Workaway reviews, feedback and ratings - page 5

I originally joined for a one-month Workaway experiment, helping out with the marketing and operations side of their new Retreat Center project. It quickly became much more than that — I ended up staying two months working as a consultant, helping set up their first Knowledge Base and PMS (Property Management System), and supporting the team professionalizing internal workflows and adopting a growth, data-informed and experiment-friendly mindset (critical for effective digital marketing). From day one, Eraldo and Komal welcomed me with openness, trust, and genuine kindness. They are visionaries: grounded, conscious, and deeply committed to creating something truly meaningful for the community and for everyone who visit. The rest of the team shares that same spirit, making collaboration smooth, inspiring, and full of heart. The location is stunning (just outside Livorno, yet fully surrounded by nature with awesome views over the Mediterranean), and the project has an incredible energy: a rare combination of beauty, purpose, and opportunity to learn. Compared to other Workaway experiences I’ve had, this one stands out not only for the quality of the place but also for the human connection: great conversations, shared meals (you must try the Torta di Ceci & Ponche alla Livornese!), and an extreme welcoming group of people. I 200% recommend joining the project if you get the chance — whether you’re into hospitality, community life, wellness, or sustainable living. I can’t wait to come back in spring or summer, when the Bar Agricolo & Camping Area (yes, the whole project is huge) come fully alive with good vibes, music, and people. 🌞 Eraldo, Komal: Thank you very much for this beautiful experience, keep up the good work!

Emerald stayed with us for one week, but in that short time, she left a very good impression. She was kind, polite, and easy to be around. Emerald adapted quickly to the environment, respected the house rules, and was always willing to help when needed. Even though her stay was brief, her positive energy and gentle attitude contributed nicely to the group atmosphere. I truly appreciate the time she spent here and hope she had a meaningful experience during her stay. I wish Emerald all the best on her journey ahead

Alex is a quiet and thoughtful person. At times, it was not always easy for me to know what he was thinking or whether there was anything he felt uncomfortable with about me or the place. However, he never let that affect his attitude or responsibilities. He is very independent, reliable, and takes responsibility seriously. As a male volunteer, Alex was a steady and supportive presence in the group, especially when working alongside female volunteers. He was always ready to help when needed, without being rigid or demanding, and adapted well to different situations. Alex brought a sense of stability to the team and worked in a calm, flexible way. I truly appreciate his contribution and hope that he had a positive and meaningful experience during his stay with us.

Olga is a very energetic and active person. From the beginning, she showed a strong willingness to help and always tried her best to be involved in daily activities. During the first few days, there were some small misunderstandings, such as forgetting the teaching schedule and oversleeping once. However, Olga was open, honest, and receptive to feedback. She quickly adjusted, took responsibility, and made a real effort to improve — which I truly appreciated. What stands out most about Olga is her readiness to help and her ability to understand situations after reflection. She can be a bit impulsive at times, but she is also emotionally aware and capable of calming things down, communicating, and finding balance. Because of that, any initial tension was resolved very smoothly. Overall, Olga brought a lot of energy to the project and was always willing to support whenever needed. With clear communication and structure, she does very well and grows quickly. I believe Olga will continue to develop positively and be a good contributor to future hosts.

Clara and Jule were a welcome addition to our home. The offered to help with cooking and putting away the dishes each evening and they were really great with my son. Thanks guys x

Gitta was an incredible volunteer, and I feel truly grateful for the time and energy she shared with us. From the very beginning, she helped me in many ways and made me feel supported, respected, and emotionally warm. Her presence brought a calm, gentle, and positive atmosphere into our daily life. During her stay, Gitta was deeply involved in many meaningful activities. She taught the children with patience, kindness, and genuine care, and the kids quickly connected with her. She also actively helped with cleaning and organizing our new homestay, always working with dedication and a positive attitude. Beyond daily tasks, she fully embraced the local experience — practicing meditation and enjoying vegetarian meals at the temple, joining beach clean-up activities together with local people, and participating in therapeutic sauna sessions with other members of my cooperative. These moments created a strong sense of connection and shared purpose. Even though her stay was relatively short, it was truly impactful. I was genuinely sad when she had to leave, as her presence was comforting and inspiring to both me and the children. Gitta is a thoughtful, kind-hearted, and reliable person, and I wholeheartedly recommend her to any future host. I truly hope she continues to have meaningful experiences wherever she goes, just as she did here.

First of all, I would like to thank you and Marvin for coming to my place. Honestly, you are one of the volunteers I truly appreciate. You took on a role very much like a leader within the volunteer group, proactively helping me in many ways and showing a strong sense of responsibility. However, after reading your very honest review, I genuinely wish that at the time you could have shared these feelings more directly with us. Regarding your arrival, I had already explained to you that I missed some of your messages due to objective reasons. Before there was a final official confirmation from my side, you were already on your way. Although it was quite unexpected for me, once I knew you were already traveling, I chose to welcome you. I did not want to inconvenience you or make your trip meaningless and costly. That decision came from my goodwill as a host. About cooking and cleaning, I believe we could have had more open discussions about this during your stay. It was winter, and as you could see, I did not have many activities at that time, so we actually had quite a lot of free time. You yourself were the one who helped organize and assign cooking and cleaning tasks to support me, and everyone participated in this together. I do acknowledge my shortcoming in not updating my Workaway profile clearly regarding this matter, but for a host like me, continuously updating the profile is not always easy. Regarding work arrangements, including the Sunday when I was not at home because I had to go to the hospital, I discussed this with you in advance and asked for your support. When I returned and you shared your concerns, I listened, acknowledged them, and made adjustments according to your wishes. Therefore, I feel that holding onto these issues until now and expressing them in such a heavy way is somewhat unfair. As discussed from the beginning, when you arrived, my place had shifted toward an “English House” model, where children participated through games and communication practice rather than formal classroom lessons. I prepared materials and was present to guide teams whenever needed. Compared to later volunteer groups, your group actually received the most support from me in terms of program structure. As for why I did not teach as many classes as you expected, it was because I had two Vietnamese volunteers supporting and replacing that role at the time. Regarding accommodation, because your arrival was unexpected, there were no available rooms left, so you were given a larger private room with air conditioning. Before that, female volunteers stayed in dorm rooms, and couples stayed in private rooms without air conditioning. Providing you with that room honestly made me feel a bit uncomfortable toward the volunteers who had arrived earlier. We rarely use air conditioning because electricity costs are very high and difficult for me to cover. Concerning accommodation photos, whenever volunteers asked, I always provided full images. Additionally, our Google Maps listing and fanpage clearly show many photos of the place. I can also confirm that the schedule always included two days off and a maximum of five working hours per day, as the schedule was chosen and arranged by the volunteers themselves. During that time, there were very few classes. If there were days exceeding five hours, it was mainly on Sundays, when you voluntarily chose to join classes together. Regarding conflicts among volunteers, the reason I did not handle them in a direct confrontation as you preferred is because Vietnamese volunteers can be emotionally sensitive and easily hurt. Therefore, I chose to communicate privately rather than address issues publicly. You and Marvin have strong personalities, which is not a bad thing, but not everyone is the same. I respect all volunteers and hope you understand that we are all different individuals who need balance and harmony. As a host, I never stand completely on one side as absolutely right or wrong; my intention is always to mediate and protect both sides. I hope you can reflect on this. You stayed with me for four weeks. Normally, if a volunteer truly feels unsuitable, they tend to leave much earlier. That is why I believed you had a positive experience and chose to stay that long. I am genuinely sad to learn that during those four weeks, you did not feel happy and that many things caused you discomfort. Nevertheless, I truly respect and appreciate the journey you shared with me. The children really liked you. I hope that moving forward, you can be more forgiving of differences and find greater peace within yourself. Thank you, and I wish you and Marvin a meaningful journey as you continue exploring the world.

I had a great 1.5 weeks with Mike! The house and property are super nice. Mike has the best tips for exploring the area. He makes sure you don't work too much and cooks delicious meals. The work varies often and Mike tries to adapt it to your wishes and abilities. All in all, I had a great time and can only recommend it. Thank you very much for this time and experience. Max

It was brilliant having Sarah stay and volunteer with us. Her understanding of English is pretty good and becoming more perfect every day. Sarah was keen to work, always helpful, enthusiastic and applied herself well to the tasks at hand and does a good job. We installed a replacement tractor window, cut firewood, cleared rocks, cut up trees and mowed lawns. I would recommend her for any job or casual work you might have available.

I stayed with Maria and Jürgen for almost one week. Even though it was a short stay, it was absolutely enough to discover how wonderful they are. We exchanged a lot of ideas and conversations, which I really appreciated. The region is beautiful, with a unique landscape that is perfect for walking or jogging. Because of the cold weather , we focused more on indoor tasks, especially on Jürgen’s project. This was a great opportunity for me to learn many new things and to see another perspective. Maria always surprised us with amazing meals, which made the stay even more special. Thank you, Maria and Jürgen, for everything!

Konrad stayed with us twice, and after the first experience we were already very happy to welcome him back. That probably says a lot. He’s a very easygoing, discreet and respectful person, always attentive to the shared rhythms of the house and the needs of the community. He was fully autonomous, took care of daily tasks with reliability, and treated common spaces with great respect. Konrad has many talents, especially when it comes to working with wood. His creativity naturally finds different forms: he built a beautiful decorative tower for the children’s sandbox, a handmade foosball table as a birthday gift, as well as practical pieces like a bed and a desk. At the same time, he was never limited to creative work only, he also took on repetitive and physically demanding tasks with lightness and consistency. He built a wonderful relationship with the children, inventing games and playing with them with genuine presence. They often looked for him to play together, which says a lot about the trust and joy he brought. We also shared a small music recording project, and beyond his practical skills, Konrad is simply a pleasure to talk to. He has many interesting stories and brings a calm, thoughtful energy into conversations. We feel very lucky to have met him and to have shared time together. He left behind both tangible creations and beautiful memories, and we would gladly welcome him again anytime.🍀💚

Jana is so lovely showing her kindness even before she arrived, she communicated really well, and contributed a lot to the farm. She is a really hard worker so we kept finding her doing more jobs and had to keep telling her she had done enough! She was keen to muck in to any job around the farm. She loves animals and they love her. She's also a kind, confident, competent horse rider so we enjoyed some rides out to different places. We appreciate that she also looked after the place by herself for a few days, we didn't have to worry about anything. We recommend hosting Jana to anyone who gets the chance.

Anaïs stayed with us only for a few days, and we made an exception for her, as we usually don’t host very short stays. She was passing nearby, we trusted the feeling, and we couldn’t have been happier with that choice. From the very first moment, Anaïs moved with great autonomy and a natural sense of responsibility. Without needing any direction, she stepped in, helped where help was needed, harmonized the spaces, and supported the garden work with real competence. She is clearly comfortable in community settings and knows how to tune into a shared rhythm with ease. She also carried forward a small photography project during her stay, creating truly beautiful images. Her photos speak, you can feel that she communicates deeply through them. Beyond that, she connected gently with the children, helped with cooking, and was always respectful and discreet, leaving space for our family life. What stood out most was how effortlessly she integrated. There was no adaptation phase, she arrived and immediately became part of the circle of our community. Anaïs is a person of many talents, sensitive, capable, and grounded. We are truly grateful our paths crossed and we wish her all the best for her travels. We sincerely hope to meet again. See you in 5 min sister 🌈

We spent two wonderful weeks at Kik, Tan, and Macon’s farm. They are kind, helpful, and very welcoming; we felt at home right away and truly felt like part of this beautiful family. The workload is never too heavy, leaving plenty of free time to explore the island by renting a scooter. Every day brings different activities and there is so much to learn, from farm management to Thai cooking and culture. Every dish cooked by Kik was incredibly delicious, and every lesson from Tan was invaluable. It was wonderful for us to see the beginning of this amazing project. We are certain that we will return in the future to see the progress of this place, which they both care for with such love and dedication. We already miss them all!

Lisa and Jeff were extremely generous and lovely couple who took me on many hikes and places I needed to go every the other day. They shared with me so much about local culture and wildlife through their life experiences. It wasn't only Lisa and Jeff who were very nice but also the other local people I've met during my stay. They gave me the chance to meet other locals through workshops, and I've truly experienced what it's like to be part of the community. The help wasn't hard, and I didn't feel left alone at all. They often worked in the garden or house at the same time as me, so I could easily ask questions. They even checked in to make sure I was taking breaks proper breaks. Overall, my stay was very peaceful and welcoming. I had plenty of free time to explore the nearest town and walking trails and also to work on my own hobbies in the living room. I hope to return one day to visit Lisa and Jeff and catch up with all the wonderful people I met in Wynyard.

She is a lovely, fun, kind, and intelligent girl. Working with her was a pleasant experience.

my stay has been fantastic. getting to work alongside girls that are my friends now is incredible. all thanks to the amazing environment it provides!

I spent an incredible month with Bishwo and Lena. They were immediately kind and welcoming, making me feel at home as soon as I arrived. The work was varied, and allowed me to learn so many new skills, from building with bamboo, to planting potato’s. I felt truly inspired by the project, and all the valuable work they’re doing and aspire to do. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, it felt like a perfect balance of work, with free time to explore the beauty that Bhaktapur has to offer. I feel so lucky to have spent a wonderful Christmas and New years with everyone there, it truly felt like a family! I already miss it there so much, and look forward to visiting in the future. Thank you so much Bishwo and Lena, and all the staff for being so wonderful and making it an unforgettable and rewarding experience.

We are incredibly blessed to have been able to host Yasmin not once but twice during her short travel adventure in Canada. She first stayed with us for a month in October and helped us prepare for an Art Crawl event as well as property maintenance, gardening, and cleaning around the house. She is also amazing with our two dogs. She then returned for January and picked up where she left off, helping with meal preparation, gardening, and a variety of other tasks. Her strong work ethic aside, her most endearing trait is that she is a happy, fun loving, and incredibly kind person. We really hope she will visit again. We'll miss you Yasmin!

I had a great month volunteering and met some wonderful people. The first week, I was put with the street dogs. I was told I could choose to stay at the shelter or with the street dogs. But in the end, I didn't have a choice… Then, since I came alone, I was working my shift by myself. I said that wasnt right, that there should have been a staff member on site. There were some dogs I wasn't supposed to approach because they might react badly, but I had to go near them to feed them. And then I was criticized for going into their enclosures…