Summary:
[[Image:FarmRoad.jpg|630px|thumb|left|Photo by mmj171188/[http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmj171188/336834336/ flickr]/CC]]
For some technophiles, the idea of logging out, disconnecting, and jaunting around with Mother Nature sounds like a hippy dippy nightmare. But for those who are brain-fried, teched-out, and yearning to break an internet addiction, the prospect of traveling around the world and working with one's hands, literally immersing oneself in the dirt of a different place, is a modern dream. That?s the premise behind workshare programs: In exchange for lodging and (hopefully) learning about day-to-day farm tasks, a volunteer or intern pitches in with everything from planting seedlings to raising chickens. And while planning used to not be quite a walk in the park, luckily now you can make the majority of the arrangements online (get it all out of your system before sailing away). But there are still a few things you need to know before packing your Carhartts.
''This how-to was written by Adrienne So, our How-To expert on everything foreign.''
==Take the Initiative==
[http://www.wwoof.org/ WWOOF] is a reputable international nonprofit organization that?s in its fourth decade of workshare placements. Wwoof-ers, as they like to call themselves, can search by continent and country for stays as short as a week or as long as a couple of years. Just remember that WWOOF just gathers the information. It?s up to you to contact the farm and arrange your visit. This freedom from an established program is liberating to most, but a little nerve-wracking to others.
==Ask Important Questions==
It?s easy to be blinded by pictures of flowers nodding in the sun, and to think that any amount of work is worth it as long as you can bake your own pizza in a wood-fired oven every night. But try to contain your excitement long enough to ask a few questions: How many hours will your host expect you to work per day, and do you get weekends off? Does your host speak English? How many meals are included and will you be expected to share the top bunk with the host?s children? Does the home have Internet, or will you have to trek into the neighboring village every Sunday to e-mail your parents? Be honest with your hosts about your experience as well. Will you be expected run heavy machinery if your biggest gardening tool to date is a hand trowel?
==Note the Season==
[[Image:Farmer1.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Photo by Sophie Jonasson/[http://www.flickr.com/photos/paleolit/2822033847/ flickr]/CC]]
Don?t forget that the Southern hemisphere runs on an opposite calendar to the northern; tasks vary widely season to season. Summer and fall are harvest seasons, while early spring and winter are not. Some measure of farm work will always be tedious, but if you aim for a particular chore?spring shearing, for example?you may be able to avoid endless weeding if you choose.
==Keep an Open Mind==
Some host farms integrate the volunteers into their own families. Volunteers sleep in the house and play with the children. For many, this integration is the most rewarding part of the experience, but other farms?particularly bigger ones, with more than five volunteers?will likely provide separate accommodations. It?s easy to become discouraged if you?ve committed to a two-month stay and are becoming acquainted with the harsh realities of bunking with strangers in the middle of nowhere, in a country where you might not even know the language. Try to relax and be flexible.
==Explore Your Options==
Although it?s the largest, WWOOF is only one of many organizations. [http://www.helpx.net/ HelpX] and [http://www.idealist.org/ Idealist] are two great places to start looking. If you?re not fully committed to the idea of farm work but would still like to go abroad, [http://www.bridgevolunteers.org BridgeVolunteers] and others provide more structured programs with many different kinds of projects.
[[Category:Green]]
[[Category: Travel]]
For some technophiles, the idea of logging out, disconnecting, and jaunting around with Mother Nature sounds like a hippy dippy nightmare. But for those who are brain-fried, teched-out, and yearning to break an internet addiction, the prospect of traveling around the world and working with one's hands, literally immersing oneself in the dirt of a different place, is a modern dream. That?s the premise behind workshare programs: In exchange for lodging and (hopefully) learning about day-to-day farm tasks, a volunteer or intern pitches in with everything from planting seedlings to raising chickens. And while planning used to not be quite a walk in the park, luckily now you can make the majority of the arrangements online (get it all out of your system before sailing away). But there are still a few things you need to know before packing your Carhartts.
''This how-to was written by Adrienne So, our How-To expert on everything foreign.''
==Take the Initiative==
[http://www.wwoof.org/ WWOOF] is a reputable international nonprofit organization that?s in its fourth decade of workshare placements. Wwoof-ers, as they like to call themselves, can search by continent and country for stays as short as a week or as long as a couple of years. Just remember that WWOOF just gathers the information. It?s up to you to contact the farm and arrange your visit. This freedom from an established program is liberating to most, but a little nerve-wracking to others.
==Ask Important Questions==
It?s easy to be blinded by pictures of flowers nodding in the sun, and to think that any amount of work is worth it as long as you can bake your own pizza in a wood-fired oven every night. But try to contain your excitement long enough to ask a few questions: How many hours will your host expect you to work per day, and do you get weekends off? Does your host speak English? How many meals are included and will you be expected to share the top bunk with the host?s children? Does the home have Internet, or will you have to trek into the neighboring village every Sunday to e-mail your parents? Be honest with your hosts about your experience as well. Will you be expected run heavy machinery if your biggest gardening tool to date is a hand trowel?
==Note the Season==
[[Image:Farmer1.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Photo by Sophie Jonasson/[http://www.flickr.com/photos/paleolit/2822033847/ flickr]/CC]]
Don?t forget that the Southern hemisphere runs on an opposite calendar to the northern; tasks vary widely season to season. Summer and fall are harvest seasons, while early spring and winter are not. Some measure of farm work will always be tedious, but if you aim for a particular chore?spring shearing, for example?you may be able to avoid endless weeding if you choose.
==Keep an Open Mind==
Some host farms integrate the volunteers into their own families. Volunteers sleep in the house and play with the children. For many, this integration is the most rewarding part of the experience, but other farms?particularly bigger ones, with more than five volunteers?will likely provide separate accommodations. It?s easy to become discouraged if you?ve committed to a two-month stay and are becoming acquainted with the harsh realities of bunking with strangers in the middle of nowhere, in a country where you might not even know the language. Try to relax and be flexible.
==Explore Your Options==
Although it?s the largest, WWOOF is only one of many organizations. [http://www.helpx.net/ HelpX] and [http://www.idealist.org/ Idealist] are two great places to start looking. If you?re not fully committed to the idea of farm work but would still like to go abroad, [http://www.bridgevolunteers.org BridgeVolunteers] and others provide more structured programs with many different kinds of projects.
[[Category:Green]]
[[Category: Travel]]
Source: http://feeds.wired.com/~r/howtowiki/~3/m31aHA9GKqM/Farm_Hop_Around_the_World
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