Im curious, are they mean, trying to use your for labor, or genuinely nice people who will pick you up from the airport and be curious in you?
Im a first time woofer, specifically going to Japan.
Any genuine info on how Hosts are would be great.
Long story short, I've been between jobs and trying to figure out my next gig. In the meantime, WWOOFING has been on the back of my mind on and off since I'd heard about it many years ago.
The issue is, since I'm on Medicaid (US) at the moment working minimum wage in NY I'm kind of stuck because Medicaid won't cover medication at pharmacies outside of NYS.
Normally I'd just buy the generics, but one of my meds is name-brand only and costs like $3500 for a one week supply. It's a real PITA in general because it's medical CBD (Epidiolex for epilepsy) so traveling abroad is annoying unless it's a westernized country (and even then I've had issues).
Having said that... If I'm gonna WWOOF, I really don't want to be limited to farms in NYS... Curious if anyone else has ideas.
Open to anywhere but especially Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan (I have heard that opportunities in Japan are scarce but figured I’d ask anyway). I have been to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia so not those countries as I’m looking to travel to new places this year.
Thank you!
Looking for recommendations on farms that are horse free, super friendly, with a lot to explore for my son (21) and myself (40) during harvest season. We aren’t too picky other than the people being accepting and patient with someone that might struggle with learning new tasks and some social interactions. I’m 40f and he is 21m. Any thoughts would be appreciated but keep them respectful. Thank you! 😊
Also we will be coming from a dry climate so I also need some advice for that!
I’m 20 and an American citizen with a US passport and wanting to drive my car from the US into Canada and hopefully have a six month visa given at the border
-What should I expect at the border?
-What should I say at the border?
-What should I have on me at the border?
-How is a US vehicle driving through Canada handled?
Hello! I am 19 and I am looking for farms with livestock in Europe. My plan is to stay from the 1st of June to the 21st(June). Which are your recommendations? I would really like to stay in Norway, Iceland or Ireland but also open for other destinations.
Thank you!
As a 27M studying in germany, just wanted to share my Wwoofing experience over the easter week in Germany.
I know people have a very strong picture of Germans (no smile, a bit rude or direct, very strict boundaries, hard to connect etc). Well it was completely different for me. I visited a small town near Eschwege in Hesse, Germany. I was communicated before hand that, since it is easter the host will need some time alone with their family and it was understandable for me and in no sense did I want to join their family-easter celebration.
I have heard stories about people saying how they were only offered tap water etc. (never happened to me). I baked a Flan and brought it with me, and also bought some Easter chocolates for the kids. Where I come from you always bring something along with you when you visit someone, and especially if you are invited over for a meal.
The farm was run by a Woman alone with her Dogs and help of Wwoofers with time to time. She manages almost 70 Sheep and their lambs, some 20 goats and Horse School with 5 Horses. I can manage general conversation in german since I've been living here for more than a year, but can't understand tasks to be done in farming or animal terminology yet. The host would speak to me in English during the tasks and also when it was just the two of us. When the children are around or with other people we spoke in german.
The tasks were simple, feed the animals, feed the lambs with extra milk clean the stables and the barn, prepare land for grazing, fence the grazing land, bring the animal inside / outside etc. She also let me ride a horse, or let me sit on a horse and try to do some kicking actions and managed to make the horse move (first time riding one).
We began our day at 7:30 and would be done by 6:00 in the evening, or some days earlier. Most of the heavy tasks get done before noon and we'd have an hour or hour and half break including lunch prep. And then move to lighter tasks in the evening.
On the day of Easter, on contrary to what she said, I was invited to have lunch with them along with her family who was visiting them on Easter Sunday. I had good lunch and then later a an even better Coffee ( I think the Coffee was more of an Easter tradition and not the lunch). The baked two breads, both were delicious, and they got out the Flan that I baked and we had a good time. The conversations were in German, but they made sure I understood everything and also asked my opinion on things in the conversation. It didn't feel like I was a Wwoofer who was just there for a week, but more like they knew me for a long time.
The next day in the evening we played a good round of Table tennis, and I was more happy to work with them since I felt more belonged and was also care free in speaking my broken german, and they never played the grammar police.
This is it. Maybe this helps you to understand better on taking up WWOOFING in germany or in General.
P.S : I think just like every other country if you end up in bad circle of of people you'd find these extreme people that everyone talks on the internet. Nothing to do with germans.
I want to WWOOF in France to improve my French. I’m a 57 year-old-female. Has anyone done this as an older adult? If so, how was it? My physical condition/health/strength/endurance are good. My French is B2/intermediate.
Hello everyone,
I’m 18 years old and currently in my first year of higher education. I’m looking to do WWOOFing in Italy for around 2 months this year, but I have a few concerns.
I’ve signed up on WWOOF Italy, but I’ve noticed that many listings have no reviews at all, working hours are often not specified, and I haven’t seen any negative feedback on the platform, which honestly seems a bit strange to me.
I was wondering if this is normal, and if you have any advice on how to find reliable and good WWOOF placements to avoid starting with a bad experience.
Do you have any recommendations or personal tips on how to choose a trustworthy host or maybe alternative platforms you would suggest ?
Thanks a lot in advance !
hey im looking for a wwoof experience with possibility for outdoor activities, surfing, climbing.. etc preferably a comunity vibe, im seeking asap and till the end of may, thank you
I'll give a little context, I'm 19, going to start University this year in an engineering degree i half enjoy, am from the UK so my debt won't aggressively follow me and I'll only pay a percentage of my earnings if I have any which I'm more than happy to do. I kind of figured out pretty early in life I didn't want to work or chase a career in the traditional sense, which didn't go well to those around me as I was always the top scorer in school so could have picked any pathway to follow. Of course I'm young and this may change if I stumble upon a job or what not later in life. In terms of my life, I almost live like a cheapskate. I wear old clothes and when I do buy some usually buy unbranded clothes. I have an old phone. Rarely ever eat out. I don't do this purposefully, I've just never desired material things after a certain age and feel more comfortable this way.
So I don't want a career or 9-5 or even to stay in society really. I've worked on farms before and even though i was working 12 hour days and exhausted at night it felt so fulfilling and meaningful. As much as I'd love to be a farmer in the UK, or Europe, it is pretty expensive and I know that getting the money to chase it will keep end up grounding me down and I'd regret it.
Ethnically I am Punjabi from north India. My family only came to the UK as my great grand father was a veteran for the British army, and as many other South asians he was asked to help rebuild the country. My grandad still owns 3 acres of land back in Punjab. Punjab is essentially a farming state so the land is fertile, and is already being used to grow wheat. We also have a house in the village. Additionally the country is cheaper than the UK so that is a plus.
So my plan is to essentially go over and live there as I will inherit it anyway, mainly living self suffiently. I'll also have some form of income through working online, or may even explore local oppurtunities depending on the situation. Before that however I want to Wwoof. That's mainly because of my dream and desire to travel. I've never had an interest in going to cities, I like seeing the different landscapes and just being in nature, so wwoofing makes sense as I can do that and also get to experience working in a new environment. Additionally I do favour more cooler, green environments like the open plains of central asia and also other places in europe. This is hard to find in Punjab, although I could easily travel as the country is so diverse, but I'd rather save that for when I settle. Additionally it would be harder to take time away as I plan to keep animals and pets and grow food so I'd rather keep my attention on them.
My family isn't rich and beyond savings works paycheck to paycheck. I very rarely ask them for money either. By the end of University I'll have £30k from previous jobs and from business that's in a safe investment. It'll act as a retirement fund really and I don't plan on taking money from it. I'll also try save as much money as possible by working during Uni which will hopefully also be around £30k though it depends on what job I can get that won't affect my studies. I may work a year or two after Uni, or move abroad and work as a teacher, which will replace part of the wwoofing.
My main question I guess is how to fund this, how long I should do it based on your guys' experience, and any general advice or opinions about my plan.