Area: Asturias

Janet and John live in Asturias. We are now at the end of our fifth year of so called retirement here and love it. This is definitely not the Costas! We live in Valdes in Asturias….. a county of rugged coasts with super ( but often stony) beaches. The interior (where we live at 270 meters high in the hills and 30 minutes from the nearest beach) is largely mixed forest of sweet chestnut, oak, ash and beech with plantations of northern pine and eucalyptus. The valley bottoms and tops are mainly green pasture for cattle grazing or silage with flatter fields with maize for cattle. It is beautiful – a lake district without the lakes and without the crowds. Weather – This is green Spain so we have clouds and rain. The temperature is higher than the south of England – a greater noticeable difference in the back part of the year. When we bought our house we wanted a house with some land to grow veggies on. We ended up with two houses (one “the barn” had no floor and was only home to spiders and cobwebs – we called it the barn because it was the oldest and still had the cattle feeding stalls), a traditional Horeo, 5 fincas (fields - one with a small maize mill – not functioning) and two Montes (bits of hillside with lots of trees on.) Thank goodness three of our neighbours keep most of the fields clean by grazing cattle, sheep and growing grass, so I am left with only the finca (6500 m2 )below the house to look after. We have six chickens and two dogs (and a cat that adopted us). During the year we grow most of our own vegetables. John does most of the work on the land while Janet writes and directs two musical shows a year for her group of performers back in England

Area: New York State

We are a family of 6 with 4 kids ranging from 10 to 16. We love to learn new things, love to cook new food, and love to hear stories. Do you have a skill that doesn't need very specific or expensive tools? teach us ! Are you really good at any sport ? give us lessons, let us drills or techniques to keep learning at our own pace when you leave. We are thinking to receive guest in February ( winter break ) and from April to September.

Area: Bay of Plenty

My husband & I have 3 adult children no longer living at home. We have hosted exchange students for the last 5 years and currently have a boy from Japan. We have a house by the beach and 30 acres of land further up the coast going inland. This piece of land needs weed control and some fencing. It is our lifestyle block and we run some sheep and cattle on it. Our son & his fiance are getting married in March on this land and we could do with a hand to tidy it up.There is a lovely little batch on the land which has no electricity but a wood stove. It also has a flush toilet, shower with hot water, sleeping and cooking facilities. We stay there from time to time but it can be difficult to reach when it has been raining. We live in a an old 4bedroom villa which we are still renovating. My husband buys possum fur but is also a builder/handyman. I am a nurse working at the local health centre. I do shift work and sometimes work night duty which means I sleep in the daytime. The internet can be accessed by wireless broadband. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. The dogs live outside but the cats like to snuggle up with the humans. We are non smokers and would only want non smokers please.

Area: Maewin, Maewang district, Chiang Mai

I have my own bungalows on a small organic farm in rural Chiang Mai and am happy to share the experience of organic farming and sustainable living with anybody who is interested in volunteering to help! I'm still new to organic farming and would appreciate any help and experience that people can provide. Volunteers with experience in organic farming are preferred as then we can share our knowledge and learn together! I also assign a volunteers to help local people's farms follow the seasons. I also run a non-profit volunteer working programme providing opportunities for teaching English in local hill tribes schools and offering medical help to ethnic minority villagers. For more information on volunteering to help with these programmes please contact me. I’m a Chiang Mai local wishing to share my love of Northern Thailand with you. I was born in Mae Jeam district and spent almost eight years in the temple as a novice monk before going on to study for a BA in Tourism Industry Management. I specialized in ethnic minority knowledge and elephants at uni and have been a tour leader for the last six years and am still loving it. It would be nice to discuss any requirements or queries you may have over Skype or via email. Now i need web master help please contact me thanks(special request)

Area: South Africa, Little Karoo

A Lagoon which is bordered by the Swartberg Mountains and the Gamka Nature Reserve and surrounded by farms, open space and breathtaking views. Amber lagoon is a hostel where people can sleep in a self-catering reed and stone chalet, splash in the big pool and enjoy home-cooked meals in the open-air bar. We also have a big garden, dogs, chickens and various indigenous plants.