Area: New South Wales

We are a painter and a sculptor who live and work from our waterfront home and studio on Dangar Island. We have three small children aged 8,7 and 3 years. Dangar island is situated 1hr north of Sydney by train or car and is boat assess only. The ferry runs every hour. We are keen permaculture gardeners, and have a garden filled with paintings & sculptures in amongst the fruit trees. We have a variety of subtropical fruit trees planted, happy chickens & a healthy vegetable patch. Work includes gardening, weeding, building garden paths & sheds, tree planting, maintenance of vegetable garden, making sculptures and art reproductions, painting buildings and whatever else we have to do. Must have a sense of humour and be prepared to have fun while working. Usual stay is about a week to start, however longer stays are negotiable after first few days. Although building, painting and landscaping skills would be nice the most important thing is that you are WILLING to work. We are happy to teach you new skills provided you are willing to make the effort. We have canoes and rowboats and in your spare time you are welcome to go exploring or fishing on the river estuary. Lots of great hiking and bushwalks in the surrounding national parks. Would be very happy to host Spanish, Japanese or Chinese speakers as I need to practice these languages. Must be a non smoker. We can also host couples and possibly even one or two small children too for short stays.

Area: 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.

Area: Oregon

I am 64 recently divorced living alone on 26 acres of land in the Willamette National Forest. We are on the border of a Three Sisters Wildlife Preserve and 12 miles from the Three Sisters Glaciers on Horse Creek which flows from the glaciers into the McKenzie River. I have traveled to Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Peru and Mexico and would like to visit Spain & Italy. I work with Shamanism and have a Shamanic-Buddhist perspective on life. My son lives in Portland and is 32 years old and single ranked 4th in International Championship tournaments as a heavyweight Shaolin Kung-Fu contender. Currently only animals on land besides the wildlife is a 12 year old German Shepherd. We have a retreat for small workshops 18 -25 and also serves the general public with a Cabin, Outdoor Kitchen and Sauna-Bathhouse family gatherings.

Area: Quebec

Our Hostel is located in L'Anse-Saint-Jean, in the Saguenay region of Quebec. Set in the woods and surrounded by an organic farm, our hostel is the best starting point for all sorts of outdoor activities (hiking, kayak, horseback riding, sailing). L'Auberge de jeunesse du bout du monde est située à L'Anse-Saint-Jean, dans la région du Saguenay au Québec. L'auberge est entourée d'arbres et de champs agricoles en culture biologique et est le meilleur point de départ pour une variété d'activités de plein air (randonnée pédestre, kayak, randonnée équestre, voile, etc.).

Area: Provence Alpes Azur

Hello ! We are a family (Father(French), Mother(English), 2 children, (daughter15) and (son 11)who speak both languages but mostly French and it would be great to have a bit of extra English spoken in the home, never enough!) living in a village not far from Toulon, 25kms (halfway between Nice and Marseille), the medieval town of Hyères and the beach are 20kms away. The village is on the edge of the Massif des Maures, 500m and you are in the forest, great for walks and a real spot for mountain bikers.