Workaway connects volunteers with hosts to do projects around the world.

Aimed at everyone from gap year students right through to experienced professionals, Workaway makes it possible to do something rewarding with your spare time – be that a short respite from work for annual leave, or a longer term sabbatical/career break.

Stay with a host for free, experience their way of living and culture, meet locals and put your time to valuable use by volunteering on their project. Volunteers won’t ever pay their hosts.

There’s a huge range of work available; examples include helping Vietnamese young adults improve their English language skills, working on a farm in northern Italy, renovating derelict buildings across Europe, contributing to animal welfare in central America and tonnes more.

All hosts are listed on the site and can be broken down by search category, such as country they live in, who they are (such as an individual/family/NGO) and what types of help they need.

Volunteers can also set up a profile to indicate what kind of opportunities they’re looking for, skills they can offer and countries they’re interested in visiting – meaning hosts can contact you directly about a project.

Work can vary in length from just a week up to several months – in some cases length is determined by how long the volunteer can offer, in other cases there is a minimum period specified by the host.

To apply for a position/contact a host, volunteers need to register to the Workaway community and pay a small membership fee valid for one year.