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Join our family at our Alaskan wilderness homestead in Fairbanks, USA
Last activity
: 27 Apr 2025
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Usually responds within 6 days
Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks
Workawayers needed
Possibility that workawayers are needed
No availability
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Host ref number: 932697923882
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Feedback (6)
Left by Workawayer (Janie) for host
Annabel and myself had the most amazing 2 weeks with Jenna, David, Celia and little Juniper ! We stayed with them in September and we cannot stop talking about what an epic time it was ! Being offline and with little electricity etc for two weeks was extremely refreshing.
Jenna took us berry picking and David was lucky enough to hunt a moose
… read more while we were there so we helped with processing it which was really cool to see ! The food we ate was insanely good, Jenna is an amazing cook, using fresh veggies from the garden and meat they had hunted themselves. It goes to say Jenna and David are extremely capable, generous and kind people and it was amazing to see how they lived such a lifestyle. It is really amazing to see what people can do ! Celia is such an inquisitive and knowledgeable kid - she was teaching us lots of things (my favourite lesson was which rosehips were the best to eat and she wasn't afraid to tell me off if I picked a bad one). And little Juniper is a precious little bundle of joy - defiantly the calmest baby we have met !
We cannot thank Jenna and David enough for this experience we learnt so much and have been inspired by their lifestyle !!
Annabel and Janie :)Left by host for Workawayer (Janie)
It was such a pleasure to have Janie and Annabel stay with us. They are both quick learners, hard workers, great with kids and endlessly cheerful. We have and off-grid Homestead and were impressed with how easily these tough ladies adapted to everything. They were respectful of our home and great cooks. They are clearly accustomed to being helpful
… read more and able to jump in to whatever task needed to get done with little direction. They brought a lot of joy into our home and I would highly reccomend them to anyone.
Left by host for Workawayer (Annabel)
It was such a pleasure to have Annabel and Janie stay with us. They are both quick learners, hard workers, great with kids and endlessly cheerful. We have and off-grid Homestead and were impressed with how easily these tough ladies adapted to everything. They were respectful of our home and great cooks. They are clearly accustomed to being helpful
… read more and able to jump in to whatever task needed to get done with little direction. They brought a lot of joy into our home and I would highly reccomend them to anyone.
Left by host for Workawayer (Antonia)
It is hard to say enough good things about Antonia. She is hard working, intelligent, responsible, cheerful and kind. She is the kind of person who looks around and sees what needs to be done and does it without being asked. She pays attention to instructions and learns quickly and was able to operate machinery that we normally wouldn't have
… read more guests use. She is a good cook and good with kids as well!
We hosted her for a month at our off-grid wilderness Homestead and she adjusted well to the rustic aspects of our life (no indoor plumbing, limited electricity), she's really tough! Also her english is excellent and she is a good communicator. I highly reccomend her.Feedback
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Left by Workawayer (Janie) for host
Annabel and myself had the most amazing 2 weeks with Jenna, David, Celia and little Juniper ! We stayed with them in September and we cannot stop talking about what an epic time it was ! Being offline and with little electricity etc for two weeks was extremely refreshing.
Jenna took us berry picking and David was lucky enough to hunt a moose
… read more while we were there so we helped with processing it which was really cool to see ! The food we ate was insanely good, Jenna is an amazing cook, using fresh veggies from the garden and meat they had hunted themselves. It goes to say Jenna and David are extremely capable, generous and kind people and it was amazing to see how they lived such a lifestyle. It is really amazing to see what people can do ! Celia is such an inquisitive and knowledgeable kid - she was teaching us lots of things (my favourite lesson was which rosehips were the best to eat and she wasn't afraid to tell me off if I picked a bad one). And little Juniper is a precious little bundle of joy - defiantly the calmest baby we have met !
We cannot thank Jenna and David enough for this experience we learnt so much and have been inspired by their lifestyle !!
Annabel and Janie :)Left by host for Workawayer (Janie)
It was such a pleasure to have Janie and Annabel stay with us. They are both quick learners, hard workers, great with kids and endlessly cheerful. We have and off-grid Homestead and were impressed with how easily these tough ladies adapted to everything. They were respectful of our home and great cooks. They are clearly accustomed to being helpful
… read more and able to jump in to whatever task needed to get done with little direction. They brought a lot of joy into our home and I would highly reccomend them to anyone.
Left by host for Workawayer (Annabel)
It was such a pleasure to have Annabel and Janie stay with us. They are both quick learners, hard workers, great with kids and endlessly cheerful. We have and off-grid Homestead and were impressed with how easily these tough ladies adapted to everything. They were respectful of our home and great cooks. They are clearly accustomed to being helpful
… read more and able to jump in to whatever task needed to get done with little direction. They brought a lot of joy into our home and I would highly reccomend them to anyone.
Left by host for Workawayer (Antonia)
It is hard to say enough good things about Antonia. She is hard working, intelligent, responsible, cheerful and kind. She is the kind of person who looks around and sees what needs to be done and does it without being asked. She pays attention to instructions and learns quickly and was able to operate machinery that we normally wouldn't have
… read more guests use. She is a good cook and good with kids as well!
We hosted her for a month at our off-grid wilderness Homestead and she adjusted well to the rustic aspects of our life (no indoor plumbing, limited electricity), she's really tough! Also her english is excellent and she is a good communicator. I highly reccomend her.
Left by Workawayer (Emma) for host
It’s been almost seven weeks since I’ve left Jenna and David’s lovely homestead, and I sometimes still imagine myself softly swinging on one of their hammocks up there, seeing the Alaska Range in front of me, miles away. What they created on their property is a testament to the love they have for the outdoors and simply living. The amount of
… read more dedication, passion, and determination they have for making their property a home is unparalleled.
I was able to meet each of their dogs and get to know each of their personalities. They say a dog reflects their owner’s personality, and I can confidently say, each of their dogs was a pleasure to be around. Mukluk especially gave the best hugs! I watered their garden and was able to pick lettuce daily for lunches and dinners. I never had done that before and there’s something so special about eating food straight from your backyard, when only moments earlier it had been picked. I was able to hang out with Celia, their 3-year-old, who was beyond adorable, and watching their 2-month-old, Juniper, brought this peace to my heart I didn’t know I could possess.
I peeled a lot of bark from logs for their next log cabin, and I found this very peaceful and meditative. I was on their property for three weeks and I slowly was able to see my progress with the projects I was working on. It taught me patience and showed me the beauty in seeing projects progress slowly but surely. David and Jenna were extremely accommodating and clear communicators. Jenna was mindful about what I wanted to learn during my Workaway experience on the homestead too, and I really appreciated this.
Jenna and David inspire me. As an American who lives in the lower 48, the homestead living I did on their property has made me more confident in perhaps how I would like to live my life one day: outside, with a loving family, working hard, and living with passion.
Thanks for having me, Jenna and David (and Celia and Juniper! And Mukluk, Hobbit, Bruce Lee, Ruby, Flame, Bowdrill…)!
Left by Workawayer (Sophie & Gabriel) for host
Staying with Jenna and David was such a dream, one that I'm still thinking about months later! I stayed with them in November and although there wasn't a ton of work to be done outside, I still felt like I learned so much just from spending time with them in their everyday routines. Jenna and David have worked so hard on making this place a
… read more beautiful and self-sufficient home, and they are so knowledgeable about living off the land and off-grid living. Most of my time was devoted to hanging out with their two-year-old, Celia, and playing with their ten ADORABLE husky pups. I also got around to some wood splitting, fishing, cooking, and taking care of the rest of their many sled dogs.
The sunlodge was such a comfortable and perfect place to stay. It felt secluded and peaceful, and an amazing place to take time to reflect, journal, do art, and connect with the beautiful Alaskan wilderness. Workawayers should be prepared to spend time alone, but it is so worth it. I also got some pretty spectacular views of the freezing river and the aurora from my cabin!
Overall, I could not have landed in a more magical and beautiful place. Jenna, David, Celia, and the many dogs and puppies made me feel like I was part of the family. I can't wait for the day that I can go back and visit. Much love :)You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Lance) for host
What an awesome adventure it was! Jenna and David are very knowledgeable, engaging teachers. I enjoy speaking with them a lot. They are great communicators, very observant people, and emotionally intelligent as well. They were happy to answer all of my questions, and I ask many.
Their daughter Celia is very interested in her surroundings. She
… read more always wanted to see what I was up to, whether it was me raking the leaves or processing beaver. She was always looking out the window.
David taught me how to skin beavers, and even let me practice skinning one myself, and keep the pelt too! He taught me a plethora of useful knots and paddle strokes for canoeing as well. I could spend all day just talking about birch and maple syrup with David.
I appreciate that Jenna always did a great job tailoring the experience to my skills, strengths, and interests, matching it with their needs and projects of the timeframe where I planned to visit. And she made sure I knew that it didn't have to be a slog either.
Jenna is a trooper. She took care of Celia most the day and held down the fort while David and I were out on the river. There was always a warm cabin and a hot meal to come back to after a day outside. And she always set me up with goodies to take back to the earth lodge, so I could make my own breakfast in the morning or have a cup of tea at night. All of this and more she does while she's pregnant!
They let me take care of the sled dogs, tend to the smokehouse, insulate the garlic using leaves for the winter, put out feeders for the chickadees, and we got out on the river everyday.
Almost everything, their home, furniture, decorations they have made by hand. We even went out and collected dry grass from the area to use as bedding for the dogs, rather than buying (and hauling in) bedding which as I learned introduces invasive weeds. They have no weeds on their property.
We ate wild fish and game meat every day. We ate salmon sushi, beaver stew, baked grouse, and moose stew, full of garden veggies. Every meal was to-die-for yummy.
They have an amazing library, complete with some of the most practical knowledge about the natural environment.
The accommodations were fantastic, I don't think I've ever slept better in my life than I did in their earth lodge. It's literally like sleeping in a cave. There is no noise, and it stays really warm. At the time of year I visited, fall, it only took a few pieces of wood burning low and it would still be warm in the morning.
I'm really grateful to these people, and fortunate to have been in their presence. I feel very much inspired after seeing what these two are able to accomplish.
This place is northern hospitality and adventure at its finest, it defied all expectations!
Thank you so much Jenna and David!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Bénédicte & Victor) for host
We spent two weeks at Jenna and David's place and it was better than what we could expect. The work was interesting and diversified.
we loved spending time with them and their daughter. this was the amazing experience. Jenna is an amazing cook and we loved sharing cooking recipe together.
Our stay was even better than what we could have dream !
… read more
Thank you so much Jenna, David and Celia !You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Mitchell & Johanna)
Mitchell and Anne-Wil (Johanna) stayed with us for a month and it was wonderful. They are energetic, considerate, and hard working. They are well-traveled and very adaptable and interesting people who are genuinley fun to host.
Their communication style was direct and clear, which worked well for us.
They were quick to adjust to life in our
… read more family, the kind of people who do dishes before you know they need to get done.
The cultural exchange part was more fun that I expected! They put a lot of thought and love into their cooking. Each day Anne-Wil taught us a new Dutch word or two and posed a fun question for discussion.
Mitch came up with an innovative water system for our garden. They really went above and beyond to complete tasks. They did a lot of hard work!
They were both really good with our toddler, and she asks about them regularly.
They were responsible, trustworthy and independent, which is exactly what we were looking for. We miss them both and recommend them highly.
Left by Workawayer (Mitchell & Johanna) for host
We have done 3 Workaways so far and we had the honours of being the first ones to stay at David and Jenna's place. To summarize our stay in one sentence: Their place is the reason why we chose to do Workaway.
We felt incredibly welcome at their place from the start and they are very kind and chill people to hang out with and very supportive and
… read more thankful people to work for. We stayed in our own little beautiful underground cabin which includes everything you would need and it is super cosy! We stayed a month and had the same workhours everyday and Jenna made sure we didnt work overtime and took enough days off, which was very organized and professional. They would set us up with cool things to do on our time off like canoeing and hiking in the mountains.
Jenna is an amazing cook. We liked to help her prepare meals and she inspired us to cook a lot aswell because she has amazing recipes and they are very thankfull eaters. Also the local ingredients and meat and fresh fish we caught from the net every day were delicious. Regarding the work, we started rebuilding the garden after the snow melted and peeled a lot of logs, chopped firewood, fed and pet the dogs (which are all so cute), checked the fishnet and various other tasks.
Their place is remote and gorgeous, everything they've build themselves and the surrounding nature is calming and beautiful. They have taken incredibly good care of us, checked in how we were doing a lot and were very thankful of the work we did. If you want the real Alaska experience and are not afraid of outside showers and an outhouse we highly recommend this place!
PS: Celia is the most adorable 2 year old ever who knows tons of birds.
Thank you David and Jenna for the wonderful time!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
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Information for those planning to visit the US
If you are NOT a US CITIZEN and are planning to visit to work, volunteer or study, YOU WILL NEED THE CORRECT VISA. To find out more information you need to contact the embassy in your home country BEFORE travelling. Do NOT attempt to enter the USA without the correct visa!
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