Your Ultimate Guide To 'Workaway'

#notspon. I'm just a massive fan of Workaway. I mean, it's a way to properly immerse yourself in a culture without paying the price of Jesus' tears for accommodation and food. It really doesn't get better than that. 😉

So, what's a Workaway? 🏡

Put simply, think of Workaway as travel volunteering. Workaway provides you with accommodation and food in exchange with helping your host with household work needs, projects, or odd jobs. It's like a cultural exchange between traveler and your host.

Could you see yourself cleaning and cooking aboard a sailing yacht in Panama? Maybe training huskies in Norway? What about teaching surfing and/or yoga in Costa Rica? With over 50,000 hosts on the website, you have a lot to choose from around the world! 

What's in it for me? 🤩

You'd be working, on average, four hours a day about five to six days a week. In exchange, you'll gain these perks: 

🍒 Food: Making or buying meals three times a day whilst traveling can be expensive and inconvenient. But Workaway hosts provide food! Huzzah! Their usual ways of this are: 

• The host makes you meals and you eat together
• The host makes you meals that you don’t eat together
• The host provides ingredients for you to make your own food
• A combination of the above

🏠 Board: Whether you don't have a lot of mullah for traveling to begin with or you wanna make your money stretch as far as possible, finding cheaper accommodation ops like Workaway are where it's at. 

🌎 Getting amongst the culture: Sure, you can experience the tourist’s version of different countries by visiting the famous cities and staying in accomodation. Orrrr you could spend quality time in the home of locals, seeing their way of life, eating their meals, watching their shows, doing their hobbies. You get to completely immerse yourself in another culture which is pretty insane. 

What locations/jobs can I choose from? 📍

You're guaranteed to find something bangin' in your location of choice. There are ops for farm work in Canada, restoring a home in the South of France, teaching in Kenya, and even beekeeping in Poland. You'll be able to learn new skills and use old ones! 

How long does a Workaway go for? 📅

As long as you want it! You could do a Workaway for a few days to a whole year! You and the host decide this before you arrive.

There's no legal contract so you can leave early, or even stay longer if possible! 

Is it safe? 😳

Workaway gives you user reviews but even so, it's fair enough to be rattled about safety. Here are a few tips:

• You can travel with a mate! Just look for a host that’s looking for at least two Workawayers and apply together.
• If you’d rather be in a larger town or city instead of a remote location, narrow your search to a community where you’ll feel most comfortable.
• Research the local area -- its politics, social norms, health and fitness, weather... and check that it's somewhere you're confident staying in.
• Many hosts are equally concerned about finding the right Workawayer to stay with them! To make things more chill, reach out and talk with the host so you can get to know each other beforehand.
• Workaway also has a 24-hour support team and will offer help however they can.

How much does it cost? 💸

You can browse through hosts and experiences without a subscription but once you’re ready to apply for a position, creating an account costs about $65 per year. If you’d like to travel as a couple, you can create a joint account for $75 per year. Then you can introduce yourself to potential hosts by filling out your profile. 

✨ And there you have it! There's everything you need to know about Workaway. Suss out the website here to get started.