Henry

United States
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Profile information

Reply rate
100.0 %
Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
New Zealand - from Jan 2026 until Feb 2026
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Description
My name is Henry Compton. I’m 24 years old, and I’m from the United States of America. I grew up in a small town on the coast of Rhode Island, so my childhood was spent outside at the beach swimming and boating.

I love hiking, camping, skiing, stargazing, and anything outside in nature. As an artist, I’m fascinated with other people’s lifestyles, so I love meeting new people and learning about their culture. I’ve never been a big fan of sight-seeing, I prefer to fully immerse myself into another person’s culture and live alongside them as if I were a local.

My journey:
I spent a summer camping out of my car as I drove across America, stopping to hike the National Parks along the way. Then, I did my first workaway on a farm in the Swiss Alps for three months. The farm was very remote, high up in the mountains, away from any major roads.

On the farm, my responsibilities were to help care for the animals and maintain/upkeep the barn. They had hundreds of sheep, thirty highland cattle, seven horses, two donkeys, and several dogs (some for guarding and some for herding).

I have just spent the past two months travelling in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. There, I wrote and illustrated my third book.

My skills:
I have developed many skills in livestock care and maintenance. On the Swiss farm, some of my typical work included: leading the horses to new pastures, loading the cattle onto trucks for transport, daily checks on cattle health, vaccinating the sheep, moving sheep to new fields depending on food availability, feeding the animals (only when inside the barns in winter), building new fence paddocks, training the flock’s guardian dogs, and transporting materials across to different areas of the mountain. The work was always changing depending on the weather and the needs of the animals.

Some additional skills that I know from my upbringing and through working on my grandparents’ property are: Chopping wood, painting, driving tractors, cooking, and some small construction
Interests
Fitness
Writing
Videography
Winter sports
Team sports
Water sports
Astronomy
Sailing / Boating
Nature
Outdoor activities
Pets
Music
History
Hiking
Gardening
Farming
Cycling
DIY & crafts
Drawing & painting
Cooking & food
Beach
Art & design
Camping
Books
Animals
Adventure sports
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
More details about my language interests
Learning another language is not a requirement for me, but I'm always interested in other peoples' cultures, so whenever I'm in a new place, I try to pick up some words and phrases. I don't have a specific preference of which language to learn, they are all interesting to me. However, my Dad speaks French, and my girlfriend speaks German, so one of those would be amazing to learn
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Life at a Farmstay
Helping around the house
General Maintenance
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Being an elderly companion
DIY and building projects
Able to teach about:
Art Projects
More details about your skills
I have developed many skills in livestock care and maintenance. On the Swiss farm, some of my typical work included: leading the horses to new pastures, loading the cattle onto trucks for transport, daily checks on cattle health, vaccinating the sheep, moving sheep to new fields depending on food availability, feeding the animals (only when inside the barns in winter), building new fence paddocks, training the flock’s guardian dogs, and transporting materials across to different areas of the mountain. The work was always changing depending on the weather and the needs of the animals.

Some additional skills that I know from my upbringing and through working on my grandparents’ property are: Chopping wood, painting, driving tractors, cooking, and some small construction.
Age
24
What else ...
I love card games, they're a great way to pass the time and bond with new friends. I know a lot of card games, and I love teaching them to new people. Also always looking to learn new card games, so if you know any good ones, I'd love to be taught.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  no allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  no diet restrictions

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Feedback

14 Dec 2023

Left by host (Outdoor experience learning ...) for Workawayer ()

Henry is one of the most helpful and hard working volunteers we have had here. Extremely reliable and always happy to take on a new challenge, which is definitely necessary to have a good time here. He is an extremely genuine and honest guy, and very well mannered and respectful. He accomplished all tasks requests to our full satisfaction, he… read more

(Excellent )

11 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Outdoor experience learning ...)

The Location:
This was the ideal Workaway experience. The location feels very remote because you are in the tiny, picturesque, quiet village of Jeizinen up on a mountain, but there is a train station right in the valley so in 15 minutes you can be at the train station and on your way to any of the other parts of Switzerland or even the rest of… read more Europe.

The Work:
It’s true that there is a lot of work to be done on the farm, but it never feels like too much because the work stays interesting and engaging. A lot of the work I did was things like hiking around the Alp and checking to make sure the animals were healthy, or repairing fences, or moving the animals to different fields. Of course, sometimes you have to do unglamorous jobs like clearing manure or shoveling snow, but there is such a variety of jobs to be done on the farm that it never gets boring because you are doing something different every day.

The Animals:
If you’re an animal lover, this is the place for you. Here there are cows, horses, sheep, dogs, and even a couple of donkeys. You will spend lots of time up close and personal with the animals, too. They are at the center of everything you do on the farm, and you’ll quickly form a personal connection with many of them, especially the dogs, whom you will be working with every single day for your entire stay. Dea loves her animals more than anything else in the world, so she is always happy to encourage you to spend as much time as possible with them.

The Host:
As a host, Dea was perfect. She is very specific about the ways in which she wants things to be done, but this is no problem because she is always very clear in her instructions, and is always prompt in answering any clarifying questions you may have about your task. She has been hosting Workaway volunteers on her farm for many years, and when she was younger she used to travel working on different farms in a very similar program to Workaway. So she understands your situation very well and has a good system for hosting. It’s very generous of her to give a whole two bedroom flat for the volunteers to stay in. Here you can feel independent while also being close to the farm. Also, having to share the space with only the other volunteer makes it easy to bond with them and form great friendships. The flat is up on the mountain, so as soon as you step out of your door, you are greeted by a breathtaking view of the surrounding Alps. You will be well taken care of here.

(Excellent )