Travel is what turned me into the person I am today, and not only. It’s the topic on which my life revolves now, and the one I’ve decided to focus my shared pieces of writing on this blog. Through the ways I’ve met strangers in my life, I realize more and more how great is this world made by the people who are growing up in so many different environments, living lifestyles that deserve to be exploited and followed, maybe.
There are many travel nomads, worldpackers volunteering, and backpackers that I haven’t met yet to understand the term of travel better, but there are some people that my path crossed with and stories from them that helped me understand the travel lifestyle from many perspectives.
Quarantine story
Back in the 2020 pandemic lockdown in Romania, I was quietly living my solo life in quarantine, trying to cope with the worldwide isolation and learn how to live new lifestyles, obliged. But, one day, I receive a Couchsurfing request from a girl, called News Chen, asking if I could host her for some time as she is a long-term traveler caught in Romania but unable to continue her journey to Hungary.
I accepted to host News and we’ve spent two great weeks together in my place (we secretly sneaked out one time to present her to my friends) and spoke about our life stories. That’s when I became to listen about long-term traveling and volunteering opportunities that allow you to travel for free. Of course, I had to research both of those keywords later.
Long-term travel is a remarkable experience for any individual – You’ll discover Worldpackers volunteering
News taught me that Long Travel is a great way to escape the mundane routines of daily life and create new ones, far away. It is a way to quit your comfort zone to explore new cultures, see different landscapes, and meet new people. Long-term traveling is generally done by digital nomads and backpackers that had welcomed travel as their lifestyle while being on the way or living different lives in different parts of the world and becoming part of their identity.
Those categories of travelers have one important competence above others, they are constantly training themselves in adaptation. What do they do to train this competence? They do research: Before you even start packing your bags, you need to do your research. This means familiarizing yourself with your destination, researching the best time to go, and learning about the local customs. This long-term traveling is inspiring more and more individuals to leave everything behind and start fresh, from another angle than the one before.
However, there is another way to travel that can be just as rewarding: long-term traveling with a purpose. Traveling with a purpose can mean many different things. It can be volunteering to work with a local community, traveling to learn about new cultures, or even just planning your trip around a cause or issue that you care about. Whatever form it takes, traveling with a purpose can add a whole new level of meaning to your trip. So, If you’re looking for a more meaningful way to travel, consider adding a goal to your next trip. It could be the best decision you ever make.
How to find opportunities to travel?
Depending on what we might want in matters of travel, the internet is full of free opportunities to travel for all, and one thing those have in common is the learning experience it has within. If for youths there are European Solidarity Corps, and Erasmus+, the youth-oriented programs that aim to stimulate their personal and professional skills, educate their certain needs, and thinking patterns to allow them to develop their minds for a better future, there are also travel opportunities that are not hosted within programs oriented on education.
I know some travel opportunities for those young adults, and adults which want to change their lifestyle, find freedom within, and discover a new place and themselves as well. Usually, You find them in the form of a community, which is filled with the potential to grow individuals’ autonomy, adaptation, growing their social skills, and as well active citizenship in communities around the world.
There are travel communities that fit you!
Travel communities are distinguished from other travel resources such as travel blogs, tourism-related social networks, and virtual worlds. Several travel communities have arisen on the Internet where people share experiences about particular destinations, inspiring others to jump into that kind of experience as well. Nowadays, travel communities empower their members to discover, and form bonds between members through arranging international visits among them, offering resources and tips for making travel plans effective, and many more. No traveler feels alone while being part of such a community.
Those were formed along with the travel alternatives apps that brought so many people the opportunity to travel with purpose, to welcome travel as a lifestyle, to learn how to travel cost-free and connect with others while traveling: Couchsurfing, Workaway, Housesitters, and Worldpackers volunteering are only 4 of the networks and apps that help people travel. And today, we will discover Worldpackers together.
Worldpackers community – Hosts network – Work and travel approach
Worldpackers is a community of travelers who help each other explore the world through meaningful travel experiences. By joining the Worldpackers community, travelers can find opportunities to volunteer and work in exchange for accommodation and other benefits. Moreover, The Worldpackers community is a great way to meet other travelers and learn about different cultures and countries. It provides a huge list of hosts where you can choose your future activity in another country – Hostels, Guesthouses, Communities, and NGOs, where you can help and receive a stay, food, and other benefits such as training, trips, and use of resources.
This platform comprises people from all over the globe who are united by a desire to make a positive impact. This community wants to generate a positive impact on the world. They offer a unique way to travel by connecting people who want to volunteer with projects that need help. Whether building homes in Ghana or teaching English in Peru, Worldpackers volunteering provides opportunities for travelers to make a difference while exploring the world.
If you’re looking for a meaningful way to travel, then join the volunteering network
To improve your mind, health, and well-being, escape the routine and quit the autopilot feeling, consider volunteering with worldpackers. It’s a great way to give back and make a difference in the world.
For example, volunteering can help you:
- Boost your mood
- Increase your sense of purpose
- Improve your health
- Combat loneliness and isolation
Volunteering with Worldpackers
Worldpackers offers a wide variety of volunteering opportunities for people of all backgrounds and interests. Whether you’re looking to work with animals, children, the elderly, or the environment, the worldpackers app has a program that’s right for you.
Some of their most popular worldpackers volunteering programs include:
- Animal Conservation
- Teaching English or other languages
- Building houses
- Organic farming
- Environmental protection
- Reception
What does volunteering with worldpackers mean?
Volunteering with Worldpackers is a unique and rewarding experience. As a volunteer, you’ll have the opportunity to travel to different countries and help with community projects in need. You’ll also get to meet new people and learn about new cultures.
If you’re thinking about volunteering with Worldpackers, here’s what you can expect:
- You’ll be placed on a project that matches your skills and interests.
- You’ll be given food and accommodation in exchange for your work.
- You’ll have the opportunity to travel to different countries and meet new people.
- You’ll make a difference in the lives of the people you help.
How to take up a volunteering opportunity?
To join the worldpackers community, there are a few things you need to do. First, you need to create a profile on their website. This will help them get to know you and your travel preferences. Once you’ve created a profile, you can start applying for travel opportunities. There has a wide range of opportunities available, so be sure to check out all of the options before you decide on one.
Once you’ve found an opportunity that interests you, click the “apply” button and follow the instructions. They will review your application and, if everything looks good, they’ll send you a confirmation email. Once you’ve been accepted, you’ll be able to start planning your adventure!
Curiosity is the key
Only imagining that you could volunteer at a hostel in Barcelona, Spain for two weeks and then live in a whole new destination for another three where you could be a volunteer as a photo-video promoter for a social movement is all you need to know for now. Just think about all the experiences you could live.
If it drives your curiosity, you’ll definitely start more research on this – set up an account – identify what you like, what are you good at, what can you be rewarded for, and what the world needs – which will guide you in finding your passion, profession, mission, and vocation. ( for more details, check the Ikigai method)
Worldpackers membership fee
So, Worldpackers offers two types of memberships:
Standard plus. Standard membership is free and gives you access to all of the hostel listings on the worldpackers site. Plus membership costs USD 9 per month and gives you access to additional features. You can use Worldpackers to find opportunities in more than 170 countries.
A long-term journey leading to personal fulfillment and a multicultural lifestyle – My dream come true
You take a little bit of everywhere you’ve been, with you forever. Imagine traveling long term, volunteering in different parts of the world, and living there for free. From the many persons that do this, I learned one thing, traveling helps you fulfill yourself in ways that no other activities can, and develop yourself throughout your life. News, along with others that told me stories about volunteering at wooden houses in nature, hostels nearby beaches, and multicultural cities such as Malaga, made me discover so much about traveling.
If this article had brought you much more curiosity about this new subject, the world packers community members are ready to answer all your questions before your departure of a lifetime. Explore!
