Looking for Plan B? How to Cut Expenses, Gain Practical Skills and Travel the World Doing Something Meaningful (feat. "Workaway.info")
Many people are hitting rock bottom these days. They feel there is a discrepancy between their inner calling to do something meaningful, maybe even transformative on Earth for humanity, and the thing they are actually doing every day. Pressures abound in our age and the vast majority of them have to do with completely artificially created conditions and impositions.
I do not exclude myself from this - finding a way to balance the heart's wishes and dreams with the dreaded necessity to earn a living for a small gang of thugs calling themselves the central banking system and the political system of "representative democracy" can be tedious.
How awesome it is then to offer some real alternatives that already exist. Maybe for those who have a dream and don't yet know how to turn it into reality, or just for people who are aware enough to feel that their current "occupation" does not do them any good but have no idea what to do instead or where to go.
Some are longing for a break in order to find themselves and their true calling. And it is my pleasure today to offer an underrated option to anyone who feels he doesn't really belong in the classical structures of the matrix and wants out in order to find himself on his own accord and pace while travelling the Earth.
I need a break, please!!
The idea is rather simple: We want to be able to survive within the current system in a way that teaches us the skills we need to stand on our own feet in the long run, while avoiding putting an excess of monetary pressures on ourselves during the time that we are in the process of finding ourselves and what our calling actually is.
You see the problem often is that we may have an idea what we REALLY WANT TO DO, what we really want to get good at and master... but at the same time the system demands its constant protection money payments and recurring expenses that are all but insane. If you don't know why I say so read my "What I learned in the Zeitgeist Movement" series where I attempt to relay why there never seems to be enough money to go around in society at large and how all these pressures have been systematically designed.
So the task is rather simple: We want to find a way to move towards our aspirations and learning the necessary skills for doing so while cutting our recurring expenses to a bare minimum if not completely. Is that even possible?
Enter workaway.info, a website that has altogether saved my outlook for the impending year and finding a way to make my dreams a reality. Through gathering practical experience in all the fields I need while helping out other people with their dreams...
What is workaway.info?
You see, it's not work for money in the classical sense. Rather, it is people who have a project of their own, and who need a helping hand for whatever it is they are trying to achieve.
Workaway.info is an awesome community of people who offer work in all sorts of fields. The brilliant thing is you don't get compensated in money, but instead get a roof over your head and food... It's a direct trade of work for food, shelter and - most importantly to aspiring digital nomads - free internet access.
Workaway is an opportunity to learn all the skills essential for a self-determined life while still having ample opportunity to continue your online activities such as posting on Steem or developing your larger vision.
If you are a digital nomad, if you have an idea for an online business you want to make happen, an ebook you want to write or an e-learning course you want to establish, this option will give you all the time you need to finish all the work necessary, because you can workaway as long as you need to, regardless of rent, electricity bill or other systemic pressures. And: it is worldwide. This is happening on every continent out there!
Working on something meaningful for a few hours a day that helps others, while having all the time on the side to work on YOUR PROJECT on your own accord. It is brilliant, and pretty much exactly what many people with a vision are looking for.
And best of all: The offered opportunities are endless. It doesn't matter whether you can cook, sow or organize; whether you are a musician, photographer or teacher. Literally any skill that has meaning is in high demand on the platform, pretty much anywhere in the world!
Types of offers
There are people on the site who need help with their permaculture yard. There are people who are building Earthships, private hostels that need someone to greet guests and do the nightshift. There are communities organizing festivals who need helping hands for building stages, infrastructure and an online presence.
There are families who want someone capable to teach their kids the English language. There are people who need help fixing their caravan, people who need someone to look over their vacation home while they are away on the road.
Literally anything people can get good at is in demand here, and there is always someone on Earth who needs exactly the help in skills that you already possess.
Free to browse, fee to join
The website sustains itself through a yearly fee that is charged once you sign up and start interacting with people who have posted work offers. Browsing the database is completely free though, so you may start diving in and selecting some of the hosts you could see yourself working with for a while before you actually pay anything.
There is a great community on the site, people give feedback and recommendations about the hosts they have been staying with. Some people choose to travel from place to place, helping out here, helping out there and eventually a year has passed and they are enriched by novel experiences on the road, through the practical skills they have acquired during their time with the hosts and through all the likeminded people they have met along the way.
I always like to look for a plan B, just to have something meaningful to fall back to if the matrix gets too convoluted or audacious in its demands of me. And so, if you don't yet have a house of your own, if you don't have a family yet that has to be sustained and if you love to travel in a way that puts the least amounts of strain on your wallet, this website seems like a mighty option to consider.
And while I have not yet had any firsthand experience myself, I did get several recommendations for this website this summer from people who have tried it out and don't ever want to live without it again, for the sense of freedom and possibility this community can offer.
It is in the same spirit that I forward this hub of opportunity to you today so you will never lose faith in the future, even if everthing on the worldly stage may seem stagnant and hopeless. If you dread what you do, just remember that there is always another option!
unsplash.com
unsplash.com
unsplash.com
unsplash.com
unsplash.com
unsplash.com
Workaway is what brought me to El Hierro, Canary Islands in September 2016, after leaving my teaching job with what was probably a burnout.
I only spent three weeks work away-ing ( taught English and German to the 12 and 14 year old daughters of a Canarian family. I lived in a tiny apartment next to their house and had to pay for and cook my own food. Because the teaching was only a couple hours in the mid to late afternoon, Monday to Friday, I had plenty of time left to get to know the island and hiked for hours most days.
On that island I started working on what came to be my never finished Spanish feature film 'Los Ojos Rojos'. It was a pretty magical experience most of the time and when I returned to my home country over half a year later, I was a different person.
Awesome post my friend! I would definitely recommend Workaway :>)
Sounds magical. I guess the teaching deal didn't include meals huh? I really wanna do this next year, going from place to place.
Great to hear it worked out dude <3
i looooovvvveee workaway, met so many wonderful people this way. Shoutout @paradigmprospect for the good reads.
That gives me A LOT, thank you so much!
I have yet to find someone who tried it and is not completely fond of it, makes me really excited to try it out in due time and dare to jump into the unknown. <3
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.