Workaway is an online platform for travellers to arrange homestays and cultural exchanges all around the world. A Workaway guest is a traveller who contributes time to assist their hosts in various projects, in exchange for lodging and food. It is a great way to travel on a budget and meet interesting, open-minded people.
Skinny dipping, deadly vipers, morning vs night owl, zero waste, off-grid. We’ve experienced it all. Sometimes even with our dog, Belka along side us.
Skinny dipping, deadly vipers, morning vs night owl, zero waste, off-grid. We’ve experienced it all.
Workaway has been an eye-opener for us and has led to a world of new experiences. The landscapes, activities and experiences have been extraordinary. However, to fully enjoy these it is essential that you develop a great relationship with your host and fellow guests. This is the foundation of every fabulous experience. Furthermore, if you are relying on good reviews from your hosts to secure your next stay, you’ll want to do all you can to ensure this happens. Here are our top tips for making yourself a great Workaway guest.
Communicate clearly; be open and honest
Your hosts are not mind readers. Neither are you. To manage expectations on both sides, it is best to communicate clearly and in a timely fashion via whichever messaging platform you’ve agreed on. Helpful updates on ETAs, potential dates should make your arrival go as smoothly as possible. Once you’re with your host, continue to communicate as clearly as possible. As we found, our very English tendency to be vague or mumble is not helpful. You may feel that you are being polite by not offering strong opinions or preferences but it may be confusing for your host. Especially if there is is any language barrier. For example, one Danish couple called us out on constantly asking “Do you mind if…” and never clearly saying “yes” or “no”. You want to come away from the experience with integrity.
Show initiative in general housework/maintenance.
Your working hours may be defined by a particular task but, as a Workaway guest, you should be mindful of looking after the space you are sharing with others (even if you are lucky enough to have your own room!) General housework, small maintenance tasks, cooking and cleaning should not be considered work hours (they wouldn’t be if you were at home), so factor these into your day when making plans. We struggled with this to begin with. It’s a quick and easy way of showing your appreciation and value.
Be open minded about other people’s way of life
The best thing about Workaway is meeting people with completely different life experiences. With this in mind, you are likely to encounter people with very different outlooks, views and lifestyles to yourself. Skinny dipping, deadly vipers, morning vs night owl, zero waste, off-grid. We’ve experienced it all. Respectfully questioning one another in order to develop your understanding is perfectly fine. Ultimately, if you’ve been communicating well in advance of your arrival, there shouldn’t be any major shocks.
Appreciate the moment as a Workaway guest
Whatever the experience it will be unique. You may never want to repeat the experience, but no experience is wasted. Waking up and looking at the landscape. Appreciating the senses in each moment will keep you grounded, present and grateful. Stopping, breathing and appreciating the moment taps into well known mindfulness strategies such as practising gratitude. It’s a great way of embedding wonderful memories of the best times; and a solid grounding method if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed.
Be willing to compromise
Workaway relationships are forged on bringing together diverse people. Whatever your ideas, thoughts and principles you will find times that you disagree with others. It’s important to practise your compromising skills in order to promote harmony. In any disagreement, it helps to pause, reflect, and consider what outcome would be best. Often you’ll find that a reasonable compromise will still bring about the desired outcome.
A Workaway guest should prepare for the unexpected
You may have messaged months in advance, secured your transport, made onward plans and then…everything changes. We experienced this ourselves when a great sounding Workaway experience at a campsite in Albania was cancelled at the last minute. After a panicked phone call from the host (apparently their site was shut down), we had to change plans having travelled thousands of miles. We paused, regrouped and found an alternative. This was mainly due to our forward planning. Make sure you are never travelling without enough funds to act as a cushion in emergencies, comprehensive backpackers insurance and a working mobile data plan.
Lauren
Lauren is a qualified teacher, theatre practitioner and writer. Her proudest moments include taking a student expedition team to Ecuador, drafting her first novel and recently reaching the top of a climbing wall. Lauren loves travelling, having treated herself to a trip of the Trans-Siberian railroad for her 30th birthday, she is now looking forward to being in Japan for her 40th. Together with Jon, Lauren has enjoyed plenty of adventures from a road trip around Cuba to diving in the Galapagos Islands. Lauren is now working hard to write full time whilst being available for teaching and tutoring sessions, specialising in Shakespeare.