Matthew & Joanne

aus: Großbritannien

Konto Typ
Paar / zwei Freunde
Reiseziele
Albanien, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgarien, Estland, Finnland, Großbritannien, Japan, Kroatien, Lettland ... more
Albanien, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgarien, Estland, Finnland, Großbritannien, Japan, Kroatien, Lettland, Litauen, Macedonia, Montenegro, Polen, Rumänien, Serbia, Slowakei (Slowakische Republik), Slowenien, Tschechische Republik, Ukraine
Reisezeit
09.11.2020 - 01.01.2022
Abzeichen

Unser Status
unterwegs auf Reisen
Beschreibung
Hi, we're Matt and Jo, a married couple from England and we have sold our house and given up our jobs to become permanent 'work-awayers'. We've now been volunteering for several hosts since summer 2013.
Matt is a qualified Land Surveyor and wanted a change from living in a city and from the job he had done for years. Jo was an institutional fundraiser for a wildlife conservation charity.
We love travelling and when visiting a new place we like to learn about the history and local culture and sample local food. We spent 12 months from April 2011 travelling around the world to lots of interesting countries that we'd never visited before. Upon returning, we always wanted to continue the travelling lifestyle.
We enjoy wildlife and regularly visit nature reserves and National Parks in the UK to see what we can spot. We also love breath-taking scenery and most of our photo albums are filled with landscapes, mountains and water scenes, with the rest being animals/wildlife.
We like to do our bit for the environment and think it is important to maintain as much green space for nature as possible. As a result we have volunteered for our local nature reserves to create suitable habitats for wildlife and to clear up the environment.
We enjoy listening to a huge variety of music (nothing really 'mainstream' though) and attend gigs, concerts and festivals whenever possible. We also enjoy watching a variety of live sports especially football and cricket.
We both enjoy reading a variety of books from old classics to more current novels. We enjoy watching films and comedy, and Jo loves Harry Potter (books, films, magic, anything related!).
We lived in a fairly big city with a big population but enjoy finding quiet pubs and boutique/independent places to have a pint of craft beer or cider and some nice food.
Jo loves crafts and making things, and currently knits, crochets and turns fabric and felt into pretty things. Anything from flowers and cats to scarves and jumpers get made in any array of colours and wools.
Bereiche, die uns interessieren oder in denen wir anderen etwas beibringen können
Bereits etwas Erfahrung vorhanden
Gartenarbeiten
Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten
Handwerkliche Arbeiten
Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie
Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof
Ökoprojekte
Hausarbeiten
Betreuung von Tieren
Karitative Arbeit
Kunstprojekte
Was könntest du arbeiten?
We've both been home owners in England and undertook maintenance of inside and outdoor areas.

We are both physically fit and not afraid of hard work. In addition, we would love to learn new skills and are always willing to help out where needed.

We volunteered in various places across Iceland for a year, Scotland, Italy, Sweden, Turkey and Germany. At several places, we have been lucky enough to be given the responsibility of looking after the farms, businesses, homes and animals whilst the owners were away.

Since beginning volunteering we’ve worked for many different workaway hosts giving us experience in:
Farming
Estate management
Maintenance and building
Gardening
House-sitting
Tourist Accommodation & Guesthouses

Projects we helped with include:

Maintenance and building:
Repair and insulation of stable roof
Kitchen and tourist apartments renovation
Building 'free-range' chicken house
Building raised flower beds
Painting
Wallpapering
Putting up shelves and flat-pack furniture
Measuring up, cutting and laying carpets

Estate Management & Gardening:
Mowing lawns and fields
Strimming
Weeding and pruning
Planting
Fruit and vegetable picking
Tree Clearance
Leaf blowing
Fencing and gate hanging
Road repairs
Landscaping
Preparing gardens and grounds to host events
Clearing garages and steadings

Farm work:
Hay-making using tractor
Sheep and horse gathering
Feeding animals including cows, calves, sheep, chickens, ducks, dogs, horses
Milking cows
Cleaning chicken houses, cow-houses and milking systems
Assisting with lamb and calf births
Sheep tagging and marking
Using small tractor/loader to distribute hay/straw bales
Daily collection and packing of 3000 chicken eggs
Gesprochene Sprachen
English: Fließend
Icelandic: Grundkenntnisse
Alter
43 & 40
Nationalität
British
Etwas mehr Information
- Raucher
- Führerschein
- Allergien
  No
- Spezielle Ernährung
  No

Fotos

Jo feeding calves, working on a farm in North Iceland 2014

Matt loading straw bales, working on a farm in North Iceland 2014

Jo gardening in the beautiful Isle of Lismore, Scotland 2014

Matt tagging sheep in the Isle of Lismore, Scotland 2014

An arbour we helped make for weddings in Perthshire, Scotland 2014

Jo with a new-born lamb she successfully delivered, South Iceland 2014

Matt carrying out estate maintenance in Perthshire, Scotland 2014

Alle Fotos zeigen

Jo looking after horse in Argyll, Scotland 2014

Matt feeding sheep in Argyll, Scotland 2014

Jo making wooden frames in Argyll, Scotland 2014

Matt building concrete midden in Argyll, Scotland 2014

Grand Canyon, USA 2012

Day trip with other workawayers, Switzerland

Dresden, Christmas 2016

Feedback

07.09.2020

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Get creative with some garden ...)

We spent a fantastic couple of months staying with Liz and Rory this summer (June and July).

We lived in “Mable” the mobile home, which was fully equipped with everything we needed, kitchen, shower, excellent wifi and its own private paddock. It was very peaceful with great views of the stars and a resident owl family.

Rory and Liz were very… read more

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04.09.2020

vom Host (Get creative with some garden ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

We loved having Matt and Jo stay with us for a couple of months. They were fantastic Workawayers! We really tested their assembling talents, asking them to erect a huge fruit cage in the garden and two chicken houses - they refused to be beaten and worked way beyond their allocated hours because they wanted to see the job finished. We noticed this… read more

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28.10.2019

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Become a part of the dream to ...)

Our work was helping with the market garden - harvesting, packing, weeding etc. We worked with a few different volunteers during our 3 week stay.

We had lots of good traditional Polish food cooked by Dorota.

We had our own private room up the ladder, where everyone lives in a small wing of the old palace.
There is plenty of chance for… read more

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23.10.2019

vom Host (Become a part of the dream to ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Matt&Jo helped us to prepare the garden for a winter time. They are responsible, easygoing, patient and optimistic! ☺️ Thanks again for your help!

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05.10.2019

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Help around our ...)

We had a fun time helping out Adam and Anna. They are very welcoming and generous hosts and we ended up staying longer than planned.

There are hundreds of jobs to be done both inside and outside, so there’s lots of variety and no chance of getting bored.

We worked Monday to Friday, with Saturdays and Sundays off. Our average day was breakfast at… read more

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04.10.2019

vom Host (Help around our ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

They were more than perfect volunteers.
As they had a lot of experience, they help in all the areas where they were needed.
They helped us to change the roof on the barn which was unexpected help and we are so thankful.
We could make a huge list , explaining all the help, but would be too long.
We are so happy to had had them. The initial plan… read more

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08.09.2019

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Help with our house and ...)

We spent 2nd July - 20th August helping at the Campsite. Andrew picked us up from the closest train station (Pincehely) when we arrived and he dropped us back there when we left 7 weeks later.

We started work at 8:00 every day to clean the swimming pool, which had to be done first in case the campsite guests wanted to use it. It usually took us… read more about 1½ hours to do this depending upon how much green algae, insects and debris were in it.

Our next biggest task was cutting and maintaining all the grass areas. This proved difficult as we had to use a defective strimmer for the whole site because the lawnmowers were broken. This also had to be carried out in the heat of the day so as not to wake the guests up. We would say that previous experience of how to start and use a strimmer is essential as it would be very hard for a novice to learn how to use such a temperamental and faulty machine.

The afternoon and evenings are free to have to yourself, unless Andrew is busy with guests or taking them to the airport. Then you can help him by adding the chemicals to the swimming pool, or on some occasions we looked after the bar for a few hours while Sharon had a rest.

Because the work on the campsite depends on how many guests are staying, you have to take your days off when it suits Andrew and Sharon. But they very kindly let us take our final days off consecutively, so we could attend a festival in Budapest. In fact they were even kind enough to lend us a tent and sleeping bag and Andrew also gave us a lift to and from the train station! Thank you!

We were lucky that, as volunteers, we were not expected to get too involved in the business side of the campsite operations. We met a variety of people from around the world, but fortunately we could choose to talk to the interesting guests and avoid the less considerate ones. This is luxury that Andrew and Sharon obviously can’t choose to do being successful campsite owners!

Accommodation was in a private caravan, only a few minutes’ walk away from the communal areas, bathrooms and washing up sink. The caravan is basic and very old but does have a small fridge, 2 gas stove rings, a kettle and some rudimentary cooking equipment. During our stay we managed to stop the roof from leaking when it rains, but we’re not sure how long our makeshift repair will last! You can pick up the Wi-Fi in the caravan as long as there aren’t many other guests.

The two bathrooms are mostly kept clean, but it is a campsite and when it is busy or there is bad weather they can get quite dirty. Additionally, some people may find it an issue that the hot water runs out after a few people have used the showers.

We received a plate of hot food and a jug of water in the middle of the day, which was also provided on our days off as long as we stayed on site. The food was mostly old-fashioned English-style cooking (High fat & high salt). We are very grateful that it was adapted specially to suit our taste of disliking garlic. Thanks for that!

All other food you provide and pay for yourself. We were usually able to go food shopping with them once a week (or give them a shopping list) which helped us save money on the bus fare into town.

As there is only 1 vehicle on site you are reliant on the local bus service to get around, unless your trip ties in with one of Andrew or Sharon’s journeys. But the public transport is good enough for most sightseeing and trips to buy groceries if needed.

Andrew and Sharon are extremely friendly people and we enjoyed being able to help them at their campsite. We wish them all the best for their future endeavours.

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31.08.2019

vom Host (Help with our house and ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

.Matt and Jo arrived by train and Andrew collected them from the station. They contacted us beforehand to arrange pick up time and communication was always excellent. They stayed in our on site caravan and were given one hot meal every day in return for 3 hours work for 5 days a week. The main task was to clean the pool and this involved getting… read more

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17.08.2019

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Experience off-grid living on ...)

We really enjoyed our time at this project.

Anna was a great host and chef, giving us plenty of tasty food, many Hungarian dishes and lots of desserts. We learnt a lot about Hungary and its culture from Anna.

It doesn’t feel that the house is off-grid, as it is very comfortable to live in, with lots of hot water, wifi and everything else you… read more

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08.08.2019

vom Host (Experience off-grid living on ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Thank you Jo & Matt for your time and dedicated help for nearly a full month that so quickly passed, yet so many things and backlog that had been accumulating on our farm were dealt with! I loved how you were self-initiated and jumped to do any task with determination to get the job done. Our fence is now a joy to look at and will stand as a… read more

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15.01.2018

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Seasport, fishing, boat and ...)

We had a fantastic time in Nordskot helping John Åge and Marit.
We stayed in a great apartment and mostly took care of ourselves (food shopping and cooking). We also managed our own time and workload which consisted of painting, tree clearing, cleaning tourist apartments and helping with basecamp renovation.
Nordskot is a lovely place with a… read more

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02.01.2018

vom Host (Seasport, fishing, boat and ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Thanks a lot to Matt & Jo for 3 months of excellent work here in Nordskot, Steigen Norway. Easy and self-going couple who took great responsebility. All tasks done well. They are welcome back anytime.

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31.10.2017

vom Host (Help around an old Farm ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Dear Jo, Dear Matt,
Thank you very much for staying 6 weeks with us. Because of your motivation and positive energy we managed to finish a whole lot of work: a big part of the dry stone wall, the dry toilet, the water tanks and irrigation system, the 285 small priority 2 things on the do to lists ... . We really appreciated the fact that you saw… read more

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17.10.2017

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Help around an old Farm ...)

We are so glad we had the opportunity to stay with Dennis and Mira. Because they have had experience themselves of doing this kind of volunteering they knew exactly how to make us feel comfortable during our stay and whilst working with them.

We had a lovely big room, our own bathroom in the basement and access to everything in the kitchen when… read more

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02.06.2017

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Gardening and farmstay in ...)

We stayed with Christel, Bernd and the family for 4 weeks and they ensured we had a wonderful time whilst sampling typical German life.

We had a comfortable room within the warm, friendly atmosphere of their family home and enjoyed many hearty lunches cooked by Christel.

There was always a good variety of work, from picking and juicing apples… read more

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30.05.2017

vom Host (Gardening and farmstay in ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

We really enjoyed having Joanne and Matthew here.
They are very easygoing, nice company, busy and acting on own initiative.
I can fully recommend them to any host.

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05.04.2017

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Help around my home at a ...)

We stayed at Proitzer Mühle for about 3 weeks in September, doing a variety of interesting jobs: helping take care of the animals, apple picking and juicing, helping in the kitchen during events (we were lucky enough to stay whilst there was a wedding, a music festival and an arts course).

We really enjoyed our time here, we did some walks and… read more

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29.01.2017

vom Host (Help around my home at a ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Jo and Matt stayed with us in summer and were the perfect helpers. It immediately felt like they had been here for along time. They always saw where help was needed and dealt with every problem reliably and effficiently. Both showed great initiative, being respectful of my wishes and worked well as a team. They got along without any problems with… read more

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25.08.2016

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Back to Nature, help out on ...)

We were lucky enough to stay here for 5 weeks and take care of the house, land and animals while Tayip and Deborah were away for 3 of those weeks.

Our week together was spent doing lots of varied tasks, eating Deborah’s delicious food and enjoying good company.
We worked mainly with Tayip who is a unique and enthusiastic character. His… read more

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22.08.2016

vom Host (Back to Nature, help out on ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Thank you so much for being brilliant house sitters. Matt and Joe looked after the land and animals really well while we were away. Lina, one of our dogs was really ill and they did everything they could with the vet and to help her on the road to recovery. They were very reliable, trustworthy and sensible. We had complete trust in their ability… read more

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16.07.2016

vom Host (Join us on a small bioorganic ...) für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Jo and Matt are the most amazing couple and have been a pleasure to have with us on our farm. They are such wonderful, lovely and caring people. Both are very considerate and helpful in every way. We have especially appreciated their many talents and "allroundness", nothing was ever a problem and they helped out with a great deal of variated… read more

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24.06.2016

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Join us on a small bioorganic ...)

We had an amazing time staying with Margareta and Lasse. They are two of the nicest people you could hope to have as workaway hosts. They are incredibly generous, friendly and considerate and it was a pleasure living with them and helping them with their garden and various enjoyable projects.

Our caravan was really comfortable and was ideal so… read more

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29.03.2015

vom Host für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

two wonderful people, correct and hard workers. Sociable and friendly. After a few hours it seems to have at home two friends of long date

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22.03.2015

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Friendly volunteers needed in ...)

Sabina and Toti are really friendly and welcoming hosts. We stayed in a lovely room downstairs and the work and way of life was laid back and relaxed.

Sabina is a great cook and there is plenty of food to enjoy!

We are grateful that they trusted us to look after the house and dogs whilst they were away for a few days. The dogs were fun and… read more

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12.12.2014

vom Host für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

"
Matt and Jo were excellent workawayers. We got on together well and we had no worries about trusting them to look after the house and animals whilst we were away on holiday. They carried out all the work and jobs we asked of them and we have invited them back here to stay with us whenever they come to visit Scotland.They surpassed all… read more

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11.12.2014

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Volunteering near the village ...)

We really loved our month staying at Mike and Ann’s incredible new house on the shore of Loch Awe. We were really grateful that they trusted us to look after the place when they were away. The house was comfortable to stay in and the location is lovely and peaceful. Looking after the animals was great fun, learning all their different characters… read more

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03.10.2014

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Help out on the Isle of ...)

We really enjoyed our time with Jennifer, Duncan and Anne on the Isle of Lismore.

The Island is lovely and a beautiful place to stay and explore. We stayed at the farm with Duncan and Anne in a nice room with en-suite bathroom. They always ensured we had a great breakfast to start every day.
We had our lunch and evening meals at Jennifer's… read more

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27.09.2014

vom Host für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Matt and Jo have spent the last two weeks working here with me and on the farm next door. I cannot praise them highly enough. The quality of their work was excellent and was carried out with enthusiasm and willingness. Although I always try to keep to the 5 hour a day rule, they would not leave a job unfinished and all tools were cleaned and put… read more

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21.09.2014

vom Host für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

Thank you Matt & Jo - both for the very kind feedback and also for giving us your time.

We all really enjoyed having Matt and Jo here - they were enthusiastic, committed and a huge help to everyone on the estate. They threw themselves into every job - some one which were hard work. It was an extremely busy time for us, as this is the… read more

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20.09.2014

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Helping on beautiful historic ...)

We stayed here from the end of June to September and had a great time!

Caroline, James and Tim were all brilliant and we were lucky enough to spend our time here with the children whilst they were home for their summer holidays. Everyone is really friendly and we enjoyed our days working with Tim and spending mealtimes in lively conversation with… read more

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15.03.2014

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Volunteer helping with ...)

We had a great time volunteering at Fellshlíð. We were there for about 6 weeks (January to March) and we really enjoyed our time there.

Elín and Ævar are excellent hosts. Elín is very kind and considerate and Ævar is very friendly and easy going. And importantly for workawayers you feel valued and involved and so we felt happy that we could… read more

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20.01.2014

Vom Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne) für Host für (Come to Iceland and help us ...)

We had a great time staying with Rakel and Lalli and their family. During our stay here (August to December) we got involved with lots of different tasks and we got to experience lots of new things.
The regular work of picking and packing eggs is not difficult and we also helped with other work on the farm.
We had loads of fun sheep gathering,… read more

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10.01.2014

vom Host für Workawayer (Matthew & Joanne)

There are many things I want to say about Matt and Jo, but can not find the right words unless they are very energetic and motivated people. They came and stayed with us almost 5 months and worked well all the time. They are responsible, enthusiastic, work independently and can be trusted with harde work. They work well together and separately. We… read more

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