WWOOF is a non-profit organisation which allows willing volunteers from around the world to work and live on organic farms. There are farms available in all four corners of the world, from Australia to Japan to Togo to Belize to Bangladesh and to Sweden. Whatever country takes your fancy, the chances are you can find a farm there to go work on.
There is no money exchange in WWOOF. The volunteer works unpaid but in return you will receive accommodation and meals provided by the farm itself. You will be asked to pay the WWOOF organisation a small fee to receive a list of available farms and their contact details and then the opportunities await you! Here are five of the best reasons why you should WWOOF.
1)
Free Travel
Or as close to free travel as you can get. You will have to pay for the transportation costs to get yourself to the farm however after that you will be provided with food and accommodation completely free of charge. This is your reward for 5-6 hours of work on the farm each day.
In your free time you have the opportunity to change out of your grubby work shoes and go and explore the local area. The chances are you will be in a rural location so this provides a unique opportunity to visit some small, tourist-free villages that you may never have seen otherwise. When I was working in Oberndorf, a small settlement in the German state of Bavaria, I took a 45 minute train journey to the small town of Nördlingen. This town of about 20,000 people is what you can see towards the end of the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie when Charlie is looking down through the glass elevator as they fly above the settlement!
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| I was welcomed like a new member of the family on each farm I stayed. |
2)
Cultural Experiences
You'll be living with the locals. Forget about the tourist ridden cities for the time being and start immersing yourself in the local culture. It's impossible to not do just that when you're enjoying traditional, local food with the local people themselves! If you're working in a country that speaks a different language to your own then you'll inevitably start learning a few words and if you are already learning their language then this is a great way to improve.
During my stay on my first farm, in Oberndorf in Germany, I was living with a family and their three daughters. It is tradition in this part of the world for the boyfriend of the girl to buy her a small tree to plant in their garden when they first become a couple. On the tree there will hang a red heart with the initials of the couple painted on. This is to show that the girl in that house has already been courted and to warn away any other male suitors of the village! As each year passes the couple will hang one ribbon from a branch off the tree. When the third year comes, and the third ribbon is finally hung, then the couple must get married. At least, that's how it should be traditionally. One of the teenage daughters I was staying with, who was just approaching her third year with the same man, was not too keen to follow that tradition just yet!
3)
Local Food
After a good amount of physical farm work in the morning there's nothing you want more than a good, tasty and filling meal. Farmers love to eat to keep their energy high and you'll understand exactly why this is after just the first few hours of work. Farm work is hungry work and you'll be rewarded with endless amounts of food for when you return to the house for lunch. This is not just any old food though. You'll be trying some new local food that is home cooked and, of course, organic. When you return home, your supermarket meals will never taste quite the same again!
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| A traditional Bavarian breakfast consists of sausages, pretzels and a beer! |
4)
Local People
While you're enjoying the local food of your host country you will also be enjoying the company of the local people. This is especially helpful if you are traveling alone as it's impossible not to meet new people and build friendships when WWOOFing. Whether it be other volunteers on the farm, the farm owners or their friends and neighbours - you are sure going to leave the farm with many new friends.
One of the benefits of meeting the local people is that they know the best local places. Get them to advise you on the best local bars, restaurants and attractions and then invite them along with you. On one Friday during my time on the farm I was invited to a party on one of the fields the farmers owned. At the party I was introduced to a group of typical, German metal heads! They wore denim jackets with sowed on metal head badges, had long hair and loved a beer and loud music. They were also some of the friendliest people I've met on my travels and they invited me to the join them to a local bar that they were heading to after the party. I took them up on their invitation and was taken to a bar, in the middle of the countryside, that specialised in the rock music of the 70's and 80's - right up my street! Some wonderful German beer, music and company - a great way to spend a Friday evening.
5)
Get Fit
WWOOFing is definitely not slave work and you won't be expected to work from dawn until dusk however 5-6 hours of physical labour a day is enough to get you losing weight and building those muscles. It may be hard work but after just a few days you'll notice your physical body getting fitter and the warm sun will certainly give you a good tan. When I returned home from my first 2 week trip to Germany many people at home had thought I had returned from a month long spell sunning myself in the Maldives!
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| Enjoying the work in the sun! |
So whether you're stuck in a office job, want to travel but have little funds or just want something to break up the gap year - WWOOFing will provide you with many great memories, experiences and stories to last a life time.
You can find the WWOOF website here.
