One way to travel long term for almost free (not a joke)
Many people dream of traveling long-term. There are lots of ways that traveling can be less expensive than you probably think (see our budget post here), BUT there are even ways that you can live abroad for almost free. Really.
Have you thought about traveling long term but only have money for a flight and not much else? Do you like acquiring new skills like learning to garden, teaching English, helping at a hostel, or taking care of kids? Would you like to do that in France or Italy or Bali or Costa Rica or basically anywhere in the world?
You need to check out Workaway right now.
Workaway provides an opportunity for you to volunteer in lots of exotic locales, doing things that fit your skillset (or not) in exchange for free room and board (of varying luxury). On the site you can search for free, and when you're ready to contact a potential host, you can join for a nominal annual fee ($38 for a couple; $29 for a single). There is lots of information about the potential hosts and even reviews from past volunteers they have hosted.
We discovered Workaway when we found ourselves with an extra few weeks in Turkey after some hotel cancellations and security concerns about Istanbul. Through Workaway we met this lovely family and spent a few weeks at their beautiful home in Kas, Turkey watching after their two wonderful kids. When they were leaving for the holidays, they connected us with Tansuk (listing here). For her, I helped with some marketing materials and in her art studio. It was a lovely few weeks and helped us save up some much-needed "sushi cash" which is just what it sounds like (we get to Tokyo in March).
Here's the view from our complimentary housing:
The experiences of course can vary a lot so make sure to ask questions of your host before you arrive about what to expect, and be ready to go with the flow. Remember that even though it's fun, that you are there to help out and do a job. And that getting out of your comfort zone sometimes is a good thing.
We had two great experiences, and we plan to WorkAway again in Italy in June. And maybe for summers thereafter as a nice change and affordable break from our D.C. lives.
Note that "WWOOFing" (Worldwide opportunities on organic farms) offers similar volunteer opportunities but is focused on farming only, does not have host reviews, and your search is limited to one country at a time (you pay annual membership dues for each country you want to search). we also just stumbled upon something called GigRove and are looking into it.
Have you WorkAwayed or WWOOFed or GigRoved? Tell us about it!
