WWOOF

>>1210399
Its like a job but you dont get paid

>>1210409
but you get free housing and food and you get to live somewhere halfway across the world.

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>>1210399
It's a pretty cool deal with the right country, Japan is not that country

If I were you, I'd go to a country like Switzerland, in Japan your work will be fucking brutal, humid, hot and nobody speaks English

Switzerland, great weather, mostly fucking with hay and cows, and dat heavenly scenery

Pic related

>>1210411
>nobody speaks English
That was kinda the point. Though, they hosts do list if they speak English and most of them do apparently.
>humid and hot
Surely it wont be if i go heading into autumn. Japan gets massive snowfall in winter so i cant imagine its hot and humid all year.

Though, i would say youre probably right. Its probably more enjoyable in Switzerland. Going to Japan was sort of my reason for looking into it though since i cant afford to live in Japan for any real length of time but this is a (essentially) free opportunity.

>>1210399
A chick who works with me has a farm and is a host. She seems to really enjoy it and all the wwoofs that come in seem really happy.

>>1210412
Trust me, try going for the minimum time allowed, you will not like it, Japanese farmers are fucking rough bruh, it's not what you think, if you want a cultural experience Japan is not the place for wwoof, try Norway, Denmark, places with chilled out fuckers, my hosts in southern Switzerland gave me an allowance and half of Saturday and all of Sunday off, and work was easy, just a good bit of weeding and cutting grass with a scythe, also fucking with the cows was kinda shit but also fun, plus they loved the fact that I was from the US

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>>1210412
Plus I got homemade meals which were actually really good, and they brewed their own weissbier which was fantastic, plus I have a place to stay if I ever go back, I stayed with them from June to November, it was a great experience

Pic related the town that was 15 minutes up the road

>>1210399
>It seems like a bit of a cash-grab by the organizers
Is it at least cheaper than conventional traveling?

>>1210782
You pay a fee to join wwof network.
Then you pay for your stay with your work.
Some will offer extras for your work (food, transportation, guide you around town), others will just offer you a place to sleep.
So it's up to how much you think your work is worth.
If you think farm work for X hours (plus the proportional of the wwof fee) is worth less than a bed in whatever city you want to visit, then it's cheaper.

>>1210399
My friend did this for a month around the Stockholm area and she had a great experience! She mainly tended to horses/goats/assorted farm animals.

>>1210399
anyone know of any good gigs in north thailand?

>>1210410
You get the bare minimuminyoud be better off picking up extra hours at your current job and traveling with more money. For all the work they will make you do having a bed and meals isnt much

Does the organization itself offers any kind of support or are they there just to earn for "connecting idiots with farmers"?

And what about other sites like helpx.net or workaway.info?

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>>1210399
I did WWOOF Last year- 4.5 months in England. I had my own little cabin with a woodstove and a fireplace, I made some cool friends, smoked some heavy dope with the workers who also lived there, and fucked a couple European babes. It was great!

Unnntil I broke my rib unloading a christmas tree at the farm, 12 days before I was supposed to go home. The doctor told me that I was under no circumstances to do any physical labor, and to rest for at least a week. After day 3 of my rest period, I got a knock on the cabin door and it was one of the owners telling me that they couldn't afford to keep me here while I wasn't working and that I had to pack my stuff and leave. I was insanely lucky to have made friends with one of my fuckbuddies in town, so she let me crash at her flat until I left for home.

All in all I had a really great experience, but it soured pretty quickly at the end. Just make sure you talk to the owners and really get a sense of who they are before you go. I didn't really do that and while I was mostly lucky, it would have been good to know in advance that they couldn't afford to keep me around in the event of an injury.

Pic is of me, with one of the chickens. Disgusting little bastards but they grew on me.


Personally I'd recommend workaway. It's a one time payment and you get access to the entire world, not just a specific country for a year- and it's not just farm work.

>>1212144
>Mechanix gloves
Did you do any vehicle repairs and/or tactical shooting?

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>>1211241

>>Does the organization itself offers any kind of support

Kek, no.

I've been WWOOFing for about two years no. WWOOF themselves are very hands off and have told me in an e-mail if I did want to file a complaint against a host farm because they were shitty I could... but WWOOF as an organization will always side with the host no matter what.

So no, no support.

>>1212144
workaway looks like a better option to be fair - the work available seems more varied.

How does it work? Do the hosts just give you food and a room? Do you have to pay for things?

>>1213378
Not the guy you're replying to, but I looked into it myself out of personal interest.

From the looks of it, it seems to depend on the host. Most of them will at least provide you with accommodation. Food and other things seem to depend on the host, but should cost next to nothing if you're going to the third world.

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>>1213378

"Seasoned" WWOOFer here.

Hosts are supposed to give you food and shelter.

That could be a loaf of bread a week and a straw bed in the barn.

You will spend money on creature comforts like toiletries and if you want more food or snacks that the host doesn't provide.

Also paying for laundry if there isn't a washer on property.

That said, it all depends on the hosts. Ask a lot of questions before you go and have a plan b if things are shitty.

Here's me not fucking the sheep.

>>1212144
Damn Chad well done, if you can get laid with your bloody 'Screaming Eagles' hat then I guess anybody can

>>1212348
I did vehicle repairs and as soon as the farm owners found out I had been in the army, they handed me a pellet rifle and tasked me with keeping the pumpkins and zucchini safe from rabbits, so I guess I did lmao

>>1213580
I'm pretty sure it was just my foreigner appeal at work. Just crack a few stupid jokes, tell a couple war stories, and most of the time I had ladies all over me. A very big change of pace from back home, mind you

>>1214184
Also being tall and white probably helps a tad.

>>1210399
Wait... you mean you have to pay for the opportunity to go work on a farm for free? Why does this not compute for me....

>>1213580
That's a baller hat, Mr. Salty.

>>1214220

No, you pay for access to the list of farms and to the forums.

Then you have to contact the farms yourself and make all arrangements yourself.

All WWOOF does is compile the list and take your money.

>>1212144
Pics of chicks?

(The women, not chickens.)

>>1210399
Do you need farming experience?

I've never been on one in my life.

>>1214443
Anti-chicken sentiments noted. We've got our eye on you, boy...

>>1214444
Depends on the host.
Some may require prior experience, others may be willing to teach you.
Always read the ads and have a lengthy talk with the host before agreeing.

>>1214443
I'm not gonna post pictures of them (mainly because I don't have social media or pictures saved, but also mostly because I can't remember most of their names) Also, only one of them was at the farm and she was only there for a week. What a week that was, though

Accuse me of being a liar all you wish, but what happened, happened

Still looking for alternatives. Some community village driven by hippie life-lovers not some modern slave traders. Ideas?

>>1215241

Work away, helpx or cool works.

has anyone here lived on a kibbutz? I want to go work on a farm and experience someplace different, how would that compare to wwoof?

>>1215302
awesome thanks

>>1210411
Untrue.

I'm in Japan right now doing WWOOF. Been here for a little over a month, and I'm at my second host now.

First host was a farm. Hard work from early morning, but healthy home cooked dinners and the old couple I stayed with were super nice and had an interesting view on life. Got to go to the local onsen almost every day.

My second host, where I am now, runs a small hotel and restaurant. The dude himself is one of a kind, and the work consists of cleaning and carpentry. Plenty of relax time and drinking.

I get to live with the locals and see the entirety of Japan in a year for under 5 grand thanks to this.

WWOOF is amazing. Anyone who days otherwise haven't done it/got a shitty host and didn't have the balls to leave/expects all travelling to be like a resort stay.

>>1216760
>>I had a great experience, therefore anyone who has had a bad experience is wrong as my experience is clearly the only one that matters for the truth.

>>1216764
Anecdotal evidence is the only evidence you can use in a case like WWOOF.

I don't see any of the haters here using their own WWOOF experience to back up their claims, so I can conclude they have none.

That one dude who broke his rib and got told to leave even admitted that up to that point, it was great. That he didn't have solid travel insurance or backup cash to get a cheap Airbnb until his rib was healed is his own idiocy.

>>1216764
>>1216782
And I didn't *have* a great experience, I'm HAVING a great experience.

Sushi for lunch in 30 minutes, then some carpentry work. 3 guests will arrive today. Currently smoking a cigarette on a bench in the restaurant garden while arguing with basement dwellers.

>>1216782
>he didn't have solid travel insurance
Do most forms of travel insurance even cover work?

>>1216785
They cover expenses in case of injury. If that injury requires not doing physical labor or travel for some time, it should cover the lodgings then.

any tips on finding a good host? Theres reviews but every single one seems positive so its hard to tell

>>1217090
>every single one seems positive
That sounds normal.

If a host gets too many negative reviews, they would either give up due to bitchy tourists, or the website could end up dropping them for being shits.

>>1216782
I'm that guy who broke his rib-

I had plenty of backup cash. But you know, finding an airbnb in the middle of nowhere at such short notice would have been either impossible or extremely expensive. I have great insurance from work, which covers me overseas even when I'm not working. I didn't have to pay for anything anyway considering that England has free healthcare and there's nothing to do for rib injuries except pain medication and rest.

My only problem with the experience was that the owner's didn't say anything when I came back from the doctors and told them the deal, and then all of a sudden they showed up 3 days later and told me to pack my things and leave within the hour. That wasn't very fair of them, but like I said earlier- it was still a fun time. The communication with the owners was just subpar and I spent way more time with the other workers and WWOOFers there to really care about them- they kept to themselves except during lunch time.
As much as I dislike how you called me an idiot, I have to agree- WWOOF is generally a great time, as long as you do your research and have a backup plan. Just don't expect it to be an all expenses paid vacation. The work isn't hard at all, it's just manual labor.

>>1213378
It varies from host to host and what you're doing.

If you volunteer at a hostel (most common) you usually get a bed but are on your own for food (though the nicer hosts will throw in a basic breakfast). But you only work 3-5 hours a day and have two days off.

More intensive work, like farming or staying with a host family as a language coach gets you more,but you work more.

Some of the gigs are wild, though. A buddy of mine found a gig at a private club in Bogota for professionals that want to practice their English. All he had to do was pour coffee, open beers and chat in English.

>>1217453
Another easy hostel gig is "party planner"

Literally your job is to take people out partying, have movie nights and maybe help with meals.

But it's mostly partying.

>>1217444
Sorry 'bout that, then. Figured you were another hapless Schengen'er with nothing but a passport to back them up.

Communication with your host is definitely important. I haven't been to a place yet where I don't get a feeling of them first.

>>1210766
wanna share the name/webpage of the host so that others could volunteer too if it's so great then?

>>1210399
>met a wwoof host in the uk through the grapevine
>never paid the website ever
>wwoofed for 1 month on a house boat in london
>harldy did any work
>ate like a fucking king
>met tons of m8s
>sound as fuck

>you pay a company
>To work
>You pay to work
>For food and shelter
>You pay to be a fucking migrant worker

Holy shit all of my Hispanic friends are gonna laugh their balls off at this

>>1219982
Well, that's one way to look at it.

Most people see it like this:
>you pay money to travel, as per usual
>the money you pay lasts way longer than usual

>>1219982
Your Hispanic friends are gonna pay for the wall, so there's that.

>>1218740
>hardly did any work
>ate like a fucking king
>met tons of m8s
Describes my current host in Japan.

Tonight we're going girl hunting in the big city nearby.