So I’m travelling in Central America currently as a solo female (27F) and my plan was to hop from workaway to workaway mostly, keeping my costs low and being able to stay in certain places for a long time, as hopping around and meeting new people constantly doesn’t work for me. I’m on my third workaway and I’m lining up a fourth but I’m honestly considering just going home at this point, things have been really tough but I’ve heard other people say such great things about workaway?
The first was great actually, I loved the work, there were 6 volunteers and we had a bunch of free time, only the host (who was approaching 70) did tickle my back one night when we’d all been drinking and he hadn’t - that was a bit off but no big deal as everything else was so great.
Then the second workaway - the host tickled my feet on day 2. I mentioned this to one of the other volunteers and she’d been there a few weeks and said that he’d made a bunch of gross comments and touched her a bunch of times too. When she brought it up to him and another female host they gaslit her saying she didn’t understand their community and way of life, and he told her she was ‘enforcing her monogamous boundaries onto him’. This blew up after a few days when she told him that he needed to change his behaviour around solo females staying in his home, and he told her in front of everyone to pack her bags and leave and that he had no interest in changing his behaviour because he didn’t care if he offended people. All the volunteers left at this point, and I’d only been there 5 days. Also we’re pretty sure it was a cult.
I’m at the third now and again, am with a male host who has made weird comments and bragged incessantly about how many women he’s dated. I’ve spent 3 weeks alone with him and he wants me to be with him at every waking hour, and when I want time alone he guilt trips me (even on Sundays). Some new volunteers came and I haven’t had any chance to explore the area even though I’ve been here for 3 weeks, so I suggested to them that we go to a nearby village tomorrow as it’s Sunday. I told him this and he said that if we went we would be eating rice and beans for dinner all week as we wouldn’t be around to meal prep. Ive been here 3 Sundays and I’ve done zero meal prep for the week ahead, it’s not a thing and I can’t understand why we can’t just cook dinner on weeknights as we have been doing. It seems that he can’t accept us taking a second away from him and is throwing a tantrum.
I seriously can’t be bothered anymore. I wanted to learn new things and meet nice people and see beautiful places but I just don’t think it’s worth it anymore, I can’t be bothered with any more weird environments. I’ve been so stressed at this last workaway without a day or an evening off in 3 weeks apart from a few hours ive stolen here and there.
If anyone has any recommendations for really decent workaways in El Salvador or south of, I’d appreciate it because I seem to be picking all the bum ones. I feel so exhausted and drained and depressed. I don’t even want to keep travelling anymore. What’s the point if it’s like this.