Do you or perhaps your family have some free time but not a lot of money and want to get out of town? Want a taste of what it would be like to pack it all up and move to the county? Need some fresh air and exercise? Interested in a low cost way to see the world? Want to meet some new friends? Maybe WWOOFing is right for you.
Whether its means ‘willing to work on organic farm’, ‘world wide opportunities on organic farms’ or ‘working weekends on organic farm’ the idea is fundamentally the same. Organic farming is labour intensive and often seasonal. Since starting in UK the 1970’s, one way organic farmers around the world have found to supplement their labor force is to host likeminded individuals on their farms to be a temporary part of their team. In return for volunteered efforts, organic farmers give you place to stay, feed you and give you a chance to learn about farming. As an added bonus, hosts are often in beautiful locations with opportunities for recreation and socializing with other WWOOFers. They may have fun things to do on their property, local hiking trails or water access or provide excursions on the weekends to see the local sites and attractions. Some hosts may provide elaborate meals where others more basic fare. The only requirement to be a WWOOFer is that you are at least 16 years old or accompanied by a guardian. Most hosts accept WWOOFers late spring to early fall although there are a few that accept all year long.
WWOOFers are expected to work. Farming is hard work and your host farm will not take kindly to you if you show up expecting to be on vacation. Global WWOOF standards mandate a maximum 4-6 hours of work a day 5 ½ days a week, the balance left for relaxing and recreation. Hosts have often worked with many WWOOFers before and will have expectations of what you should be able to accomplish in that amount of time. You should be flexible in working on a team or possibly alone , being around animals, doing repetitive tasks and taking on the assigned tasks without the need for a lot of instruction or explanations. At the same time you want to ensure that you are doing the task right. You don’t want to spend the day at a task to find out that you or someone else has to go back and redo it. Hosts often have many other responsibilities and will only have a little time to get you going on a task and then leave you to it for the day. Paying close attention to your host’s instructions while they are with you is the best way to ensure you have a rewarding experience. The work is typically outdoors. Wwoffers should check with their host as to what attire they should bring (coats, boots, work clothes, hat, gloves).
Accommodations range widely from living in the main house with family, separate cabin, dorms, hostels and tenting grounds. One can expect at least access to bathing and kitchen facilities. You may find yourself cohabitating space with other WWOOFers. You should be on your best behavior and be empathetic to the feelings of others. Don’t expect to take long or frequest showers or stay up all night talking or partying. There are often rules WWOOFers may need to follow; lights out times, off limit areas, bathing restrictions and helping with meals. In many cases various lifestyles are preferred with some hosts catering specifically to gays, vegetarians, Christians, women, singles, couples or families with children. Many are strictly non-smoking. Pickup from local transit points can often be arranged with hosts and they may have bikes and possibly a small boat or canoe to explore the local area. For the most part, hosts are just people with families, pets and a piece of land out in the country they are working to make a living.
WWOOFers or hosts who don’t follow the rules can be blacklisted from their associated service. It is important to use recognized WWOOFer referral services as opposed to finding hosts in places like internet chat rooms. Most WWOOF services have ways for hosts and WWOOFers to comment on each other providing a way to check references. A woofer can leave at any time, or be asked to leave at any time if things go awry. It may be a good idea for you to have a ‘plan B’ for your accommodations for the rare case in which things don’t work out. Leaving early or last-minute cancelations without good reasons may also lead to a wwoffer being blacklisted. It can be very disruptive for a farmer’s operations to have you walk-out on them or not show up when there were other willing WWOOFers they may have turned down to accept your stay. They often go to great effort and expense to prepare accommodations, provide food and transportation for WWOOFers. Some hosts may ask you to sign a written statement to ensure you understand you obligations and promises. Some require stays of 2 weeks or more where others have so many requests they may only let you stay a few days.
Canadian WWOOFing seems to garner particular interest from Japanese and European travelers seeking low cost ways to explore the world. Many hosts make special note of the various languages they speak. One might get a chance to meet people from anywhere in the world. Foreign WWOOFers in Canada do not require Visas as it is considered volunteering but they will have to provide their own health insurance. Roughly %50 of WWOOFers are from other countries.
WWOOFing has become so successful it has branched beyond farming. Some host operations include restaurants, retreats, spas, guide camps and marinas. The work varies on the time of year and what any host has on the go. Here is a short list of the type of work you might experience; weeding, cultivating, picking, tending animals, bee keeping, haying, making preserves or soaps, firewood, fencing, carpentry, painting, cooking, tending to paying guests.
WWOOFing opportunities can be as varied as the hosts that offer them and the place where they are located. They key to a great WWOOFing experience is to find a host that is right for you. Once you think you have found one, contact them to sure everyone’s expectations are understood. Have fun, but no dogging it.
Here are some links to explore WWOOFing further;
WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
International WWOOF Network
WWOOF Canada
WWOOF-USA
WWOOF - Australia
WWOOF UK