Workaway news: Stand out from the rest with your best Workaway profile

Wishing you a breezy summer from the Workaway headquarters! ☀️

With the peak travel season playing its tune and the number of avid workawayers looking for adventures abroad, how can you stand out from the rest? One of our favourite ways to showcase our personality is to upload a video of ourselves onto our profile!  Hosts love to see who they are inviting to their homes and the extra effort you have made. We have also added a set of pretty  badges to celebrate achievements of members so that everyone gets recognized for their hard work!

Give your profile an extra edge

If a photo can speak a thousand words, then a video can do more. Not only can you show a bit more of your personality, but you can also include snippets to show off your skills and volunteering experiences. If you need more inspiration for your profile video, feel free to pop on over to our Youtube channel to see the volunteer videos we have selectively featured.

Head over to your account page to upload your video under the Photos + Videos tab:

A video is a great way to let hosts see, hear, and know you better! Trust us, this really makes all the difference.

If a video is a way to show who you are to hosts, this new feature is a way for us to show recognition to members who’ve achieved great milestones on the site, so that hosts and volunteers can wear them on their profile like, well, a badge of honour! 😉

• Rated badges  (with a thumbs-up) celebrate volunteers and hosts that have received a number of  great feedbacks .
• New workawayers can also verify themselves via their personal  Facebook  account on their profile to get a badge! (This also show hosts that you have an active online presence).
• We also have the  Explorer  badge (Pioneer for hosts) for the volunteers that have taken the  extra leap of faith  to stay with a new host.
• Those who have contributed tips and stories of their workaway adventures will have a  Writer  badge! If you’re a travel writer (or an aspiring one) be sure to email us about your amazing experiences for a chance to get published and snag this badge! and snag this badge!
• If you have been featured on our blog as an  inspiring traveller or  outstanding host with a story to tell, you will also have a badge displayed on your profile as the  host or volunteer of the month .
• Don’t forget to also submit travel snapshots to our  monthly photo competition for a chance to win prize money to support your travels and also gain recognition with a  Photographer  badge on your profile 🙂

Keep up with the travel community and their world adventure

Have you also noticed your account page’s new look? With our ever-growing community, we’ve introduced a personal dashboard for workawayers to easily access up-to-date news from us and fellow travellers! Looking for tips and inspiration? Start by browsing through our Facebook and blog posts for stories told by travellers for travellers.

Ever felt lonely travelling solo? Take advantage of our Workawayers nearby function via your new dashboard to meet up with volunteers around you, or those who are also heading to your planned destinations!

Additionally, you can look out for new hosts in the destinations you are planning to visit (and add them to your customised map), for a chance to be these new hosts’ first volunteer! Because sometimes the most spontaneous adventures will become the best memories, and it also means a new “ Explorer” badge to beautify your profile page!

The dashboard can be found on your account page:

All it takes is the first step…

In this cool Q&A videos, workawayers Lauren & Darren show just how strong of a connection you can create with a new host. We absolutely LOVED hearing host Leonardo's journey– from feeling nervous to fully enjoying their first Workaway experience with these two! Leonardo has also revealed some great tips too so check it out:

“I joined as a host because I’m not ready to travel yet. […] I wanted to do something, I wanted to try it, so the best option I had was to host people. When I do start to workaway with my family, then I have a background and knowledge/tricks. And that way be more prepared.”

“I didn’t know how [my family] were going to react to strangers in the house. I was worried for the worst case scenario: I like to say, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. […]

Once you got here, it was like all the weight, all those nerves kinda shattered.

I don’t think we could have gotten any better first workawayers. […] I loved it. I’m excited about the next people coming in. “

And we can’t wait to hear about your new adventures too! So don’t forget to share your volunteering/ hosting stories with us and spread the wanderlust! 🌍