Matthew & Linda

Canada & Germany
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100.0 %
Travel information
We are currently
Travelling
Our next destination:
Switzerland - from Sep 2025 until Sep 2025
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Description
Hi soon-to-be friends!

We’re Matt and Linda, and we’re coming to your town soon! We actually met while one of us was doing a Workaway, and are ready now to continue our adventures together.

We have different strengths and weaknesses, but we compliment each other well. That is: we cover each others’ weaknesses and make each others’ strengths greater.

We love meeting new people! It gives us energy and is one of the reasons we’re spending a year travelling. We also like spending time hiking and climbing. Nature helps us recharge and we enjoy sharing our adventures with others.

We’re excited to get to know you!

Matt:

It feels somewhat strange attempting to sell myself as an appealing guest, like I am marketing some fancy new product ("NEW and IMPROVED, now SELF-CLEANING"), but here goes: At my core, I would like to think I am a loving person, and I care about my friends and family deeply. I am always ready to join friends for some impromptu karaoke, hikes, or philosophical banter, and to share laughs all the while. I should also mention that I make a lot of jokes--some of which are even funny!

As for why I want to travel, when I think about meeting new people, learning from them, and building memories with them--these are all meaningful pursuits for me. A few years back and for various reasons, I resolved to live a life that was meaningful to me, and my plans for travel are an extension of that decision.

I look forward to meeting you all!

Linda:

I am new to Workaway but I have spent several months volunteering in other countries and living with host families. I like to travel but I prefer to stay in new countries for longer and experience the culture as best I can. I love to meet new people and hear their stories. And I am always curious about how things are run outside of my little bubble.

This is basically the reason why I want to travel. But I am also conflicted about our travel plans. It wasn’t easy for me to leave my family, my friends and my job behind. On the other hand I felt very locked up in my life and I wanted to be more than stressed out in a job. I feel that we as humans are in the process of losing connection to each other. I want to learn languages and experience new cultures to gain a better understanding of the people around me. I would also love to learn skills I wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn otherwise. Throw anything at me, I love to be challenged!

I am very happy to have found a like-minded person in Matt and I hope I will get to meet you on our adventures!
Interests
Photography
Adventure sports
Sustainability
Mountain
Hitchhiking
Camping
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner
Swahili (Kiswahili): Beginner
More details about my language interests
Matt Can Teach: English (Native) Wish to Learn: German, Japanese Linda: Can Teach: German (Native), English Wish to Learn: Spanish, Italien, Japanese, Swahili, French
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Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
Gardening
Eco Projects
Helping around the house
Charity Work
Some knowledge of:
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Life at a Farmstay
Animal Care
Hospitality/Tourism
Languages
Able to teach about:
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Helping with Computers/ Internet
More details about your skills
Matt: I know my way around power tools, and have experience with DIY projects. I'm not shy about getting my hands dirty either. If you need tree trunks dug up, or heavy patio stones moved around, I'm your man.

I enjoy pursuing personal projects! I mounted a gymnastic ring support system to my bedroom ceiling and, with the help of a friend, I built an unpowered magnetic levitation system using scrap copper tubing, scrap wood, bismuth, and some magnets.

While abroad, I‘ve done insulation work, built a garden terrace, prepared rooms for an Airbnb, and taken care of children. At home, I work as a technician at a wastewater treatment plant.

Linda:

I am physician in Germany and I am training to become a paediatrician when I am not traveling. Needless to say that I love spending time with kids! But I am also a hands-on person. I love lending a helping hand, especially when it comes to building things, renovating, lugging stuff around, gardening or taking care of animals. In fact, my greatest issue I had with working as a doctor was that I didn’t get to do enough physical work. :) I also know my way around the kitchen but as a vegetarian I’d have to learn how to prepare meat again.
Age
27 & 32
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  Matthew is allergic to cats.
- Special dietary requirements
  We eat vegetarian at home, but are flexible when traveling

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26 Oct 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help our family at our home ...)

My stay with Stephanie was short, but I still had a good time. My room was very large; more than enough for my needs. Likewise the food on offer was delicious (Stephanie is quite the cook).

The highlights of my stay were walking Monty in the morning and evening, and visiting the Grüner Jäger for the weekly Social Melting Pot event. I highly,… read more

(Excellent )

21 Sep 2023

Left by host (Join our friendly family and ...) for Workawayer ()

Matt was a great company.He was really considerate and reliable. He has also always been open and funny when playing with our son.
He was great help with our projects since he is very handy and engaged.
His skills in talking german are quite good and it was no problem at all to communicate (even in german). We hope to see him again!

(Excellent )

3 Sep 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join our friendly family and ...)

My stay with Franzi, Philipp, and little Vincent was great! Franzi and Philipp were so accommodating and friendly from the moment I arrived. The work really isn't too much, just walking Hazel and helping out with other projects as requested. And in exchange the food and accommodations were great!

Also, for people who enjoy climbing there's a nice… read more

(Excellent )

29 Jun 2023

Left by host (Help with restoration and ...) for Workawayer ()

Danke für dein Interesse an den vielfältigen Aufgaben. Immer auf der Suche nach Input, nach Neuem, zum Lernen. Obwohl keiner die Sprache des anderen gut kann, haben wir uns immer wieder an komplexe Themen getraut. Oft habe ich Nachts noch Recherche betrieben um zu verstehen. Eine interessante und spannende Zeit, um Austausch von Lebenserfahrung,… read more

(Excellent )

20 Jun 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with restoration and ...)

My month with Michael was definitely interesting. There aren't many places you can go to work on a giant wooden snail, and now I can say I've done that. One of the things I really liked about this Workaway is that things got done quickly. Michael had clear goals and we worked on them right away, without any procrastination or overthinking. That… read more

(Excellent )

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26 Oct 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help our family at our home ...)

(Excellent)

21 Sep 2023

Left by host (Join our friendly family and ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

3 Sep 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join our friendly family and ...)

(Excellent)

29 Jun 2023

Left by host (Help with restoration and ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

20 Jun 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with restoration and ...)

(Excellent)

19 Apr 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with family life and ...)

I was originally planning to stay with Floh and Inga for two months, but ended up staying an extra two months because I was enjoying myself so much! Traben-Trarbach is a lovely, peaceful, and friendly town with several hiking trails nearby. There's also a bouldering gym an hour away by bus for those who are interested :)

Plus, the family is… read more great! Inga and I had lovely conversations on a variety of topics, from raising a family, to traveling, to relationships, and even mental health. She's a very introspective person and has a lot to teach, and I found myself relying on her for advice more than once. Floh and I didn't have so many late night chats, but we definitely had fun. I remember holding hands, jumping around in a circle in the kitchen on my birthday. He also introduced me to the German naked sauna experience, which was super cool (but actually very hot - DO NOT SIT ON THE TOP LEVEL OF THE SAUNA).

And then there's little Phili. My hosts are being generous when they say we were best friends after just a few days. In truth, it took a while for me to figure her out, but she was a great teacher and I really do think we were best friends by the time I left. Phili is such an intelligent, positive, and delightfully confident child. She speaks German, and understands a fair bit of English and Russian. If you're learning German, Phili will be great partner. You'll learn such terms as "Fee", "Schmetterling", and "Zauberstab".

As for tasks, you'll primarily be playing with Phili. You'll also be preparing guest rooms for hostel and rental guests. Inga and Floh love workawayers who can cook, so that might be a responsibility some nights per week if you're confident in the kitchen. Garden and woodwork are also possibilities, especially if you already have some knowledge in these areas. As for "learning to brew beer", brew days don't actually happen very often and depending on the length of your stay you might not get to participate in one. You're almost certainly not going to learn enough to go home and make your own IPA, but if you ask questions you can learn the basics.

The work schedule changes from week to week depending on Floh/Inga's needs, so if you need your free days to happen on the same two days every week, that's something you should discuss before arriving. Also, if you want to do some traveling for a week, you have the option to "save up" free days and spend them all at once.

I found the accommodations more than sufficient. Depending on availability and time of year, you might be staying in the nice bed in the hostel room or a private workawayer room. I recommend the hostel room if you like meeting people, especially during the tourist season (Summer-ish). Food is provided, but if you want to buy yourself a pack of beer or some chocolate, that's at your expense. There's a warm shower, laundry machine, and a place where you can keep your toiletries.

Having spent four months with the family, of course not everything was sunshine and roses. There were occasionally family arguments—like every family has. But please don't let that discourage you from visiting! I found that there was enough space in the house to give distance whenever a fight was happening, and I think for most people it won't be an issue.

Phew! That was a lot! Did I get everything? Yeah I think I got everything.

Workaway friends - I wholeheartedly recommend the Traben-Trarbach experience. I'll certainly be visiting again.

Inga and Floh - Thank you so much for welcoming me into your family and showing me the loveliest side of the town you call home. I had such a delightful time, and will see y'all at Mont Royal 2023.

(Excellent)

4 Mar 2023

Left by host (Help with family life and ...) for Workawayer ()

Matt arrived to our place in December 2022 and is still here at the moment when I am writing the reference. It was so far three months that he has spent with us and 1,5 more to go.
Matt is incredibly smart and positive person, it's a pleasure to have him around. He quickly adapted to our daily routines and family rules and has been big help in… read more

(Excellent)

14 Dec 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Enjoy this extraordinary ...)

My experience staying with Reinhard and Sabine was a positive one. I learned a lot of woodworking skills from Reinhard, Sabine made lovely food and taught me about German history, and both were really patient and gracious in speaking German with me. My confidence using German increased a lot because of them.

Two things keep me from giving a full… read more

(Very good)

11 Dec 2022

Left by host (Enjoy this extraordinary ...) for Workawayer ()

Matthew stayed with us six weeks. Main projects have been a wooden surface of a garage and insulating the roof. Matthew was one of the best helpers we had up to now. He is an open minded, widly interested and humorous person. He learned german very fast and enjoyed cultural exchange and conversation. We wish him all the best for his next stays and… read more

(Excellent)

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