Welcome to HelpX
HelpX is an online listing of host organic farms, farmstays, hobby farms, lifestyle blocks, homestays, ranches, lodges, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats who invite volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for food and accommodation. HelpX is provided primarily as a cultural exchange for working holiday makers, who would like the opportunity during their travels abroad, to stay with local people and gain practical experience. In the typical arrangement, the helper works an average of 4 hours per day and receives free accommodation and meals for their efforts.
This time range can vary considerably depending on the tasks at hand and the host's preferences. Some hosts may require just 2 hours per day for accommodation only, and ask you to provide and cook your own food.
Others may expect 6 hours per day in return for meals, your own room and sometimes other benefits such as free Internet use, horse riding, kayaking, bikes, local sight-seeing trips, yoga or English lessons, etc. Some will give weekends off, while others might allow you to put in 8 hours one day and later take a full day off. Helpers often live with the host family and are expected to join in and offer a helping hand with day-to-day activities.
Volunteer helpers are required to register for one of two levels of membership, Free or Premier. Helpers must upgrade to Premier membership to take full advantage of all HelpX has to offer. Premier membership costs 20 Euros for 2 years and allows the helper to contact all hosts and read all host reviews. Premier helpers can browse this site and contact hosts directly to see about making arrangements to stay.
Hosts wishing to add a free listing inviting helpers to stay will need to register. Registered hosts may update their details as often as they like and view helper profiles.
We advise both helpers and hosts to ask plenty of questions about each other in order to establish expectations from each party. Helpers should never turn up without prior arrangement.
Helpers can also opt to provide a self description for hosts to view who may then wish to invite the helper to stay with them. We advise helpers to include in their profile any skills or experience they may have, such as gardening, farming, agriculture, permaculture, fruit-picking; trade skills such as building, carpentry, landscaping, sail boat crewing; working with animals or an ability to care for and ride horses. Helpers can also look for travel companions.
HelpX (not helpex), operates worldwide including in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe including France.
Where will you go to next?
Australia
New Zealand
Europe
North America
Central America & Caribbean
South America
Pacific Islands
Asia
Africa
Testimonials
Helpx is awesome! Such a good way to meet people and to be really a part of the local culture. You give as much as you receive.
I love HelpX - could not do without all the lovely travellers we have hosted. We look forward to many more.
HelpX has been amazing for us as hosts. Not only has it been great to have help but the help 100 percent of the time has been of the highest standard which I think is incredible considering the cross section of ages, nationalities and sometimes language difficulties. It is also been wonderful to keep in touch and some have even revisited with other family members at a later date. Flexibility of hours worked and time off has been the key to the success of in our experience. Thank you for the opportunity.
We discovered HelpX a couple of years ago. Having enthusiastic young travellers who are motivated to work for their meals and lodging is a real bonus for us on many levels. Besides seeing wonderful changes in the garden and a neatly stacked woodpile we also get to learn about other countries, lifestyles and politics. Having travelled for many years ourselves, hosting travellers is a bit like travelling without leaving home. It`s a great program!
HelpX has been a great match for us since our move about ten years ago!. HelpX has helped us connect withsome awesome volunteers, interested in learning about our lifestyle.They have turned out to be really focused, with a lot of initative!! I always enjoy our volunteers..still...twenty years of hosting...I still am inspired by folks out to learn and help better our Earth!
Helpx is best way to exchange food and accommodation with skills. People can visit different corner of world without any cost, they learn cultural exchange and make world-wide friendships as family. Anyway I like Helpx.
I have found Helpx a great way to meet travellers and share experiences and projects. I wish it were around when I travelled around the globe.
We have been HelpX hosts since 2011 and have had a succession of delightful HelpXers from all over the world. Having younger people around is such fun, they also say they benefit from hearing about our experiences of life. The website is brilliantly designed and easy to use, keep up the good work.
My husband and I heard about helpx and woofers through a friend and since joining Helpx, we have had a steady flow of culture come into our home. Over the past year, we have enjoyed 99% positive experiences from Italy, France, UK and Japan. Helpx has been a wonderful source for helpers in our vineyard and lime orchard, and being able to give back to make others stay in Australia pleasant is very rewarding.... Without Helpx life would be that little bit harder. Thanks for your fantastic idea in creating Helpx!
We are new hosts and have just had the best experience with our first Helpx helpers. We selected our helpers from the profiles and invited them to join us. We found this way we could get a good match for our family and needs. We all got along very well and they were fabulous helpers. A very positive experience for everyone. We will now wait until summer before we look for new Helpx helpers.
I love HelpX! Simple and true! ;) It truly is an amazing idea and I wish that I had discovered it sooner! It is a great way to travel and see the world, especially if you have a limited budget. It has opened new doors for me and helped me to acquire experiences and meet new people that I don`t think would have been possible without HelpX. Thank you!
We love HelpX! Meeting travellers from all around the world is such fun, and we learn so much from them! Most are lovely enthusiastic folk who really enjoy what the area has to offer, and they fill our home with laughter! Its also great to get projects done so much quicker with their help.
Helpx is awesome! Such a good way to meet people and to be really a part of the local culture. You give as much as you receive.
I love HelpX - could not do without all the lovely travellers we have hosted. We look forward to many more.
HelpX has been amazing for us as hosts. Not only has it been great to have help but the help 100 percent of the time has been of the highest standard which I think is incredible considering the cross section of ages, nationalities and sometimes language difficulties. It is also been wonderful to keep in touch and some have even revisited with other family members at a later date. Flexibility of hours worked and time off has been the key to the success of in our experience. Thank you for the opportunity.
We discovered HelpX a couple of years ago. Having enthusiastic young travellers who are motivated to work for their meals and lodging is a real bonus for us on many levels. Besides seeing wonderful changes in the garden and a neatly stacked woodpile we also get to learn about other countries, lifestyles and politics. Having travelled for many years ourselves, hosting travellers is a bit like travelling without leaving home. It`s a great program!
HelpX has been a great match for us since our move about ten years ago!. HelpX has helped us connect withsome awesome volunteers, interested in learning about our lifestyle.They have turned out to be really focused, with a lot of initative!! I always enjoy our volunteers..still...twenty years of hosting...I still am inspired by folks out to learn and help better our Earth!
Helpx is best way to exchange food and accommodation with skills. People can visit different corner of world without any cost, they learn cultural exchange and make world-wide friendships as family. Anyway I like Helpx.
I have found Helpx a great way to meet travellers and share experiences and projects. I wish it were around when I travelled around the globe.
We have been HelpX hosts since 2011 and have had a succession of delightful HelpXers from all over the world. Having younger people around is such fun, they also say they benefit from hearing about our experiences of life. The website is brilliantly designed and easy to use, keep up the good work.
My husband and I heard about helpx and woofers through a friend and since joining Helpx, we have had a steady flow of culture come into our home. Over the past year, we have enjoyed 99% positive experiences from Italy, France, UK and Japan. Helpx has been a wonderful source for helpers in our vineyard and lime orchard, and being able to give back to make others stay in Australia pleasant is very rewarding.... Without Helpx life would be that little bit harder. Thanks for your fantastic idea in creating Helpx!
We are new hosts and have just had the best experience with our first Helpx helpers. We selected our helpers from the profiles and invited them to join us. We found this way we could get a good match for our family and needs. We all got along very well and they were fabulous helpers. A very positive experience for everyone. We will now wait until summer before we look for new Helpx helpers.
I love HelpX! Simple and true! ;) It truly is an amazing idea and I wish that I had discovered it sooner! It is a great way to travel and see the world, especially if you have a limited budget. It has opened new doors for me and helped me to acquire experiences and meet new people that I don`t think would have been possible without HelpX. Thank you!
We love HelpX! Meeting travellers from all around the world is such fun, and we learn so much from them! Most are lovely enthusiastic folk who really enjoy what the area has to offer, and they fill our home with laughter! Its also great to get projects done so much quicker with their help.