Surfers are generally a relaxed, friendly bunch, so when they put down roots and find themselves in a position to open a hostel they tend to welcome kindred spirits to help them out around the place. While the itinerant surfer helpers they once were get a free bed, usually food, and perhaps use of a board too, the hostel owners benefit from having someone keeping an eye on things while they hit the waves themselves.
Experience the Bedouin desert culture and learn Arabic with these three projects hosted by Bedouin families in Wadi Rum, close to Aqaba in southern Jordan. On your days off, volunteers will be able to enjoy all the activities offered to paying tourists, such as rock climbing, trekking, horse riding, jeep tours and trips to Petra, the famed city of the Nabataeans.
Famous for its gorgeous canals, historic buildings, museums and liberal attitude, Amsterdam has lots to offer any visitor. And, the best part is, the city is very compact, making it ideal to explore on foot.
Have you been talking this week but paying for your own accommodation and meals? You fool. All around Europe there are opportunities where chatting away earns a hotel room, food and drink.
A relaxing life beside the sea awaits for travellers prepared to work for it. From Iran to the West Indies here are seven places where volunteers can swap their skills for a room, beach hut or ocean view tent.
We like beer. Do you like beer? Who doesn’t like beer? Okay, one of the editors of this newsletter doesn’t like beer so we’ll chuck in some cider options here too. For those that do like beer, the chance to earn actual beer tokens, vouchers or tickets is a perk given by many festivals to volunteers willing to pull pints for a few hours.
Peace Boat's language training programme, GET, is now accepting applications for volunteer English and Spanish language teachers for their 115th Global Voyage.
We have written about volunteering in cave hotels already after we stayed in one in Turkey a few years ago. While browsing through work exchange websites we expected to come across several more in Turkey but instead were surprised to find that the current cave house and hotel work exchange hotspot is Spain.
Though Central America is regarded as a cheap area to travel around some countries are more expensive than others. Volunteering can be a good way to save funds and stick around for longer.
If you think the carrot has mystery, (though not so much that flowers are essentially tarts; prostitutes for the bees), then check out these help exchanges – ranging from stately homes to alternative lifestyles - for green fingered volunteers.