For a generation of travelers familiar with such trends as taking selfies with a favorite monument and blogging about a semester abroad, a surprising trend is challenging the idea millennial travelers are only in it for the Instagram pic.
Recent trends towards voluntourism and ecotourism spawned a new wave of travelers who work in exchange for a bed and meals, and do so as an inexpensive way of traveling the world and getting to intimately know a location.
Hosts and workers connect via websites, some of which are listed below, and while each site and host varies, the general terms of exchange are the same. Volunteers work between four and six hours a day, five days a week in exchange for a place to stay and a few meals a day. Hosts are located all over the world and work can vary from farm help, child care and language tutoring to help with computers, bartending and art projects. Workers generally stay with a host for no less than a week and up to a few months. While website memberships are not free, they are inexpensive and last for a while.
HelpX, short for help exchange, provides users with a list of hosts from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Canada and the United States. Hosts are generally farms, ranches, bed and breakfasts and hostels. This site also helps connect travelers with travel companions.
With more than 10,000 active hosts in more than 140 countries, Workaway offers travelers an easy-to-use website with host profiles and worker reviews. Users can create profiles listing the countries they are interested in traveling to, create a resume of relevant work experience, read feedback left by previous workawayers and contact hosts and other travelers.
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and “wwoofers” have been making use of this site since it was founded in London in the 1970s. Recently, with the help of the Internet, the site has been connecting organic farmers and volunteers all over the world. The main page connects volunteers with the WWOOF site of whichever country they are interested in.
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