Workaway

{{Short description|Online homestay platform}}

{{Infobox website

| name = Workaway.info

| logo = Workaway_logo.png

| logocaption =

| screenshot =

| type =

| collapsible = no

| collapsetext = Show screenshot

| caption = Screenshot of Workaway's homepage.

| language = English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese

| area_served = Worldwide

| owner = VEN ltd

| industry = Travel industry

| url = {{URL|https://www.workaway.info/}}

| registration = Optional, site can be browsed without registering. Signing-up as a host is free. Paid and unpaid subscriptions for volunteers.

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2002|04|17|df=yes/no}}

| current_status = Online

}}

{{Homestay service}}

Workaway is a platform that allows members to arrange homestays and cultural exchange. Volunteers or "workawayers", are expected to contribute a pre-agreed amount of time per day in exchange for lodging and food, which is provided by their host.{{Cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/oct/17/free-working-holiday-spain-beach | last=Bowes | first=Gemma | title=Spain for free - a working holiday | work=The Guardian | date=17 October 2009}}{{Cite news | url=https://eu.capecodtimes.com/story/lifestyle/2012/03/04/budget-travel-website-offers-work/49715333007/ | title=Budget Travel: Website offers work-for-room-and-board abroad | last=Frommer | first=Arthur | authorlink=Arthur Frommer | work=Cape Cod Times | date=4 March 2012}}{{Cite web |last=Glusac |first=Elaine |date=2024-08-20 |title=How to Choose a Volunteer Trip |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/travel/how-to-choose-a-volunteer-trip.html}}

The opportunities on offer are varied. Some types of volunteering available include gardening, animal-care, cooking and farming,{{Cite news | last=Finn | first=Christine | url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jan/15/volunteer-creative-community-germany | title=Culture clubs: volunteering in creative communities | work=The Guardian | date=15 January 2011}}{{Cite news | last=Bowes | first=Gemma | url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/oct/17/working-holidays-free-worldwide | title=Five great Workaway working holidays | work=The Guardian | date=17 October 2009}} as well as more specialist and niche help requests.{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/feb/01/tips-for-esaping-volunteering-housesitting-working-abroad | title=How to escape: tips and sites for working or volunteering abroad | first=Rachel | last=Dixon | work=The Guardian | date=1 February 2016}} The duration of an exchange can range from as little as a few days to over a year.

Workaway is aimed at budget travellers and language learners looking to become more immersed in the country and culture they are journeying through while allowing local hosts to meet like-minded people who are also willing to contribute at the same time.{{cite web |url=https://www.workaway.info/ |title=Workaway.info |author= |date= |website= |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}{{Cite news | url=https://www.bigissue.com/life/workaways-how-to-travel-the-world-without-spending-a-penny/ | title=Workaways: How to travel the world without spending a penny | first=Rory | last=Buccheri | work=The Big Issue | date=20 November 2023}} It has been described as a useful way to improve foreign language skills{{Cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/student/travelling-on-a-student-budget-8469379.html | title=Travelling on a student budget | last=Utton | first=Charley | work=The Independent | date=28 January 2013}} as well as an opportunity to develop new talents and learn about local traditions.{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/jul/12/working-holidays-volunteering-breaks-lessons-learned | title=Working holidays: my volunteering breaks and the lessons learned | last=Rainsford | first=Cat | work=The Guardian | date=12 July 2014}}

One of the benefits for potentially isolated communities or people is the chance to bring the world to them via travellers using the site. Travellers can then profit from their host's knowledge of regional places of interest and their local environment. The ability to share space with a variety of people has been shown to enable cultural exchange and the chance to learn more about how others see the world.{{cite web |url=https://www.infranken.de/lk/forchheim/hochstall-4-bietet-raum-fuer-talente-aus-aller-welt-art-3922198 |title=Hochstall 4 bietet Raum für Talente aus aller Welt | trans-title=Hochstall 4 offers space for talents from all over the world | last=Roepert | first=Ekkehard |website=infranken.de |language=German |date=17 December 2018}}

Workaway placements have been impacted by Brexit and other geopolitical changes.{{Cite web |last=Glass |first=Katie |date=2023-01-17 |title=‘I loved being a Workaway host but now Brexit has ended it in the UK’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/jan/17/workaway-volunteering-holidays-uk-hosting-ended-brexit |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}