If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of going abroad on the tightest possible budget — to meet locals, dive into their culture, and sharpen your language skills (or even pick up a new one) — then Workaway is well worth a try.
What exactly is Workaway, how and why should you sign up, and what do real travellers say about it? We’ve packed all of that and much more into this article. Let’s dive in.
What is Workaway?
Workaway is an independent project run by a handful of passionate travellers who created a platform for direct contact between locals (hosts) and volunteers (workawayers) all over the world. It allows people to travel and work in exchange for free accommodation and meals.
Sounds great? It really is!
Volunteering while travelling is brilliant for several reasons:
- You can travel almost — or even completely — for free
- You’ll see how locals really live
- You’ll make wonderful friends
- You’ll learn new skills and maybe even a new language
Hosts, in turn, get helping hands for their projects and the chance to share their experiences with people from all corners of the globe.
It’s no longer just about farming either — on sites like Workaway.info you’ll find opportunities to help in kindergartens, hostels, tourist centres, community projects, and even in private homes.
“I don’t know a better way to get a little deeper into the mentality of a nation and to really get to know the lives of locals. At the same time, you get the feeling that you’ve done something good — and you got accommodation and food for it. As a photographer and journalist, it’s even better for me, because I collect perfect ‘insider’ material that I’d otherwise struggle to find.
I volunteered on an organic tea farm high in the Sri Lankan mountains. I helped with everyday tasks like weeding between the tea bushes, feeding and milking the cows, repairing a building, and harvesting mangoes. At the same time, I taught the locals a little English and tried to explain how we live in Europe. I still had plenty of time left over for exploring the area, taking photos, and even my own work as a digital nomad.” — Matouš Vinš.
Why choose Workaway?
By now it’s probably clear to everyone that travelling with a classic tour operator can never compare to going it alone. But even if you go with another organisation — in our case a work or volunteer scheme — you’ll face countless restrictions. Just take the length of stay, which is usually tied to fixed departure and return dates.
A friend of mine couldn’t head to Canada on a Work Experience programme this year because she still had an anatomy exam scheduled on the very last possible departure date. With Workaway, on the other hand, I picked a three-week stay in sun-drenched France exactly when it suited me and happily set off whenever I liked. And Workaway lets you go for anywhere from a few days to over a year.
Through Workaway you’ll get so many options that at first you won’t have a clue what to choose. Caring for sled dogs above the Arctic Circle in Norway, working at an eco-resort in Zanzibar, or babysitting for the owners of a surf school in Sydney.
“My first Workaway project was an amazing experience. I felt at home with Mrs Tran. I got along really well with the kindergarten children and loved playing with them. I only worked for one week, unfortunately I didn’t have more time. I had my own room and all the food was excellent.” (Laura, kindergarten teacher in Ha Dong, Hanoi)
A solid alternative to Workaway.info is Helpx. The range of volunteer opportunities is almost equivalent, but Workaway’s interface is cleaner and easier to use.
How to set off on a Workaway
First, you’ll need to register. On Workaway.info you’ll fill in your basic details, while the rest of the profile (the part hosts will see) can wait. A fee of €49 for individuals and €59 for couples gets you a one-year membership from the date your payment is received, giving you access to every profile — and therefore every option of where and how to travel. No additional verification or authorisation is required. You can pay by PayPal or credit card.
Searching for projects and hosts
When it comes to actually finding a host, you can narrow things down with filters, which makes the whole process much easier. After all, there are almost 50,000 registered hosts in 170 countries.
You can filter by:
- Country and region.
- Only newly added listings — a great way to spot original projects with lots of open spots.
- Last-minute offers — you can leave from one day to the next.
- Only recently updated profiles — this filters out long-inactive hosts, so you won’t waste time writing to someone who hasn’t used Workaway in ages.
- Profiles with feedback — i.e. reviews from previous workawayers on that project.
Tip: Definitely don’t skip the filters — they save loads of time and narrow your shortlist to projects that genuinely fit you.
Profiles and contacting hosts
Which brings me to a quick rundown of what you can learn from a host’s profile:
- Basic info (name, address, and so on).
- Description of the work required.
- Expected workload in hours per day (generally speaking, you’ll have weekends off in most cases).
- What skills they expect from you (usually nothing specific, though I’ve seen cases where the host was looking for a volunteer with coding experience or carpentry skills).
- The calendar is a key feature — it tells you which months volunteers can come, so you don’t waste time writing to people you couldn’t visit anyway.
- Most hosts also include a detailed description of their interests, whether personal or shared with their family or community — often they’ll offer joint trips in their free time.
The work can be laughably easy, but also unexpectedly tough. Better to assume in advance that you’ll have to put in real effort. On the flip side, don’t hesitate to refuse to do something you didn’t agree on during your initial communication. You’re not there to slave away!
Tip: Always write personal emails. For some of the more interesting projects there are genuinely loads of applicants. A heartfelt message that captures your motivation will boost your chances.
The positives and benefits
It’s crucial to ask yourself what you actually mean by that overused phrase “fully immersing yourself in local culture.” If your answer includes attending events meant only for locals (the kind you’d otherwise never get into) and seeing daily life up close, Workaway really is the most rewarding way to travel.
Last year I headed to the picturesque village of Lourmarin in the south of France, whose residents fairly quickly adopted me as a regular at the local wine cellar — and after a few days I was the one telling tourists where to taste the wine and where to buy it. Not to mention the local street music festival, when tables were dragged out of restaurants into the streets and live music played all evening long.
You’ll also meet plenty of like-minded adventurers along the way.
“The first week I worked alone, but in the end there were four of us pulling together. Both experiences were bursting with adventures and incredibly rewarding. Afzal always checks whether you’re happy, well fed, and warm before letting you go off to work. His kind company alone was enough to tell me that coming to Norway was worth it.” (Claire, farm work near Oslo, Norway)
Another big plus is improving your language skills — but in a way no textbook can match, from simple chats to watching TV over dinner. Your fluency will naturally and effortlessly rise. A friend of mine spent three months in Finland, perfectly polishing his English and even picking up Finnish, which he hasn’t dropped since coming home — he now occasionally earns money as a translator.
You might think you’ll become independent the moment you start university, but it’s nothing compared to a Workaway stay. You have to rely solely on yourself and often completely rethink how you communicate with others, because “different country, different customs.” Even within Europe, you’ll feel the differences in lifestyle. Overnight, four more volunteers might show up — and suddenly you’re working things out not just with the host, but with them as well.
Perhaps that’s why Workaway looks great on a CV, whatever role you’re applying for. It signals self-reliance, communication skills, teamwork, and flexibility.
“My stay during the autumn was an incredible experience. In the end I stayed much longer than I’d originally planned. Brigitte and Al do their best to look after their volunteers and fill their time with unique experiences — that meant weekend trips and lots of evenings around the fire. I learned so much… not only about life in the wilderness, working in the forest and garden, but also about the local indigenous people and their magical customs. Having to carry water from far away to the kitchen every day taught me to save it.” (Svenja, animal rescue station in the Rocky Mountains, Canada)
What to watch out for
I don’t want you to think there are no obstacles in the way. Above all, you have to think about your own safety, which no one will guarantee here the way a traditional travel agency would.
Workaway runs entirely on your own initiative. Setting aside the general advice (like being suspicious of profiles without photos), from personal experience I’d suggest you get in touch with your chosen host via Skype or WhatsApp as soon as possible — not just by email or Facebook.
That’ll dramatically ease (it did for me, at least) the pre-departure jitters. I Skyped my host family several times, mostly to get to know the child I was going to look after. Trust me, your hosts will appreciate this kind of contact too.
Also, follow the references. If a host has fifty pieces of feedback without a single negative one, you can consider the risk almost zero. And since I started comparing Workaway with travel agencies, I should mention that you handle all the formalities yourself:
- Flights — start hunting for them as soon as you have a firm date. You can try shifting your arrival or departure by a day or two to avoid overpriced fares. Your host won’t mind. I’ve also met people who bought a one-way ticket in case anything went wrong and they wanted to head home suddenly.
- Visa, if the country requires one.
- Transport from the airport, unless you arrange a pickup (worth asking — most hosts will do this).
- Insurance
A warning on insurance: many providers list volunteering and work abroad among their exclusions. So read the policy terms carefully, or go with our favourite TrueTraveller, which lets you add volunteer work to your cover.
Don’t let any of this put you off. But remember — fortune favours the prepared.
Tip: If, despite all your precautions, you’re scared to set off alone, don’t hesitate to sign up as a pair. You’ll share the adventures later, and the prep work goes faster. You’ll also push your boundaries a bit further — maybe daring to take on a truly wild project you’d never consider solo. How about helping dig a community garden in Uganda? On the flip side, your choices will be slightly narrower, since plenty of hosts only want a single volunteer. And no matter how hard you try, you won’t quite escape evenings of chatting in your own language.
Don’t hesitate…
I recommend following the Workaway blog. You’ll find articles full of tips, plus a steady stream of Instagram posts from volunteers in every corner of the globe. The official site has also improved beyond recognition over the past year. You can now browse photos from their recent photo competition — they’re stunning! But you’ll see for yourself, once you register and start hunting for your first Workaway adventure.
Useful links
HelpStay
A similar programme, though the range of offers is significantly more limited than Workaway’s.
Volunteer South America
A narrower focus on South America only. There are plenty of restrictions — you’ll need Spanish, and only long-term placements are available.
HelpX
Probably the best alternative to Workaway.
Karolína Paterová
