Workaway reviews, feedback and ratings

Une personne travaillante et bonne cuisinière

What a wonderful family! Silvia is an amazing host and cooked some great meals. She is a runner and hikes so she took me on some runs around the area! Ivor and Clara also enjoy the outdoors and rock climb! Clara is very smart and I helped her with her English homework, she has a pretty good grasp on English though and I mostly just had to double check her work. Camilla was so fun to hangout with and is a super cool person in general. Her English is very impressive. She took me to Verona and Vicenza which were cool cities to see. I also went on a camping trip with everyone to the Dolomites! It was AMAZING and Silvia and I hiked 14 miles which was so fun. Finally, I cant forget pongo, he is a cutie! A great experience!

I spent about 2 weeks with Lorenzo, Reyka, Anita, and Viola. This was my first work away and I was pretty nervous before hand! The entire family is so welcoming and the girls were a blast. Anita is crazy good at uno and she beat me so many times! Viola works really hard in track and I even got to see one of her track meets where she did long jump! their town is beautiful and the area was really nice for running. there is a train station close to their house and I took it to a couple places including Verona, bologna, and Padova. I had a wonderful time and a great first workaway!

I spent 1 month at Jo and Titouan’s farm. Definitely one of my best travel experiences I have ever had. I learned so much from Titouan and I have a new appreciation for art. I learned lots of French history and even some philosophy. Jo was a great cook and I so much good food. I miss eating bread and cheese! The work was fun and I enjoyed being around the horses. It was nice to spend time outside on the farm everyday. On a sunny day you could sit out on the picnic table and watch the cats lay in the sun and play in the grass. I was able to travel to Omaha beach and see the American cemetery, I also visited Rouen and Paris! Thank you guys so much!

We really enjoyed our time in the Eco-Hostel. Eva and Joao where super friendly and had an exact idea of the tasks that had to be performed. There also was a clear schedule which really gave us some structure to our days. Since Eva is a Spanish teacher, she is really good at speaking to you on a level you understand, which was great for us for leaning more Spanish. The hostel itself is also a real adventure. While in the middle of the town you immediately think you entered the jungle and all the Mazunte Crabs and other animals make for a very special experience :) We recommend this to basically everybody who wants to have a great time in Mazunte while learning something about ecological living and construction and the Mangrove forest.

Angela! We were so fortunate that you chose to come volunteer with us to teach English at our school. Your positive and enthusiastic approach was infectious and made learning a truly joyful experience for our students. You have a remarkable talent for creating a fun and happy classroom environment. Thank you for being such a genuinely lovely person who connects with everyone they meet. We are incredibly grateful for your time and dedication and wish you the best!

Our workaway with Mike and Elisabeth was delightful. We stayed with them for five days and enjoyed doing a variety of tasks including walking their sweet dog Max, loading and splitting wood (they have a very nifty hydraulic splitter), helping at a community festival, and planning/installing screening under the deck/house for fire risk mitigation. The work was varied and engaging, and Mike (who is an experienced carpenter/builder) introduced us to new techniques and tool skills, which we really appreciated! Mike and Elisabeth were welcoming and kind. They have varied talents and experiences, and shared stories from their travels and lives as we cooked dinner together in the evenings. We found many unexpected overlaps in where we’d been, so fun! One morning we attended Mike’s Chi gong class, and Elisabeth has a literary/writing past that we only began to explore (I’d love to hear more)! The “bunkhouse” where we stayed was a retreat all to itself. Comfy bed, goodies in the fridge, and a very cool outdoor shower which we loved using! The surrounding area is beautiful, especially with the Aspen leaves changing to fall colors. The Old Gallery in Allenspark is well worth a visit and seems to always have something going on. The house is in the woods and our hosts kindly offered us several hikes through the area, with plenty of down time to enjoy them. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and given the chance, would absolutely return for another Workaway.

Clara was an outstanding workwayer.SHe worked hard worked her stay, —her effort and attention to detail really showed in the quality of the work.She was a pleasure to have around: easygoing, respectful, and great company. She also kept her space clean and was always willing to help wherever needed. We'd happily host Clara again and highly recommend her to any future hosts!

Santi and Lydia were always kind, helpful , tranquil , and always with doing everithing with Love. They did an amazing work in our Finca . We enjoyed spending time together. We would love to host them again, thanks for everything :)

Pasemos dos semanas maravillosas con Juan Camilo y Gloria y todos los animales llenos de amor ! El lugar es muy hermoso y Juan siempre estába atento a que que hagamos algo que nos guste además que tiene muchos proyectos posibles. El tiempo era tranquilo y Gloria siempre estuvo cuidadosa con nosotros y nos preparó deliciosos almuerzos vegetarianos y bebidas frías. Nos teníamos nuestra propria casa donde era super fácil de preparar el desayuno y la cena con los alimentos disponibles. Nos encantemos pasar estas algunos días en este lugar con siempre muchas avec alrededor. Muchas gracias Juan y Gloria !!

Estas dos semanas en la finca con Julio fueron agradables y aprendimos mucho sobre el café. Julio es apasionado de esta cultura y hicimos varias degustacciones de cafe Geisha, Sidra y Catura. Aprendimos también todo el proceso de transformación del cafe con Julio que es siempre haciendo experiencias para mejorar sus productos. El trabajo fue intenso pero no complicado con la cosecha del cafe durante 5h cada día. Nos hubiera gustado saber antes de venir que los fin de semana no se regala la comida. Este voluntariado fue diferente a todos los que habíamos hecho antes, pero pudimos discutir los puntos importantes con Julio, quien se mostró abierto al diálogo. Apreciamos mucho el intercambio. El clima y el meio ambiente son increíbles con muchos aves (y insectos tambien) de esta zona de bosque nuboso. Gracias por tu bienvenida, Julio.

Wow! We love this place! We came for a few weeks, and stayed a few months - It was so hard to leave! Raquel and Julio are truly amazing, and welcomed us into the family with open arms. Every day at the ranch was truly special. Picture the most beautiful creative spaces, surrounded by green mountains and trees, rivers, flowers, birds, insects, 6 adorable dogs, and of course, coffee and cacao! Every day we felt connected to nature, and ready to learn, share, build, or whatever tasks we could help with. Made possible only by the warm hospitality and friendship from the wonderful Raquel and Julio! They are the best; loving parents, natural teachers, spiritual guides, and providers of the best food (and coffee) in Mexico! If you like good food; a constant variety of Mexican sabores, coffee all day every day, home made tepaches and postres, you'll wish you were here! And if you like dogs, there's 6 of them, you'll feed them once a day and within a week they become you're children! As for the work... we did some of just about everything, and none of it felt like work! I won't go into detail, you just have to come and see for yourself! If you love nature and coffee, and whether you have any skills to share or not, there will be something amazing waiting for you here. And if you are looking for healing, and spiritual connection, the very personal Temazcal ceremonies that they offer are the answer to all your questions. We feel so incredibly lucky to have lived as part of the family for 2 months - we learned so much, and have created so many amazing memories. We already miss the family, the beautiful ranch, the amazing food and coffee, our babies (the dogs) and so much more... we will be back again soon! Love you all xx

This was my first time abroad and my first Workaway, but thanks to your family I was able to spend such fun and fulfilling days. The help I did was very simple, such as light housework and picking up the children from school, and it never felt difficult at all. We played games together, I helped Demiah with her wonderful cooking, and the house was always full of energy. The children are all so crazy, cute, and kind. Also, playing badminton at the gym once a week with Demiah was so much fun, and everyone was really good at it. When I lost my passport, Daan and Demiah helped me so much by calling the police and checking the necessary information for me. I am truly grateful for that. I learned and experienced many things, and I am really glad I was able to meet all of you. I also love your warm hugs. Thank you so much ☺️ Let’s meet next time in Japan.

Hosting Maike was one of the highlights of summer . She is adventurous , friendly , bright and competent . Maike made a difference in my workload goals. She did it with positivity , an excellent work ethic, & she could work together or solo . Her strategies on projects is right on. The outcomes were always impressive whether it was concrete patching on a basement wall or cooking . I was especially happy to discover Maike loves to maximize her time in a new locale which enhanced my summer fun- as all work and no play is not my idea of a well lived life . With a workaway exchange such as ours, coupled with her high energy we could meet the work goals and devote ourselves to local adventures.Maike is a great companion who bridges age gaps & culture . I loved to eat with more vegan influenced meals & sharing meals was a nice aspect in our exchange. Can’t say enough about Maike except what a joy to host her & have her improve life here. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I spent 2 weeks on the farm and it was a very interesting and intense experience. Most of the time I worked together with Daniel - we cut banana and plantain leaves, fed chickens, harvested cacao and other things... I learned a lot about agriculture and I'm very grateful for this experience. I also spent two days in Carmen's jewellery atelier where I learned how to make jewellery out of old CDs. I enjoyed this a lot! Sometimes I prepared lunch for us, on the other days Carmen cooked for us. I liked the food, but if you are vegan or vegetarian, it might be a little bit difficult to get your proteins. My working hours were from 6am to approx. 12am with a short breakfast break. In the afternoon you can do whatever you want. However, if you want to go into the village, you have to walk approx. half an hour up- and downhill. The landscape is beautiful, but walking can be exhausting and the possibilites are limited. One weekend I spent in Salento, a colourful village in the coffee region. It was nice to see something different. Carmen and Daniel are always willing to give you advice on things you can do in your freetime (especially on the weekend because travelling to other places needs some time). All together, I was very impressed by the project and the future plans for the finca. But I also saw and learned how hard this work and lifestyle can be. Thank you for this experience and all the best for both of you!

Had a great experience with the EF-TG although I still don't know what it stands for I felt welcome immediately by the small town with their lovely people. Héctor was a great host, very inviting with a strong moral compass, great storytelling and authentic spirit to be around which made working with him under clear advise easy and fun. The different classes with different levels of English can be a bit difficult to manage first but it tends to be a great learning experience for improving your own Spanish. Working with the kids had something very special and I can only recommend it for everyone to try out themselves. Thank you!

Anna and Shahab satayed with us was absolutely amazing. They helped us in our farm house with everything we asked and they were very careful to deliver there best. They were also very friendly with everyone in the house and we had such and amazing time together:) I would definitely recommend them to any another host. They are truly the best 🙏

Özge is a wonderful person—kind, caring, and full of positive energy. We got along very well and truly miss her smile. We look forward to the chance to welcome her back again.

Emily and Suf were fantastic in the time we were together. They are super friendly and knowledgeable about many topics. We always had good conversations. They integrate with the other volunteers, the kittens, and community very well and they were very helpful to make things easier. Active and respectful, we became friends quickly. Thank you so much for sharing your good energy with us. Big hugs!!

I stayed with Karol and Magdalena from the 17th July to the 6th of September. On the 17th of August Lilli joined as a second Au-Pair. Lilli and I have talked a lot about writing a review and what we would put in it, and Magdalena sadly proved us right, as they cannot handle feedback at all. Lilli and I still decided to give our feedback, as we want to give other workawayers an honest and factual impression of the work as an Au-Pair for this family. The main problem we had, was that they had much higher expectations than their profile stated we both applied. The profile stated (, when we applied,) as the needed help “Engage and play with Hania and Kubus” and “Assist with light household chores related to the children”. After the first day it was the norm for me to find the leftover dinner from the parents in the kitchen, coffee on the floor and half empty mugs all throughout the house. As the parents expected the house to be clean on arrival, which they implied multiple times, and they did not clean up after themselves often, it was clear to me, that this was also one of my tasks. At first I thought it was just because they were stressed, because their restaurant was quit busy at the start, but even when they worked less, they often left a mess for me/Lilli to clean up. We did not mind helping extra when it came to the laundry from the parents, hovering daily, walking the dog etc.. Even when the mother often came home later than she promised in the morning I did not complain, and tried to handle it as good as I could. But cleaning up almost daily after adults who had the time and capacity to do so themselves was not something Lilli and I applied for, so we decided to give the feedback to Magdalena and Karol while we were there. We both wouldn’t have applied if we would have known that this was required and just wanted to give them the opportunity to change their profile, so that future workawayers are better prepared. They refused to understand us, and this discussion conversation escalated and made us so uncomfortable, that we arranged to leave the next day. Magdalena also wanted us to leave, but expected us to stay until it would fit her schedule, which we did not do, as we just wanted to leave as quick as possible, as we felt really unwelcomed. It was hard to communicate our thoughts with them as they quickly get defensive. I saw that they changed their requirements, so the quotes are taken from a screenshot made of their profile before they changed it. Maybe the change in their profile shows that they just needed some time to understand our point, and hopefully they will be more honest about the work they expect in the future. This also regards work hours. When I got there, they had a festival in the town they worked, so the restaurant was quite busy, and I made twenty over hours in the first week. Those were paid, but I still would have appreciated a heads up, as I was left alone with the children on the first day I met them for around nine to ten hours. I made it clear beforehand that I had no experience with children that young. Because the time I was supposed to be looking after the children was not clearly structured and plans changed spontaneously, it was hard for me to do other things I planned to do in my free time (finishing college essays etc.). In her reply to Lilly Magdalena wrote, that we were treated like family, but we did not feel that way. When we were at the restaurant (, not regularly but just a handful of times), it was our job to look after the kids. I went on trips with them twice when I was there, both times to the lake (on my days off), where I was still asked to look after the children. We were driven to and picked up at the nearest town once, and not regularly. And the “holidays” we took, were planned between two weekends, where we were asked to leave, so that family members or friend could have our rooms. It was Magdalenas idea for us to be away in between the weekend, which was nice. But additional to that there was barely an interest in our private life and even my birthday wasn’t mentioned, although it was in the calendar. I did not have high expectation to be treated like a family member, but saying that they did treat us that way, is not fair to what happened. Lastly want to set their comments about Lilli straight, as I see it as unfair to call her unfit as an Au-Pair. She was amazing with the children. She handled emotional outbursts amazingly, and had a big impact on the children’s behaviour in the short time she was there (teaching them to clean up after themselves, saying please an thank you more often, handling their fear of insects, making up games with them etc.). She gave it her all, to make sure the children were happy, well entertained and good cared for. I really wish the family the best and hope that they can find someone who fits their expectations, by being more honest about what they need and also about what they offer. Neither mine nor Lillis feedback was meant as an attack, but just as constructive criticism and a factual input for Workawayers trying to apply to this family. But by the message Magdalena send Lilli afterwards, and the reply she wrote her I believe it proves that they are not hosts who are easy to communicate with, which for me is one of the requirements a workaway host should meet. Hopefully this was just an issue we had with them and future Au-Pairs won’t feel that way.