Wwoofing means working on organic farms for free and being rewarded with food, accommodation and exciting insights. We tell you what you need to know about wwoofing. Basically it combines working and traveling. And in your breaks you have enough time for IviBet.
Wwoofing was founded in 1971 by former British secretary Sue Coppard, who was looking for a balance to her office job in London and helped out on a farm at weekends. At the time, WWOOF stood for “Working Weekends on Organic Farms”.
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Because Wwoofing is now so popular internationally and many travelers spend much longer than just a weekend on the farms, the name was changed to “World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms”. There are now over 40 national wwoofing organizations, including Germany. Many so-called wwoofers take advantage of this offer to travel inexpensively and experience foreign countries, cultures and customs.
Wwoofing allows volunteers to help out on organic farms in exchange for board and lodging. There is no money involved, but there is plenty of experience, exchange, and a life in nature. There are now Wwoof organizations all over the world. Australia, America, New Zealand, Canada, and France lead the way with the largest Wwoof communities. In Germany, too, there are now around 500 farms where you can help out.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT
Wwoofing teaches you a lot about sustainable agriculture. The great advantage of wwoofing is not just the low cost of travel. You are part of a family community that is committed to organic farming with fair working and living conditions.
Wwoofing is more than just an employment relationship such as that between traditional seasonal workers and large-scale farmers. In the best-case scenario, a friendly relationship develops that may last a lifetime. You can also get to know other wwoofers if the farm takes on several helpers at the same time.
What else can you expect?
Working hours: Wwoofer:inners usually work 25 hours a week. The exact schedule is agreed in advance to suit both sides.
Payment: In return for their active support, they receive free food, accommodation and a good insight into the daily routine on organic farms. There is no money.
Accommodation: Accommodation can vary greatly. According to experience reports, there has been everything from nice guest rooms to haylofts and caravans to tents. However, there shouldn’t be any nasty surprises, as you can find out more about hosts and the work involved in advance in country-specific Wwoof books and on the website.
Tasks: The tasks are very varied – whatever is needed on a farm. By arrangement, cows are milked, stables are mucked out, and you help with the vegetable harvest.
Experience: By woofing, you not only experience the country and its people but also learn a lot about organic farming, sustainable lifestyles, and gardening.
Length of stay: As the work on the farm requires training, two days is usually the minimum. One week is ideal, however, and anything longer is welcome. However, there are now also farms that are looking for helpers for just one day. So it’s ideal if you’re passing through.
HOW CAN I TAKE PART?
Woofing is possible on over 12,000 eco-farms worldwide. Unlike supervised volunteer work and farm stays, you have to organize your stay yourself when working.
On the organization’s international website, you can choose from over 12,000 eco-farms in more than 130 countries on five continents. In addition to reviews from other Wwoofer:innen, most of the farms have a profile with photos and important information such as
- Farm description
- livestock
- Accommodation
- areas of responsibility
- maximum number of wwoofer:s
- Languages spoken
- Admission period and duration
Once you have decided on a farm, you must contact the family or the operator yourself. For some countries, such as Bangladesh and China, there are instructions to ensure a safe stay and information on the required visas. If this is too risky or too much effort, there are many interesting Wwoof farms in Germany, neighbouring countries and other EU countries.
BUT IF THAT IS NOT SOMETHING FOR YOU
“Why wander into the distance?” Goethe asked, and he is still right: sustainable tourism is when the vacation destinations are close by. It doesn’t always have to be faraway islands or other continents when our local lakes invite us to swim or alpine hikes bring us closer to nature.
In fact, this is the trend: microadventures are about seeking adventure not in exotic places, but close to home. Taking a city tour in your own town, camping in a neighbouring town instead of abroad, taking public transport to the end of the line in the city, exploring the area there – and then walking home. There are many ideas, the British inventor is Alastair Humphreys.
Bob Duncan is the lead writer and partner on ConversationsWithBianca.com. A passionate parent, he’s always excited to dive into the conversation about anything from parenting, food & drink, travel, to gifts & more!