With WWOOF (World-Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms) you can arrange to put in a partial day of work (depending on the host but five hours sounds about average) on an organic farm in exchange for accommodation and food. You can get a preview of the current (independent) listing online, and when you pay the small yearly membership fee, you gain access to host contact information. There is a system of abbreviations to facilitate sharing information such as months of the year volunteers are needed, how many volunteers can be accommodated, and the minimum and maximum stay requested.

Several countries have their own national WWOOF organization, and there is also WWOOF Independents – one organization covering many of the other countries without their own.

I would be silly not to point out that WWOOF is about much more than a free place to stay; aside from gaining insight into organic farming and the way of life associated with it, it’s an opportunity for people from different countries and cultures to meet on a personal level.

WWOOF also points out that it has neither the time nor the resources to interview or otherwise “check out” hosts, so it is up to you to assess each situation and use your own judgment. Similarly, WWOOF is not a placement organization. Once you have the contact information for a farm, you contact the host and arrange a stay yourself.

If you like the idea, but WWOOF isn’t for you, HelpExchange.net is another site that matches up hosts in need of some informal work willing to offer accommodation.

If you’d like to read more about WWOOF, check out the TEFL Logue Interview with a BootsnAll Loguer who “wwoofed” in Australia for some tips and insight into her experience, and also a post on WWOOF at the Eco Travel Logue.