When I first started traveling, I was on a budget. I didn’t have a lot of savings but I had one big dream – I wanted to travel the world. I look for different options so I can travel on a budget.
Back then, I was 20 years old. I signed up for my first volunteering exchange program abroad.
Volunteering programs allow you to get free accommodation in exchange for work. That said, some projects will also provide meals too.
Nowadays, one of the most popular programs for volunteering abroad is Worldpackers.
Click the button below to grab a discount on your Worldpackers membership.
If you are wondering how to travel on a low budget you should consider signing up for a volunteering program.
Wouldn’t it be nice to get free accommodation in exchange for work?
Yes – you read it right – it is possible to get a free bed in exchange for your skills and for your time.
In this guide, you will find information on how to volunteer abroad, how to travel for free (or almost free), and which volunteering platforms you can use to find projects overseas.
If you wish to learn how to work and stay for free in different destinations, you can read my personal stories too.
Why Volunteer For Free Accommodation Abroad
Backpacking around the world sounds fun – but how much money do you need?
If you have been following my story for a while, you know that I left Canada with CAD 2,000 in my bank account.
That being said I had to volunteer a few times when I was traveling in order to stay on the road.
It was also the case in previous trips where I chose slow travel over “fast and furious” travel.
One of the cooler options you can choose to save money when you travel is to do a work exchange for free accommodation and meals.
There are different programs you can use to get free accommodation in exchange for work.
These programs require you to work for a few hours every day, so you can get free housing and free meals.
Of course, some opportunities only include free accommodation, so you should learn more about the project before committing to it.
When you work in exchange for housing, you get to save money and this can keep you on the road even longer.
Best Work Exchange Platforms
There are different platforms that offer volunteer experiences abroad. You can sign up on most platforms for free to browse opportunities.
That said, if you wish to apply, you’ll need to have a membership.
Back when I started volunteering abroad, there were only three platforms offering work exchange projects.
Back then, HelpX, WWOOF, and Workaway were the only options.
Nowadays, you can even find opportunities on Facebook.
I haven’t been volunteering for a while now, but there are lots of new platforms out there and Worldpackers caught my attention.
This program allows you to find projects where you can work for free accommodation. But, it also provides insurance. I wish I had this insurance when I volunteered in my twenties.
These days, the two most popular platforms are Workaway and Worldpackers.
You can read our comparison between Workaway and Worldpackers if you want to learn more.
Now, let’s compare quickly the most popular websites to find free accommodation around the world.
Worldpackers
Worldpackers is a platform that connects travelers and hosts around the world. It allows you to exchange your skills for accommodation.
It’s an excellent way to immerse yourself in the local culture, make new friends and save money while you travel.
Learn more by reading our complete Worldpackers review.
Types Of Projects Available On Worldpackers
Worldpackers offer a wide range of volunteering projects. In fact, it’s the most diverse platform in my opinion. You could find a hostel job, work on a farm, or in a non-profit organization.
If you browse opportunities long enough, you could also find work as a tour guide, animal carer, etc.
Worldpackers Costs
- The Solo Plan: $49 (or $39 with my promo code)
- Couple & Friends Plan: $59 (or $49 with my promo code)
- Solo Pack Plan: $99 (or $89 with my promo code)
What Makes Worldpackers Different
Worldpackers offers insurance for three nights with the solo plan or for seven nights with the solo pack plan.
With this insurance, Worldpackers can help you find a new volunteering project and will also cover accommodation until your next placement.
It makes the whole experience safer – especially for female solo travelers.
Workaway
Workaway connects volunteers and hosts around the world. This platform exists for longer. As a result, it’s the largest platform offering over 50,000 listings.
That said, it’s important to note that some of these listings may not be available anymore.
Types Of Projects Available On Workaway
Workaway offers a wide range of volunteering projects from hostel jobs to farm work. Over the years, they’ve been adding lots of fun projects to pick from.
Workaway Costs
- The Single Plan: EUR 44
- Couple & Friends Plan: EUR 52
What Makes Workaway Different
Workaway is based in Europe and most projects available are located in Europe. That said, if you’re planning a trip to Europe, this may be the perfect option for you.
PSSST. Want to get FREE accommodation in exchange for work?
If you're traveling on a budget or want to save and extend your trip, this could be exactly what you’re looking for. Worldpackers is a platform that connects travelers like you with hosts. It’s just like volunteer work –exchange your skills for free accommodation. SAVE $10 using my discount code. Learn more about how it works here.Once you have finished your volunteer placement and return home, Workaway has an interesting feature where you can generate a letter of reference to use for future employment opportunities or to explain any large gaps in your resume.
HelpX
HelpX connects volunteers and hosts around the world. This platform exists for several years too. I used it a few times during my twenties.
It’s the cheapest platform available to find volunteering opportunities. If we compare HelpX to its competitors, the website hasn’t changed a lot and is a bit old school.
Types Of Projects Available On HelpX
HelpX offers a wide range of volunteering projects from hostel jobs to farm work. You’ll find plenty of homestays too.
HelpX Cost
- The Premier Plan: EUR 20 (for two years)
What Makes HelpX Different
HelpX is very affordable and it’s the only platform offering membership for two years. It also has a feature to find travel companions which can be useful if you’re traveling alone and want company.
WWOOF
WWOOF connects volunteers and hosts around the world. This platform exists for more than 50 years – which makes it the oldest community of volunteers.
It’s known for its farm projects. So, if you wish to learn more about farming, this is the platform for you.
Types Of Projects Available On WWOOF
WWOOF offers a wide range of volunteering projects based on farms giving you the opportunity to learn more about farming and sustainability.
WWOOF Costs
- The Single Plan: $40
- The Joint Plan: $65
What Makes WWOOF Different
WWOOF exists for a very long time, but also has amazing farming opportunities. If you wish to learn more about farming, this website will suit you.
Although, if you’re not a fan of farming, or if you wish to switch things up, then, it might not be a good fit for you.
HelpStay
HelpStay connects volunteers and hosts around the world. This platform was founded in 2014.
They have a nice range of projects, but the offering seems a bit more limited if we compare it to the other platforms above. You can read our HelpStay review to learn more.
Types Of Projects Available On HelpStay
HelpStay offers different types of volunteering projects, from homestays to farm stays, from teaching jobs to internships.
HelpStay Costs
- The Single Plan: EUR 42.99
- The Couple/Friends Plan: EUR 51.99
What Makes HelpStay Different
While HelpStay is a legit platform, it’s hard to find what makes them different.
Their offering is limited, but it seems like all the reviews for the project are accurate – which can make it safer.
What To Expect From Volunteer Work Abroad
Below, you’ll get an overview of what you can expect when volunteering for free housing and board.
Working Hours
Obviously, volunteer work means you’ll be working. Most volunteer projects require about 5 hours of work per day, which isn’t a lot.
Depending on your project, you could be working more or less. Normally, the hosts are able to give you a clear idea of the work beforehand.
I had experiences where I was working 6 days a week, others where I had to work every day and some others where I barely had to work. It really depends.
Meals
Some of my volunteer experiences were including meals and some others, not. Again, this should be clarified with your host beforehand.
Free Accommodation
Some hosts are more organized than others – I had all sorts of free accommodation during my volunteer trips. I had private rooms, dorms and even private houses.
Some of them come with a private bathroom and some others with a shared bathroom.
WiFi
If you’re taking a remote position, you might have to keep in mind that the connectivity could be limited.
I had a project in the Australian Outback which was pretty limited in terms of signal. So, I couldn’t rely on it for online work.
How To Get Your First Volunteer Position Abroad
To get your first position as a volunteer, you first need to apply for a project.
I used to introduce myself, and give details such as the dates I’m planning to be around and for how long I’m planning to stay.
Sometimes, they also ask for a minimum length of stay, so keep that in mind. Then, I end with a note on why I want to volunteer there.
Then, it’s up to the host to decide if it’s a great fit or not.
We recommend you exchange a few messages to see if it’s the right fit. You could also organize a video call.
Where Can You Volunteer?
Most work exchange platforms offer projects around the world. We suggest you browse volunteering opportunities to explore your options.
Worldpackers offers projects everywhere in the world.
Of course, some destinations are more popular than others, but yes, you can find volunteer positions worldwide.
Workaway has lots of projects in Europe – which can be good if you’re heading there.
Is It Safe to Volunteer Abroad?
Out of all my volunteer experiences, I only had one ugly experience (which I’m going to share with you soon, so keep reading to learn more) and a pretty average one (where the hosts were basically counting hours of work per minute).
Overall, I felt safe in most projects.
Going to a foreign country can be scary for some people, so you might want to check out to reassure yourself that it’s safe to travel the world.
That being said, Worldpackers has a good system in place to keep you as safe as possible abroad. In fact, they have insurance – which makes it safer.
Below, you’ll find some of the reasons why I think Worldpackers is the safest platform for volunteering overseas.
Support team: 24/7 support from the customer service team. The support can be done via the app, email or phone.
Verified hosts: Before any host can post or invite guests on Worldpacker, they go through a verification process in which the Worldpackers team chat with them and ensure they’re offering a safe experience.
Worldpackers insurance: If a traveler has any issues related to their host during their stay, Worldpackers will cover 3 nights for the traveler at a nearby hostel and the support team will get them set up with another Worldpacker host as soon as possible. If you pick the Solo Pack plan, you’ll get up to 7 nights covered by Worldpackers.
Experts & community: Worldpackers runs 3 programs aimed at digital nomadism and building a safer and more connected network full of useful information:
- Experts (experienced Worldpackers) are available to chat with newer travelers for peer-to-peer advice.
- Bloggers, who frequently contribute as writers to the site.
- VideoMakers, who frequently contribute with multimedia content to inspire others to travel and collaborate.
My Experience Doing Work Exchange For Free Accommodation
I did a few different volunteering projects over the years to keep me on the road. Some of them were for a few days and some others were for a few weeks.
I had all kinds of experiences – awesome and bad. Let’s focus on the ones I really liked and then, I’ll share an ugly one, too (nothing in this life is perfect, am I right?!).
Renovating A House In Chemnitz, Germany
As I mentioned above, the first one was in Germany. I was there with a group of 8 people from all over the world. We renovated a big inhabited house in a small village in Germany.
This volunteering program covered accommodation, food, and a few activities. In terms of housing, it wasn’t the most amazing experience, but still, it was decent.
I learned how to live without hot water and how to manage a pretty minimalist lifestyle.
Working In A Hostel In Istanbul, Turkey
The first time I got a hostel job was pretty good too.
I wasn’t working at the reception, but I had a few different tasks to do such as helping with the breakfast and decorating the hostel.
I was working less than one hour per day and I had free housing as well as free breakfast. I stayed there for a couple of weeks during a long trip to Europe.
Helping Out On A Cattle Station In The Outback, Australia
This was one of the longest volunteering I did.
At some point when I was in Australia, I was running low on cash, and I had to find a volunteering position so I can get free accommodation and food until I could get my tax return to travel again.
I had to help out with farm tasks such as fencing, tree pruning, and woodcutting, but my main task was to help out with the farm family’s children’s homeschooling.
Working In A Hostel In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In 2017, I took a job in a hostel in Kuala Lumpur as I was low on cash (again) and I needed a break from traveling for a bit until I can save money again.
The job was a “volunteer position”, but we also had a small wage to cover some of our expenses like food.
I had to work about 6 hours a day to get a free bed and one meal per day. It was a fun experience mostly because of all the encounters I’ve made working in this hostel.
Working On A Farm In The Greek Countryside
This story is the ugly one. I mean – it wasn’t that bad, but I felt uncomfortable from the beginning.
When the host picked me up at the train station, he was drunk and almost ran over a dog on the way to the farm.
He was drunk every night and he was always pretty confused about our schedule which resulted in us (we were 4 volunteers) not having to work.
I stayed there for a week (I was supposed to be there for a month), and I work a total of 5 hours. The job wasn’t terrible, but the host was a bit creepy.
He would “go out with the girls” and leave the guys at the house. It didn’t feel right, so I decided to leave sooner.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened – but I’m very glad I exited the project faster.
Thankfully #2 – I didn’t have a lot of money, so I didn’t want to leave at first, but my dad convinced me to leave sooner by buying my bus ticket to get back to Athens.
Final Thoughts On Volunteering For Free Accommodation
Overall, volunteering abroad helped me travel longer and further. It was an excellent opportunity for me because I was traveling on a small budget, and I wasn’t ready to go home.
Now that I’m older and my financial situation has changed, I don’t volunteer anymore, but I truly had great experiences during my twenties and I recommend it to anyone who wishes to travel without spending too much.
