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Summer in beatiful Santa Cruz, United States

United States
Favourited 387 times
Last activity: 22 Apr 2024

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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Apr 2024
Reply rate
85.7 %
Usually responds within 7 days
Feedback
21
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Availability

2024

Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

Description
We have availability for Workawayers in summer, 2024: mid-June through early July, and mid-August through mid-September.

We’ve got lots of projects to do around our house and garden this summer, and we’d love your help! In tour free time, take advantage of everything our area has to offer and enjoy getting to know California culture. We love to share meals and get to know our guests and their cultures.

Some things you could help with- gardening, painting, small repairs inside outside our house, plus many other projects that we haven’t thought of yet. Let us know if you have special skills we could benefit from.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are a family of four- two moms and two teenage boys. We have hosted over 30 Workawayers from the US and abroad and really enjoy getting to know about people’s lives. We love friendly, outgoing workawayers who like to share meals and conversation, and we love to share our local area and culture with others.

You will have plenty of time to relax and explore the beautiful Santa Cruz area. Our home is 1.7 miles from the beach and about 3 miles from downtown Santa Cruz, with a vibrant downtown culture. There are also lots of state parks and other beautiful natural areas to explore.
Help
House projects:
Interior and exterior painting
Gardening, weeding, and outdoor cleanup
Help with organizing, cleaning, sorting
Small household repairs
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
You’ll have full use of our upstairs flat, including your own bedroom, a bathroom, living area, and kitchen.

We also a lovely outdoor space, including dining table and BBQ, outdoor bed, and hot tub.
What else ...
Santa Cruz is a small coastal town in northern California. Things to see in our area include the beach and beautiful redwood tree forests. Santa Cruz has a lively downtown with lots of cultural events. There are plenty of outdoor activities for hikers, mountain bikers, surfers, etc. We're also only a couple hours drive from San Francisco.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We can only accommodate smaller van-type RVs . If you have one, let us know.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
3-4 hours per day

Host ref number: 173824324691

Feedback (10)

6 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Sabina ) for host

Living with Kishka and Julia for three weeks as a volunteer was an incredible experience. It marked my first Workaway adventure, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Throughout my stay, I felt not only safe but truly embraced as part of their family. They involved me in typical American and family activities, making it a beautiful… read more

(Excellent )

5 Dec 2023

Left by host for Workawayer (Sabina )

Sabina stayed with us for 3 weeks in the fall of 2023, and she was an absolute joy to have around. From the moment she arrived, we could feel her warmth and joyous spirit, which she brought to everything she did. During her stay, she organized two very messy closets, cleaned and decluttered our living room and outdoor areas, weeded and tidied our… read more

(Excellent )

24 Sep 2023

Left by Workawayer (Isabella & Alice) for host

Kischka and Julie were our first experience with Workaway and we couldn't have asked for anything better than them!! We stayed 8 days, taking care of the house while they were out and pet sitting their wonderful dog Inky and the sweet shy cat Mika. While we were there they were also renovating their upper apartment and we helped them making some… read more

(Excellent )

19 Sep 2023

Left by host for Workawayer (Isabella & Alice)

We had the pleasure of hosting Isabella and Alice this September, and the only downside to the experience was that they could not stay longer. They first stayed in our home for a few days while we were travelling, taking excellent care of our home and pets, and remaining in close communication so we could feel at ease while we were away. They even… read more

(Excellent )

24 Aug 2023

Left by Workawayer (Nathan & Elodie) for host

Staying at julie's and kichka's house was our first Workaway expérience, and what beautiful 10 days we had !
We could not have been luckier. They welcomed us warmly, invited us to spend time with them and their friends. We exchanged recipes and meals, croissants, magrets de canard, ribs, crêpes, cinamon rolls, and so on...
They were always… read more

(Excellent )

28 Jul 2023

Left by host for Workawayer (Nathan & Elodie)

Wow! I can hardly find the words to express how lucky we were to have hosted Élodie and Nathan for their first Workaway experience. We needed help demolishing a kitchen and assembling the new cabinets, and Nat and Élo told us that they’d had experience remodeling their own homes. But what also caught my eye is that they both play instruments and… read more

(Excellent )

View all 10 feedbacks

Photos

Our adorable but shy cat, Mika

Nikki and I replaced a kitchen sink

Singing around the fire with Nathan and Élodie- an extra special Workaway experience.

American pizza with our Italian guests!

Workawayers Oli and Laila with the beautiful garden path they built

Inky the sweet dog

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Feedback

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(4.4)

Cultural exchange:
(4.4)

Communication:
(4.6)

6 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Sabina ) for host

(Excellent )

5 Dec 2023

Left by host for Workawayer (Sabina )

(Excellent )

24 Sep 2023

Left by Workawayer (Isabella & Alice) for host

(Excellent )

19 Sep 2023

Left by host for Workawayer (Isabella & Alice)

(Excellent )

24 Aug 2023

Left by Workawayer (Nathan & Elodie) for host

(Excellent )

28 Jul 2023

Left by host for Workawayer (Nathan & Elodie)

(Excellent )

16 Oct 2022

Left by host for Workawayer (Nicolas & Lisa)

We are so happy that we were able to host Nicholas this past summer. He originally came to stay just for a few days, but ending up being here for a month, and what a great month it was! Nico was a wonderful Workawayer, both in his abilities and willingness to take on whatever projects we asked him to do, and in his easygoing and engaging… read more

(Excellent )

3 Oct 2022

Left by Workawayer (Nicolas & Lisa) for host

I feel the frase, "Describe your experience" is so difficult to express and so small to describe in a hand ful of words. Julie and Kischka host me for a full month in Santa Cruz, I came due to other workaway that got cancelled because of wild fires, which in a way I kind of give thanks to Life for guiding me to this family. We did countless… read more

(Excellent )

30 Aug 2022

Left by host for Workawayer (Oli)

Oli and his partner Laila visited us in summer of 2022, with the prospect of redoing a brick path and patio that had sunk into the dirt. We are so pleased with the hard work they did over the course of their stay, clearing out the area, pulling up the bricks, and relaying the entire path and patio with mortar so we won't have the same problem… read more

(Excellent )

12 Jul 2021

Left by host for Workawayer (florenciaschell)

Flor was a kind, enthusiastic, and fun housesitter. Our dog, Inky, got more walks with Flor while we were away than she ever does with us, and Flor sent us pictures of the two of them having fun together. Flor arrived a day before our trip so that we could show her everything that was needed and jumped right in to help us with preparations,… read more

(Excellent )

9 Jul 2021

Left by Workawayer (florenciaschell) for host

I had an unforgettable experience in Santa Cruz and enjoyed every minute of it as I was housesitting for Julie, Kischka and the kids. I stayed at their home for a week and took care of their pets, while doing some house chores.
They made me feel very welcome. I would definitely go back.

(Excellent )

26 Dec 2018

Left by Workawayer (Shanti) for host

My stay with Julie and Kischka was really special and truly amazing! They are both easy going, very communicative and welcoming. I looked after their two dogs, two cats and house whilst they were away for holidays, it was fairly easy and I fell in love with their dog Inky whom I took for walks every day. We got along so well that I stayed even… read more

(Excellent )

11 Sep 2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Shanti)

Shanti was a ray of sunshine in our lives during her stay with us this summer. She is friendly, outgoing, interesting, and eager to help with anything we needed. Shanti and our dog Inky bonded immediately and became best friends. Inky looked forward to her walk with Shanti every day. She was open to all of the new cultural and culinary experiences… read more

(Excellent )

10 Jul 2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Megan)

Megan was the first Workawayer to stay with my elderly mother, and it worked out far better than I could have imagined, mostly due to Megan's kind, patient, and easygoing manner. At the end of her two-week stay, my mom was in love with Megan and would have loved for her to stay on. Megan's experience with elderly people from a previous job was a… read more

(Excellent )

8 Jul 2018

Left by Workawayer (Megan) for host

I spent two wonderful weeks caring for Kischka's sweet and spunky mother. This was my first workaway and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Kischka, Julie, and their two boys made me feel incredibly welcome and at home. They helped me get around the town, let me borrow a bike, and were there whenever I had any questions. During the… read more

(Excellent )

17 Jul 2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Natalie)

We had the pleasure of hosting Natalie for her first Workaway experience. She came to take care of our house and pets while we were away, but we got the chance to interact with her before and after our vacation. Natalie is super outgoing, friendly, enthusiastic about experiencing new things, and amazingly mature. She is just an all-around likeable… read more

(Excellent )

2 May 2016

Left by Workawayer (Manon & Yvan) for host

We spent two weeks in beautiful Santa Cruz helping out Kischka and Julie with their project and we loved it. We felt like visiting old friends, they made us feel at home. The work they request us to do was easy to accomplish and we could do it on our own schedule (like working a full day and then having a day off to explore the region). Dinners… read more

(Excellent )

24 Apr 2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Manon & Yvan)

We were lucky enough to be Manon and Yvan's first Workaway hosts, though they have done similar work exchanges on their own. We knew that Yvan's years of experience in construction would be a great asset, and they were. We now have a new fence and gate, a pergola on our deck, new vents for our crawl space, a working outdoor tub, and much more, all… read more

(Excellent )

26 Apr 2016

Left by Workawayer (Zara & Lorenzo ) for host

We spent two weeks with Julie, Kischka and their two boys helping them beautify their yard. During our stay here, they really made us feel comfortable and at home. Julie and Kischka were incredibly sweet and so thoughtful. They made us dinner almost every night - one night they even made us 6 different (and very delicious) gourmet pizzas! Our last… read more

(Excellent )

24 Apr 2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Zara & Lorenzo )

Zara and Lo were wonderful and respectful guests. They completed all the projects we had in mind for our Workawayers quickly, competently and cheerfully. They laid a concrete pad for our outdoor shower, and Lorenzo built a pergola on our deck with another Workawayer, while Zara helped with the somewhat unpleasant task of cleaning up all the crap… read more

(Excellent )

7 Sep 2014

Left by Workawayer (RAT ) for host

We spent 3 weeks in this family and it was such a great experience...Julie and Kichka are very friendly and they like to share a lot. We learnt a lot of things with her.
Their two boys are so cute.
Santa cruz is a pretty city not far from San Francisco. They live close to the seaside.
We really enjoy our time in their house, and if it could be… read more

(Excellent )

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Summer in beatiful Santa Cruz, United States

Profile information

Host rating

Last replied

Reply rate

Feedback

Facebook verified

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Badges (3)

Find your perfect host

Availability

Details

Description

Types of help and learning opportunities

Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

Help

Languages spoken

Accommodation

What else ...

A little more information

Space for parking camper vans

How many Workawayers can stay?

Hours expected

Feedback (10)

Photos

Feedback