Who is traveling and working around the world with WWOOF
A storm was in northern Italy, moody clouds brew over the valley roll. In a farmhouse, my friend and I were dusting shelves of antique books and ornaments. Not something we expect our WWOOF remain to do, but neither had we expected a paper mache chicken suit to find in our bedroom.
When it comes to WWOOFing, you just have to roll with it.
Our host, Silvia, was a tough, middle-aged woman who completely ran a small holding with vegetable garden, orchard, goats and chickens. Her English was easy, but they especially liked to use the term "strong woman", when mothers, independent women and high-achieving women have been mentioned in general.
As we dusted, flash illuminates the valley. Silvia was in the kitchen making a dinner of goat meat prepared, potatoes and salad, all organic products from the farm. We had to sacrifice, taking the goat to the gods of Gastronomy not matter, but we had the potatoes and lettuce harvested in the morning, which made them taste even better.
The builders who were the barn next door renovation with us for dinner together with the third volunteer on the farm. Italian conversation flowed, accompanied by a generous portion of laughter. My friend and I understood little (our vocabulary expanded only to soft fruits, garden tools and motivational lady talk), but sufficient hand gestures and facial expressions. The other volunteers, an American girl who was primarily to improve their WWOOFing Italian, was to enjoy the organic language teaching.
red wine and rustic bread accompanied the meal, both near farms and exchanged for Silvia homemade goat cheese. Out there, produce was currency. We had introduced to this and many other principles of sustainable life during our stay. Never again would I underestimate the value of a good cheese wheel
At the end of the night, informed Silvia us the tasks of the next day. Weeding the asparagus beds, fruit picking, and make hay in the afternoon, should the sun shines.
Our inexperience in all things farm related not had a problem since we arrived. There have been a few crossed wires as if I threw leftovers in the trash rather than the compost addition and was reprimanded, but on the whole, we found that if you are willing to learn, and do not have an aversion dirt, bugs, or early morning, you will get by quite well.
Around the world with WWOOF
WWOOFing stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOFing is a service that the people for work in the factories with farmers looking for games that are looking for work. It is more of a loose association of like-minded groups have the same name as a major international organization. To become a WWOOFers, you need for the national organization in the country you want to log. There is no international WWOOF membership, so you have to buy a membership of any organization are the WWOOFing country (WWOOF consists of nearly one hundred organizations). Annual membership usually costs around $ 30 USD per country. You need no prior knowledge in agriculture to do so, only a desire to work.
As you can imagine, opens WWOOF endless possibilities on an extended vacation travel. If you make your way around the world to visit a selection of the 99 countries participating in WWOOF, you can save tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a year. You can also learn skills, absorb languages and friends to make.
In our two-month stay we spent zero on food and shelter in a region of Italy, where it otherwise Backpacker least 18 euro per night cost for a hostel and 15 Euro per day for food. During our two-month stay, meant that total savings of at least 2,000 €.
Joining Up
We had WWOOF Italia connected for a small fee of 25 Euro from a computer in our English dormitory. This is the way it works: visit the WWOOF website, click on your destination country of choice by, and go through their membership application. See here for a list of participating countries.
Once you have filled out the online application form and pay the fee, you will receive a list of participating companies the choice to be sent to your country and to decide what you tell something about the host, their farm to contact.
is Each farm Description and expectations. Read it carefully and ask for accommodation before you commit details, examples of work, weekly routine and meals. You can also ask if they certain rules of the house, and if they are fluent in English. If they are not, not deterred; this could be a great opportunity, a new language!
Ensure the WWOOF Independents section of the site, check also to learn for farms in countries without central WWOOF body. Connect these, and you can visit each of the farms in the 50 WWOOF Independent Countries.
The choice of a farm
"Farm" is a fairly loose term. Eco-towns, industrial parks, vineyards and back yard vegetable gardens are all found on the WWOOF Italia list, and this also applies to most other host countries.
Shortly after WWOOF Italia accession we were sent a list of over a hundred companies. The decision, to two months spent in Italy as part of our break between rail we have contact with a few companies that sounded appealing, a stay in the northern region of Piedmonte and Tuscany, in the intention of each one 1 month.
I always check the routes and ticket prices, if I, to ensure a farm selection that always there will not be too expensive. Volunteers must provide their own transportation costs, therefore, pay if you are traveling on a budget, ticket prices can have a major influence on which companies apply to you.
In the case of Silvia yard, we found that we could get. A flight to Milan with a low-cost airline, and then take the train to Asti Silvia met us there in her rickety old car. Overall the trip cost less than 50 euros.
Overcoming the problems
Admittedly, Silvia was a bit of a legend, and I WWOOF hosts encountered in my travels that I have not as well understood. On the second farm in Italy, we were asked to move a huge pile of firewood, the full scorpions was and had to refuse, then felt later that we spend too much time weeding flowerbeds were spending. In this case, you can talk openly with your host and try to find a solution.
If you like really no place and want to leave, you have every right to do so, but volunteers expect respectful of their hosts and give them to be sufficient notice, unless it is an emergency. In the end we left the Tuscan one week early, because the situation does not improve, but from the more than 30 farms I have visited in the world, this has never happened again.
on a farm in the Ecuadorian rainforest, there was an incredible amount of leisure activities, we were able to bring with. Manufacture of chocolate, coffee, pasta and yogurt were on new fantastic learning experience from scratch, as it will make a cob bench with several other volunteers (cob is a natural building material and feet are the best tools for mixing!). Since the Court was also an eco-community and nature reserve, the tasks changed every day and were tremendously varied to help study of the native trees, to install a wind turbine.
All in all, WWOOF is an inexpensive way to a chance to travel, to learn and a sure way to have a whole lot of adventure.
Sophie McGovern is a travel writer, yarn spinners and full-time nomads living on currently the beautiful island of Koh Samui, Thailand. It is written regularly for HeadingThere and has for a number of popular reports. Her first novel, House of Mirrors is almost done.
Want more? Here are some other great articles on volunteering and working abroad:
- How Volunteer to Ethical Anywhere in the World
- How Arielle Found a job on a yacht
- [AsJessicaandherboyfriendworkedtheirwayaroundtheworld
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