Winter Workaway
Olive Picking and Animal Care
During the winter of 2022/23
we stop pedalling, get off the bikes and spend some time volunteering with workaway, doing things we have never done before. We pick olives, amongst other activities on Rhodes. Then on Kos we take care of a variety of animals having never even had a pet before.
Winter is Coming
As a recently popular TV Series quite aptly put it: “Winter is Coming”.
We need somewhere to go and something to do for a few months until it is warm enough for us to get back on the bikes. There is no way I want to be cycling through snow, wind and rain. It’s hard enough cycling as it is. I certainly don’t want to be in the tent for the whole winter either. Let’s be honest, we are luxury, fair weather bikepackers.
We spend quite alot of time in October and November considering what to do in winter. Everything from just sacking it all off and flying to Thailand to working on cruise ships is discussed. The process takes us a couple of months but we eventually decide to do voluntary work at two projects on two different Greek islands.
As you may know, we met while volunteering. So this winter feels like we are almost going back to our roots. Somehow, however, we are both a little nervous. It is definitely strange to be around people again, considering we have spent 7 months basically on our own in our tent and on our bikes.
This “blog entry” is a bit different to others you may have seen. Maybe to your delight, there is a lot less text and a lot more pictures. I know that I myself (Joel) would definitely prefer this type of blog to read. Similarly to how my favourite books are still things like Guinness world records or car magazines. Basically just “books” with pictures and captions.
The idea is that we give you a glimpse into our winter through images…enjoy.
Olive Picking on Rhodes
A beautiful island, amazing, kind-hearted people and a lot more than just olive picking.
To see a video of the Olive Oil being made, click here.
GASAH Animal Shelter on Kos
New furry friends and experiences that will last a lifetime. The focus of the animal welfare organisation GASAH (Greek And Swiss Animal Help) lies on sustainable change and emergency aid for animals in need.
For further information about Greek and Swiss Animal Help, click here.
Workaway
We used the platform workaway to find the projects. Anyone considering volunteering, cultural exchanges or working holidays should definitely check it out. The same can be said for people looking to offer (host) opportunities. There is a huge variety of projects, from gardening, hotel work, working with people or animals, boat building…the list goes on.
The platform is easy to use and gives a great overview based on location before showing descriptions of each project. The hardest part is selecting a project that best suits you (or doesn’t suit, if you want to push yourself out of your comfort zone). Once that’s done, the rest is down to you! Happy Workawaying!
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