If you’ve ever wanted a meaningful holiday without breaking the bank, then volunteering is the solution. You not only get to know the locals well but you’ll also be contributing something of value to the country of your visit. Iceland is no exception as goedele vermeeren recounts how her first volunteering experience in iceland went…
There are many ways to experience iceland. you could go there as a tourist, or make a short stopover on the way to or from europe but if you really want to get to know the country, there is an interesting alternative: volunteering because volunteering is not only a great way to save money while traveling, but you also get to meet lots of people, and immerse yourself in the local culture in a way a ‘normal’ tourist wouldn’t be able to. Plus, you get to learn a lot; both about the work you do and about yourself.
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The easiest way to volunteer somewhere is to contact someone via the internet. there are great websites to help you with this, like www.wwoof.org, www.helpx.net, www.seeds.is or www.workaway.info. Once you log on, you’ll be surprised to find these sites offering a long list of possible local hosts, even for a small country like iceland.
Goedele's experience
It all began when i contacted several families through the workaway-website weeks and months in advance of my trip. this is because the families on the site are overwhelmed daily with requests from volunteers everywhere. So when i found a family that was still looking for someone, i was unbelievable happy.
I did, however, feel a bit insecure, not knowing what the family would be like, and if i would like the work itself. i had never worked on a farm before by the way so i did have some doubts but these proved unnecessary, since everything turned out for the best afterwards.
I originally planned to stay with them for 6 weeks, as they had requested but in the end, i stayed for almost 3 months (september to december), and even then i was reluctant to leave. During that time, i was treated like a member of their family and together with another volunteer, they took us to family parties, dinners and outings; everything we, as volunteers, could wish for. It was really a pleasant experience, living under their roof, eating and working together. It also helped that the work we had to do on the farm was equally pleasant too. we started (and ended) most of our days with milking and feeding the cows, cleaning their shed, and feeding the sheep.
At other times, we worked out on the farm, shaving sheep or reining in cows that had broken loose and the best part of the gig was having free time sandwiched in between the milking, where we could do whatever we wanted.
It was also during this time that we went shopping in akureyri, indulged in some winter skiing, read some books or tried to learn some icelandic, which was really fun. to top it all off, the farm was located in a beautiful valley. We just had to step outside to witness the most amazing views and sights we had ever seen and fill our days with long scenic walks that would satisfy our souls.
So there you have it! my farmstay experience in iceland. If ever you reached a point where you don’t know what to do with your life, just take some months off and do some volunteering –in iceland, of course. Coming here as a volunteer was the wisest choice i ever made, since the experience was unlike any other. The time that i spent on the farm could probably be the best time i’ve ever had in my life and i will always remember the kind and generous people i’ve met there.
No doubt, i will probably visit them again when i return to iceland and i hope that it will be sooner rather than later.
bless, bless…
Goedele
Jóhanna
Iceland24
Julio 2014
There are many ways to experience iceland. you could go there as a tourist, or make a short stopover on the way to or from europe but if you really want to get to know the country, there is an interesting alternative: volunteering because volunteering is not only a great way to save money while traveling, but you also get to meet lots of people, and immerse yourself in the local culture in a way a ‘normal’ tourist wouldn’t be able to. Plus, you get to learn a lot; both about the work you do and about yourself.
.JPG)
The easiest way to volunteer somewhere is to contact someone via the internet. there are great websites to help you with this, like www.wwoof.org, www.helpx.net, www.seeds.is or www.workaway.info. Once you log on, you’ll be surprised to find these sites offering a long list of possible local hosts, even for a small country like iceland.
Goedele's experience
It all began when i contacted several families through the workaway-website weeks and months in advance of my trip. this is because the families on the site are overwhelmed daily with requests from volunteers everywhere. So when i found a family that was still looking for someone, i was unbelievable happy.
I did, however, feel a bit insecure, not knowing what the family would be like, and if i would like the work itself. i had never worked on a farm before by the way so i did have some doubts but these proved unnecessary, since everything turned out for the best afterwards.
I originally planned to stay with them for 6 weeks, as they had requested but in the end, i stayed for almost 3 months (september to december), and even then i was reluctant to leave. During that time, i was treated like a member of their family and together with another volunteer, they took us to family parties, dinners and outings; everything we, as volunteers, could wish for. It was really a pleasant experience, living under their roof, eating and working together. It also helped that the work we had to do on the farm was equally pleasant too. we started (and ended) most of our days with milking and feeding the cows, cleaning their shed, and feeding the sheep.
At other times, we worked out on the farm, shaving sheep or reining in cows that had broken loose and the best part of the gig was having free time sandwiched in between the milking, where we could do whatever we wanted.
It was also during this time that we went shopping in akureyri, indulged in some winter skiing, read some books or tried to learn some icelandic, which was really fun. to top it all off, the farm was located in a beautiful valley. We just had to step outside to witness the most amazing views and sights we had ever seen and fill our days with long scenic walks that would satisfy our souls.
So there you have it! my farmstay experience in iceland. If ever you reached a point where you don’t know what to do with your life, just take some months off and do some volunteering –in iceland, of course. Coming here as a volunteer was the wisest choice i ever made, since the experience was unlike any other. The time that i spent on the farm could probably be the best time i’ve ever had in my life and i will always remember the kind and generous people i’ve met there.
No doubt, i will probably visit them again when i return to iceland and i hope that it will be sooner rather than later.
bless, bless…
Goedele
Jóhanna
Iceland24
Julio 2014
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