leanamaaike

Netherlands
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Travel information
I am currently
At home
Description
Couple:
Drikus (M): 30 years old; Dutch; speaks Dutch, English and basic German
Leana (F): 30 years old; Dutch/Swiss; speaks Dutch, French, English, Spanish and very basic Portugese
Both with a drivers license

Hello! We are a Dutch couple looking for places in the Balkan starting on the 18th of March 2024 during a few months. We are dreaming of buying our own place of land, like a guesthouse or eco campsite and living a more sustainable life close to nature. We are looking to get inspired on this upcoming trip.

We will be traveling by van, so we would not necessarily need a bed, but a kitchen and (warm) shower and toilet facilities will be useful. We love the mountains, hiking in nature, swimming in the sea, lakes or rivers and we love animals (especially dogs). We like to learn new things, but are mostly looking for the right connection and a place with a great vibe.

Drikus (M): is a photographer, motorcycle mechanic and motorbike enthusiast. He is a quick learner and likes a challenge. Has technical experience and some building experience. Prefers to work on technical tasks and learning about self-sufficient living: like working with solar or hydro energy. He is very eager to learn, exchange knowledge and work on more challenging or problem-solving tasks.

Leana (F): worked at an environmental ngo and as a Dutch language teacher. She has Dutch/Swiss/Italian origins and is vegan. Has some Workaway experience in Patagonia (hostel, camping and permaculture garden), dog sitting, taking care of turtles and lived with cats. Prefers to work with animals or in gardens with vegetables and plants, tree planting, or hostel / B&B work (likes hosting). Likes to teach yoga classes to friends (no official teacher training) or share some exercise together. She also enjoys cooking vegan food.

During the trip, we will also spend some of our time to work on our recently bought (but very old!) van. Leana might work a few hours a week remotely.

We hope you can give us a warm welcome and we are so looking forward to our first Workaway experiences together and to discover this, for both of us, new region.

Any questions? Feel free to message!
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Upcoming trip:
March till June 2024 : Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania and Greece
Interests
Mountain
Nature
Hiking
Photography
Cooking & food
Beach
Gardening
Sustainability
Languages
Vegetarian or vegan
Animals
Culture
Yoga / Wellness
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
German: Beginner
Portuguese: Beginner
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Being an elderly companion
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
Life at a Farmstay
Eco Projects
Helping around the house
Animal Care
Hospitality/Tourism
Charity Work
Teaching
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Able to teach about:
Languages
More details about your skills
Drikus: technical experience, motorcycle mechanic, photography (Photoshop etc.), some building experience, some sewing experience, very handy in general and a quick learner
Leana: hosting / receptionist, baby sitting (au pair), pet sitting (cats and dogs), language teaching, project management, eager to learn more about gardening and tree planting
Age
31
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No
- Special dietary requirements
  Vegan

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6 Jun 2024

Left by Workawayer (leanamaaike) for host (Off the grid hut ...)

This Workaway is a dream. Great place to learn how it feels to live in nature, in direction of more self-sufficiency and listening to your land. At the same time, Mihela & Robert did everything to make it cozy and comfortable. The projects were fun and the conversations we had were so valuable to us. Mihela made us feel at home with her Slovenian… read more

(Excellent)

19 May 2024

Left by Workawayer (leanamaaike) for host (Be part of our farm life and ...)

We had a great time at this beautiful place. We were immediately in awe with what Elona created: the house, nature and views are stunning. We staid for 9 days which Elona was ok with because we slept in our own van (usually her minimum stay is longer). The work was good, we worked quite some hours but time goes fast and we wanted to work :) Elona… read more

(Excellent)

19 Apr 2024

Left by Workawayer (leanamaaike) for host (Gardening, cleaning and ...)

This place is already the highlight of our trip! We staid for 10 days in April. Dona is a great host, very modest but knowledgeable and great at what she does. Dona & Robert are both so generous, inspiring, and kind. The work itself was not the most creative or fun, but we were happy to help out a bit. The camping is just one of those places where… read more

(Excellent)

29 Mar 2024

Left by Workawayer (leanamaaike) for host (Help with creating a ...)

We had planned to stay at this Workaway for one week in March 2024, but we ended up staying for just one day, which we are sorry for. Cornelius and Katharina are very kind people. Unfortunately we did not feel their place was the right one for us. We feel sorry to have left the hosts without helping hands. We are particular in what we are looking… read more for and how we want to spend our time during this trip, therefore we took the difficult decision to leave early.
We still want to take the time to tell potential guests a bit more about Cornelius and Katharina's place (because we know how helpful feedback can be when choosing a place), although we only spent roughly 24 hours there, so we do not have a story of the full experience.
The small house is on a nice location, on the top of a hill with beautiful views all around. The facilities are a bit primitive, so you need to be okay with this (no running water, no electricity or light, compost toilet without toilet paper outside, etc).
Cornelius and Katharina have a large piece of land, which needs a lot of work. During our one day of work, we helped to take the vineyards out of the ground and Drikus helped with some other things, like taking videos and talking about the installation of solar panels.
Cornelius and Katharina can share a lot about their journey so far and were keen to exchange knowledge. Cornelius was very patient in explaining us everything and he cooked a great and healthy meal for us, vegan and with lots of veggies :)
We came with our old van which was a bit complicated. The road up is not ideal, and there is no official parking space close to the house, so we parked in front of a neighboring abandoned house. Keep in mind that it would not be an easy spot to go up and down every day to visit the surroundings after your work day for example.
It became clear that Cornelius and Katharina need a lot of help. For us, we needed more structure, and upon the first day, we missed the warm, fully prepared welcome we were hoping for and feeling 'at home'. The fact that they have a (absolutely lovely) one year old daughter explains their attention needed to be divided. The second day, they clearly invested in talking with us and making the place feel more like a home.
Unfortunately, the match just did not feel right for us.
In short: this place is great if you are looking forward to get your hands dirty, work outside and stay in a peaceful, calm, secluded place on top of a hill. You will have lots of time to exchange with Cornelius & Katharina, and perhaps this place is also good if you want to be a bit more remote, have lots of time to read, meditate, do yoga, etc (because it is so calm, the place did not feel so stimulating for us). The hosts were very open to answer any questions we had, so I am sure they will be for you as well in case you have questions :) And of course, hosting guests is a process, this was just our experience during one day, and it might be very different for you!

(Very good)

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