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Description
“We are currently welcoming female Workaway guests only.”
We are a busy, outdoorsy family of four living on a beautiful rural property in British Columbia, surrounded by forests, farms, and trails right from our driveway. Our home is a log house with a creek running nearby—you’ll get both peaceful surroundings and a genuinely active, real family environment.
We’re located about 20 kms South of Salmon Arm (20 min drive by car) and 35 kms North of Vernon, in the interior BC vacation region of the Okanagan / Shuswap with multiple world class lakes located nearby for exploring.
Our family includes Caitlin (mom), Darrin (dad), Addison (14), and Blake (2), along with a Shetland Sheepdog, a cat, two horses and a donkey.
Darrin works as an airline pilot which often takes him away internationally for work, and we are business owners of a Canadian aviation consulting company that we operate from our home office. Caitlin is also a busy mom and 4-H leader for the Shuswap 4-H Club. Both Caitlin and Addison spend a lot of time riding our horses, Addison is homeschooled and very involved in 4-H with gardening and dog training, while Blake is a busy toddler who loves spending time outdoors and trying to keep up to his big sister.
This is a great fit for someone who enjoys being part of a busy household, loves animals, and wants a true rural Canadian experience.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Pets
Self development
Plant care
Photography
Gardening
Drawing & painting
DIY & crafts
Animals
Outdoor activities
Nature
Hiking
Beach
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are passionate about hosting through Workaway as a cultural exchange experience, not just a help-based stay. We aim to create an environment where our guests become part of our daily life, sharing skills, perspectives, and experiences with our family.
During your stay, you will have the opportunity to learn about rural Canadian living, including time spent around horses, gardening, and aspects of family farm life. Our daughter is actively involved in 4-H (dog, gardening, and outdoor adventure projects), and we enjoy including our guests in these activities so they can gain hands-on experience and insight into this lifestyle.
We work alongside our guests whenever possible, whether that’s with outdoor projects, animal care, or daily routines. We value connection and shared experiences, and you can expect to spend time together through meals, conversations, and occasional outings.
We also believe cultural exchange goes both ways. We are excited to learn about your background, traditions, and skills—whether that’s cooking meals from your home country, sharing your language, or teaching us something new. We especially welcome opportunities for you to engage with our daughter and share your interests or talents.
Outside of daily activities, we love spending time in nature. There are hiking opportunities right from our driveway, and in the summer we often visit nearby lakes such as Shuswap, Okanagan, and Kalamalka. When possible, guests may join us for these outings, as well as occasional horseback rides if they have prior experience.
Our home is best suited for someone who enjoys peaceful surroundings, nature, and a family-oriented environment. While there is little nightlife in our area, we offer a welcoming, structured, and supportive atmosphere where expectations are clear and your stay can feel like a home away from home.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
This is a mix of home, family, and property support. Tasks may include:
Housework / cleaning
- Gardening / Yard work
- Basic farm tasks (manure, barn tidying)
- Seasonal tasks (stacking wood, possibly using a wood splitter)
Possible Home/Property DIY Improvements
- Painting/Prep, projects, ect.
Animal care:
- Feeding, watering
Childcare: [If it is the right fit only, this is not a 100% requirement]
- Helping with our 2-year-old, as a mom's helper to entertain him so mom can get a few things done at
home
- Occasional short periods (up to 2-3 hours) of independent child minding while mom is nearby (e.g., riding
horses off property)
We are very open to any ideas that you may have, or special skills that you may wish to contribute. Some work may be done together, however it is important that you are able to work independently as well.
When you apply, please tell us about your experience with children and animals, and what attracts you to rural life in Canada.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Accommodation
Accommodation:
- A comfortable, newly renovated bedroom with queen bed, vaulted ceilings and a window that looks out at the horses and forest/mountain views
- Shared, newly renovated bathroom
- We have very limited mobile phone service on the property, however we have unlimited Satellite (Starlink)
internet available in the house
- Space to park an RV if preferred, no sewer hook-ups.
Meals:
- Breakfast & lunch: sometimes we will eat as a family together, other times it will be help yourself (fully
stocked kitchen & pantry)
- Dinner: usually shared as a family, though occasionally you may be asked to help prepare a meal.
(We typically eat meat and are not able to accommodate vegetarians. If you have other special dietary requirements please let us know ahead of time so that we can discuss if it is possible.)
What else ...
This Workaway is perfect for someone who is outgoing, self-motivated, flexible, and enjoys animals and rural life.
There is no public transportation as we are rural, however we regularly go into Salmon Arm and Vernon and can offer rides when possible. Our family tends to have a later schedule and our days run later than most (typically our days start around 10:00am and we don't often go to bed before midnight). A perfect fit for a night owl like us!
There is no smoking or drug use on the property. We don't mind enjoying the occasional social alcoholic beverage, however this is a family environment therefore no excessive drinking or partying.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
If you require to be on any conference calls, just keep in mind that we have a busy toddler and noise is sometimes at a higher level.
Space for parking camper vans
We have space for parking any sized RV. Please inquire about what hook-ups we might be able to provide to make sure that we can accommodate your needs. (Please note there is no mobile phone reception or internet outside of our home as service is limited.)
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
My animals / pets
Bam Bam (Donkey)
Bam Bam is a 17 year old small standard donkey. He loves to come hiking with us and has a little pack saddle that we use to bring along lunch for up on the trail.
Jewel
Jewel is a 10 year old quarter horse/Paint mare. She is our daughter's personal horse. Jewel came to us 3 years ago, and is a great trail horse. She often gives our son pony rides as well.
Cherokee
Cherokee is an 11 year old mare. She was born feral in the Southern Canadian Okanagan. However she was gentled as a young foal and is considered a "BC Wildie". She is Caitlin's personal horse and enjoys riding up into the mountains. Bam Bam the donkey is her best friend and they are super attached to each other.
Boots
Boots is a 7 Year old Tuxedo cat. Boots spends his days outside "protecting" our property and has a patrol line that he checks daily. We call him the "Panther". He spends his evenings in our unfinished basement on his favourite cat bed. His favourite person is our 2 year old son.
Daisy
Daisy is a 5 Year Shetland Sheepdog. Daisy competes with our daughter in 4-H and Canadian Kennel Club in obedience and agility events. They are very competitive and love having fun and winning ribbons along the way. Daisy and Addison train together everyday and I am sure they would love to have you learn with them as well.
Photos
