10 Steps to Workaway

Friends have been asking how we got started. It took a bit of time and research. Workaway seemed to offer thousands of hosts, and different jobs and categories. Here's the first 10 steps we've taken...

1. Join the website. Even if you never actually travel, it can serve as a sort of 'travel porn',  where you can fantasize about lots of different countries and work experiences. It costs  $US29  to join as a single and $US38 to join as a couple: https://www.workaway.info

2. Leave your job. Why work for money when you can work in exchange for things like places to stay and things to eat? Travel can be soulless and expensive when you are just hanging out on the edges, observing other people's lives and cultures. This way you can wade in and be a part of something.

3. Write a profile. Honest and interesting, saying what you can do with some recent images of yourself looking useful. For example, painting a fence, playing your flute, pruning trees, or taking part in a meeting.

4. Start checking out possible 'hosts'. Bear the distances between jobs in mind, and the logistics of travel between them. You don't want to waste time and money zigzagging backwards and forwards between Spain and Italy, for instance.

5. Read their reviews and comments. If every second guest comments on the remote location and hard work, avoid. If a host comments about too many people leaving after only a few days, don't go there.

6. Check the timing. The site listings show which months help is needed. Also, check out what the accommodation is - it can range from a separate chalet, to a caravan, to a room in a family home, or the west wing of a castle!

7. Write your prospects a short friendly message offering your help and saying what might be relevant to their situation. If it's an animal refuge, don't bother saying you are a raging carnivore and have a fear of dogs! Just offer 1-2 weeks; if it works out well, you might be asked to stay on.

8. Sit back for a month or two and wait for the offers to come in. We sent 30 messages, and got about 20 replies, and inquiries from people who just saw our listing. It takes time to get the dates confirmed. We have nailed 7 bookings over 6 months, and we have another 7 on the reserve list, in case we have a cancellation. 

9. Choose some good sensible work clothing if you are going for physical work. The majority seem to need gardening. I want to look like I've come to help, not like a tourist.

10. Start on some prep. We are going to be at an organic orchard business, so I'm reading up about biodiversity. We are making an effort to get fitter too, running round the local park. Most of the hosts ask for about 25 hours labour per week. I want some energy left, after the olive or grape harvests, to go out and explore. 

Lizzie 

From Suits to Boots

It's going to be an interesting transition. I spent Saturday afternoon trying out work/hiking boots for size and comfort. It was nice to do something real, and to think more about the changes ahead.

For the past 4 years I've donned a business suit and gone to work in an office - a very pleasant office, with views across Wellington harbour. Board papers, spreadsheets, policies and regulations have paid my bills.

But now, it's all going to be different. I'm trading my physical labour, and a bit of advice here and there, for accommodation and meals. I'm stepping into other people's lives and businesses, to offer my help. They are very interesting lives, in great places - Orange in Oz, Touzac in France, and Policoro in Southern Italy.

I'm going from indoors to outdoors, from cerebral to practical, from suits to boots...

Lizzie's Bloke (guest blogger)

Carrying On

We are in the planning stages of another world adventure.

It will include 6 months of Workaway jobs in Oz, France and Italy, a LoveHomeSwap or two, plus the essential 'F' things: family, food and friends.

But first, it's all about the packing, and in our case, what not to take. We are doing the carry-on thing again, so liberating. And let's face it, you just don't need a whole lot of stuff to lug around! Mascara, heavy shoes, books and pyjamas are unnecessary items. These bags weigh less than 1 kilo, leaving 6 kilos each for our essential things.

Lizzie 

London

I reckon I've acclimatised already. Only 5 layers of clothing under my coat now, not 7 - and I've stopped sniggering at place names like 'Cockfosters' and signs that say 'Hump for 50 yards' (although I'm still a bit puzzled about that).

Cold, but not freezing

When I pay for things I no longer keep the shopkeeper waiting while I puzzle my way through the unfamiliar coins and pale coloured bank notes that all look the same. Why do they have a 10p that is twice the size of the 20p, I wonder?

Last night we visited friends in Surbiton and, after a great catch-up and Indian takeaways for dinner, we managed to make our way back very late at night on a train then a tube then a bus. I always keep my Oyster card close to my heart, it's very reassuring.

I'm loving the crowds, the diversity and all the little independent shops and markets around Islington. I even enjoy wandering around Waitrose and exclaiming about all the pre-cooked meals on offer. The Christmas windows are amazing too.

John Lewis windows - bear made from luggage

Animals made from appliances

We got a real Christmas tree the other day and lugged it back to the flat, then bought some lights and decorations from one of those funny little cheap-everything shops (but managed to resist the pine-scent spray they offered). Christmas certainly seems to fit better in a Winter context.

Visiting shiny, happy people

Tonight I'm off to the local pub, Hops and Glory, for dinner with my daughter. They have board games apparently, and it's always nice and warm in pubs. Could it get any better than this?!

Lizzie

Plane Failing - 10 Reasons it Didn't Go to Plan!

So, if you read my blog about Plane Sailing strategies, please feel free to ignore it.

Here's what really happened:
1. We were stuffed by the time we got on the plane
2. I had a big glass of Pinot Noir
3. I sat in front of a ridiculously tall man whose feet reached through to my foot space, AND flopped about when he slept
4. We both fell asleep on the first flight to Hong Kong
5. Then on the second flight to London I had to wake Mario up for his sleeping pill, he was a bit grumpy about that
6. The movie selection wasn't great. I couldn't be bothered with Heat and Mario blamed Southern Edge for sending him off to sleep
7. I couldn't get past the sleeping giant (basketball player) easily to go for walks
8. We had ordered special healthy meals, low salt and fat, and wished we hadn't
9. The half sleeping pill didn't do it for me on the second flight, so I played computer games right up until the last hour and fell asleep at the worst possible time
10. Someone's bag came crashing out of the overhead locker and frightened the hell out of me just as we landed

However, we zoomed through customs at Heathrow with just our carry-on and had an easy trip on the train and bus all the way to Islington. London at last - hello old friend.

Lizzie

Kindle Linked

Funny word 'kindle'. I wonder how they decided on it. If this was BOGGLE I'd have come up with: lid, kin, lie, din, like, dine, kind, linked...

I got it last year for Christmas. So, one year on, it's been a gradual appreciation sort of thing. For some reason I took a while to start using it and loading books from Amazon. I started cheap and got some free ones. Noticed a few typos and that put me right off.

Then I bought some from the popular lists. Really enjoyed 'Labor Day' by Joyce Maynard and 'When I Found You' by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Now I'm choosing for myself, only spending a few dollars per book, and loving it! 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn was so good I've bought 'Dark Places' for another dose of tension and cleverness.

So it seems right that Kindle is an anagram of the word 'linked' - because its linked me to the reading world again. I have fresh enthusiasm - especially as it fits so neatly in my travel bag, is light to hold, easy to read at whatever font size I fancy, perfect for lefties like me, and keeps all the books I've read safe for ever.

Lizzie

Plane Sailing hopefully, with Cathay Pacific

Soon we are off again on one of those long two-flight trips from Auckland to London.

When it comes to booking flights I like those 'compare the fare' type sites. First I sort them in order of total trip time. There's nothing worse than a stopover that is between 4 and 12 hours long. Its a limbo sort of period where its not worth exploring or taking a nap, but its too long to just transition smoothly through the stopover. Next I look at price - if I can afford it, and its under 30 hours in total, I then check the travel departure and arrival times. For my body clock its better to leave late at night and arrive early morning at the final destination. The actual plane and airport time is a challenge for me, but I've developed a few coping mechanisms which might be helpful for others:

Mario - travelling light, carry-on only

1. I try not to be too frazzled before the trip begins by getting some early nights beforehand.
2. I travel light, carry-on only. This takes the stress out of mucking about with luggage (checking it on, lugging it around, reclaiming it, having it searched, losing it). Its amazing what you can fit into the 7 kilo carry on limit. Very liberating, and it cuts down airport time on arrival too.
3. Once I've boarded I avoid getting into deep and meaningful conversations with the person next to me.
4. Instead I create my own little mindful world - just one thing at a time. For example I might listen to my i-pod for a couple of songs. Then, when the meal comes, I eat slowly. After that I watch a movie. I take walks now and then, when the flight attendants aren't busy in the aisles. I do some stretching in the stand up area. I keep drinking lots of water. I read a few chapters on my Kindle, then I play an in-flight game. I don't keep checking the time or the flight progress.This stuff runs and reruns slowly until the first flight is over. I don't try to sleep; I just keep going through the sequence.
5. At the stopover I get really active, drink lots of water, and walk as fast as I can around the airport. Once I'm back on the plane I take a half sleeping pill, put on the eye covers, and sleep through most of the second big flight, usually waking up in time for breakfast before we land.
6. Once I land I try to get into some daylight as soon as possible, so my body can register what time I'm in. I try and stay awake most of the first day, then get an early night.
7. Finally, the noise cancelling headphones are a real bonus. We share a pair, so I add some periods of time with them into my first flight when I get my turn.

I'm sure many frequent flyers have their own patterns and methods - I'd love to hear them. Mostly this approach works for me; I've never really had jet lag and I've done heaps of flying. So, this time its going to be Cathay Pacific, via Hong Kong - I'll let you know how it goes...

Lizzie



    

Nelson

Long time since last blog, so a fast forward is needed to our arrival home a month ago to New Zealand. We decided to settle in Nelson and already feel very pleased with this decision. It was the family connections, the hours of sunlight and proximity to stunning beaches and beautiful hills that helped us make up our minds. I've joined the energetic team at Nelson City Council, in a fund raising advisory job, at an interesting time with local body elections coming up next month.

So the flavour of my life has changed from being a leaver (from London, Kingston University, Europe generally) to being a joiner (family and friends at home,the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, the Council, the Italian Club...)

I work four days a week so I now have the luxury of spending Wednesdays at home helping set up the new-old house and garden. (The house was built in 1961, so we are about the same age!)But I also spend a lot of time just enjoying the view - every day the sea, clouds and sands offer a different variation, depending on the prevailing weather and light.

It all feels very comfortable. As I have been busy stocking the cupboards, getting the vegetables sorted in our garden and making new friends I've been thinking that our travel adventures were great for focussing our minds and clarifying what we value in life, and in particular, the NZ way of life.

Lizzie

Bergerac

We arrived from Paris via Bordeaux feeling a bit jaded as the past week had caught up with us. In Paris for the first two days we walked a great deal and got caught in several showers, but it was worth it, especially the Musee D'Orsay. But then Mario got a pinched nerve in his back and I got a headache which just wouldn't go away.

Bergerac became a place to chill out and relax. A perfect place, curving gently up from the wide Dordogne River and made up mostly of golden sandy coloured buildings and narrow streets. We felt we could easily find our way around and just start to enjoy the sunshine and wine. We booked four nights at the Europ'Hotel; a pleasant little place on the edge of the old town with about 20 rooms and a lovely clean swimming pool.

Now two days on we are less frazzled and we've stopped looking at our watches. The market on Saturday was really buzzing with more varieties of tomatoes, radishes and asparagus than I have ever seen before. Today there was some sort of town fete and they strung a hammock type netting alongside the Pont Vieux (quite a stretch, five arches). Locals were lining up to struggle across it, each crossing taking about 20 minutes.

Each afternoon and evening we sit down in the foyer and watch the World Cup games and try and figure out the French commentary. Our friendly hosts can't understand why we are supporting or interested in so many countries - NZ, Italy, Spain, Australia and England. Our French (with bits of Italian and English thrown in) is hopeless, so we cannot explain these things very well, it took us two days to get a good cup of tea sorted.

Lizzie

Ash

It's strange that something in nature can have such a profound impact on travel plans, and the activities that surround them.

I'm off to the London Book Fair tomorrow, and hoping its not too blighted by this strange turn of events. I have a conference on Thursday, with a keynote speaker from Australia; I wonder if he will make it. My sister-in-law is stuck here with us in London because she cannot return to her home in Sydney. Her job, studies, family all have to just wait for the skies to clear.

We all went for a bike ride today in Bushy Park; sunny day, lots of birds, no plane noise overhead. It was perfect.

I've always disliked airports - too many sad goodbyes and the accumulated anxieties of travellers waiting to leave, or people anxious to meet and greet. Now I expect they are strangely deserted, with pockets of optimists - or those who just don't have anywhere else to go.

I wonder how the struggling airline companies will survive the economic fallout from these losses. More mergers perhaps. Maybe this, when it eventually ends, have turned people in Europe back to ferry,coach and rail travel as a more preferred option in the future.

Maybe our Eurostar booking, to leave London for Paris early in June, will soar in value. But then it can't go on that long, can it?

Lizzie

Finally Started

Well, here goes...

This is the planning stage - 56 days around Europe from 9 June onwards for a couple of Kiwis leaving London to head homeward. We're a couple of 'shifty fifties', and we are preparing to start our adventure.We think we may be addicted to change, but then, what the hell!

Thought I'd start now, because after all, the excitement has begun already. We've resigned from the London jobs, and booked our return fares. Every Sunday morning we sit up in bed with our net-books on our laps and have a Flight-of-the-Conchords type meeting:

M - present

E - present

We are plotting a trip that starts in Paris, goes through Spain, then Portugal, then Spain again, then back through Italy. We finish off with a week in Sardinia, then its back to London to take that long flight to Sydney.

Lizzie