Benjamin

United Kingdom
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
At home
Description
I'm a positive, happy and inquisitive person. I love being outdoors - hiking, cycling, climbing, camping, swimming etc! I also love photography, gardening and working with wood/DIY. I'm really keen to meet like minded people and contribute to helping hosts with their projects and dreams!

Background: So far I've spent a lot of my life focusing on the normal things like my career here in the UK. I studied hard and have a PhD and am now working as an river ecologist in northern England. But underlying that, there's always been some desire to 'escape' the system! After visiting the Alpujarras in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Spain in 2015 and staying on an off grid organic farm and seeing how good life could be, I've become transfixed with the dream of escaping to a more off grid, rural and alternative lifestyle. Hopefully the dream will become a full time reality at some point.

In 2024 I'm taking 6 months off work as a career break. So far I have travelled on trains, busses, ferries and in my campervan as far as Turkey and Montenegro via all the counties in between. This autumn I will be exploring Spain on foot and then going to spend a month in India before going back to work in 2025.

I have experience in:

- DIY, woodwork, hand and power tools
- gardening, wood clearance and pruning (I like hard physical work!)
- mixing concrete for foundations
- campervan conversion (12v electrics, solar power, gas, wooden cladding etc)
- photography
- nature and ecology, particularly rivers

I am vegan/vegetarian
Interests
Winter sports
Water sports
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Photography
Outdoor activities
Nature
Music
Mountain
Hitchhiking
Farming
Fitness
Hiking
History
DIY & crafts
Cycling
Culture
Books
Camping
Carpentry
Charity work
Cooking & food
Beach
Adventure sports
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I'd be more than happy to help with learning English. I'm keen to pick up more French, Spanish and Italian
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
Some knowledge of:
Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Life at a Farmstay
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Helping around the house
General Maintenance
Helping with Computers/ Internet
More details about your skills
I'm very active so can help out with physical tasks around your land, farm or house, DIY, photography, written work and websites! I make wooden climbing holds, so am experienced with working with wood.
Age
38
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  I try to eat vegan/vegetarian if possible, but I balance this with respect for local food culture and food availability.

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11 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Live in the nature and help ...)

It was an incredible stay at Paras's place, sharing my time there with him, his fellow workers, family and dogs!

The place is great, very close to nature, but easy enough to get to by bus. But the most outstanding memory was of how friendly, welcoming, accommodating, respectful and helpful Paras was. He's a one of a kind guy who loves to share.… read more

(Excellent )

11 Jan 2025

Left by host (Live in the nature and help ...) for Workawayer ()

It was great hosting Ben at our camp. Those days' work was quite hardcore and laborious, and I was not sure about hosting a volunteer. Ben did text and arrived, volunteered with full energy and passion. Such an amazing person to have conversations with. Good humor and positive attitude.
I am grateful to Ben for his help and energy. Thanks a… read more

(Excellent )

23 Nov 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help our family on our olive ...)

I stayed with Chris for around 3 weeks in November 2024, sharing my time with some brilliant other volunteers.

The location is brilliant and Chris’s place is really nice. Lots of sun and olive and fruit trees.

The work was mostly vegetation clearance at the farm, plus preparing the ground for construction up at Chris’s other place in the… read more

(Good )

20 Nov 2024

Left by host (Help on a family homestead ...) for Workawayer ()

Although it was a short stay Ben got stuck in and was able to work independently when I had to work elsewhere , as well as being easy to collaborate with and interesting to chat to when we were able to work together and of an eve ... overall easygoing, flexible and self motivated , the ideal volunteer!

(Excellent )

13 Nov 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help on a family homestead ...)

I had a short stay with Jack and Alba in November 2024, helping them with vegetation clearance and moving the composting toilet. From the moment I arrived Jack made me feel very much at home and relaxed. He is a generous & knowledgeable guy and it was a pleasure to help out on the land. Maro is a really beautiful place, with lots of cool areas to… read more

(Excellent )

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11 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Live in the nature and help ...)

(Excellent)

11 Jan 2025

Left by host (Live in the nature and help ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

23 Nov 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help our family on our olive ...)

(Good)

20 Nov 2024

Left by host (Help on a family homestead ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

13 Nov 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help on a family homestead ...)

(Excellent)

18 Apr 2024

Left by host (Join us in our ...) for Workawayer ()

I can't thanks Ben enough for the big job he did in less than 5 days of work.
But Ben is not only an independent hard worker, he also is a really kind person, polite and funny. We enjoyed the time together and he will always be welcome here. Ciao Ben, Ninni already miss you!

(Excellent)

13 Apr 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join us in our ...)

Thank you Elisa for a brilliant stay!

I stayed and worked here for a week in April 2024. Elisa and Claudio's project is very inspiring, incorporating strong organic, no waste and permaculture values. the work was physical which I liked, and mostly moving and stacking wood, creating storage and reorganising things on the land. it's a big piece of… read more

(Excellent)

16 Apr 2024

Left by host (Enthusiastic people welcome ...) for Workawayer ()

I really enjoyed knowing Benjamin, he is such nice person. He has no issues with daily tasks and house rules. Also he had solid relationships with others. I hope we can have him back sometime. Best wishes.

(Excellent)

13 Apr 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Enthusiastic people welcome ...)

staying and working at the farm was an amazing experience. the community vibe between volunteers and staff is great. the food was amazing and the work was interesting, particularly looking after the animals. I met a load of people from all over the world and learnt a lot! would love to go back for longer! thanks Burak

(Excellent)

19 Oct 2023

Left by host (Sunny Eco-project in the ...) for Workawayer ()

Ben helping us out on our rainwater harvest project in sunny France! We just had to share our thoughts about what an amazing addition he was to our team. Ben knows how to roll up his sleeves and get things done. Ben didn't shy away from any task, no matter how challenging it was. He gave it his all, and it made a real difference.

His positive… read more

(Excellent)

30 Sep 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Sunny Eco-project in the ...)

Neil and Anna were excellent hosts for my first Workaway. Neil picked me up from the local town and provided a warm welcome with clear instructions for the days ahead plus made sure I had an opportunity to outline my expectations. A H&S talk was also given which was a welcome surprise!

Expect five hours of physically demanding work, a big… read more

(Excellent)

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