Region: Lower Normandy

** We are looking for help with gardening and shed repair during June** We are a Kiwi family living in historic Normandy, renovating our amazing 400+ year old farmhouse whilst perfecting our French and generally immersing ourselves in French life. We are returning the house to it's traditional majestic beauty by reinstating the thatched roof and exposing it's stone and oak features, whilst at the same time adding modern twists of glass, metal and bold colour, and the occasional 'kiwi twist'. We are a couple who have travelled and worked in many different countries and enjoy learning about different cultures. Here in France, we have a simple but good life enjoying the outdoors in our pool, jacuzzi, trampoline, kids play area, etc. We are in the countryside just outside an active village, our 6 year old son goes to the local school (a 3.5km cycle to the center of town), we're close to all the historic D-day sites, actually on the D-day 'route-de-libertie', the evocative Abbaye d'Hambye is 5 mins away, it's 40 mins to the famous Le Mont St Michel, and we have easy access to port and airport connections to the UK etc. We're in the midst of an extenstive ecological project to rethatch and insulate our chaumiere. This involves many preparatory phases such as paving and decking terrassing and drainage, exterior insulation, lime repointing and double glazing. Additionally we are in the midst of many other projects - the construction of oak spiral stairs and mezzanine extension; instillation of wooden kitchen worktops and repair of 300 yr old o ak flooring; planting of a New Zealand garden; and several craft projects includingthe polynesian/celtic inspired carved facing boards for the new thatch roof (a great project for anyone with a passion for wood carving / wood carver). We use natural traditional products where ever possible and have a simple organic vegetable garden and we are looking for enthusiastic generally capable people who would enjoy helping us in exchange for access to this fantastic part of France. We are of course happy to assist those wishing to improve their French and/or cultural understanding of France and assist you with access to tourist sights where we can.

Region: Andalucia

I have a large cortijo in the Andalusian countryside that I'd like to turn into a yoga/meditation centre among other things. I've had the house since 1974 and it was always used as a family holiday home but now my family are all grown up and the house doesn't get used as much as it deserves. There's 50,000m2 of land to tender and I'd very much like to create a herb garden and veggie patch so we can provide good, home grown food for guests. The house is 9km from the nearest town and is set adjacent to a natural park. The scenery is stunning and there are lots of great walks so would suit a real country lover. There is internet access via satellite but no TV (yet) just lots of books.

Region: Berlin

We run a park similar to 30 such parks that exist in all over the world. They are a place for lingering and meeting, and radiate a new spirituality that rejects all forms of violence and discrimination, appealing to the sacred dimension of the human spirit, seeking to discover freedom and meaning. We are 30 friends from different countries, who bought this piece of land and this farmhouse. We are financing it from our own pockets and with the help of our friends. There is no any institution, organisation or company sponsoring us. The transformation into a park of study and reflection goes step by step and all the work we do ourselves is voluntary work.

Region: Eastern Townships, Quebec

We are starting a cultural centre and auberge that will function out of a lovely old chapel and a seven bedroom farm house in the beautiful Eastern Townships of Quebec. The studio has no religious affiliation. Volunteers will work with us on both the house and church as well as the surrounding property, which is located in a peaceful village in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. The official opening date of Staycation Studios is the first of July, 2012.

Region: Midi Pyrenees

My husband and I are moving to a wonderful old farm in the South of France within the next few weeks. I am 43 and he’s 48 years old and we have 5 children (21, 21, 19, 17 & 11), 1 cat and are planning to buy 2 dogs very soon. My husband is Belgian and loves to cook, and I am English and work for a non-profit AIDS organisation. My 11 year old vegetarian German/English daughter lives with us, the rest of the kids come for visits. The farm is in a beautiful rural area between Toulouse and the Pyrenees, very close to Boulogne sur Gesse. For your free time we have an above ground pool, table tennis, table football, Wii, king size trampoline, dvds and cds, books and magazines, badminton, wireless internet etc. Within walking distance there is a public outdoor pool, boating lake with fishing, shops and a weekly market. The gorgeous city of Toulouse is just one hour away in one direction and the mountains just one hour south!! Nearest airports are Toulouse-Blagnac, Pau-Pyrenees and Tarbes –Lourdes.