I talk about it here. It is the original work-exchange network, however, so let’s start there: Officially World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (but sometimes called Willing Workers On Organic Farms), WWOOF was the original work exchange network. Travel | Sustainability | Green Living | Eco-Friendly. I am happy you added your full experience here. “ Can you share specifics about the large costs YOU FEEL you incur”. Read about how to pick a host and how to be a good helper! We heard absolute horror stories from many of the Workawayers that stayed with us. Interview; Visit Site. In retrospect, there are a few things I wish I would have known before going. I’d be happy to continue here but it’s probably not the most practical thing to do. This helps other members when considering their connections, to learn more about the member, and provides references which increases confidence for WWOOFers selecting Hosts and Hosts accepting WWOOFers. Both Hosts and WWOOFers of "Accepted" and then "Completed" WWOOF-stays will automatically receive a request to leave a Review 2 days after the WWOOFer's departure date. Your email address will not be published. July is middle of winter in Central Tablelands, Australia. Re-wired – I like it! Even if the profile states something, double check with the host through the messaging system before settling. I’m really excited about Worldpackers right now. Please note you may see many hosts with a specific question(s) “somewhere” in their profile. Previously Workaway had fewer or none. If you’re new to volunteer exchanges, setting yourself up for your first trip away can be daunting. . Hi Ana – for me, I make my decision based on which platform has the most hosts (active hosts) in the areas I anticipate traveling to. I am just learning about wwoofing through a friend who lives in sheffield England, and from all the posts Ive read here it seems pretty clear that this is an enjoyable and fufilling experience if you educate yourself on what your looking for ahead of time. Nervous about a new lifestyle? The realities are that we have (Over the years) NEVER secured a skilled trades-person NOT ONCE – repeat NEVER, in ANY of the many fields we have asked (Building Trades, electrician carpentry, etc..) Most are young people with few skills, in our case more than 75% are young female, with “traditional” female skill-sets. The money they charge increased this year too, and then are people using the site really to help, or to get the most out of the money they’ve just paid? For more about work exchanges, see Work Exchange: Budget Travel’s Crown Jewel. It is certainly a strange choice of words – if it was NOT meant to inflame. In our 180 people that actually stayed with us only three were problematic. I love fresh produce and there was certainly no lack of that here. We are a young couple, a little crazy but motivated to promote organic, 8 reviews: 100% My host's online profile listed its acceptance of vegetarian WWOOFers, but my friend had a difficult time finding suitable meals because of their different understanding of vegetarian (for example, soups, even if vegetarian, may have a meat-based broth). 1) some hosts really are just out for a free plumber or carpenter and they only want to host someone who can save them a bunch of money. As a host, I am closing my workaway account, PERMANANTLY it is dictatorial and lacks transparency. Lonely Planet has a good one. If you’re successful in connecting with hosts and it’s easy without a photo, I’d love to know. Instead I spent hours reading blogs and Googling “volunteer Argentina”. That may seem trivial to you – the reader – but then you are not familiar with the cultural dynamic within a traditional society. Hi Amro – I recommend going to the sites themselves to make your comparisons for the areas/countries you are thinking of visiting. It’s a real world after all these things happen around us, can’t ignore such. Many for the U.S. were as well. Cheers! (Many helpers come to work exchange platforms without having read #12 here (and #2, #3, #4, and #7). Still trying to directly contact potential hosts, unsuccesfully thus far. (Use code HALFTHECLOTHES for a $20 discount or any of the Worldpackers links* on this page.). Reviews are mostly rather kind than honest, negative ones are never displayed. Some may not be accommodating to certain diets or may not even speak English. kind regards, Wait… free if I don’t actually want the benefits of membership. I am not sure how to avoid similar experiences, except by reading blogs with reviews of specific WWOOF farms. This is an awesome post! Have another work exchange website you want to share? Like you say, they have a much sleeker interface and Helpx is so outdated. The rapids leading up to Huka Falls--a day hike on a day off. Only hosts and WWOOFers can leave reviews on each other, no reviews of hosts by hosts or WWOOFers by WWOOFers is allowed. Unlike WWOOF, one membership covers the entire world. Hi Luke – I find friendly, easy-going, helpful people all over the world! Tell us in the comments! Hi Folks – re the visa questions, generally it is better to get a tourist visa and not even mention that you are there to volunteer on farms. Can you tell me more about the host side of Workaway? The fact that hosts dont have to pay for membership, workaway is too over protective with workawayers ( their main source of money). That said, you know you best. Cost: Up to $72 (56€) a year, depending on which WWOOF organization you join. (No Response) Hence let me thank you for the opportunity and move on. Which site is best? We accept there is a price to pay, letting people stay in our home. Most people who work full time want to get a bit more for their labour than food and a roof over their heads. But I would be very interested in costs and examples. I understand that when you stay at the host’s place you don’t need to spend your money? Instead of WWOOF’s focus on growing the organic farming movement, the HelpX network just focuses on cultural exchange between people needing help and people wanting to help. They are heavily funded by investors and last year I received a message from them that this was the year of truth; they are struggling for sure. Reviews = more inquiries. As a retired (we prefer to say rewired) couple we have successfully wwoofed for three months in Australia and recently joined helpx.net so as not to limit ourselves to farmstays in our next destination, New Zealand. The website still looks like 1999 and is more difficult to use than Workaway, which is full of useful, modern bells and whistles. Please. Awesome experience but it depends on the farm you choose. Since it was volunteering on a farm in Germany, there were definitely some unique and educational experiences acquired. Our unnamed town had a tiny population of 100, most of who were over 80 years old. The rapids leading up to Huka Falls--a day hike on a day off. of homes around the world is that people are good. It was a relaxed atmosphere, I enjoyed the experience. HippoHelp thought that other platforms felt outdated, unnecessary complicated or too expensive (I don’t disagree!). Overall, the number one thing to ask yourself before you choose a volunteer program is “why do I want to do this?”. Everyone's experience will definitely depend on their host farm, hosts, living situation, and location. IF we give “carte blanch”, and let people cook plant based food, when they wish, in our kitchen, who pays? I found hippohelp really good so far in terms of web interface, and that it is completely free. It’s a bad site that is now run for profit, best to avoid it. Would love to hear from you after you’ve WWOOF’d in the various countries. Only the receiver can respond to a review, and reviews cannot be deleted. I invest in mutual funds with a variety of risk tolerances, peer-to-peer lending, low-return ethics-based projects (community investment), and cryptocurrency. STATISTICS Another important thing is to discuss is if your food is included, and so how many meals. One very important thing is not mentioned at all in the conversations. I keep meticulous records, accurate costings and I KNOW with TOTAL certainty, what these costs are. @ Sophie and Dean- I have not heard anything like your predicament. One stole from us (Fortunately they did not come from workaway or we would never have had our “review” published – workaway do not permit truthful reviews).