Scrubbing Toilets and Stamping Passports

 

How often do you scrub your toilet?

I hardly ever do.

Something about that little toilet brush just grosses me out.

The poor guy lives behind my toilet, sitting there all day, just waiting to get dipped in poopy water.

No thanks.

Luckily, my roommate doesn’t seem to mind using him.

But what if grabbing that little poop stick and scrubbing my Mexican heart away had larger implications? What if cleaning toilets meant I could live in places like Barcelona or Bali or Rio de Janeiro for close to nothing? Well then pass the latex gloves and prepare your bum for some clean porcelain my foreign friends, I’m about to get down in the bathroom.

And that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

Hopefully the toilet scrubbing will be minimal, but I’m prepared for anything.

Workway.info is a website that connects individuals with families and facilities that are interested in hosting work volunteers in exchange for room and board. Since hosts are not technically paying their volunteers, no work visas are required. There are tens of thousands of workaway hosts hailing from every region of the world. Each host offers a unique experience based on their needs, here are some examples of hosts I’ve come across in the last few months:

• A surf camp/hostel in Peru in need of a bartender
• A family in Barcelona looking for an au pair to assist with their two young (and adorable) daughters
• Another surf camp in the Spanish Canary Islands in need of a surf instructor and social media guru
• A hotel on the Greek island of Aegina searching for a receptionist
• A hostel in Thailand requiring the services of an English instructor
• An olive farm in Italy searching for extra hands during the harvest

As you can see, the work is varied and the opportunities are endless. Most hosts offer a room and at least one meal a day in exchange for 20 -25 hours of work per week. The rest of the time is yours. Not only are you saving loads of money on lodging and food(the most costly expenses while traveling), but workways offer the opportunity to make connections with your hosts and experience the true essence of your destination. Most travelers on vacation rarely stray off the beaten tourist paths. In return, they pay high dollar for fancy hotels, tours and watered down experiences.

So you’re not making any money?

You can imagine how many times I’ve heard that one. No, I will not be getting paid. But utilizing workaways throughout my travels will allow me to optimize my savings and have experiences I could have never dreamed of back in the States. Take my friend Jessica for example, she quit her job in Los Angeles back in June, jumped on a plane and has been workawaying her way across Europe. You should see the girl’s Facebook page. So far she’s worked on an alpaca farm in France, spent five weeks on a Greek island working in a hotel, visited Paris and Barcelona and is currently building houses out of straw and clay in Romania. Her next stop will be in Mexico when Dos Equis hires her as the Most Interesting Woman in the World. Okay, I made that last one up but I’m sure she’ll be doing something awesome.

Keep your eyes peeled Jessica, I’m coming right behind you.