Travel on the Cheap Through Work or Help Exchange Networks
Working for your keep isn’t a new way to save money on our travels but in the last decade numerous work exchange networks have sprung up to help connect hosts and helpers – though some have since disappeared. We list some of them on every country page of Free (or Cheap) Volunteer Work Abroad but there are many more to choose from, some offering a free service, others narrowing their focus to a particular activity or region.
For those that aren’t familiar with the concept cash strapped travellers hoping to stay on the road for longer spend time and sweat rather than hard cash for food and a bed for the night, while hosts cut wage costs by sticking a stranger in the spare room.
While put like this it can sound a little exploitative, work exchanges are an ideal way for small projects to grow when they otherwise couldn’t afford to pay for help. Work exchanges are often centred on alternative lifestyles and hosts can be just as keen to exchange ideas, skills and experience as they are to benefit from the practicalities of an extra pair of hands. Many a project was conceived when the now host helped on someone else’s dream.
HelpStay
Membership: €43 for one year or €52 for couples
HelpStay provides a highly vetted and trustworthy online community where Helpers can connect with Hosts to find a safe stay, that suits their skills and interests for giving back, and to travel the world on a limited budget. As a member of the HelpStay community, you will have unlimited access to 1000+ volunteer opportunities in over 100 countries. Not only can you contact hosts through their safe and secure platform, you can also connect with like minded travellers, dreamers and explorers.
Worldpackers
Membership: Access to hosts begins at $49 or $59 for 12 months, depending on where we found this information. We couldn’t find it on their website without committing to signing up.
Initially concentrating on volunteering for hostels worldwide, Worldpackers has expanded considerably past the critical mass of hosts and helpers needed to be worth joining, and now oversees a slick operation involved with a wide range of work exchange options, plus volunteering with NGOs. There is a lot going on with the interface and all the bells and whistles and icons can make it all a little confusing at times but things get simpler once you spot the ‘Learn more’ links on the right hand side of each listing. A great feature is narrowing down hosts by selecting your best skill: cleaning, nightshift, tour guide, social media, etc, and Worldpackers’ early decision to invest in smartphone apps helped the platform stand out from an increasingly crowded field.
WWOOF
Membership: varies from country to country.
Exchanging work for food and lodging began as an organised concept in 1971 when Sue Coppard arranged a trial weekend for herself and three other Londoners on an organic farm in East Sussex. Other organic farms got in touch to offer their hospitality to volunteers and World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms has since grown into a global phenomenon with over 6,000 hosts in 100 countries. Each national group is independently owned and operated with its own set of rules and membership of one group doesn’t transfer to others.
HelpX
Membership: €20 for two years.
While it was founded in 2001, much of the work in establishing HelpX as WWOOF’s first serious rival occurred a couple of years later when founder Rob Prince was injured and left housebound in a paragliding accident. Australia and New Zealand, the scene of Rob’s own working for accommodation experiences, are particularly well represented, as is Europe. Listings can be read for free with more details revealed on free registration, but premier membership is required in order to view contact details, weblinks and complete reviews. Designwise, the site is showing its age compared to newer networks, but HelpX remains a heavyweight in its field with thousands of hosts to choose from.
Workaway
Membership: Begins at £59 for one year for a solo traveller.
Workaway has grown into a substantial and slick network since its beginnings in 2003. Like HelpX, Workaway took work exchanges beyond organic farms and today matches volunteers with thousands of hosts ranging from family homes to ranches and sail boats. The joy of navigating this site is in the suggestive sidebars: dipping in for a moment for a specific search can quickly lead to getting lost for hours in a virtual volunteering journey around the globe via castles in the Loire Valley, house restoration in Chile or helping to develop a self-sufficient community in the jungles of Peru.
VolunteerLatinAmerica
Membership: There were four membership options, from £10 to £25 for two years, each granting additional privileges, but when we last updated this page, membership for volunteers had been disabled, and many of the listings provided further information and contact details in return for telling the organisation that you found them via VLA .
Though we wouldn’t quite class VLA as a work exchange site, it has enough similarities to merit inclusion here. After paying for membership, users of the site have full access to the hundreds of listed projects, including many opportunities to volunteer for free in the region. Unlike other networks the projects here tend to be NGOs rather than individual hosts. The same people have a similar setups for Thailand.
Volunteers Base
Membership: Free.
VB promotes itself as a free alternative to HelpX, WWOOF, WorkAway and similar websites, and, in the years since it begun, seems to be ticking along quite nicely as a simple to use website with a good number of hosts and volunteers.
Yoga Trade
Membership: $60 for one year.
Yoga Trade links yoga instructors, students, and wellness professionals with work trade and job opportunities around the world. A handful of roles are listed everyday, but considering the niche we wouldn’t expect too many more.
Some of the links above are affiliate links. While there is no extra cost to you, joining one of the sites above through an affiliate link will make us a little money to keep this site going.
Prices are correct at the time or writing but may change.
Image courtesy Ängsbacka