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Show screenshot Screenshot of Workaway's homepage. | |
| Available in | English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | VEN ltd |
| Industry | Travel industry |
| URL | www |
| Registration | Optional, site can be browsed without registering. Signing-up as a host is free. Paid and unpaid subscriptions for volunteers. |
| Launched | 17 April 2002 |
| Current status | Online |
| Part of a series on |
| Homestays |
|---|
| Hospitality exchange services |
| Hospitality for work |
| Hospitality for money |
| Home exchange and others |
Workaway is a platform that allows members to arrange homestays and cultural exchange. Volunteers or "workawayers", are expected to contribute a pre-agreed amount of time per day in exchange for lodging and food, which is provided by their host.[1][2][3]
The opportunities on offer are varied. Some types of volunteering available include gardening, animal-care, cooking and farming,[4][5] as well as more specialist and niche help requests.[6] The duration of an exchange can range from as little as a few days to over a year.
Workaway is aimed at budget travellers and language learners looking to become more immersed in the country and culture they are journeying through while allowing local hosts to meet like-minded people who are also willing to contribute at the same time.[7][8] It has been described as a useful way to improve foreign language skills[9] as well as an opportunity to develop new talents and learn about local traditions.[10]
One of the benefits for potentially isolated communities or people is the chance to bring the world to them via travellers using the site. Travellers can then profit from their host's knowledge of regional places of interest and their local environment. The ability to share space with a variety of people has been shown to enable cultural exchange and the chance to learn more about how others see the world.[11]
Workaway placements have been impacted by Brexit and other geopolitical changes.[12]
- ^ Bowes, Gemma (17 October 2009). "Spain for free - a working holiday". The Guardian.
- ^ Frommer, Arthur (4 March 2012). "Budget Travel: Website offers work-for-room-and-board abroad". Cape Cod Times.
- ^ Glusac, Elaine (2024-08-20). "How to Choose a Volunteer Trip".
- ^ Finn, Christine (15 January 2011). "Culture clubs: volunteering in creative communities". The Guardian.
- ^ Bowes, Gemma (17 October 2009). "Five great Workaway working holidays". The Guardian.
- ^ Dixon, Rachel (1 February 2016). "How to escape: tips and sites for working or volunteering abroad". The Guardian.
- ^ "Workaway.info".
- ^ Buccheri, Rory (20 November 2023). "Workaways: How to travel the world without spending a penny". The Big Issue.
- ^ Utton, Charley (28 January 2013). "Travelling on a student budget". The Independent.
- ^ Rainsford, Cat (12 July 2014). "Working holidays: my volunteering breaks and the lessons learned". The Guardian.
- ^ Roepert, Ekkehard (17 December 2018). "Hochstall 4 bietet Raum für Talente aus aller Welt" [Hochstall 4 offers space for talents from all over the world]. infranken.de (in German).
- ^ Glass, Katie (2023-01-17). "'I loved being a Workaway host but now Brexit has ended it in the UK'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2024-09-28.