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VOLUNTEERING | TRAVEL | EXCHANGE | NOMADS
Finding Ourselves Exactly Where We Are Needed Most — Again
Volunteer exchanges are how the whole world should operate
Our first volunteer exchange experience was during a six-week holiday to Greece, Bulgaria, and Italy in 2015. We bought a membership on a website called WWOOF—Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms — the most popular, and possibly only, site offering these exchanges at the time.
The arrangement for most of these volunteer jobs is that the volunteers get accommodation and food in exchange for time spent working on the property. We were excited to secure a spot on the island of Paros in Greece and would spend two weeks working there.
Sadly, we had just missed the olive harvest — something we had wanted to experience — and were tasked with building trails and a few stone walls across the property instead. However, we didn’t mind the work. We had been doing similar things on our property back in Canada, and we find landscaping and building gardens an extension of our creativity and work that we enjoy.
We were given the most adorable little cabin to stay in, and the owners made delicious meals for us for the duration. We truly enjoyed the experience and had a great time getting to know the small Greek island on our off days.
We had no idea then that volunteering would become a large part of our futures when, just a couple of short years later, we decided to sell all of our possessions and start traveling full-time.
Opening Homes Up to Strangers
Many people balk at the thought of having strangers sleeping in their homes or on their properties. But it is these very people, the ones who trust in their fellow men to be good people, who truly benefit the most.
These are people who realize that they can’t do everything themselves. Instead of paying somebody to come and do things for them, they take the chance to meet new people from around the world, which strengthens our global…
