The WWOOF Organization provides travelers the option to work on a farm for part of their stay in exchange for free meals and accommodation! WWOOF stands for “Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms” and WWOOFing around the world is an incredibly popular way to travel long-term on a budget. In exchange for working on an organic farm, travelers get free room and board — allowing them to extend their travels without breaking the bank.
n order to become a WWOOFer, you need to sign up for the national organization in the country you want. There is no international WWOOF membership, so you’ll have to buy a membership from each WWOOFing country’s organization (WWOOF is made up of almost a hundred organizations). Annual membership usually costs around $30-40 USD per country per person (there is also a joint membership for couples that offers a slight discount). You don’t need any previous experience in farming to do this, just a desire to work.
How To Join:
- Visit the WWOOF website
- Choose destination country of choice. Here is the list of participating countries.
- Fill out their membership application and pay the fee
- Start searching for opportunities!
Once you’ve filled out the online membership form and paid the fee, you’ll be sent a list of participating farms in your country of choice and can decide which ones to contact.
Each farm description will tell you something about the host, their farm, and their expectations. Read it carefully and ask for accommodation details, examples of work, weekly routine, and food arrangements before you commit. You can also ask whether they have specific house rules and if they’re fluent in English. If they’re not, don’t be put off; this could be a great opportunity to learn a new language!
Be sure to check out the WWOOF Independents section of the site, too, for farms in countries without a central WWOOF body. Join this, and you can visit any of the 1,000+ farms in the WWOOF Independent countries.
Some WWOOFers like to spend shorter periods at farms (1-3 weeks) and visit a wider variety of farms. That lets them explore the country while giving them an out in case their farm stay doesn’t go well. Others prefer longer stays so they can really immerse themselves in the region.
If you’re new to both farm work and WWOOFing, I’d suggest a shorter stay so you can get a feel for the lifestyle without having to commit yourself for months.
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