Between costs for airfare, lodging, and food, traveling is no easy feat these days, especially if you don’t know how to travel on a budget.
For many folks, traveling is about immersing yourself in a place you’ve never been before. Engaging in history, culture, entertainment, and cuisine that you wouldn’t otherwise get to try. Sadly, it also seems that actual experiences get pushed to the side due to the overwhelming price of necessities, so much so that you’re not getting to travel to be in a hotel room.
Luckily, hostels, couch surfing, and other methods of cheap travel do exist, but if you’re really looking to get your hands dirty, we would recommend WWOOFing.
What Is WWOOFing?
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a non-profit movement that began back in 1971, which promotes community and cultural exchange through a focus on agricultural practices.
As a WWOOFer, you help out with the day-to-day routine of your hosts, gaining valuable experience in what it means to work on a farm. In exchange for your work, your hosts provide you with meals and accommodation, with no money exchanged between host and tourist.
This movement is all about finding community, collaborating with all walks of life, and engaging in sustainable practices for relatively cheap prices. It allows those with more restrictive finances to do long-term, slow travel, with your money going to transportation and experiences you’d like to see outside of the farm itself.
WWOOF is a global community, with its website boasting over 130 countries and over 12 thousand hosts. You can also pick what type of farming practices, dates, length of visit, lodging style, and even mentoring opportunities you’d prefer to narrow down your experience.
Labor varies between hosts as well, which allows you the opportunity to explore if you choose a spot that only needs 20 hours of work each week.
Things To Consider
Kevin Yudhistira Alloni on Unsplash
While you get free room and board and a community-oriented style of living, there are some things to consider.
First off, if you’re not interested in working while you’re on vacation - that’s totally fair. But that also means this program is not for you. It’s absolutely expected that you will pull your weight around your host’s home, and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.
Furthermore, you do still have to take into consideration the price of travel and exterior experiences. If you’re hoping to go across the pond, you need to make sure that you will have enough money to get back home. WWOOF also requires you to purchase an annual membership fee to keep the company operating properly. However, most memberships are under $100/year. Traveler’s insurance is also a good idea if you’re planning to travel long-term.
Your safety should also always be a concern. While hosts are approved through the company, the entire organization is built on trust and communication. If something doesn’t feel right, you should always follow your gut.
With all of that in mind, WWOOFing is a fantastic way to meet new people, visit new places, and learn new things in a much cheaper way. Who knows, you could meet friends who last a lifetime.
