to get your own WWOOF Book or WWOOF App Join WWOOF at one of our Sales Agents and get your own WWOOF Book or App now! By WWOOF New Zealand Make new friends and get to know the locals when you volunteer with WWOOF. www.wwoof.co.nz support@wwoof.co.nz +64 3 544 9890 WWOOF is about living and learning on organic farms, gardens and lifestyle properties. WWOOF provides hands-on learning experiences by putting members in touch with the people of New Zealand, living with them and experiencing their way of life, not just viewing it as a tourist. Volunteers gain new skills, make new friends and give a little back while visiting New Zealand. WWOOF started in the summer of 1973, with the aim to give people the opportunity to live on organic farms, get their hands dirty and practically learn about organic farming and growing. As WWOOF grew we and our members also saw the added value of visitors from around the world really connecting and sharing with local families, making their stay in New Zealand much more personal and memorable.
WWOOF connects hosts who practice organic, permaculture, bio-dynamics or sustainable farming and growing with people who want to have hands on educational experience. WWOOF members do not pay to stay on a farm nor are WWOOF volunteers paid to join in with the daily farming and family activities. There is a large variety of properties and activities to choose from including native bush regeneration, mud brick building, working with llamas, winemaking, beekeeping and many more. The cost to become a member of WWOOF is $40. This gives comprehensive online access of over 1000 property profiles for up to a year. There is also a printed book available listing all host properties who welcome WWOOF guests. Check out our website for more information.
Your browser does not support iframes. By WOOF New Zealand Combine work and fun when you volunteer with WWOOFConnecting hosts and volunteers organically
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Work Your Way Down Under
Willing Workers on Organic Farms an organization that helps travelers connect with organic farmers all over the world. It was an ideal way to get around the many challenges I faced when traveling in Australia—a limited budget, meeting others as a solo traveler, and traveling long distances. Australia I was able to give four to six hours of labor each day in exchange for a night’s food and lodging. Organizing my WWOOF experiences around my travel itinerary helped me to break up long journeys between destinations. The more than 2,600 hosts all over Australia give you plenty of options from which to choose. work is available at a horsebackriding business in Tasmania, a sheep station in outback Western Australia, a yoga center in Sydney, and an artists’ retreat in Queensland. In addition to the woof positions available in the book, being a member of WWOOF can provide travelers with other spontaneous work opportunities.
While at a hostel in Adelaide, South Australia, I found an advertisement on the notice board seeking two “WWOOFers” to housesit for 10 days on nearbyAnd in the Australian outback I helped an artist restore her art gallery. Becoming a WWOOF Australia member is easy. The cost is AUD$70.00. You can become a member by visiting WWOOF Australia’s website. WWOOFING is open to any nationality. WWOOFING in Australia is limited to those who are at least 18 years old with a tourist visa. Many hosts are happy to have children stay but they will not be covered by the insurance plan. To find a good host thoroughly read all entries in the WWOOF book before selecting those that sound interesting. Make a contact and call to ask any questions you might have before making a decision. Selecting a host with whom you have something in common makes a key difference. • Give of yourself. The WWOOF Australia book says it best: “If you see your host as free food and accommodation, your host will see you as cheap labour.”
• If you’re from outside Australia, share your culture: offer to cook your national dish and bring photos so your hosts can learn about you too. • Don’t say you’ll stay for two weeks and then decide half way through to leave early. Instead, stay a few days (the minimum is two) and see how it goes. If you are getting on well with your hosts, they may agree to extend your stay. WWOOFERs have been known to stay for more than a year! • The WWOOF books are updated a few times a year so don’t order yours too far in advance. Plus, your 12-month membership will start from the date of issue. • Have your own travel insurance as the plan included in the membership is limited. • Many hosts can accommodate multiple workers, so you can consider traveling with a signficant other or friends.What does WWOOF stand for? WWOOF is an acronym and started out in the early days as Working Weekends On Organic Farms. This changed in time as it was realised that people wanted to volunteer and host anytime.
Now various WWOOF organizations use a variety of meanings: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms Willing Workers On Organic Farms We’re Welcome On Organic Farms WWOOF enables people to stay and volunteer on a variety of organic properties. Volunteers (WWOOFers) help for 4-6 hours a day, and hosts provide the food and accommodation. This is a good way to experience, learn and share different ways of living. The first thing you need to decide is where you want to go WWOOFING. There are over 100 countries to choose from. Do you want to volunteer in Australia or Argentina, Korea or Kenya, Israel or Iceland or …..? Many countries have their own dedicated national WWOOF organisation, full details below. Click on the country you are interested in to visit their website. If you read about a farm you would like to visit you will need to enrol as a volunteer to access the contact details for that farm. To do this return to the home page and look for a link that says “become a volunteer/sign up” or similar and follow the instructions.
It is then your responsibility to make direct contact with a host farm of your choice to arrange a mutually convenient time for your visit. Please note that if you want to WWOOF in more than one country you MUST contact and subscribe to the WWOOF organisation in each country you want to volunteer in. Eg to WWOOF in Portugal – join WWOOF Portugal, to WWOOF in Australia join WWOOF Australia. Some countries do not have a national WWOOF organisations – but still have farms interested in hosting volunteers. For a full list go the “WWOOF in Other countries” section of this site. What kind of VISA do I need? Each country has different visa requirements, so you need to check with the relevant WWOOF organisation. In general it is up to the volunteer to research and arrange any visas required for their WWOOFing stay. WWOOF organisations do not normally arrange placements on the farms – this is something you do directly with the hosts. This means that neither WWOOF staff or WWOOF hosts can usually help you with getting visas.
How old do I have to be to go WWOOFing? Most WWOOF groups require you to be 18 years old. This is actually a legal issue. In most countries people below 18 are still considered by law to be children, which means that hosts would be legally responsible for anything that happens to you on their property. Many of our hosts are not willing to take on the extra responsibility that this entails. The good news is that different rules apply in different countries and so some WWOOF groups do take younger people. Currently, WWOOF Portugal and WWOOF Ireland take people at 17 years old, though sometimes a letter of consent from your parent or guardian is required. Other WWOOF groups like WWOOF Switzerland say it is up to each individual farmer. Then WWOOF Turkey require you to be 20 years old. So you need to decide where you want to go and then contact the group that organizes WWOOF in that country to find out their current policy on age. Your other option may be to travel with someone that can act as your legal guardian and take responsibility for you while you are on a host farm.
How much will it cost to go WWOOFing? Each WWOOF trip is unique. It is therefore difficult to provide a precise figure. Please ensure you budget for the following: •subscription fee to WWOOF in the country or countries you are visiting (this can be anything between 0 – US$72 / 0 – 56 Euro) •all travel expenses including, travel to WWOOF country and travel to/from between host farms If you don’t already have sturdy working boots and a sleeping bag it is also advisable to purchase these (though many farmers may have proper beds and linen for you..). For How long can I stay on a WWOOF farm? Normally the length of stay on a farm is decided between you and your host. There is no standard period. It can be anything from a few days to a few months. It all depends on what you both want. While some hosts like long stays others prefer short stays. Some ask for a few weeks trial before accepting people for longer stays. Can I go WWOOFing with my children?
Some farms are very happy to welcome people with children others are not. For farms that already have children it is often a pleasure to have other children around. We recommend you start by thinking about which country or countries you wish to visit. You can find a list of all the current national groups at the bottom of this page. If the country you are interested in is not listed try WWOOF in Other Countries. Click on the country you are interested in to visit their website. Look for a button/link that lets you “preview host farms” (NB – most, but not all sites have this facility). As you scan the list look to see if there are any farms that describe themselves as “family run” and then target these first. (To get contact info you will need to enrol with the relevant group as volunteers) For getting the perspective of others that WWOOF with children there are several articles on the web. •Can I WWOOF with my kids? If you have any experiences WWOOFing with Children and want to share them please email us and we can publish it.
I want to volunteer in several different countries. Is there a global membership? WWOOF is structured on a national level. While there are many WWOOF organisations around the world there is no central list or organisation. You need to join WWOOF in each of the countries you intend to visit. There is no International WWOOF membership. We are a network of WWOOF nations! Many countries have their own national organisations, full details below. If you want to WWOOF in any of these countries you MUST contact and subscribe to the WWOOF organisation in that country. When you join one of these countries you will only receive the list of hosts in that country. It is possible to stay with WWOOF hosts in countries that do not, as yet, have their own national WWOOF organisation, see WWOOF in Other Countries details below. Subscribing to these lists will enable you to visit farms in more than one country – though not necessarily the ones you want! What kind of security checks are done on hosts?
The checks made on the hosts vary depending on where you WWOOF. WWOOF organisations act as a contact between farms and volunteers. Some WWOOF groups visit each host before they are accepted, others require further checks or references. Other groups do no checks and rely on user feedback. As many WWOOF organisations are not-for-profit they do not always have the resources to visit their host farms. So you need to directly ask the WWOOF group that works in the country you want to visit what checks they do on their hosts. In general – when arranging to visit a WWOOF host you must take all the precautions you would take when visiting someone you do not know. Some countries have a feedback or reference system. The majority of WWOOF organisations have strict complaints procedures. If they get a complaint about a host it is investigated. If the complaint is upheld they are removed from our lists and cannot join again. This applies to volunteers too! How do I find a farm that specialises in winemaking/pig rearing/cheese making/permaculture?