Reasons To Do a Workaway Project in Your Hometown
In September 2017, I completed my first Workaway project on a yoga retreat in southern Spain. It was an incredible experience. The chef cooked delicious vegetarian meals, the other Workawayers were so friendly, and it was in a dreamy location in the countryside surrounded by olive fields. Plus, the yoga instructor even let the volunteers attend the classes! Why wouldn’t I want to do something like that again?!
I searched terms like ‘yoga’ and ‘meditation’ on Workaway’s host list and I recognised one of the listings. It was a post with local volunteer opportunities at a Buddhist centre only a 30-minute drive from my home in northwest England. It wasn’t what I was looking for at the time, but it stayed in the back of my mind.
Later, in early 2019, I had a few weeks free on my calendar but wanted to stay close to home (keep reading to find out why!). I remembered the Buddhist centre, got in touch, and they accepted. It was, yet again, incredible. If you’ve never considered signing up for a Workaway project in your hometown, here are the reasons why you should!
1. Dip Your Toe Into the Long-term Travel Lifestyle
Maybe you’ve never travelled by yourself before. Maybe you’ve never travelled overseas. Everyone’s experience and comfort zone are different! While some people are quite happy to order their first passport and dive straight into volunteering at a dog shelter in Thailand for three months, that doesn’t mean you need to.
Signing up for local volunteer opportunities near you allows you to dip your toe into long-term travel without flying across the world first. If the Workaway project in your hometown accepts multiple Workawayers, you’ll probably still meet people from different countries. You will still have to live out of a suitcase or backpack, and possibly cook your own food.
My local Workaway project hosted dozens of volunteers at a time. There were some Brits, but many nationalities were represented including French, Dutch, Argentinian, Italian, and everywhere in between. It felt like I was miles away from home because everyone around me was.
Related blog post: Why You Should Choose a Homestay for Your First Workaway
2. Keep Travel Costs Incredibly Low
One of the top reasons that travellers use Workaway is to save on the huge costs associated with travel like food and accommodation. Work exchanges can turn a three-week trip into a six-month adventure.
You’ll always need some cash for emergencies, travel insurance, and fun activities but you can keep these costs to a minimum. Signing up for local volunteer opportunities near you will ensure your travel spends the lowest they can be.
You can access whatever healthcare you normally use and won’t have to pay extra for overseas coverage. Paying for public transportation or petrol to reach your work exchange will cost substantially less than a plane ticket to Mexico. Do you have a couple of days between volunteer opportunities? Ask a friend or family member if they can offer a free bed.
Signing up for a Workaway project in your hometown takes budget travel to the extreme. You have support systems that you won’t find anywhere else. I spent almost nothing arriving, during, and leaving my work exchange so it was incredibly affordable.
3. Show Other Travellers Hidden Gems in Your Local Area
Most hosts love showing Workawayers around the local community. They like introducing Workawayers to their neighbours, the local area, and the best things to do. But if you’re staying at a project together with several Workawayers such as a hostel or retreat, the host probably isn’t going to be around all the time. You can act as a second ambassador for your hometown!
Cultural exchanges are part of the Workaway experience. You’re still getting that experience even if you’re on the other side. Take other volunteers to your favorite spots. If you live in a big city, be a tour guide and show them all the best local restaurants, bars, and activities tourists often skip. If you live in the countryside, take other volunteers on the best hikes to see incredible viewpoints.
There are also less tangible cultural exchanges. You can help other Workawayers learn local slang and tell them which food they should try. Because my Workaway experience was on a huge estate, we didn’t leave the complex much. Still, I happily answered any questions about things to do and the local bus service.
Related blog post: 5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Your First Workaway Experience
4. Build Local Connections and Workplace Experience
Sustainable travel is a key benefit of Workaway, but the skills and experiences you gain from the work exchange are benefits too. Since you’re volunteering somewhere you have roots, you likely already have the required work permissions and may want to settle down there. Workaway could help you make valuable connections.
Let’s say you’re working on an ecological or permaculture project in your hometown. You are learning about the local soil and crops that could be useful for another opportunity in the area. My Workaway project in Spain helped me improve my Spanish language skills (they’re still terrible but definitely less terrible than before my Workaway!).
Volunteering at two hostels significantly helped me hone my customer service skills. I worked in housekeeping at the Buddhist center, but the daily meditation classes taught me about mindfulness. If any of these roles were related to my future career plans, I could have made valuable connections as well as expertise.
I was offered a full-time seasonal role in a hostel where I was a Workawayer. I could accept it because the job was based in Scotland and I had work permissions. It didn’t work out (thanks again, pandemic!) but I wouldn’t have been able to take the job had I not been somewhat local.
5. Stay Close to Family and Friends During Milestones
When signing up for a Workaway opportunity, the idea is to immerse yourself in the new experience. You’re not stepping far out of your comfort zone if you spend all your free time visiting family and friends. Fellow Workawayers and hosts probably aren’t going to love you disappearing all the time either.
However, staying close to loved ones is still a good reason to do a Workaway project in your hometown. If a grandparent has been ill, you don’t want to put your life on hold but you might also want to visit them for an hour once a week.
In my case, I was expecting the arrival of my first nephew or niece any day. I didn’t want to be abroad when I received the news of their birth! Luckily, the new bundle of joy arrived two days before the end of my work exchange and I could meet them immediately.
Related Blog Post: Life Lessons From Travelling and Workawaying Around the World
Would You Do A Workaway In Your Hometown?
Signing up for a Workaway project in your hometown might not sound intrepid and exciting. All I’ll say is, why not browse the host list for local volunteer opportunities near you and see what is around? You might be surprised at the variety of opportunities and exchanges and maybe one will catch your eye.
About Rebecca
Rebecca caught the travel bug when she spent a summer as a camp counsellor in the USA during university. She quit her job in 2017 and started volunteering with Workaway as she grew her remote freelanc
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