Working while traveling

Okay, so I'm new to traveling (on my own) and am just now starting to plan everything out in full detail. I will be traveling around the world with a good friend of mine, leaving in either January or February. We haven't narrowed it down to WHICH countries we will be going to yet, but most likely we will be traveling to about 6 countries over a period of 12-13 months. I've been doing a lot of research, and I've found that there are things like "Organic Farms" that you can stay at for months at a time, work for them a couple hours a day, and they will provide you with food & shelter..and even sometimes be your tour guide...?

Soooo I guess my question is does anyone know if are these legit?

If anyone knows anything about these types of places, I would love to know more! I am thinking about staying at some places like these if possible so that I can save money. Any suggestions??

Thanks, Larisa Reply to this

My best friend just WWOOF'ed in Scotland, and said it was great, but a lot of hard work. I have never hear of WOOF being dodgy.

You can also look into SERVAS, http://joomla.servas.org/, I haven't done them but contacted a few people who had through another travel board a few years ago and they all said it was amazing and they still keep in contact with the families. There are also various farmstay organizations, some free and some with fees. I don't know any off hand, but its worth some searching.

I don't know what types of visas you will have or citizenship you hold, but I suppose either way, depending on the country, there is legal work, and work under the table. Both are likely to be things like waitress, barmaid, dishwasher, fruit picker, cleaner, etc. You can get work under the table, but of course there is a trade off. You are basically at the mercy of the employer, as being illegal you have no rights. If you do, good luck enforcing them. Most business are running a large risk by employing you, as they could be heavily fined if found out. Sometimes your non-local accent is enough to give you away, so be careful! You could get in a good deal of trouble too I believe, but, not to say people don't do it all the time and never get caught. I had a friend who just worked illegally in Scotland, several places over a period of time, and working six to seven days a week with a fraction of the legal-persons pay was the norm. Sometimes she was 'paid' with just a maids room and food. Under the law, in some countries, a glass of water is considered payment, so money doesn't have to exchange hands for it to be illegal. Hostels often hire long time stays or other people to clean the hostel in exchange for a free bed, but this is hostel by hostel, and the nicer it is, the less likely this will be on offer. Of course you can also be let go on zero notice, and not paid at all. So, its a risk, but, its possible. Its best not to put yourself in that position.

Good luck! Reply to this

Hi Larisa.
Glad we could be of help! Ooh, the visa thing is a bit unlikely. You would have to get a work visa, months in advance, for each country you plan to work in. They cost money, and all the paperwork will be in the country's language. Unlike the US, most countries believe that for work and immigration purposes, if you cannot speak the language of their country, stay home. I don't think that the each country visa thing is feasible, since as far as I know you are granted visas only after you have had a firm job offer from a company, who sponsors you and lays down some money and lots of paperwork to bring you over.

Lemme blab a bit more about what I know about trying to work if you are a US passport holder. 😊
Well, unfortunately if you are a US Citizen, its kind of a major pain in the rear to work anywhere but, well, here. I know in Australia you will have a hard time getting illegal work, they are pretty uptight about it (they get 'raided' or checked pretty often, and the fine they receive just isn't worth it). You might have a bit more luck in the UK, where things are a bit more lax. The best way to do this, or, one of the only ways, is that if you have a bit of money to put down and want to spend six months in the UK, you can look into BUNAC (just google that word). They process your work visa, and orient you to the country, but not much else. And its kind of expensive, *but* the work you get will be legal, and likely higher paid than under the table. Your best bet for under the table is bartending and cleaning. You will have to spin some game to get that gig, and be pretty good looking or pretty charming or both to get bartending, and being a cleaner you will likely be competing against eastern european workers who are legal and very hard workers. I gather Americans have a general reputation for being whiny, spoiled, and lazy. And no, most countries do not tip, so you will be relying on your erstwhile employer for everything. Anywhere but the UK, Oz, and western europe, I don't know, and you might post in the appropriate region section on the boards.

I have travelled a lot, but I have yet to see an American working illegally, the UK, Europe, or Australia. The one place I did see Americans working was in hostels in Europe, mainly Amsterdam. I am still not sure how they pulled it off ( I *do* know they weren't just passing through, it was their *job*) but I knew of a Texan bartender at the Pig in Amsterdam (infamous party hostel), and some Americans working at the Jordan Shelter, a Christian hostel in Amsterdam. I know the ones at Jordan were legal, and I think they put it together through church or some other way. You may look into that if you go to church.

At the end of the day, you simply cannot plan a long term budget that involves an assumed deferred cost through casual work. It would be awesome if you could, cause trust me I feel for you and I wish I had a cheerier opinion!! The biggest cost you will have, on a day to day running cost basis, the one that eats your budget alive, is accomodation. Paying every night to sleep really blows. 😊 There *is* camping out. I know in the UK they have laws that allow this. There is also couch surfing, and squatting. I don't know much about the latter two, but you will likely hear about them eventually. I don't think either sound very safe or very comfortable, but its out there. Camping out, as you will be alone, you would have to be pretty smart and really be able to take care of yourself. Not for the faint of heart or short of experience. You would probably also have to have a car or bike, unless you walk. I have only ever heard of guys doing it to be honest. I was in the Marines and am an experienced camper, but even I wouldn't do it by myself.

One final option is some kind of volunteer work. You would have to pay a fee, but likely cheaper than it would cost to pay for everything yourself. I think there is some stuff through the National Trust in the UK. I don't know about anywhere else. Just google around til you hit something.

The best thing to do is take very little stuff, and as much money as you possibly can. And credit cards for back up. :D

Good luck again, and save your money! Reply to this