Workaway was born over 20 years ago when a traveler, David, asked his hosts in Hawaii if he could extend his stay — but instead of paying as usual, he wanted to exchange help with daily tasks for free accommodation.

Not only did he get to stay 2 months instead of 2 weeks, but David had a valuable realization: it was much more fulfilling. After getting to know the family and their friends, he really started to feel part of local life.

“Giving back to the places he stayed at enabled him to get a greater understanding of the culture and integrate in a way that just wasn’t possible as a regular tourist. His trips could be extended way beyond the original budget, and the seed of the Workaway idea was born.”

Workaway began as a platform with one simple concept: “to promote cultural exchange between workawayers who can offer help while traveling, and hosts who can provide food and accommodation.”

Now Workaway has grown into an established international network of travelers that can connect with local families, projects, and diverse communities in over 170 countries. You can read more about their mission and costs here (it’s $49 USD yearly membership for individual or $59 USD for a couple).

3 Steps to Successfully Applying for Work Exchange on Workaway

Before you apply to an opportunity, you should read the listing thoroughly.

This seems incredibly obvious, but some of them are quite detailed — and for good reason. Others are welcoming you into their homes, after all. Try to attain as much information as possible from their listing before you message them. Most listings are very specific and it’s easy to get a good idea of the criteria before even messaging them.

Now, for the 3 steps you can follow as you’re applying for Workaway listings…

1. Understand what the host expects from you.

• When do they need help? There is a calendar at the top of every host’s profile that shows all 12 months with colors underneath: Green for “needs help this month”, yellow for “maybe needs help”, and red for “not accepting help now”. Not every host updates these constantly, but I usually didn’t bother with messaging hosts with RED months.
• What will your responsibilities be? These vary widely, and you can search for specific key words. You can do cooking, weeding, farming, animal care, child care, construction, teaching, marketing, photography, web design, social media, … you name it, you can find a listing with it. What do you most want to do? What do you absolutely NOT want to do? Keep this in mind.
• How many hours will you be working, and on which days? Average is 20-25 hours per week.
• What length of commitment do they want? Some hosts only want 1 week, whereas others won’t accept anything less than 2 months. How long do you want your first work trade opportunity to be? I decided on ~2 months.

2. Understand what you can expect from the host.

• What type of room will you be sleeping in? Is it an actual house or a tent? Private or shared? Connected to the house or detached? What’s the bathroom situation? For instance, I looked for a private room in a house. I love camping, but usually for 2 weeks or less – not 2 months.
• What about the food situation? Is there any included, or will you be given a small stipend for it? If it is not included, is there a market close by that you can get to somehow?
• Speaking of stipends, is there any other way to receive one? If you work extra, do you receive payment?
• Where is the location? Is the host’s home in a city center or is it more rural? And furthermore, do you have access to a vehicle or another mode of transport if you are far from other things you’d like to see in the area?
• How about Internet connection? Do you want to live off the grid or stay connected? The hosts have an option to choose “Limited Internet Access” or “Internet Access”. If this matters to you, ask.
• Are there any reviews on the host’s page? What do they say? Many don’t have reviews, so don’t knock them immediately if there’s none – it may mean they’re new to the site! Everyone starts somewhere. Check out their photos, too.

Ideally, you can determine almost ALL of the above from the listing alone. If it is lacking a ton of information, it may not be the best listing. Now, it’s time to send a request and message them for your dates. It’s crucial to keep just one thing in mind here…

3. Increase your odds of getting accepted by a host: make your message PERSONAL based on their listing.

• Again, seems obvious, but you’d be surprised (or maybe not) how far a personally tailored message will get you. Stay concise, but specific.
• Briefly acknowledge the responsibilities you’d be doing, hours, and time commitment, and speak to your previous experience. Don’t have any specific experience in some of the responsibilities? Many are happy to teach you. Instead, in your message, you could relate how some of your other skills could help you be a fast learner.
• I wouldn’t recommend sending them a two-sentence generic message without even acknowledging their name. For instance, if you want to work with them in March but you see that month is red, you could send a shorter message but still be specific. Quickly relate some of your experience and why you’d like to work with them, and then ask about availability before going more into detail.
• Make sure your profile is completely filled out. I can’t stress this one enough. Add a bio, your general experience, and photos. Again, be thorough, but concise enough.

And that’s it. As with most things, try not to feel discouraged if you don’t immediately receive messages back. There are many listings out there — keep trying.

Alicia at Workaway has also authored a couple articles about being an excellent Workaway guest (as well as a great host, too), so you once you are accepted to your first Workaway exchange, check out her writing.

I had a wonderful first Workaway experience in Hawaii on the Big Island, and would jump at the chance to do it again.

Happy Workaway-ing!