There’s a traveller in each of us. Distant lands and adventure beckon, from Australia to America, Iceland to Ireland, the Bahamas to Belgium. The more adventurous may consider Peru or Palestine, Mongolia or Morocco. How about Slovakia, Serbia or even South Africa? But how does one manage the expense of getting to these exotic locations?

Try volunteering.

WWOOF – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms was founded in the UK in 1971 and has grown to encompass almost every country on the planet. The online network connects hosts with potential volunteers and publishes lists of organic farms and smallholdings that welcome volunteer help at certain times of the year.

The diversity of hosts provides opportunities for a wide variety of people with different skill sets who want to work in gardens, on nature trails, with animals, or even cook and apprentice artists.

Volunteers do not pay for their stay and live as part of the host family with all accommodation and food expenses covered. All that is required is a genuine interest in learning about organic food production, country living or ecologically sound lifestyles and a willingness to help their hosts with daily tasks for an agreed number of hours.

In return they travel to places they may not have dreamed of before and learn more about life in different lands in a sustainable way. To find out more, visit www.wwoof.org