By Eva Weber
Staff Writer
For many, going abroad is a way to enrich the mind through new experiences and the ideal way to immerse oneself in the cultures of other countries.
If you have ever talked to an older relative or a parent, they’ll tell you that your college years are the best time to go abroad; you’re young enough to know you don’t know a thing, and you’re bold enough to strike out on your own by traveling to new places and meeting new people.
For many college students however, their chances to go abroad are often limited. The time we spend working at school never seems to be enough for some, and for others the idea of going abroad for an entire semester is almost out of the question. Take Simmons College sophomore Rachel Chenard, for example.
“I do two sports here at Simmons; I row crew and I’m on the swim team,” said Rachel. “On top of that, I’m hoping to double major in Neuroscience and Behavior on the cognitive and behavior track. Although I would love nothing more than to study abroad, I just don’t see when I can fit it into my schedule.”
For some, going abroad might have nothing to do with time, and everything to do with costs.
“I’m paying $4,900 to do a three-week program in South Africa,” said senior Taylor Rapalyea.
Whether it’s time or cost that’s holding you back from gallivanting about the world, fear not; studying abroad is no longer your only option.
You may want to consider volunteering abroad for free. Through the use of the website www.workaway.info junior Hannah Vaux was able to stay in France for up to six weeks in multiple locations without having to worry about the cost of food or having a place to stay.
Through Workaway, Vaus was able to work in exchange for room and board. She didn’t have to pay to work, the only thing she needed to do was get to her host sites.
“Study abroad didn’t work very well with my school schedule, so I heard about this program and decided to look into it,” said Vaux. “I just really wanted to travel, improve my French and have new experiences and meet new people. Work away was absolutely perfect.”
Over the course of her six weeks in France, Vaux spent time restoring old castles, helping out with landscaping, and working at a bed and breakfast.
“The last place I worked at was amazing,” said Vaux. “It was an old monastery that had been converted into a bed and breakfast. The work load was very minimal, and I got to spend my days exploring the countryside. And my host made sure I was well fed. I got three full meals a day of the most delicious food ever.”
When asked about the cost of volunteering, Vaux said it was no concern of hers.
“Sure it cost a good chunk to get to Europe, but once I was there I didn’t have to worry about finding the cheapest hotel and wondering where my next meal was coming from. I just had to get to the host and it was all taken care of,” said Vaux.
HOW IT WORKS: Workaway.info holds a database of families, individuals, or organizations in an extensive range of different countries that have registered with the site and are looking for volunteer help in a huge range of different fields from painting to planting, building to babysitting, and shopping to shearing. Workaway.info aims to introduce working travelers and language learners to like-minded hosts, without having to pay expensive agency fees. The hosts are based in many different countries with more and more signing up every day. If you’re planning a big trip to Australia, thinking of taking a year to roam Europe, or want to immerse yourself in South American culture, Workaway is the answer for low cost travel. To get in contact with potential hosts, you must register with the website and create a profile of yourself as a volunteer.
Still sound too good to be true? Enter Emile Martinot.
Martinot is a modern day vagabond, traveling from place to place whether it’s for volunteering or visiting the new friends he’s racked up from all over the world through his adventures.
“I have been volunteering on and off for three years…. I’ve used helpx the most, and word of mouth here and there,” said Martinot.
From working as a dogsled guide in Arctic Circle, to working at a biogas plant, he has taken full advantage as a volunteer in these programs.
“I don’t pay to volunteer. You don’t get paid money, but in food, accommodation, experience, skills and other benefits, so it’s a fair exchange, it’s not working for free. Paying money to work for someone is something I see it as an unfair exchange.”
HOW IT WORKS: www.helpx.net is provided primarily as a cultural exchange for volunteers who would like the opportunity during their travels abroad to stay with local people and gain practical experience. In the typical arrangement, the volunteer works an average of four hours per day and receives free accommodation and meals for their efforts. This time range can vary considerably depending on the tasks at hand and the host’s preferences. Some hosts may require just two hours per day for accommodation only, and ask you to provide and cook your own food.
Others may expect six hours per day in return for meals, your own room and sometimes other benefits such as free Internet use, horse riding, kayaking, bikes, local sight-seeing trips, or even yoga. Some will give weekends off, while others might allow you to put in eight hours one day and later take a full day off. Volunteers often live with the host family and are expected to join in and offer a helping hand with day-to-day activities.
Volunteer helpers are required to register for one of two levels of membership, Free or Premier.
“Volunteering is not something I do full time. I spend a lot of time undertaking other things, other adventures and avenues of learning. Particularly in the last year, I don’t think I volunteered once partly because my other positions had evolved into paid work,” said Martinot.
“One benefit is that almost every position I worked had the potential to become paid work or lead to other paid work. That makes it a good starting point if you’ve got no cash, no future but want to start something new and are willing to start from the bottom. All my places valued good work ethic and volunteering lets both sides try before they buy so to speak. Like a poorly paid internship.”
So if a study abroad isn’t in your future, or you’re strapped for cash but still looking for the opportunity of a lifetime, perhaps you should consider a volunteer program where you worry more about picking what parts of the world you want to explore, rather than how much you’ll have to pay to do it.
