How it works

New to Workaway? Here you'll find all you need to know about our unique community.

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A Workawayer is: a traveller who wants to give back to the communities and places they visit. Open to helping hosts and using the experience to learn and immerse in the local culture.

How to Workaway

Join the community

Create a great profile, we will verify you within 24 hours

Connect with hosts

Contact your favourite hosts, discuss your stay and what is expected in return

Travel like a local

Discover new cultures, friends, places and skills

Join as a Workawayer

How are you travelling?

Are you a solo traveller or looking to share your adventures with someone else?

Solo traveller

Sign up for a single profile
For people travelling individually. You can contact hosts just for yourself from a single profile.

Sign up now

Connect with a travel buddy
If you'd like to meet up with other travellers and share your journey, use the travel buddy feature and connect your profiles.

Connect profiles

Travelling as a pair

Sign up or upgrade to a couple profile
Designed for either friends, couples or those that always travel and apply to hosts together.

Sign up now

Connect with a travel buddy
If you are travelling on single accounts, you can connect them to apply to hosts together.

Connect profiles

Travelling with others

Travelling with kids
Sign up as two adults (couple account) or a single account for a single parent. Kids under 18 can be included in your account.

Sign up now

Travelling as a group
All group members must have a completed profile. Connect your accounts to contact hosts together.

Connect profiles

What's included

A huge selection of hosts

Over 50,000 opportunities in more than 170 countries worldwide. Inspiration abounds!

No hidden fees

Our membership fees are simple with no hidden costs. Simply join today and start connecting with hosts.

A truly global membership

Your membership is valid everywhere and allows you to connect with hosts anywhere in the world.

Connect with other travellers

Find a travel buddy to join you on your travel adventures.

Personal reference letters

Our personalised reference letters showcase the feedback left by your Workaway hosts.

Dedicated 24-hour support

Our team personally check every profile and provide advice. We're also travellers and hosts, here to help.

Any questions?

Generally you will be expected to help around 5 hours per day in exchange for food and accommodation. Some hosts may give a paid allowance to ensure they are offering at least the minimum wage in their country. Conditions and agreements may vary depending on the skills you can offer and the requirements of each host. It is important you communicate as much as possible beforehand with your hosts so that you both know each other's expectations.
You must be 18 years old to register for a profile. The minimum age for volunteering in most countries is 18. Minors accompanied with their parents are also accepted on some family projects.
Yes, but each member of the group must have their own Workaway profile. You can connect your accounts so hosts know you are travelling together.
Yes, of course! When you sign up as a Workawayer you can access the host list and contact host families, NGO's or projects directly for 1 year to Workaway and offer your services. Workaway is a cultural exchange, you offer a few hours of help in exchange of food and accommodation. When signing up as a family kids do not pay if they are under 18. You can create a couple account and add info in your listing saying that you are travelling as a family. If you are a single parent with children under 18 you can use a single type account. There are plenty of hosts that receive families especially the ones that have children too.

Workaway is primarily for cultural exchange or learning new skills and a way of making new friends.

If a host is looking for help with a business or business activity, they may offer payment to ensure that they are meeting the minimum wage requirements of their country.

Remember you will need the correct visa for any country that you visit.

Where a host is offering payment this will be clearly marked on their profile.

Here at Workaway safety is our top priority. We strive to provide all the resources for our community members to feel as safe as possible during their Workaway trips.

For more details about our safety measures please read our notes on safety: https://www.workaway.info/en/info/safety
You will also find some more advice and recommendation on how to travel safely as a workawayer: https://www.workaway.info/en/info/safety/traveladvice

The Workaway philosophy

As a community based on learning, sharing and exploring new ways of life, what makes Workaway work is the spirit and dedication of our members in providing positive cultural exchange experiences.

More about our mission

Trusted and reviewed

We've been around since 2002 and are proud of the trust and respect that has developed in our community ever since!

4.9

Average rating across
576,863 reviews on Workaway

Safety, trust and respect
Find out about our safety values and how to best prepare for your travels
Insurance for Workawayers
Check out insurance options for Workawayers, volunteers and backpackers

Workaway is the AirBnB of working holidays, with placements reviewed by past visitors.

If you dream of swapping the nine-to-five for more fulfilling work overseas… Workaway has placements across the globe.

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