Former Workaway host here. I always took the view that it had to be fun, and an opportunity for volunteers to see a side of life in Spain they might not have access to as simple tourists. We were pretty laid back about the hours thing, so long as everyone felt like it was a fair exchange. We got things done we simply didn’t have the money to pay for and made lifelong friends along the way.
That said, some hosts (around here) see it in raw economic terms, one charmless S.African lady who called me to ask about Workaway said, horrified, ‘Oh no, we don’t want them coming near the house!’ as if the volunteers were..slaves. Some people are just cold-ass socipaths I guess. I don’t think businesses like hotels should really be able to use Workaway, tbh..but where do you draw the line?
So happy you commented, it’s great to hear from the hosts perspective, thank you! Yeah I think everyone feeling like there is a fair exchange is the most important thing but so many hosts don’t share this opinion sadly and just want to extract and profit.
I’m not sure what would be the best way to make things better or where to draw the line but surely the platforms should have the insight and the resources to improve the experience by now…
Work exchanges are SOOOO romanticized in the backpacking world and its not talked about often enough. I've done two 'volunteer' experiences while traveling and although I've loved them and gotten very lucky with my hosts its such an exploitation of labor. Like why am i working 5 hours a day just for (shitty) accommodation and one meal! Also didn't realize was i was doing was illegal until I was well into the volunteering....
i am wayyyy too late with comment replies lol sorry! i remember reading your volunteer house story and it was very similar to my experience in Faro Portugal so i feel like you get it :D
i remember how 5 hours felt like nothing but nowadays if i put into perspective how much money i can actually make in 5 hours, it's sooo not worth it most of the time... volunteering really needs to be labor of love, not means of travel
I found myself working as a manager at a small scale camping/glamping in the Dutch south west coastal region, a very popular tourist spot during the season. My employers pressed me into finding volunteers through Worldpackers, offering a tent as accommodation and no food. I have been feeling off about it since the beginning and your essay pointed it out perfectly. The idea that it’s about “an international vibe” and pretending we offer a great place to stay whereas it’s just about cutting costs and not being willing to pay someone to clean. We have a professional cleaning service (also basically underpaid working migrants) doing a great job cleaning accommodations and they take the extra work on easily but the owners don’t want to spend a penny extra for their hard labour. They also have a food truck where they employ Worldpackers (Spanish working migrants) for minimum wage and house them up in shitty conditions and charge 1/3 of the salary for a room back. Thank you for writing this piece, I really gave me words to describe the uncomfortable feeling I have around it. I am also not staying here, obviously.
Wow thank you for leaving this comment and sharing your experience. It’s fascinating to see it from the other side. The mistreatment of paid workers is something I also wanted to touch on but didn’t find a way to weave it into the post so I’m happy you brought it up even though it’s a very sad reality obviously :/ Hope you manage to get out soon x
100% agree on all this. Reported a horribly unethical host on Workaway, and they hid the review, deleted my profile, and then even went to TrustPilot when I reported it there and forced (who knows how) TrustPilot to remove the review! The company is also a for-profit business run by the Chinese (look it up). If that doesn't tell you something.... That was at a for-profit business that ran its entire operations with foreign volunteers, hurting the local community. The owner did nothing but scold the "volunteers" (unpaid staff), I was given a broken, literally, mattress in a dorm filled to the brim with people, had stuff stolen while there, wasn't allowed to participate in things I was told were included, and worst, the host ended up manipulating a new female volunteer who was homeless, started sleeping with her, and then put her in charge firing the woman who had been brought there specifically to manage the place. I was also told I would be doing marketing, yet they had me cleaning toilets instead. That's all one experience. I have others, none were good. These sites are making millions off outright exploitation and labor violations. It's sick. I don't know why they get talked up.
I am currently traveling through work exchanges and have encountered challenges and struggles so far but nothing that I haven't been able to work out with communication and growth. I have mixed feelings about this post I guess. It's really helpful and important to analyze both sides but if you go into it seeking an experience rather than seeking a place to stay I think you are likely to be satisfied in that. Regardless I emphasize the importance of having a plan B and sufficient funds to get out of a bad situation.
Hi, thanks for the comment! I do agree that most issues can be worked out but my problem is that I know that now at age 30. I did not have the same insight while volunteering at 22, and neither did some of the people I met out in the world doing this at age 18 with no prior work or living away from home experience. This industry targets very young people as those are the ones most likely to work for free and also most vulnerable. That’s why I felt like this article was needed. As I said, the good parts exist but are well documented elsewhere.
Also, don’t think many people go into this just to have a place to stay. Most are seeking experiences and some just end up with quite negative or traumatic ones.
That makes a lot of sense! I definitely have been lucky in that my hosts have been flexible and adaptable. I think it's really helpful to inform people of all sides of a program so they know what they could be getting themselves into so apologies if my comment was dismissive of that. I guess the way I have always thought about it is that the issues are more indicative of the individual hosts than the overall work exchange program? Still learning and experiencing and I do find your insights helpful :)
I loved reading this!!! I did a work exchange for one month in a hostel in Medellín, Colombia through WorldPackers last year. It's so interesting because it was a truly transformative and confidence boosting experience placing myself so far out of my comfort zone. I made amazing connections and just remember that period with a sweet capriciousness. It was a smaller hostel that was actaully a family home in the past. Sometimes there were more volunteers than guests so it felt like really living with people and a community. You got used to everyone's comings and goings. But ummmm, I also got s*xually harassed by the onsite manager (using excessive pet names, being inappropriately touchy, and overly concerned with me) my first few days there. He put a stop to it once I put a firm boundary down but still..... I told WP and the lady said they would put it on file whatever that means. The owner also tried to cheat me into staying another weekend but thankfully everything on the platform had the dates we had recorded.
I like how you mention the impact of namely, how work exchanges can take away a job from locals. I know for a fact the hostel I volunteered at couldn't afford to pay and the owner was actively trying to sell it. But I stayed at a more upscale hostel in Rio that definitely could afford to hire locals if they wanted to. There certainly is a privilege in the fact that it's interesting that some people from certain countries can afford to go to less ""developed"" countries and just not work for a while and go off to a different country no visa needed. Thank you for exploring all these complexities!
I hope you don’t mind that I’m reaching you via comments. Substack has limited my direct messages today to notify you that I’ve included you in my post.
I’ve included the Unpacked by Fialka page in my new post listing over 200 vegan resources on Substack. I hope you like it! I’m hoping to help readers discover more of the vegan publishing community here.
Please let me know if you’d like any updates or edits to your entry. If you feel this guide is useful, you’re welcome to share or restack so others can find it too. But no worries if not. Thanks for doing everything you do! Have a wonderful day.
This was a really interesting read! While I've never done Workaway, I learned really fast as an aupair that living with your boss can get really exploitive really fast. It seems like with both volunteering and aupairing we hear so much about the good stories without thinking about how they can take advantage of people wanting to travel or harm those in the local community. I think I'll skip trying Workaway.
oh 100%, i've never done au pair myself (i'm terrible with kids) but i've heard some stories and feel like might even be one step further compared to volunteering, especially since it's a female dominated field... sad!
I volunteered in 5 different places over the past years and only one of them felt really off, where I also left much earlier than planned. I would not be a volunteer somewhere, having to work up to 30 hours a week. But I feel like if you read between the lines of what the hosts put into their profile, you get a sense of what they expect. Still those people should not be on the platform then if they only want to take advantage of you... and not everyone is able to spot those.
I totally agree with you on reading between the lines, the problem is that red flags i'd be able to see now, I would probably miss (and have missed) 10 years ago when I first started volunteering... that's why i feel like it's an industry mostly built around exploiting young & inexperienced people
Awesome article, it’s so important to talk about how to protect yourself in situations like this, I’ve done four workaways and had amazing experiences, but met plenty of people who were struggling with the system. We had a good time because we had savings so could be very selective and could walk away if anything felt off, and never chose stays far from public transport unless use of a car was confirmed before we went.
I wanted to add that there are absolutely hosts on there that are after a cultural exchange home stay situations, in exchange for simpler tasks like painting, baking, and gardening, that don’t disrupt local economies, and they are worth searching for <3
Also wanted to say I don’t think the censored reviews are big issues on the platform because you are free to message whoever wrote the review, and for me a censored reviews are a big enough red flag by themselves, and after two negative reviews work away removes the host.
Thank you for the comment, glad you liked it 🫶🏼 All fair points, I know that there are some genuine people out there and lots of people volunteer and have an amazing time. The point of this article was not to invalidate that but rather show the other side that’s not really being talked about online much.
One thing though, I am honestly not sure about how true the claim about removing negatively reviewed hosts is. I don’t think there’s a way to verify it and from what I’ve heard, I don’t know if i should believe it.
I did a couple of woofing gigs and was fine with the work and accommodations but I heard some real horror stories that smacked of human trafficking of really poor mentally ill workers - building a mansion for the owner while living in tents and dumpster diving for food.
Former Workaway host here. I always took the view that it had to be fun, and an opportunity for volunteers to see a side of life in Spain they might not have access to as simple tourists. We were pretty laid back about the hours thing, so long as everyone felt like it was a fair exchange. We got things done we simply didn’t have the money to pay for and made lifelong friends along the way.
That said, some hosts (around here) see it in raw economic terms, one charmless S.African lady who called me to ask about Workaway said, horrified, ‘Oh no, we don’t want them coming near the house!’ as if the volunteers were..slaves. Some people are just cold-ass socipaths I guess. I don’t think businesses like hotels should really be able to use Workaway, tbh..but where do you draw the line?
So happy you commented, it’s great to hear from the hosts perspective, thank you! Yeah I think everyone feeling like there is a fair exchange is the most important thing but so many hosts don’t share this opinion sadly and just want to extract and profit.
I’m not sure what would be the best way to make things better or where to draw the line but surely the platforms should have the insight and the resources to improve the experience by now…
There’s always the option of a scathing review of a bad host.
She mentioned that, bad reviews are often censored or removed.
Work exchanges are SOOOO romanticized in the backpacking world and its not talked about often enough. I've done two 'volunteer' experiences while traveling and although I've loved them and gotten very lucky with my hosts its such an exploitation of labor. Like why am i working 5 hours a day just for (shitty) accommodation and one meal! Also didn't realize was i was doing was illegal until I was well into the volunteering....
i am wayyyy too late with comment replies lol sorry! i remember reading your volunteer house story and it was very similar to my experience in Faro Portugal so i feel like you get it :D
i remember how 5 hours felt like nothing but nowadays if i put into perspective how much money i can actually make in 5 hours, it's sooo not worth it most of the time... volunteering really needs to be labor of love, not means of travel
I found myself working as a manager at a small scale camping/glamping in the Dutch south west coastal region, a very popular tourist spot during the season. My employers pressed me into finding volunteers through Worldpackers, offering a tent as accommodation and no food. I have been feeling off about it since the beginning and your essay pointed it out perfectly. The idea that it’s about “an international vibe” and pretending we offer a great place to stay whereas it’s just about cutting costs and not being willing to pay someone to clean. We have a professional cleaning service (also basically underpaid working migrants) doing a great job cleaning accommodations and they take the extra work on easily but the owners don’t want to spend a penny extra for their hard labour. They also have a food truck where they employ Worldpackers (Spanish working migrants) for minimum wage and house them up in shitty conditions and charge 1/3 of the salary for a room back. Thank you for writing this piece, I really gave me words to describe the uncomfortable feeling I have around it. I am also not staying here, obviously.
Wow thank you for leaving this comment and sharing your experience. It’s fascinating to see it from the other side. The mistreatment of paid workers is something I also wanted to touch on but didn’t find a way to weave it into the post so I’m happy you brought it up even though it’s a very sad reality obviously :/ Hope you manage to get out soon x
100% agree on all this. Reported a horribly unethical host on Workaway, and they hid the review, deleted my profile, and then even went to TrustPilot when I reported it there and forced (who knows how) TrustPilot to remove the review! The company is also a for-profit business run by the Chinese (look it up). If that doesn't tell you something.... That was at a for-profit business that ran its entire operations with foreign volunteers, hurting the local community. The owner did nothing but scold the "volunteers" (unpaid staff), I was given a broken, literally, mattress in a dorm filled to the brim with people, had stuff stolen while there, wasn't allowed to participate in things I was told were included, and worst, the host ended up manipulating a new female volunteer who was homeless, started sleeping with her, and then put her in charge firing the woman who had been brought there specifically to manage the place. I was also told I would be doing marketing, yet they had me cleaning toilets instead. That's all one experience. I have others, none were good. These sites are making millions off outright exploitation and labor violations. It's sick. I don't know why they get talked up.
ok that is an insane story :O thank you for commenting!
I am currently traveling through work exchanges and have encountered challenges and struggles so far but nothing that I haven't been able to work out with communication and growth. I have mixed feelings about this post I guess. It's really helpful and important to analyze both sides but if you go into it seeking an experience rather than seeking a place to stay I think you are likely to be satisfied in that. Regardless I emphasize the importance of having a plan B and sufficient funds to get out of a bad situation.
Hi, thanks for the comment! I do agree that most issues can be worked out but my problem is that I know that now at age 30. I did not have the same insight while volunteering at 22, and neither did some of the people I met out in the world doing this at age 18 with no prior work or living away from home experience. This industry targets very young people as those are the ones most likely to work for free and also most vulnerable. That’s why I felt like this article was needed. As I said, the good parts exist but are well documented elsewhere.
Also, don’t think many people go into this just to have a place to stay. Most are seeking experiences and some just end up with quite negative or traumatic ones.
That makes a lot of sense! I definitely have been lucky in that my hosts have been flexible and adaptable. I think it's really helpful to inform people of all sides of a program so they know what they could be getting themselves into so apologies if my comment was dismissive of that. I guess the way I have always thought about it is that the issues are more indicative of the individual hosts than the overall work exchange program? Still learning and experiencing and I do find your insights helpful :)
How was Paihia in NZ!? As a kiwi living overseas it made me smile to see your photo
hehe i was there during the winter so it was deaddd :D very beautiful place though :)
I’m traveling and doing work exchange through WWOOF and had been really enjoying it, but the hosts are definitely what make or break the stay.
Such great insights. Thank you for sharing!
thank you, glad you enoyed!!
love this Fialka!
thank you!
I loved reading this!!! I did a work exchange for one month in a hostel in Medellín, Colombia through WorldPackers last year. It's so interesting because it was a truly transformative and confidence boosting experience placing myself so far out of my comfort zone. I made amazing connections and just remember that period with a sweet capriciousness. It was a smaller hostel that was actaully a family home in the past. Sometimes there were more volunteers than guests so it felt like really living with people and a community. You got used to everyone's comings and goings. But ummmm, I also got s*xually harassed by the onsite manager (using excessive pet names, being inappropriately touchy, and overly concerned with me) my first few days there. He put a stop to it once I put a firm boundary down but still..... I told WP and the lady said they would put it on file whatever that means. The owner also tried to cheat me into staying another weekend but thankfully everything on the platform had the dates we had recorded.
I like how you mention the impact of namely, how work exchanges can take away a job from locals. I know for a fact the hostel I volunteered at couldn't afford to pay and the owner was actively trying to sell it. But I stayed at a more upscale hostel in Rio that definitely could afford to hire locals if they wanted to. There certainly is a privilege in the fact that it's interesting that some people from certain countries can afford to go to less ""developed"" countries and just not work for a while and go off to a different country no visa needed. Thank you for exploring all these complexities!
thank you for commenting and so sorry about your experience, although i'm glad you managed to enjoy it otherwise!
Hi Fialka,
I hope you don’t mind that I’m reaching you via comments. Substack has limited my direct messages today to notify you that I’ve included you in my post.
I’ve included the Unpacked by Fialka page in my new post listing over 200 vegan resources on Substack. I hope you like it! I’m hoping to help readers discover more of the vegan publishing community here.
Here’s the link if you’d like to take a look:
https://plus.shovelandcrunch.com/p/vegan-substack-resources-guide-a
Please let me know if you’d like any updates or edits to your entry. If you feel this guide is useful, you’re welcome to share or restack so others can find it too. But no worries if not. Thanks for doing everything you do! Have a wonderful day.
Shell
The Royal Hotel film definitely scared me away from volunteer travelling...
This was a really interesting read! While I've never done Workaway, I learned really fast as an aupair that living with your boss can get really exploitive really fast. It seems like with both volunteering and aupairing we hear so much about the good stories without thinking about how they can take advantage of people wanting to travel or harm those in the local community. I think I'll skip trying Workaway.
oh 100%, i've never done au pair myself (i'm terrible with kids) but i've heard some stories and feel like might even be one step further compared to volunteering, especially since it's a female dominated field... sad!
I volunteered in 5 different places over the past years and only one of them felt really off, where I also left much earlier than planned. I would not be a volunteer somewhere, having to work up to 30 hours a week. But I feel like if you read between the lines of what the hosts put into their profile, you get a sense of what they expect. Still those people should not be on the platform then if they only want to take advantage of you... and not everyone is able to spot those.
I totally agree with you on reading between the lines, the problem is that red flags i'd be able to see now, I would probably miss (and have missed) 10 years ago when I first started volunteering... that's why i feel like it's an industry mostly built around exploiting young & inexperienced people
Yeah that’s a fair point. Things I notice now I did not notice a few years back.
Awesome article, it’s so important to talk about how to protect yourself in situations like this, I’ve done four workaways and had amazing experiences, but met plenty of people who were struggling with the system. We had a good time because we had savings so could be very selective and could walk away if anything felt off, and never chose stays far from public transport unless use of a car was confirmed before we went.
I wanted to add that there are absolutely hosts on there that are after a cultural exchange home stay situations, in exchange for simpler tasks like painting, baking, and gardening, that don’t disrupt local economies, and they are worth searching for <3
Also wanted to say I don’t think the censored reviews are big issues on the platform because you are free to message whoever wrote the review, and for me a censored reviews are a big enough red flag by themselves, and after two negative reviews work away removes the host.
Thank you for the comment, glad you liked it 🫶🏼 All fair points, I know that there are some genuine people out there and lots of people volunteer and have an amazing time. The point of this article was not to invalidate that but rather show the other side that’s not really being talked about online much.
One thing though, I am honestly not sure about how true the claim about removing negatively reviewed hosts is. I don’t think there’s a way to verify it and from what I’ve heard, I don’t know if i should believe it.
I did a couple of woofing gigs and was fine with the work and accommodations but I heard some real horror stories that smacked of human trafficking of really poor mentally ill workers - building a mansion for the owner while living in tents and dumpster diving for food.
ok damn that is... extreme
thank you for the comment xx