Traveling is expensive. AND when you hear that expression: “money goes very fast”… It is sooooooo true, even when you are careful. Although I defined an amount of money to spend during my trip, I was ready from the beginning to low my traveling costs. Defining that up front left me with some options: working during my trip; volunteering; couchsurfing… (Today I am just talking about volunteering (work exchanged). I will share with you about other ways to save up money while traveling.)
Which kind of job was I doing?
I volunteered in a hostel in Pelourinho. Açai hostel. It was a great experience.
It has been a while since I thought about the idea of working in a hostel and when I start planning my trip I realize it was the time.
I worked in the reception of the hostel and the job was pretty fine: working 3 days a week (24 hours) in exchanged of free accommodation, breakfast and laundry. In the top of that I also got to meet a lot of people from all around the world and travelers to join me during my trips.
How did I find this job?
Well, I applied!!!
I think the most important key is to define where you want to work and what are you ready to do to get some extra money/ to spend less. After you figure this out, choose where you want to work and for how long (you might have to adapt but start with an idea).
Then, it is easier to look for job offers in the city. There are many opportunities! Do not be afraid if the first one does not match with your dates and destination. Just keep looking 😀
How easy was to find a job?
Easy!!! When you are not paid for the job, everything turns out to be easier.
I did 4 Skype interviews with different hostels. I sent a lot of emails and whatsapp messages until I finally got the ok from Açai. I would say it took me 2 weeks to get everything set up.
Curiosity: I did look for something before starting my trip however; some people arrive at hostel and ask if they need staff (sometimes it works as well).
Where did I look for a job?
I mostly use worldpackers websit. I also googled some hostels directly that have nice reviews on internet. I have to admit it was easy to find something since I am a Portuguese speaker. In a lot of hostels in Brazil, they ask you for a basic level of Portuguese (sometimes Spanish as well) and a fluent level of English.
Did I find any difficulty?
It was not a difficulty but if you want to volunteer in a hostel, it might be useful to know:
- Hostels in general look for people to stay more than a month
- Hostels usually ask for 32 hours of work split in 5 day of the week
- Hostels sometimes attach to the reception work some cleaning tasks
Anyway, I was pretty lucky. I had an amazing time in Açai with my colleagues and with all the travelers I met. In any case, if you have been thinking about volunteering in a hostel, just do it. I promise you will have a lot of fun.
Let me know if you have any other question about this subject.
I hope you like the post.
Beijinho,
Daniela