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Host rating
100 %
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Last replied
13 Aug 2026
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Reply rate
94.1 %
Usually responds within 4 days
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Feedback
53
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Details
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Description
Timeline: For atleast 1 week
Welcome to Our Home in Lyaskovets! 🇧🇬🇮🇳 🇧🇪
We are an international couple (from Belgium and India) in our late 30s and early 40s, crafting our life in Bulgaria for the past 8 years. Together with our 10-month-old daughter and our sweet 4-year-old rescue dog, we love opening our home to the world.
We are veteran hosts, having welcomed over 100+ Couchsurfers over the last decade and many wonderful Workawayers. For us, this isn't just a transaction; it’s an extension of our family. We love forging genuine connections, sharing stories, and exchanging cultural traditions (especially cooking—we love Asian and Indian recipes!).
Our town of Lyaskovets offers a charming, laid-back country lifestyle but has everything you need (supermarkets,regular buses, clinics, sports facilities). We are just 15 minutes from Veliko Tarnovo and 7 minutes from the Gorna Oryahovitsa train station, making it a great base to explore the country.
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What We Expect: The Right Fit 🤝
We put a lot of heart into hosting, and in this season of life with our little one's routine, we prefer to host self-independent volunteers.
*A Note on Our Philosophy* We welcome you as a friend and an extension of our family, but our current lifestyle doesn't allow us to always offer pick up and drop and we want guests to be mindful of that. We have a lot to juggle between projects, full/part time jobs and a baby, so we appreciate proactive people who can take care of themselves/ thier travels and supplement their personal travel and dietary needs for thier free days. When we are able to offer help based on our circumstances and means, we sure will :)
* **Communication is Key:
We prioritize clear, two-way communication to ensure expectations are fully aligned and everyone is comfortable.
* **Privacy & Balance
We deeply respect your privacy and need our own as well. There is absolutely no pressure to hang out outside of help hours—we all need space to decompress away from the bustle of family life.
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Help needed : It can vary but we want to focus on DIY help which could include sanding floorboards, varnishing, installing parquet.. nothing that needs any prior experience although if you do have some it would be good to know in advance :)
Accommodation & Food: What We Offer & What to bring
We keep a clear line between work days and free days so everyone knows what to expect. That said, since we're all sharing the same house, we'd appreciate a bit of everyday consideration even on your off-days — things like rinsing your dishes, giving the plants a splash of water if you think of it (or just ask) or just generally leaving shared spaces as you found them. Nothing formal, just the kind of thing you'd naturally do living with people you like. If you're ever unsure what's helpful, just ask.
* **Stay:You will have your own private room
* **Food on Work Days:Shared meals are provided on the days you help us. Sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate and other times the grand old leftover days.
* **Food on Off-Days: These days are yours to enjoy as you like — catching up on rest, exploring the area, or simply having a breather. On these days, we also like to do the same, so you're free to plan around your own rhythm, whether that means cooking for yourself or heading out. That said, we genuinely enjoy sharing meals when we can, and if the timing works out, we'll happily invite you to join us.
* **Breakfast:We keep basic essentials in the kitchen which you are welcome to help yourself to. If you have specific dietary desires or want more than the basics, we expect you to supplement those needs yourself.
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The Schedule & Hours
We try to be organized but remain adaptable to seasonal changes and how the week evolves.
* **The Hours:Upto 25 hours per week, fully coordinated in advance.
* **Summer Early Starts: As summer approaches, we like to start early to beat the heat and wrap up the day early. Our DIY working window is never before 8:00 AM and very rarely after 3:00 PM.
* *Note: The earlier we start, the earlier you are free to explore! If you struggle to get out of bed before 8 AM in the summer, this dynamic might not be an ideal fit for you.
Exception: if you are helping us with our little one, then the timings will be different.
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Ultimately, we approach hosting with a mindset of gratitude and respect. While we hope the work itself is fulfilling, the true joy for us is the lifelong connections we make with our volunteers. And at the end of the day, we want you to have fun.
If you are an independent, respectful traveler who wants to experience a mishmash of cultures, we are excited to welcome you!
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions (and ask us for our references if you'd like!). -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Light maintenance
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Interests
Sustainability
Van life
Self development
Politics / Social justice
Pets
Plant care
Hitchhiking
Gardening
Art & design
Nature
Mountain
Dancing
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Architecture
Animals -
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Language- We speak 6 languages together- Me- Hindi, English, Bengali, learning Bulgarian and Dutch and Arne- Dutch, French, English, Bulgarian.
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Au Pair Help
This host is looking for Au pair help.
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Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
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Help
Help Needed: Hands-On DIY & Home Projects 🛠️
We are looking for enthusiastic, practical hands to help us with various creative DIY projects around our home and garden. Because we have a young baby, having an independent volunteer who can take a task and run with it is a massive help to us!
If you enjoy working with your hands, being creative, and seeing a tangible result at the end of the day, you will fit right in.
**Some of the projects we currently need help with include:**
* **Woodwork prep:
Sanding down old wooden slabs, doors, or window frames to give them a fresh lease on life.
* **Brightening up walls:
Giving some indoor walls a fresh coat of paint to brighten up our living spaces.
* **Creative wall styling:
Helping us hang wallpaper or decorative wall coverings to add some personality to our rooms.
* **General tidying & upkeep:
Light help in the garden, organizing spaces, and general day-to-day hands-on tasks around the house.
You don't need to be a professional craftsman, but previous experience with basic DIY tools, painting, or handling sandpaper is handy.
If you are detail-oriented, tidy with a paintbrush, and enjoy making spaces feel cozy and welcoming, we would love to have your help! -
Languages
Languages spoken
Bengali (Bangla): Fluent
English: Fluent
Hindi: Fluent
Bulgarian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
English, Hindi, French, Dutch, Bengali -
Accommodation
Private bedroom with fast WiFi.
Bathroom in the same floor.
Shared lounge area.
Beautiful big balcony
The floor above is where our bedroom is and also has a shared full kitchen with an oven and 4 stove induction cooktop plus another wet room.
Local Community and grocery stores: Safe neighbourhood, neighbours keep to themselves but are friendly.
less than 1 minute walk to the grocery store
10 minute walk to the town centre
6 minute walk to the closest bus stop that goes to Veliko Tarnovo, Gorna Oryahovitsa or cross country travel via the train station at Gorna Oryahovitsa.
We are right in the middle of the country. If you like nature, walking, biking, birdwatching, etc... this is the perfect place. The city of Veliko Tarnovo- the Medieval capital of Bulgaria is beautiful and the house is in the heart of the old town
The most important thing:
We ask all our guests not to smoke inside the house (only outside in the garden). Also you are welcome to bring your own Alcohol and have it at your discretion.
We would like to highlight a few things in advance to ensure both you and us have a comfortable experience when sharing our home and life for the time you invest with us:
- As a cross-cultural couple- you will receive hospitality which will be a mashup of cultures and food diversity.
- We make meals, some simple, some elaborate when we can. Guests are welcome to join us, or make thier own food using the supplies in our kitchen for lunch and dinner. We prefer guests to be independent enough to handle thier meals over the weekends on thier own since our weekend schedule looks different every week and we are usually sorting household logistics.
- We are digital nomads ourselves and live and work online, Hi-Speed Wifi is at your disposal, helpful if you work remotely too.
- We like clear communication and strive to be as clear as possible when confirming duration (decided after we discuss what you are looking for and what our circumstances at the time allows us).
- We cultivate friendly relations with volunteers -the idea is to meet other travelers for a sustained amount of time each and create something lasting together with an exchange of culture and ideas.
If the above fits your vibe- drop us a message :) -
What else ...
You can explore the whole country from here alone via the Bulgarian Railway. Closest Railway station is Gorna Oryahovitsa, a 6 minute car ride from our home or a 15 min bus ride.
The whole country is well connected to Veliko Tarnovo by bus as well. Lyaskovets and Veliko Tarnovo has buses to and fro every 20 minutes from 7 am -8 pm. There are lots of Waterfalls, hikes, nearby. Veliko Tarnovo is 14 kms away. -
A little more information
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Internet access
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Limited internet access
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We have pets
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We are smokers
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Can host families
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Can host digital nomads
As digital nomads ourselves- we understand the importance and requirements that come with the territory. We have fast internet for this and can set you up with a work corner in the house as well. I have quit smoking, while Arne vapes but always outside the house.
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Space for parking camper vans
Parking of cars and Campervans is easily possible outside the house- we live in a quite part of the town.- 100 meters away from our front gate- since we live down a lane.
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Can possibly accept pets
This is possible but with prior discussion to ensure all pets are comfortable. :) We can accept pets only with pior meeting with our doggy and if he gets along well with them. He was bullied as a stray dog and only allows his friends to enter his territory (he lives in our Yard).
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How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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My animals / pets
Barfi (4 years)
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (25)
He's an independent traveller in the best sense — self-sufficient, easy-going, and quick to settle into the rhythm of the house. During his stay he helped us sand the floorboards, and put real care and effort into the work. He was also wonderful with … read more
Consistent … read more
From the moment they arrived, they were incredibly engaging, warm, and easy to talk to. We shared some truly lovely evenings together, filled with great conversations, and I genuinely feel like we … read more
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Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
He's an independent traveller in the best sense — self-sufficient, easy-going, and quick to settle into the rhythm of the house. During his stay he helped us sand the floorboards, and put real care and effort into the work. He was also wonderful with … read more
Consistent … read more
From the moment they arrived, they were incredibly engaging, warm, and easy to talk to. We shared some truly lovely evenings together, filled with great conversations, and I genuinely feel like we … read more
At the time I was there, plan was to help outside to get ready for summer, implying some gardening and storage.Tasks were easy and schedule very flexible, they made me feel more like a friend who give a hand than a hosted workawayer.
There is no doubt I will visit … read more
I was only there for a week, but it really felt like more! They showed me the village of Lyaskovets and introduced me to friends from Veliko Tarnovo.
It was a pleasure to collaborate on the cabin project, where I was able to contribute my … read more
He is handy with wood and open to new techniques around finishing works- he helped us get closer to finishing our project by covering the insulation … read more
Arne ensured there was materials and good tools, making the jobs enjoyable to do.
It wasn't all work. We had some very … read more
I would … read more
We were able to share a few afternoons with them and it was enough to know that they are good and kind people. This is also reflected in their friendships, which they introduced us to from the first day and they' re all beautiful people with whom you can share a good time and a nice chat.
The guys were very … read more
In this one and a half weeks there were little work, wich was partly due to the delays in delivery for the material of the tiny house. Therefore I wanted to help with the housekeeping, but they did not expect it from me. I had a lot of possibilities to … read more
Nous les avons aidé à la rénovation d'un mur et c'était très intéressant, nous avons appris de nouvelles choses.
Nous avons également rencontré leurs amis et avons passé de bonnes soirées en leur compagnie.
Nous avons eu le temps pour nous reposer également, pas de … read more
Don't be fooled by the few reviews they have on Workaway, these guys have a huge experience in hosting people, mainly through Couchsurfing, and it was clear from day one. So welcoming, nice, and easy going.
Careful about your personal space and free time, as much as willing to … read more
The weather made it hard for us to do much work but we helped where we could.
As the weather improves and their various projects develop there will be plenty of varied tasks to do and I have no doubt they will take a flexible and responsive attitude with future workawayers. They're just lovely … read more
