How to live in a castle...even if you're broke.

I’ve gotten a few emails asking how on earth I managed to find myself house sitting a castle in France for a month.   

Within the lines of the emails I’ve received, the subtext is clear.  “I know she is as broke as I am.  We’ve just gotten out of school, and I’m barely able to pay rent on my crappy apartment let alone take an international trip.  Is she selling drugs or what?”  I hear you, and trust me…I would have the same questions too. 

First, a bit of background. 

I’ve just finished up year one of graduate school.  Like most students, my education has come at a high price.  As a result, hundreds of dollars in loan payments go out each month.  Such payments are causing me to rethink whether or not finishing graduate school is even worth it…but I digress. 

About six months ago, I got it in my head that I was absolutely not going to finish school if I didn’t find a way to pay for it with scholarships.  I made the decision to take a semester off and apply for everything I was eligible for.  After one ridiculous Fulbright application (nope, that didn’t work out) and a handful of minor scholarships, I’ve come to realize that grad school funding is a hell of a lot harder to come by than undergrad funding.  Subsequently, I have found myself without money for school and five months of time on my hands. 

Instead of spending my time immediately filling out loan applications and running back to New Zealand to start classes, I decided to take the time to actually decide if this is the right decision for me, or if I was just doing what is expected of me by society.  Amidst all of my “what in the hell am I going to do with my life” inner turmoil, I let my mind wander to travel. 

Deep in a pinterest black hole one afternoon, I found a link to workaway.info.com.  I was surprised that I had never heard of it before but even more surprised at what I found.  A few thousand “hosts” had set up advertisements for an exchange: 5 hours of work Monday through Friday in exchange for accommodation and food.  Uh, come again?!  Accommodation is the single most expensive part of traveling, so I was intrigued.

After a few hours clicking from country to country, I realized that a person could realistically take an entire year off and only pay for transportation and miscellaneous travel expenses.  I admit, I was skeptical because the site charged a fee, but after a few days of researching I decided to pay the $40 it required. 

The process to apply for each workaway is straightforward.  First, you build a profile so you can essentially sell yourself, your skills, and your personality to the hosts.  After building a profile, you choose a set up you’re interested in and send a message to the host.  In two days, I sent out 31 emails.  I realize this is a bit excessive, but I was on a mission okay?  A few days passed, and nothing.  But then finally, like little beams of joy, the emails started coming in. 

In total, I received about 15 emails to my 31 sent.  Granted, I was applying for mostly European countries, which I assume, are some of the most popular.  One host sent over a two-page questionnaire that basically amounted to an email interview.  Another workaway just asked for possible dates.  After just two emails, a two-week time period was set and we were booked. 

While it does require a bit of effort to research, contact, and arrange a workaway, it is absolutely worth it.  What would have been a month long trip at best has now turned into almost five. 

While the workaways I chose have not provided all our meals, they have provided incredible accommodation as well as pocket money, a very nice vehicle, and access to bicycles. 

While working in the garden yesterday, a Canadian workawayer and her husband told me  “these experiences absolutely can’t be bought.”  They’re in their late fifties and can certainly afford to spend the nights in hotels.  Even so, they’re choosing to use this site to enhance their time away from home.  And you know what, I think they’re right.  The four hours I spend gardening in the morning here in Bormes les Mimosa are exceptional.  The air smells like orange blossoms, the spring sun is shining, and I’m delightfully tired at the end of every day.  Not to mention I can eat all the French bread and cheese I want without feeling guilty. 

Anyone who has spent large amounts of time parked in front of a computer can attest to the fact that there is almost nothing less satisfying than sending out emails day in and day out.  Here, there is a tangible result to every day of work as well as a sense of real satisfaction.  The only trouble with workaway – if makes you realize that you never really have to go back to the way you used to live, but that is a whole different conversation altogether.