Are you willing to pay heaps of money for a vacation in some tropical resort? All inclusive at the best?
Where every single day looks exactly the same - you wake up, you get up, have a bufet breakfast, sun bathe on the beach, drink piňa coladas, have lunch, sun bathe, swim in the pool, drink mojitos , have dinner, drink a beer, go to bed, rinse and repeat.
You might like this, as it could be the way you charge your batteries after months of non-stop work. And that's completely alright. I get it. I completely respect it. Even me, I sometimes need to chill out and do nothing, but doing this more than two or three days in a row would probably kill me slowly.
If that resort stuff doesn't sound like your cup of tea either, and you rather want to enjoy travels in adventurous way, if you want to meet like minded people and if you want to learn lots of new skills, then this article is just perfect for you.
Now, make yourself comfy, bring some popcorn and keep reading.
Do you like the idea of doing some cool stuff for FREE while travelling the world?
Sailing on the yacht in Caribbean, practising yoga in Cambodia, riding horses in New Zealand, learning to scuba dive in Greece, surfing long days in Nicaragua, taking care of huskies in Norway or maybe changing childrens' lives in Africa?
And do you also like the idea of doing this all FOR FREE? Well, then let's become a proud WORKAWAYER like me, because that's one of the ways allowing me to travel the world on a long term basis.
What is www.workaway.info?
Many of you probably have heard of Workaway. www.workaway.info is a community of people from all over the world looking for help. In a nut shell, it is volunteering; from farm work, animal care, baby sitting, to working in luxury yoga resorts in Hawaii.
- In exchange for traveler's help hosts usually offer free accommodation and anything up to 3 meals a day. You work for an average of 4 hours a day about 5-6 days a week and you are rewarded with a lot more than just free accommodation. You get a chance to emerge yourself into local life, language and experiences.
- There is usually no age limit, no nationality restriction (but you might have to obtain the visa to some destinations) and the time of your stay depends on the project and the agreement with your host. There are some exeptions, but in most cases you are responsible to cover your own transport and travel insurance expenses.
- On the website you can search in the huge databases of the projects and in order to be able to contact the hosts, you need to sign up. As of 2018 one year membership will cost you 32 EUR (or 42 EUR if you're creating a profile as a couple).
Don't forget your insurance before leaving to any Workaway project
I never travel without a health insurance and it's something that I ALWAYS recommend to get before you travel the world anywhere and for any reasons. But of course it's totally up to you if you get one or not. Your hosts won't cover your insurance, so it is your own responsibility.
You can check my favourite World Nomads, as they are one of a very few companies covering such a huge list of adventure activities (200+) and they are also available to people from 140 countries.
To give you an idea what amazing projects you can find there, I did a bit of research just for you and found various projects that caught both of my eyes.
Important: Please, remember that following projects are just to give you some idea about the opportunities you have with Workaway. There are thousands more projects on the website, and it's fun to do your own research.
I updated the projects in June 2018, but the hosts can take them down anytime. If you see, that any of the projects is not available any more, you can send me a private message, so I can fix it or help you to find a similar one. Thank you!
I believe that Workaway should be every open-minded traveler number one resource, so here we go!
01| Live aboard a sailing yacht in Panama
It sounds like a dream, doesn't it?
You will live on the yacht, which is taking tourists sailing to San Blas Islands. It's the area of more than 300 beautiful small islands in the Caribbean and you will sail around to explore this beautiful archipelago. Around is amazing diving and snorkeling.
Your task will be to help with cleaning and cooking and you
don´t need any experience in sailing.
See more.
02| Help around Safari Camp in Uganda
A unique chance to work in the stunning surroundings just outside the gate of Mburo National Park in Uganda. The camp is set in 800 hectares of bush savanna on the edge of the beautiful caldera lake.
Host is looking for someone to help with the general maintenance, customer service, cooking and safari projects.
See more.
03| Volunteer with huskies in Norway
To be a part of the husky team will give you many memories that will last for long time!
You will help with training dogs, but required is also a general help around the house.
The surrounding area around Karasjok is amazing place if you're an outdoor enthusiast.
See more.
04| Help at a yoga and meditation center in Cambodia
The yoga and meditation retreat center is located in Sihanoukville on Cambodia’s southern coast. It is a spiritual community which gives an opportunity to increase awareness, health and connection with an inner sense of peace. It is a residential yoga and meditation center, where you are invited to experience a holistic and spiritual way of life.
You would help with house maintenance, cooking, community guests and internet marketing.
See more.
05| Volunteer with horses in New Zealand
Owners of the small farm with horses, gardens and orchard in the beautiful Ruakokoputuna River Valley are now looking for people to help them with the horses, other animals, the garden and the house.
You will be helping with the eventing sport-horses - for this you need to have experience with riding and handling horses and also be fit.
See more.
06| Learn to dive in Halkidiki, Greece
Stay in scuba diving centre in Halkidiki, north Greece. It's located in Lygaria, a beautiful by a beautiful beach close to village Agios Nikolaos.
The owner is searching people who will help him with housekeeping and customer service. In exchange, you will receive free accommodation, three meals a day and you will also get a chance to get your free scuba diving certification if you are interested.
See more.
07| Help with the care of endangered species in the Amazon, Peru
The association was founded in 2006 and take care of animal liberation. They are helping to animals to return to their natural habitats.
You will be helping with animals and with general maintenance. There is a small project fee 250 Peruvian Soles (about $76) per two weeks which goes to animals' food and volunteering permit fee.
See more.
08| Stay on a private island in Tonga
Have you ever wanted to live in a real paradise? Well now is your chance! Private island eco-resort in Vava'u in Tonga is now looking for a carpenters, but also volunteers for general help.
July - October you can swim with the Antarctic Humpback Whales. There is also fabulous sailing, amazing diving in Vava'u.
See more.
09| Make a difference - help in a school and orphanage in Tanzania
This project was founded in 2003 to provide great education to students and living conditions to orphans from our community who live in poverty. If you could come with new financing ideas, how to make new partnerships or create a way for the project to make money independently, then you are the perfect volunteer for this project.
See more.
10| Volunteer at a surf camp in Costa Rica
A surf camp in the jungles of Tamarindo close to really good waves and beautiful scenery.
The host is looking for both skilled and not skilled voluteers.Teaching surfing and yoga, cleaning, gardening, maintenance and other chores.
See more.
Do you have any volunteering experience? I am eager to hear everything about that, so leave me a comment bellow or send me a message.
Thank you for reading and feel free to follow me on Instagram or Facebook to explore the world with me.
Martina
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Martina is a professional photographer originally from Czech Republic. She quit her well-paid job in the film industry to travel the world and live the life. She visited 70+ countries and when she is not exploring deserted islands in South Pacific or diving with whale sharks in Philippines, she's prospecting for some gold in New Zealand or trying to reach peaks in Canada.
