The World of Workaway
Travelling 1.5 hours out of Amsterdam to a small coastal town called Noordwijk to volunteer at a hostel has been one of the more unexpected parts of my travels. After finishing my ski season in Austria, I then went to look after a friend’s dogs in Cyprus, before slowly making my way to the Netherlands where I had applied for a Working Holiday Visa. The pickle of travelling for this long is that money becomes a problem… who knew we needed an income to be able to gallivant around the world?! SHOCKING. Anywho, after some internet sleuthing, and many emails sent, I found a hostel that needed a last minute replacement for a volunteer in exchange for accomodation and food!
Long story, short, here I am! Sitting in arguably the best hostel I’ve ever been to, working 5 days a week cleaning, working breakfast or bar shifts, and making incredible friends from all over the world. It’s not glamorous, but it’s honest work as they say (I think that’s a saying, right?). Corporate Claud never would have imagined she would be on her hands and knees in a 20 bed dormitory bathroom in the Netherlands, cleaning things from toilets that I will not curse you with the knowledge of. But, I would not change a thing.
My day-to-day changes here in Noordwijk, my roster is usually one or two days of cleaning, then a mix between breakfast or bar shifts. I love having the variety and a mix of very customer focused days, and then time to just scrub floors and listen to music.
Workaway is such a great way to travel, and is pretty easy to arrange. All you need is an account, and then you can search for a place based on location or type of work. For some, Workaway is a long term solution too. Some of the other workers have been here for MONTHS, and I have even met past staff who were here for up to one-year! Myself, I am sadly only volunteering for a month, but as I come to the end of my time I’m starting to realise that one or two months is probably the sweet spot for these types of jobs and accomodation (especially if you’re a bit of an introvert like I am).
Do not fear though, there are also Workaway opportunities that are paid (usually if you have the correct visa for the country etc), and these are a great option for stashing away some cash as you go. Just be sure to read the reviews from past Workawayer’s before applying, as I have spotted some less than ideal ones here and there.