,000 in Europe. The site has a flexible search and user-friendly design. Individual subscription - 32 € (2350 RUR), pair subscription - 42 € (3084 RUR) for a year.
New catalogs that appeared after our trip:
Hippohelp.com is a catalog with a good and thoughtful design. The number of projects is still small: for example, there is only one in Iceland. Subscription is free.
Worldpackers.com is a directory that seeks to bring together all forms of volunteering in one place - here you can find projects from private businesses and non-profit organizations. There is a mobile application. A subscription costs $49 (3201 RUR) per year - this is the most expensive of the catalogs reviewed, but the company promises to advise throughout the journey and help in emergency situations.
Helpstay.com - the catalog is still small, 20-30 projects per country. Subscription costs 19.99 € (1468 RUR) per year.
You will only have to pay for registration on the site, but participation in the projects itself is free. You can join the project an unlimited number of times. No special skills are required: many people just need extra hands to solve everyday problems.
We especially liked that this form of volunteering provides maximum immersion in the local culture and way of life. People literally invite you to their home, you work and relax together.
Register and find a project
My wife and I registered for Workaway. If you are traveling together, it’s better not to cheat and buy a pair subscription - you will have one account for two. The host will be able to read about your skills and interests on one page and make a decision faster. And you don’t have to indicate in every letter that you are traveling as a couple and explain things to the receiving party.
42 €
it costs an annual paired subscription to Workaway
Fill out the information in your profile in detail. Your account is all that the receiving party knows about you. Describe your skills, tell us how you can be useful to the host.
Decide on your priorities before looking for a project.
We had the following wishes:
- Work outdoors.
- Physical labor to radically change the type of activity.
- Warm climate.
- Vegetarian food.
We looked for the first project in Spain. The search indicated the country, number of volunteers, types of projects and assistance that we can provide. On the Availability tab, the travel period was noted.
A search on the site produced several hundred results, then we sifted them out manually.
Pay attention to the items Feedback - reviews, Last activity - last visit, Reply rate - percentage of responses.
Last activity - last visit. Select those who visited the site no later than 2-3 days ago
Reply rate - percentage of responses. Choose at least 50%, otherwise you will waste time writing and will not receive anything in return
Availability - when the host is available. Choose a project with green markers for your dates - this means that volunteers are definitely needed
Last activity - last visit. Choose those who visited the site no later than 2-3 days ago.
Reply rate - percentage of responses. Choose at least 50%, otherwise you will waste time writing and receive nothing in return.
Availability - when the host is available. Choose a project with green markers for your dates - this means that volunteers are definitely needed.
Scroll through all the reviews, but only pay attention to those with less than five stars. Read why the volunteer gave the rating below the maximum. Perhaps for the same reason the host will not suit you right away or you will have additional questions.
Make sure that the Limited internet access checkbox is not checked. Typically, this condition means that you will only be able to check your mail. This option did not suit us.
Give projects with bad photos a chance. Many hosts neglect them - some projects that are interesting in description have mediocre photographs. Now this section seems to me even harmful, capable of confusing the traveler.
Contact the host
After screening, a list of suitable projects will remain. Their number depends on the country: for Spain we got about 30-40 projects, for the Czech Republic - no more than 10.
We studied all the projects on the list, chose our favorites and wrote letters to the hosts.
The letter creates an impression of you and helps convince the owner that you are a suitable assistant. Therefore, write in detail: tell the host why you chose his project. Add something you liked about the profile description to your email. Write why you consider yourself useful.
The owner of the farm in Spain, where we spent three weeks, later said that he receives dozens of requests every day. He chose us precisely because of the similarity of interests.
Send letters in advance - at least a month before the trip. Be prepared for the fact that some requests will never be answered.
Our first host in Spain was found after the fourth letter. The next one is after the third letter. In Austria and Germany, we received an invitation after the first letter was sent: in autumn in cold countries the number of volunteers decreases and it becomes easier to find a project.
When you receive a positive response, ask the host the exact address and contact details. Ask how to get there and if they can meet you. During the trip, we were told about hosts who did not contact us at the last moment.
Ask questions about food, accommodation, routine. The fewer surprises there are in place, the more comfortable you will feel.
Plan your route and budget
It is not necessary to plan the entire trip. The main thing is to be sure that on the current project you have enough time to find the next waypoint. Many volunteers do this.
In 83 days we visited Spain, Austria, Germany and Poland. We were looking only for the first project from Russia, the second - from Spain. We planned that we would spend at least a month in warm country, then move north and look at Austria and Germany. Everything turned out that way; there were no problems finding projects.
We had about 150,000 RUR for two of us for three months. We spent about 30,000 RUR at the preparation stage: on tickets, visas and insurance, backpacks, work clothes and shoes.
RUB 30,000
we spent on preparing for the trip
We spent the most money when we switched to regular tourist mode and watched big cities between projects. RUR 16,000 was spent on hostels in Barcelona, Vienna and Berlin alone.
We bought clothes twice in three months. First, our work equipment became unusable and we had to replace it - 4,000 RUR. Then it got cold and I had to buy warm clothes - another 14,000 RUR.
While working on projects, money was mainly spent on transportation and entertainment. You won't have to pay for housing while you're helping the host. You won't be able to eliminate food costs, but you will definitely save money. On all four projects we had a full breakfast, lunch and dinner, but we still visited local bars and pizzerias and tried local fast food.
Three weeks on an eco-farm in Spain - 17,900 rubles
Train tickets to the project
1400 R
Trip to Tarragona
2500 R
Hitchhiking to Reus
500 R
Rock climbing
1500 R
Going to bars and coffee shops
4000 R
Food and household chemicals in supermarkets
4000 R
New work clothes
4000 R
Theoretically, you can live on the project for a month without spending a penny. And at the same time conduct it as an interesting adventure for which others pay a large sum.
For example, in Spain, the owner of the villa took us to the sea and to the mountains, took us rock climbing, and once even gave us a mini-concert with an electric guitar. We traveled a lot in the mountains alone, explored local villages, and hitchhiked to neighboring towns.
In Germany, at an eco-farm for programmers, on the very first day the owners took us to a festival of local woodworkers, then to a small concert.
In Austria, in our free time we explored tourist routes between villages, and on weekends we went to see Vienna.
How to pack a backpack
Work clothes are consumables. On one of our projects we were working with wood and our clothes got stained with pine resin. In another place we cleared an old garden where there were a lot of thickets and thorns. Things often had to be sewn up and washed, and once I had to buy new equipment. Therefore, take comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting ruined.
We haven't fully thought through how to change from summer clothes to fall ones. We took only light things with us; there wasn’t enough space in the backpack for warm ones. As a result, in Germany we spent a lot of time looking for budget warm clothes, and had to leave some of the summer ones. Instead, we could send some of the clothes home by mail, as our volunteer friend from America did.
I was a little worried about the first aid kit: after all, the trip was not entirely ordinary. For example, on one project we had to process logs using a machete. In Moscow, I imagined how I accidentally cut off my hand, and in my first aid kit I only had an anti-diarrhea remedy and a bandage. But it turned out that every project had everything necessary to provide first aid. We did not encounter any emergencies.
My packing list for three months
Documents: passports, driver's licenses, medical insurance, train and plane tickets, printouts of hostel reservations.
First aid kit: activated carbon, bandages, painkillers.
Electronics: laptop, phone, chargers, flash drives, USB adapter, power bank and cable, player, headphones, flashlight.
Hygiene: quick-drying towel, deodorant, toothbrush, antiseptic gel.
Miscellaneous: sleeping bag, notepad, pen, locks for cabinets, glasses case, belt bag and string bag, needle and thread.
Discuss working conditions
In relations with the owners, everything needs to be discussed.
Most often, hosts spend a lot of time at the start to teach volunteers everything. But some don't. In this case, take the initiative and discuss a minimum routine. Determine how many hours a day you work and what time you start, who prepares food and washes dishes, what you can and cannot take in the house.
On the first two projects, we were given instructions on the first day. On the third project we were well received, but we did not immediately discuss the rules and regulations. After a few days, we realized that instead of 4-5 hours a day, all our time was filled with seemingly insignificant tasks. This situation has arisen largely due to our indecision.
We had a great time on this project, but the relationship with the owners could have been better.
Cheat sheet: how to become a volunteer
- Select the desired project from many others on volunteer sites. Write a lot of honest letters.
- Find out phone numbers, addresses, and email from the receiving party. Leave them to friends or parents.
- Take comfortable clothes that you won’t mind throwing away.
- Discuss your work and rest schedule in advance.
- If this is your only vacation of the year, it is better to consider other ways to travel.
