When we started planning our road trip, we looked into everything we could think of to keep our costs as low as possible. We came across a lot of good options like Trusted Housesitters, and free camping, and WWOOFing. We had a lot of reservations about the site going into it, but after having completed our first experience, here’s our best advice for how to succeed on the platform.
If you don’t know, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOFing, is a website that pairs organic farm owners with volunteers from around the world. It is an exchange program of labor for food and lodging. Generally, it’s 4-6 hours of labor a day, 5 days a week, in exchange for food, lodging, and knowledge. It’s a global program, but each country operates independently, and therefore, you will have to register in each country separately. We recently tried WWOOFing for the first time in the US on our road trip.
Registration for the WWOOF USA is easy and very straightforward. Membership fees do apply, but there is a discount if you are traveling with a partner or friend. Right now, fees are $40 for an individual or $65 for two. You cannot search through the farms until you have registered. Once enrolled, you will have access to all of the farms in the the United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. You can search farms by location, length of stay, type of farm, lodging arrangements, whether or not they welcome children or pets, and even the languages they speak. The search features make it easy to find a the farm that’s a good fit for you.
Fill out your profile as completely as possible
The farmers are literally opening their home to you. They want to know that you’re going to make it worth their time, effort, and money. Give them as much opportunity to get to know you as possible. Be clear, honest, and creative. Give them a reason to choose you over another applicant. Treat it exactly like you would a resume. Afterall, you are applying for a job, just not in the traditional sense. This probably goes without saying, but make sure you have a good profile picture, too.
Know what skills you have, and which ones you want to offer
If you have any special experience or skills that you are willing to share, include it on your profile. Even if don’t think your particular skills are relevant to organic farming, include them on your profile. You never know when a host may be needing help with video editing or web development, or whatever your skill set includes. It also helps you stand out from the crowd if you have something truly unique to offer. However, if there is a particular skill you know you don’t want to offer, it’s best to be clear on that before you arrive.
Derek has a background in IT, but he also has a business on the side. Those are services that he would charge other clients for, so it wouldn’t be something that we would generally provide as part of our volunteer duties.
We also have a drone and happily give our hosts copies of our photos and footage in return for them letting us fly the drone on their property. But if they want to use the material for commercial use, that would be something we typically would want to charge a small fee for and discuss licensure for the use of the footage.
Trust your gut and look for something that will be a good fit
If you read the host’s profile, it should be pretty easy for you to decide if the host will be a good fit for you. Some of the hosts are very… well, we’ll call it passionate, about their work. Some strictly enforce an entirely organic lifestyle. Others include meditation three times a day into their daily work schedule. If those are things you aren’t willing or able to comply with, then just look for another host.
At the end of the day, you’re a guest in someone else’s home, and you should be willing to follow the things they have requested, no matter how extreme that may be. This platform is about exchanging knowledge about organic farming. Sometimes stepping outside of your comfort zone is one of the best ways to learn something new. Be open minded, just make sure you don’t get yourself into an incompatible situation.
Look for reviews and certifications
WWOOFing operates on an honor system. After a WWOOFer completes their time on a farm, they can rate the host. The host can also provide a review for the volunteer. Look for detailed, positive reviews. In our experience meeting other WWOOFers, it seems that people who have bad experiences on WWOOFing may not leave a negative review. Don’t rely on the host’s star rating alone. Read the reviews, and make sure there’s more than one review that describes what it is about the host that really makes them 5 star.
The website also has a verification system that some hosts have qualified for. If you’re new and you’re nervous about getting started with WWOOFing, one of these farms is a good place to start. It means that someone from the organization has checked out the farm to make sure everything is actually as they have described.
Things to be clear on with your host
Good communication is the best way to make sure you have a great experience. Make it as easy on your host as you possibly can. In your initial message let them know when you can arrive, how long you can stay, what skills you can offer, and about any dietary restrictions or special needs. Be as flexible as you can with your dates to make it more convenient for your host. Ask them to clarify how many hours a day you are expected to work, the hours you will be working each day, days off, and living arrangements before you arrive. If you need to have access to the internet or other amenities, ask about that as well.
Contact them as early as possible
WWOOFing in the US can be somewhat competitive. The more notice you can give your host, the better! We have not had good luck at all with contacting hosts with only 1-2 week’s notice. Most farms are already full or they are unable to accommodate volunteers with such short notice. Some hosts work full time jobs in addition to running their farms. It might not be feasible for them to provide food and lodging for you, unless they have enough time to prepare. Do your research and plan ahead. Try to reach out more than a month ahead a time, and even earlier if you can.
Leave honest reviews
Like I said, WWOOFers don’t always like to leave negative feedback. However, giving an honest review at the end of your stay is one of the best ways for everyone to make the most of the platform. If you do have a bad experience, or you think something could be done to improve things for future WWOOFers, reach out to your host privately before you leave a permanent review. They may not even realize that you’re having an issue, and they may be able to offer a solution while you are still there. Try to reconcile the issues with your host before you publicly call them out on it, if at all possible.
That said, if it is a truly bad situation, don’t be afraid to leave. After all, working is on a volunteer basis. If things are not as described, leave, report the farm to the WWOOF team, and write a public review. They will have a chance to reply to your review (and so do you, if a host leaves a review for you), so make sure you are as objective as possible.
Start with a shorter term, if you’re unsure
Farms will vary on the length of stay they will allow. If you aren’t sure if you’ll like it, try a shorter stay to test the waters. We started with a one week stay and had an amazing time. The food was incredibly delicious, and we met some truly wonderful people.
Bonus tip: If you’re starting out, look for farms that host multiple volunteers at once.
We met other WWOOFers during our experience who had been volunteering full time for three years. They were able to share their experiences with us to give us a better idea of what to expect at other WWOOFs. Your first experience may not be typical, but other WWOOFers can give you an idea of how your stay will compare to others you may be looking at. They can also recommend some of their favorite farms that they’ve been to in the past.
Even if you only work somewhere for a week, the membership easily pays for itself, since you’ll essentially have no expenses at all during your stay at the farms. So far, we worked 6 days, approximately 33 hours, and had 2 days off. That makes our daily average for that week less than $8.13 a day, for both of us! If you are traveling long term, this is one of the best ways to do it on a budget. That number can only go down if we work on another farm. Plus, you’ll learn all kinds of practical skills that you can add to your resume.
If you are considering WWOOFing at all, take the leap! The company does offer a 30 day money back guarantee. If you do not find a farm to work at in that time frame, so there’s very little risk involved! Our stay was one of the best experiences we have had on our trip so far! To see more about where we volunteered, watch our video.
Are you thinking about trying WWOOFing? Have you tried it before? Let us know below what you think!
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