Focus on Short-Term Work Abroad, Volunteering, and Freelancing Overseas

The acronym WWOOF has two translations: Willing Workers on Organic Farms or Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. The second option is used in countries where there are problems with migrant workers, to avoid issues with local authorities. But the philosophy is the same for both: a worker offers their labor in return for room and board. WWOOF farms exist all over the world, including New Zealand. Visits can last for a week or several months, depending on the needs of the host farms.

The organization was the brainchild of British secretary Sue Coppard who, in 1971, set out to provide city people with a rural experience and arranged working weekends on organic farms. Nearly four decades on, the aims are still the same: to let volunteers experience life in a rural setting and learn about organic farming...

Read more...

One of the attractions of working as a tour guide is the lack of routine. No two days will ever be the same: You work in different cities or countries, visit various sights, eat in new restaurants and stay in unfamiliar hotels. You rarely know where you will find yourself from one tour to another. For some, this can be daunting...

Read more...

Sweeping fine-grained sand in the narrow cracks between bricks, I feel my work paying off. With the bricks now flush, the space looks somewhat polished and functional. I had been working as a WWOOFer for almost a week in the small and lovely coastal village of Waitiati, just outside Dunedin on the South island of New Zealand. I looked down on the brick patio, then across the ocean and Blueskin Bay, and concluded that WWOOFing is an altogether different travel experience than anything I have done in the past...

Read more...

Despite the current economic downturn in France, there are still jobs available for foreigners in a variety of fields and work schemes....Keep in mind that in the current economic climate it is easier for young people and students to find short-term work and internships than it is for experienced professionals to find legal employment in France...

Read more...

...So you adore Barcelona and you are determined to stay? Good! Working as an English teacher in Barcelona is never going to make you rich, but it will pay your bills and give you a flexible work schedule. While there are plenty of folks who offer conversation classes and have no formal training, this is not the way to go in the current economic climate. Nowadays, there are plenty of teachers in Barcelona with experience, training and degrees, and in order to complete with them you need to have a teaching certificate...

Read more...

I lived in uptown Barcelona for seven months without writing a single rent check or mailing one utility bill. I did not even pay for groceries. Before that I spent two months free of charge in a medieval town by Oxford. How did I manage to stay so long in Europe gratis? I was an au pair-an unfamiliar concept I have struggled to explain to my friends and family in the United States...

Read more...

...To illustrate the unusual kindness I found in Busan, one of my fondest memories occurred when I was jogging by an elementary class on a local bike path. All fifty of their little faces lit up. Every one of them waved and said hello as if I was a rock star. Needless to say, I started to feel like one after a few months...

Read more...

...Perhaps still high on the sense of accomplishment from hitchhiking to the southernmost city in the world, I felt capable of doing anything. I had also published several travel articles in newspapers back home, so I had some clippings and a little writing experience under my belt. Besides that, I had recently applied for a master's degree in journalism at several universities and was keen to gain a little hands-on experience while I waited to hear back from them. I began by searching the Internet and travel guides for English publications based out of Buenos Aires...

Read more...

...Are your travels more limited by money than by time? Then finding work at a hostel might be a remedy for your dilemma. Working in exchange for accommodations, or even food, is becoming more and more common among travelers. In fact, in some places, it almost seems as if foreigners are running the local establishments entirely. Travelers know how to cater to travelers. Here's how you can become part of the catering in South America...

Read more...

What is your idea of a family getaway? Two weeks on a beach in Costa del Sol, a week in Disney World, or a fortnight of voluntary work building houses in the Cambodian jungle? Most families have never even considered replacing their annual holiday with a volunteer placement in a developing country. But an ever-increasing minority of families are beginning to give the option some serious thought, and upon closer inspection, it really is not a bad idea at all...

Read more...

Sometimes seeing the world just is not enough.

There is a gnawing need inside, a pull to do more, to have an impact, to make a difference. For some of us, this means finding a humanitarian job-helping people who have been struck by disaster or misfortune.

Sometimes, it is hard to sit by and just watch the earthquakes, floods, famine and war unfurl on the news...

Read more...

TAzine is a monthly Webzine which continues the 30-year tradition started by Transitions Abroad magazine. TAzine features many of the same columnists who wrote for the magazine, a growing group of new columnists, while featuring many freelance writers who wish to share their experiences and expertise within the context of our innovative alternative coverage of work, study, travel, and living abroad.

Founded in 1977 by Dr. Clayton Allen Hubbs, Transitions Abroad magazine was the only print publication dedicated to work, study, living, volunteering, and immersion travel abroad. Its purpose — in print and now as a Webzine — is the dissemination of practical information leading to a greater understanding of other cultures through direct participation in the daily life of the host community.