Scott

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

love to travel, activities are listed below.

Description

Just over two years ago, I was lucky enough to 'retire'. What that has meant is that I now have much more time to travel, which I've done a fair amount of in the past. It's great to have time to have more in-depth experiences and adventures as I can see are possible as a Workawayer. I'm at a point in my life where I definitely prefer quality to quantity. There appear to be so many opportunities and great folks on this network, that it is just the perfect conduit for how I see getting the most from my time meeting new people and exploring new environments. It truly makes for a grander trip when connecting to place through people that you befriend and meet along the way.

Interests

Languages

Languages spoken
Spanish: Beginner
French: Beginner
Italian: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I am always interested in trying to learn more, but languages are difficult for me. I have spent a fair amount of times traveling in countries where Spanish is spoken and have spent several months trying to learn enough to get by...which really did help me during my last trip to Spain! Re French, I took 3 years in junior high and can also understand a small amount, especially if I see the words or am reading it. I have been working on Italian for a month now (a true beginner!) and hope to learn some more on my upcoming trip!

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Languages

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Some knowledge of:  

DIY and building projects

Being an elderly companion

General Maintenance

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Teaching

Eco Projects

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Able to teach about:  

Gardening

More details about your skills

At 67 years young, I can say that I have had quite a few experiences and jobs that have taken me many places. Having worked my last number of years coordinating the Oregon State University Master Gardener program in my county put me into a place where I had to work with a lot of volunteers with numerous interests and responsibilities, so I feel that I am a good communicator and pretty flexible in general.

Having now lived over a year in Corvallis, Oregon (USA), I've been involved in a sizeable restoration of a manufactured home that my partner and I purchased and moved to for next to nothing (Part of the reason for that is because we want to put our financial resources into future experiences on the road). I've included a couple pictures of both a house we built together (off-grid) and also a rental house that I landscaped.

I really enjoy creating and augmenting landscapes, so if you have that goal in mind, you've found the right guy. I especially enjoy working with ornamental plants, but am also fond of gardening. As our off-grid home was basically in the wilderness on the Rogue River (up a 3-mile--5km--gravel road), I am used to being in out-of-the-way locations.

In the makeover of our house, I have thoroughly cleaned, spackled, painted and tore up and removed carpet and flooring and have done a lot of prep work for the professionals who have come in to replace sub-flooring, vinyl, and carpet. I've worked with my partner in residing our outside walls with board and batten; I also totally landscaped this place and moved 15 tons of rock in a week doing that. So I am not afraid of hard work.

There's not much I won't take on or at least attempt to do, especially when working side-by-side with someone else who knows what it is they are after trying to accomplish. In our off-grid home, we also housed many volunteers thru the Wwoofer network and had largely positive experiences. I went out of my way to make mostly younger folks feel at home and would take them on weekend excursions to share the wonders of the world in which we lived. Besides being fairly close to redwood forests, we had amazing wildlife: including bear, elk, cougars, deer, bobcats, and all sorts of birds and other wildlife all around us.

Besides all of what is mentioned above, I am a lover of domesticated animals. As a member of Trusted Housesitters, I have taken on a couple of volunteer positions caring for animals and homes, including a stone cottage fairly recently in Portugal, as well as a 3-week stint for friends with their dog and chickens. I have not spent much time around larger farm animals, but would welcome the opportunity.

Age

68

What else ...

Presently, I am hoping for a two to three-week experiences in an Italian villa or farm south of Rome or in southwestern Italy. Again, if I am going to say favorite pastime, travel would have to be at the top of the list. I love to also get out into nature when I am on the road, so suggestions for great hikes or sites to take in is especially appreciated. I aim to keep fit both with weights and aerobic activity, including yoga and walking, in which I generally can put several km in a day, as I really prefer to explore and get aroound that way.

All the above said, I also like to kick back, so if I am to be workawaying at your place, I also enjoy reading and just taking in the scenery and sun during the day.

As I've been doing substantial bodily labor over the past 67 years of my life (20 years of my own landscaping/maintenance business), I do have a few areas where I take extra care while doing physical work. One is that I avoid work on ladders if possible, especially anything really precarious, heights-wise. I like using knee pads (An old pillow works great!) in weeding and gardening...just to let you know that I try to work smart. I also have travel insurance that should cover me in most ventures that I take on.

I don't see myself as being high maintenance, so I can both work with little supervision, and I can keep myself amused. BUT, I also want to be involved in your world as you see fit to share, like hiking or taking me on short trips with your family or friends. I like the idea of sharing our lives, stories, involvement in meal prep, sitting around fires, playing board games/cards together...whatever.

In conclusion, I can't imagine a much better way to experience traveling than this.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements