My Working Holidays
Work? On a holiday? In a country I've never visited? How do I get a visa? Is this legal? Is getting a working permit expensive? This is probably way too complicated for me. What the hell is a working holiday anyway?!
Before I began my extended travels, the concept of a working holiday was unknown to me. I had heard of WWOOF-ing in passing, but didn't know much about it. I assumed working abroad on holiday was reserved for "a friend of a friend of a friend" in possession of a dual citizenship and dreadlocks. I didn't even own anything made of hemp.
Now, two working holidays later I am still sans dreads (you're welcome, Mom!) and can confidently tell you that the entire process is incredibly simple and extremely gratifying. The entire process is straightforward, relatively quick and simple, affordable, and extremely customisable to your interests, timeline, age, and abilities.
If I could highly recommend one resource for learning about the options and opportunities around budget travel and working abroad, then it would be this TEDx Talk by Tomislav Perk given in Hamburg, Germany last November. Although it is titled 'How to Travel the World with Almost No Money' he covers many different aspects of long-term travel. If you have a few minutes and have read this far, it is definitely worth a watch.
If you are interested in a working holiday, read on; if you know someone who might be curious, pass this along!
To date, I have participated in two HelpX sourced working holidays during my year and a half long travels. Although each of these experiences were very different, they have both been overwhelmingly positive.
In early 2015, I worked in a medium-sized hostel called Casa d'Alagoa in Faro, Portugal for 6 weeks.
In my post, I detail my daily working duties, my reflections on the experience, and a basic breakdown of this work/holiday exchange.
A few months later in the summer of 2015, I HelpX-ed at a seven-room B&B outside of Dingle, Ireland for three months. During that experience, I worked for Aisling and Aiden, a couple who were great hosts and became friends.
Four years later, Aisling and Aiden would attend my wedding, which was also held in Dingle, Ireland.
During my time working in Western View B&B, I created #My90IrishNights and documented my experience living and working in Ireland. It was also a very reflective time for me, as it was my first deep breath after backpacking around the world for 15 months. It was a fantastic experience and if you're interested in reading about my months there, check out my other Ireland posts.
