Traveling cheap is not that difficult if you know some of the tricks and as a travel writer I explore different ways of traveling which would enable the traveler to visit regions of the world and help reduce their costs.
I was intrigued by this and upon further research I decided to write about the way this is done. In gathering data I became a member of one organization which I will discuss later in this writing. After becoming a member I decided if I was going to write about the way things work I must actively participate and I personally did exactly what I am going to detail here. My experience with this organization was in Europe, specifically Spain , France , Italy and Portugal . In addition I did the same thing at three locations in Australia .
Some may have heard of this, some may not, but I am going to detail a method which you can travel certain parts of the world on very little money and in some cases even earn some money in the process although this is will be limited.
How It Works:
The basic idea of this is that you do work in exchange for free accommodation and food.
The way it works is you become a member of one of the two different but similar organizations which functions as a connector between a “host” and a “guest”.
The host is an individual who has a business, farm, guesthouse or any other type of situation where they need assistance from others in one form or another.
The guest is an individual who is traveling and has time and may wish to exchange their time such as labor which could range from light duties, house sitting to constructing a house, planting a garden for accommodations and food.
What are the locations?
Both organizations will have listings around the world, however, the main concentration of these listing are located in Europe, Australia and New Zealand .
Who are the organizations?
The first organization is called Help Exchange. It is a web based entity and in my opinion is the better of the two.
The other organization is call WWoof.Org or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms which the title is a bit misleading in that it lists hosts which provide opportunities other than organic farms. It too is web based to a degree but differs in many ways from Help Exchange.
What are the differences between the two?
Help Exchange and WWoof.net both list host information and in some cases a host will list on both organizations listings and one may have listing the other does not have
For the Help Exchange network you become a member, pay a very small one time membership fee and then you will have complete access to all the host listing around the world. You use their web site to locate a host in the country or region of interest, view the host listing and details, contact the host via the help exchange web site and make all arrangements with the host via the web site.
With WWoof.net, you become a member but you must pay a fee for each and every different region where they have listings. In earlier years they did not have their web site useable for host contact, host listings or host arrangements. This is done through the book(s) you will receive which will have the host information in the book.
However, in their ultimate wisdom, mostly due to the other Help Eschange networks having listings and host contact through their web sites, Wwoof was basically forced to join the rest in the modern age and you can now see their host listings on their web site.
However, in their ultimate wisdom, mostly due to the other Help Eschange networks having listings and host contact through their web sites, Wwoof was basically forced to join the rest in the modern age and you can now see their host listings on their web site.
Having explored both organizations and actively joining the HelpExchange web site, it is this writers opinion that the Help Exchange organizations approach is the better of the two. It is easier, less expensive and extremely easy to use. I found the WWoof.ORG method of operations to be a lot more difficult, expensive, cumbersome (difficult) and in general a less enjoyable experience when locating/contacting host members.
If you are interested in traveling this way, do not mind doing a little work each day and like meeting others whom you would in normal circumstances not meet, then I encourage you to check out the two organizations detailed above.
I will make this final notation. Regardless of which organization you may use, when contacting a potential host, make sure that you have a complete understanding of what will be expected of you such as hours per day and days a week you would do any work.
Make sure that you understand the accommodation arrangements, such as where you will sleep. Fully understand what the host will provide in the way of food, this is important if you are a vegetarian or meat eater. Also, make sure that you will not be dropped in some location for weeks without transportation. There are horror stories of helpers who were left in remote places to do work and the hosts would not check on them.
Make sure that you understand the accommodation arrangements, such as where you will sleep. Fully understand what the host will provide in the way of food, this is important if you are a vegetarian or meat eater. Also, make sure that you will not be dropped in some location for weeks without transportation. There are horror stories of helpers who were left in remote places to do work and the hosts would not check on them.
The above advice is not to scare you but to inform you to do your homework before you commit to a host and to save you from a potentially unpleasant experience.
Travel safe, Travel Happy.