Volunteer Tourism: how to get abroad on a budget
- Carolyn Henao, MS
- Sep 21, 2021
- 5 min read
Here is a basic blue print of how to travel to a new place without a lot of money, by finding a work away job!
The term volunteer tourism describes a more affordable way to travel, where you participate in a work trade job in a new place. This usually entails working a certain amount of set hours a week at an establishment in exchange for free food, lodging, and sometimes even compensation! There is a huge variety of jobs available at hotels, hostels, retreat centers, and other businesses all over the world. Some examples of on demand opportunities are for yoga instructors, artists, website creators, social media content creators and strategists, furniture making and construction, farmers and green thumb labor, massage therapists, writers, video editors, podcasters, chefs, custodians, waitresses and bartenders, receptionists, surf instructors, hotel and restaurant managers, and many others. Being aware of what work you want to be doing and what skills you have to offer is crucial in securing a good work exchange job abroad.
The first step on your journey to traveling through these means is becoming a member of a website that houses these job listings. My two favorites are WorkAway.com and YogaTrade.com, both of which do have a membership fee. My advice if these fees seem a bit out of your budget is to gather friends and create one group account, sharing the login information and splitting the cost! This way you all can browse these international job offerings without breaking the bank. Some of the listings may even be looking for a couple or multiple people to go and volunteer, if you prefer not to travel alone! One thing to note is that in the midst of Covid-19, many of these jobs will require you to be vaccinated. One of the hotels I worked at required me to send proof of vaccination before arrival, but this can vary from place to place. Always remember to be responsible before and during travel. Once you are on a site looking at these job listings, begin to flag your favorites and start sending out applications and interest forms! Even if you aren’t completely prepared to take a trip abroad, you can start making connections with the people who may want to employ you in the future. Always bear in mind as you apply, the safety of the places you are considering, the language spoken, and the cost of living and adventuring.
Let’s talk about funding the trip while also maintaining your bills at home. You may have a rent to pay and or phone and car bills. What you could do about this is plan your trip for right after your home/apartment’s lease ends and get a storage unit or use a family members or friend’s basement to store your goods. This way you can go abroad no strings attached for a few months. If that feels a little extreme and you would like a home to return to; you must save enough money for your rent/bills to get paid while you are gone. Or another option, use Air BnB, facebook, or craigslist to rent out your room for the length of time you wish to be gone! If you have a car you can also make passive income renting your car out to someone with turo.com. If you have a pet, see what friends or family members of yours would be willing to watch them for a month or two. Work aways can be anywhere from one to six months long, so just figure out financially what you can manage and go from there! If you have not traveled much in the past I recommend planning for a one - two month long work stay to see if this is something you want to be doing for a longer term. Once you have tested it out you can always return home and save up for a longer trip, as well as find ways to earn money remotely so that you could bounce around abroad for a longer period of time.
The biggest expense of a work away trip is going to be your plane tickets. You can use the website Scott’s Cheap Flights to be notified of spectacular flight deals to where you may want to go. Also buy your tickets round trip as it is cheaper this way, and try to book through an airline with flight insurance or the option to change the date of your flights, etc. This can be helpful because then you have the option to extend your trip if all goes well! With an arrangement that provides food and lodging, it seems to me that you can get there and spend between one and three months abroad with around $1,000 - $1,500. With round trip flight tickets averaging around $600, think $400 for outside food, drink, souvenirs, clothes, ground transportation, tours, and adventures; and another $500 for emergency savings. On top of that you may need savings for the amount your bills will be while you are away for however many months. But there is still the possibility of a work away job offering some compensation, you can find an online source of income, or rent out you home or car to make it work! I will post another article for tips on saving money before traveling. From my experience, making friends is the cheapest way to travel around besides bus, and also by far the most fun. Locals will also be able to show you cool things to do that are free!
A few last things to be aware of is where the closest hostel is to your work trade job. You will want to have a place to stay close by that is affordable lined up, just in case of an emergency. During the two different yoga trade jobs I have completed, there has never been a situation where I left and stayed somewhere else, but you never know what can happen and it is better to be prepared for anything. If your work trade arrangement is somewhere rural, make sure you save the number of the taxi service that is most reliable nearby. Download the app maps.me for access to maps without internet in case you get lost while adventuring. Also be sure to share contact info with your coworkers at the job so that you can make plans on your days off! All of this information should give you somewhere to start if you want to explore and live in a new place through a work exchange job. I will post separate articles detailing my experiences, where I recommend staying, and what I recommend doing in Costa Rica! Thanks for reading!
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