WORKAWAY | Why don't we go and make ourselves useful? Practical guide

What you will find in this article:
→ A few numbers on the Workaway.
→ A presentation of the concept in the form of questions / answers.
→ A small step-by-step guide to register, create your profile and find guests all over the world.
→ Our tips and little things you'll be happy to know for thinking.
→ 3 feedback from personal experiences (good, bad).
→ Useful links to other volunteer platforms or travel experiences + a link to the travel story « MONGOLIA | History of volunteering in Taiga » Which plunges you into one of our experiences as if you were reading a book.

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THE WORKAWAY IN SOME FIGURES

WORKAWAY | Presentation of the concept.

Learning. Sharing. Discovering new lifestyles... As the Workaway team says so well: « It's thanks to spirit and motivation of our members to offer beautiful experiences of cultural exchange Workaway works. » Well? More than a good plan to travel without spending (since as Workawayer We are fed and housed) Workaway is first a state of mind. This platform was created in 2012 in order to connect one side: travellers wishing to help to the inhabitants of the world; from the other: the people of the entire voluntary world to accommodate travellers in exchange for a little help.

« A global community based on sharing that has the will to travel around the world while giving back to the places it visits. »

Far from assimilating to a worker/employee relationship, the Workaway experience is therefore a equal cultural exchange, where everyone has something to bring to each other: for the traveller, it is an ideal way to discover a country by integrating at best into the local population; for the host, it is the opportunity to have access to skills of all kinds and to meet people from all walks of life.

→ What kind of help do I have to provide?

Helping an Icelandic family large in their daily tasks, giving a little of your time in a school in Sri Lanka, keeping a house in England, occupying lamas in a protection centre in Argentina, accompanying an eco-project in Guyanne, maintaining a boat in Samoa, manufacturing a meter of likes bamboo for a guesthouse in Thailand (veccu)... Imagination alone has limits about the work you can do on Workaway.

Generally speaking, the work will be strongly linked to the environment where you are doing your guest search: if you are in a tourist city, it is likely that some premises will seek volunteers to help them maintain their host structure for example (in which case the requested service will be linked to the maintenance, communication, reception of visitors). If you find yourself in the Mongolian steppes, you may have to help a family take care of its 200 yaks.

→ ...What if I don't have any special skills?

Everyone has something to bring to each other! Intangible riches are numerous and sometimes the most powerfulThis is what the Workaway allows to become aware of. Skills in technical areas will always be welcome, but often what people are looking for is a little help in their daily tasks... And a little time. Everyone is able to play with children, get rid of a table, do some gardening, pick up vegetables, dig a nail... As a volunteer, you will never be asked to be an expert: the desire to share, learn and talk with a smile is enough in 90% of cases. The remaining 10%? They are hosts who need people with very specific skills. In this case, they will make it known in their announcement and will be more « selective » on volunteers.

→ How many hours in the day is this help?

From 4-5 a.m.: This is the average daily hours requested in exchange for your bed and meals, with usually 1 or 2 days rest per week. But this is unique to each ad: some guests will ask more, others less, the number of meals offered per day may also vary depending on the work required... In any case, a Workaway cannot ( must) not to be reduced to « hours of work / free time » It is not a question of imposing strict planning but of defining together (traveller and inhabitant) a global pace that is beneficial to everyone. Often (high) when the exchange keeps its promises, the help is so natural (and so well done) that the hours are no longer counted and the initiatives are taken with pleasure.

→ How long does a Workaway last?

The platform does not impose maximum / minimum duration: the choice of length of stay depends only on Workawayer and his host. Nevertheless to be complete and beneficial to both parties, it is always interesting that the experience lasts at least one or two weeks (a 3-day stay, if the first will is to soak up a lifestyle and bring something to the other, wouldn't make too much sense). Depending on the type of Workaway, the experience can even last several months. Everything is decided in advance with the host (depending on its needs, its possibilities, but also available places). Once there, it is not uncommon for the exchange to continue if both parties wish: a Workaway does not bind the traveller & host by no contract, if the experience is going really well, or really bad, everyone is free to prolong or terminate it.

WORKAWAY | To get started, how does it work? Step by step guide.

Register, create your profile and find hosts all over the world.

→ 1 – Register

Register on the platform by paying a Annual contribution (renewable, or not, you decide) allows you to have access to the whole Workaway database and therefore to be able to contact more than 40,000 guests worldwide. Here is the direct link to register: https://www.workaway.info/en/signup/workawayer. This registration (by secure payment) is available in two offers:

Almost all online trading platforms are paid for. Without membership you can see volunteer offers, but you can't get in touch with the host.

→ 2 – Create Profile

Important progress alert. In view of the increasing number of volunteers, more and more guests are receiving requests: a carefully filled profile will always be more likely to attract the eye... And prove your motivation.

The approach is simple: simply put a profile photo and provide information about your trip, your qualities, your ideas, your desires, your motivations... Anyway, anything that may be relevant for your future host.

→ 3 – Find your host

Everything happens in the section « find a host » (find a host) which allows you to search for a host by filtering by country/region or by typing keywords. The search can also be refined with filters like « Availability » (with a calendar) or « Type of aid« . All ads are in the same form: overview of the host profile, full description (location, infrastructure, minimum duration, number of workers the type of assistance sought, the cultural exchange proposed and, of course, the accommodation and meal arrangements.

It can help!
Like the profile of volunteers, there is a section below « reviews » which allows to see the comments left by former volunteers.

If an ad meets your expectations, the button « Contact » allows you to establish a first connection with the host. You will then have to indicate the approximate dates of your passage (this does not commit anything but is a first indicator for the one who receives you). Then you just have to write a few words that will make sense with the chosen ad.

Ctrl C | Crtrl V: In the majority of cases the hosts try to fulfill a full description of their expectations, their activities, their daily lives... We recommend sending a personalized message to each host by justifying its motivation for the announcement and not satisfied with a copied-paste. As with the profile, this influences the choice of who accepts it or not.

5 tips before starting

Getting into this kind of experience is not always easy, even more lonely. Fear of the unknown, of the other, of not finding his place, of falling on scams or ill-intentioned people... Because we also experienced these fears, this is what we would have liked to hear when we started:

→ 1 – Don't take it too late

All Workaways are not available all year : the availability of ads can be affected by the seasons And above all... By the request Hey! If you know about your own availability and/or you've spotted an ad that's close to your heart, anticipating by contacting your host several weeks before is a good idea: the most requested ones are quickly complete during the high tourist seasons, while others will only be available in summer (difficult to find a Workaway in Mongolia in the middle of winter for example). If doing a Workaway during your trip (or to do Workaway tone travel) is one of your first motivations, taking it in advance will allow you to find your ideal exchange and organize your trip in function.

For those who advance without too much organisation, nothing is lost: we have already found Workaways only a few days before starting the exchange.

→ 2 – Leaving with good intentions... And make sure of those of others.

The aim is not to impose an ideal vision or to hold a moralizing speech but to support the words of the founders of Workaway. so that this concept still has beautiful years before it This self-help model only works through the sincere will of each party to share a rewarding cultural experience. Coming to work with a stranger in return for other than financial wealth is above all a state of mind, something that must motivate, inspire. The first mistake not to make would be to see the Workaway simply as a way to travel at a lower cost by taking advantage of the hospitality of other people

This reflection is also valid in the other direction: if some hosts abuse the skills of their workersIt's fair to report them to the platform. Again, the exchange must satisfy both sides. That means you don't have to say yes to everything you've asked, you don't have to work every day from morning to evening, and it's up to you to leave if your host doesn't meet his commitments.

→ 3 – Pay attention in very touristic areas

Many ads are located in tourist places. It all depends on the type of Workaway you're looking for, but be careful: it's not uncommon in these places that some ads didn't have much to do with « Local » and that cultural exchange is close to non-existent. It will mainly be hostels, hotels, etc., looking for volunteers to replace employees in exchange for a free bed and a few meals.

Sure, this kind of agreement as well as the fact that some hosts are expatriates does not prevent the experience from being pleasant This may not be as profound as cultural exchange, but this type of Workaway nevertheless makes it possible to make Nice encounters while benefiting One bed in a big city. So it all depends on you type of experience sought. On the other hand, we have already seen large hotel owners simply seeing in the workers cheaper labour: « Aid » If you are looking for a real job, you are asked to provide daytime reception, for example. Read carefully the advertisements as well as the reviews avoids such situations. You can also contact and chat with your potential host through Workaway messaging.

→ 4 - Taking Time

There's no secret: if you're interested in the Workaway for a real experience, building relationships with the locals, making yourself useful... We need to know. take time. A few days experience allows « troubleshoot » on both sides while sharing some pleasant moments, but (for us anyway) nothing is worth the long stays to live the full experience. Knowing those around you, understanding a new way of life, having new habits, the feeling of having been really useful... In short, the feeling of having lived A while somewhere (more than having « only » travel). We are aware that it is something of easier to say than to do when the trip is of limited duration or in countries where the duration of stay is restricted by visas : it is true that staying long in a place « Private » See a whole bunch of others... And that's where the dilemma of slow travel. Personally, we are convinced that upon arrival the wealth of experience is not the same, but it is to meditate according to each one's desires :)...

For example, « format » that we had adopted on a trip was this: 2 weeks of Workaway on a 30-day visa. Enough to build bonds, experience experiences, have time to carry out the tasks we had set ourselves, while giving us time to visit the rest of the country. In the future, having fallen in love with slow travel, we want to push the experience over the long term and try a Workaway of one or several months.

→ 5 - Take some simple security measures that reassure

The fear of arriving at someone you don't know is legitimate. Besides, when you're a girl traveling alone. To be honest we don't Never had the feeling of insecurity, or even heard stories about it during an exchange with other volunteers. However to arrive a little more confident.e you are advised:

• To arrive in a place that welcomes several volunteers if you have doubts.
• To read the profile of the hosts, in particular the reviews.
• Notify a loved one that you will spend several days volunteering with someone you don't know, indicating the dates & place.

→ Bonus tip: Do not be limited to other countries of the world!

France has more than 500 ads and it would be a shame to invest only away from home! Of course, the cultural shock may seem less striking, but no doubt it can be useful while living beautiful experiences a few kilometers from home.

TO FIND: 3 examples of experiments.

Mongolia: 1st experience expansive and unforgettable.

The Mongolian steppes took place in front of us only 15 days after leaving France. The Mongolia was probably on countries where we wanted to try the Workaway experience. Knowing in advance our dates of entry and exit, we had contacted a few guests several weeks before our arrival.

Result? No answer! In this early winter and in the remote areas where we had applied, hard to find very active hosts on the platform. So we decided to set aside the Workaway track and go explore the Gobi desert. It was at the end of this expedition that Davaa contacted us to propose that we join her in the north of the country (we were then opposite) to help her and her family. We spent 10 days in the middle of nowhere in a totally exotic setting. 10 days to live in a yurt without running water and to be able to rely only on one small skillet To face the cold nights... But this, we make you live through this story.

Nepal: between tigers and gardening.

Some Workaways can be found only a few days before: this experience is the right example. It's sailing on Workaway.info that we stumbled upon the announcement by Anil, young manager of a small family estate of lodges in the terai (region of jungles and national parks). Just one phone call will be enough for us to embark on one of the longest bus trips (more for the length than the length of our life).

So we plunged into southern Nepal to share a piece of life with Anil, who did not seem to need so much help but who nevertheless seemed very happy to have a visit. Here, no incandescent stove, snow, yurt... But nets, bungalows made of earth, more than 30°, new missions... And stone barriers to protect the village from elephants. Anil has agreed to host us as well as to offer us 3 meals / day for almost two weeks in exchange for « There's not much to do, but maybe maintaining the garden would be good. We could cut this... This and this! But you see, here you are the bosses!« . This sentence illustrates the kindness and generosity of Anil. We will never forget his welcome.

The work he asked us took us two days, working only a few hours in the morning. Then we took initiatives: we continued to clearing the entire fieldThe crops (piments, turmeric), one was busy with his plantations trees and flowers, new alleys In addition to the use of rock to replace the old invading vegetation, pictures the domain so that it could be used for the website it planned to develop... And we built him a huge barbecue #FrenchTouch.

The rhythm was soft, Anil satisfied himself with the least we did. The rest of the days were intended to discover the surroundings, get to know the local children who joined us for sunsets, try to observe the animals (rhinos, elephants, hinds, crocodiles, tigers) on the banks of the river... And share this experience on our networks. Satisfied with our work, Anil did not hesitate to take us with him for 2 days in the National Park bordering his guesthouse to show us his second job: safari guide on foot ! Two emotional days armed with a frail stick in the territory of jungle predators.
You doubted, this experience brought together all the aspects we were looking for in a volunteer, and more.

Thailand: The wrong side.

When we arrived in the city of Chiang Mai we decided to settle there for a few weeks to take a break in the nomadic life and couple this time with some volunteers even though we knew that the experiences proposed would be different from the previous ones. The goal was to find a place to live where we could meet, spend less and be useful. After a first stay filled with good memories in a nice guesthouse run by a Frenchman, we decided to chain with a second Workaway, this time in a hotel « backpacker » maintained by a local nickname Tiger.

We were his first volunteers. (therefore no possibility of consulting its reviews), the hotel had just changed ownership and it relied on the Workaway platform to ask travellers to help it manage its business in exchange for a bed in its dormitories and 3 meals/day. So far nothing unusual. Except Tiger wasn't really in the philosophy of exchange and just wanted to build a « staff free » to manage its establishment from A to Z. When we arrived everything was to (re)do: the reception office, decoration, reservation management, layout, name, logo, networks... In short, a project he wanted us to carry out with the help of others. Workawayers. The work was important (sometimes 7 hours / days)The owner's personality and his attraction for profit were heavy. As the Workaway went on, meals became increasingly scarce. Tiger was not a bad person, he would even have been very nice if we had worked night and day without saying. He was only novice and had not grasped what the Workaway was.

All this to say that we learned more about Thailand by working for a French expatriate than a Thai. On the other hand, we met adorable people either in the volunteer team or among the hotel guests. Of course this experience is not to generalize, we just find it interesting to show you the different facets that a Workaway can have.

Useful links

Workaway.info | The only site on the Workaway platform.

Workaway blog | To consult articles of all kinds and discover other testimonials.

History of volunteering in Taiga | If you want to escape by discovering what a Workaway experience might look like.

WWOOF France | A French-language site based on the same concept as Workaway: wwoofingeither work in exchange for the lodging and the cutlery but this time only on organic farms. This French platform only lists woofing in France but you can visit WWOOFinternational to access ads around the world.

HelpX | Also based on the Workaway principle but more focused farms / hostels / homestay / families. Mainly developed in New Zealand and Australia, but also possible in Canada, Europe, the United States and other parts of the world.

Jeremy's Articles | On his volunteering in Australia and in New Zealand. Accompanied by small guides well made to know everything about HelpX or Wwoofing, it is undoubtedly complementary to this focused article Workaway!

Two weeks of volunteering in Argentina | To discover the testimony of other travelers (here Cecilia and Tim) in a Nature Reserve, as well as their general page dedicated to the Volunteerism.

The experiences of Aline and Guillaume | Who also volunteered as the red thread of their journey.

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