W.W.O.O.F.

Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms

What is WWOOF & WWOOFing?

WWOOF is an organization that is worldwide!  No matter where you want to travel, they are there too!  What WWOOF is, is an opportunity for you to travel to any place in the world FREE!  We’ll not totally free…  You have to pay to get there and trade 20-30 hours of your labor for food and board!  Every farm is different and each has it’s own terms and agreements.  But the idea is that you could get a list of farms.  Contact them and then travel the world, CHEAP!

So here it is again…

* Join WWOOF in the country of your choice.  It costs between $20-$30 for a year.  Each country has it’s own fees!  You need all the proper things like passports, shots…

* Search the listings by area, read the details and reviews, contact the ones that are of interest to you!

* They will want to know about you and you will want to know about them!

FIND OUT ALL THE TERMS!!! 

You need to know what they will provide you:

Housing – Will they provide you a tent, yurt, or physical building!

Amenities – Private or shared bathroom, air conditioning, heat, fan, blankets, bedding…

Food – Pick your own, full meals, one meal a day, what type of foods,…

Internet & Phone – Some places are remote and may not have some of the things that you have and use everyday!

Car – Some places may give you access to a car or take you places.  Some places will tell you where things are that you might want to see.  Some will pick you up from the airport should you fly in!

Extras – Like yoga and other classes!  Some places are farms and Spiritual communities.  Some are healing centers or ashrams where you can go and really d-stress from life!

Knowledge – What will they teach you…  Most farms in this service offer to teach you about organic farming or off grid farming.  Some are located in rainforests!  Some have solar energy and can teach you about that!  Some have unique types of farming like fruit trees, coffee, cows, chickens…  Some are vegan, some have groups, and some have large groups of WWOOFers!

You need to know what they expect from you:

Hours – How many hours will you trade for what they are providing you!

Knowledge – What you have to offer them!  Do you have any special skills or talents!

Rules – Some are very strict and some are laid back!  Some don’t tolerate any partying or even cigarette smoking!  These are the things you need to know before you get there!

Costs – Yes, some will charge you a fee!  The fees are in some cases small and others are a little steep!  This is a must know!  Some of these places are expensive retreats or healing centers that give a discount for time served!  They then allow you to enjoy the resort or healing center programs.

Insurance – You may need insurance while you are there.  Some have you sign papers to protect them from liability should you try to “MILK A BULL”!

Ps:  You can’t milk a bull!  You can milk a cow, but milking a bull may piss him off and result in a visit to the emergency room!

Work – What type of work will you be doing?  Are you weeding or pitching manure (poop) all day!  Do you work in the rain, snow, or ???  Will you need any special clothing, boots, or gloves!

Religion – You may want to find out if they are religious or political!  These seem to be two concerns that people are very opinionated about!  The more you know about the people you will be staying with the better!

Here is a link to the USA WWOOF organization!  USA WWOOF includes Hawaii, Alaska, & USA Territories!

USA WWOOF

ps.  There are other ways to do this rather than join WWOOF!  However, WWOOF will provide you a huge listing of farms, communities, and some ashrams!  I am a 2012 WWOOF USA member.  It cost me $30 to join and get access to the online listings which you can peek at through the link above before you join!  You can only see partial descriptions of the farms though!  I also got a hard copy of the listings for an additional $10!  In case I want to flip through the listings and high light possibilities!

You could also do a Google search for the following terms! Add the place where you want to visit and make a keyword phrase like:

(“work exchange Hawaii”)

* Work Exchange

* Intentional Communities

* Intentional Living

* Hippy Communes or Communities

* Eco Villages

* Hostels

* Cooperative Living Arrangements

* Permaculture Communities

* Yoga Retreats

* Utopian Communities

* Ashrams

* Sustainable Communities

If you are looking for a great experience this is worth a look at!  Just be careful!  Make sure you tell people where you are going and do some research as to where you will be and where you can run to if they lock you in the barn…  LOL!  Really I’m just kidding!

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!

PS:  I AM DOING THIS!

LOOK FOR A FULL VIDEO DIARY OF MY TRAVELS AND WHAT I DISCOVER ON THE WAY!

The trip will most likely start in March of 2012!