Workaway Experience #1 – Living at a Surf Lodge for free in South West France

If I told you my boyfriend and I only spent €250 over 5 weeks while living on the beach in South West France would you believe me? Well it’s the truth, how did we manage this? Workaway!!

After signing up and making our profile we got in touch with a few places in the countries we were hoping to stay for an extended amount of time. Not long after touching base with the a Surf Lodge in France we were all booked in for 5 weeks! Exciting! 

Authentic Travel Experiences 

A German couple ran the lodge and most of the guests were from Switzerland or Germany but of course we had others! As well as us, there were 2 other workaway travelers as well as a permanent surf coach and yoga instructor. 

The hosts even had this bright orange VW Kombie from the 70’s we could drive around in, it had 1 CD – Flower Power. We had some good times and good surf trips in this bad boy! When all of the volunteers had done our chores we would pack a picnic lunch, load the boards in and take off. Not to mention we were up at 6am and off for morning surfs before ‘work’ started. 

Fete De Bayonne

We got dressed up in the traditional red and white gears and went to celebrate Fete De Bayonne. What an awesome night! Safe to say I wasn’t up at sunrise to go surfing the next day. 

Meeting Local People  

Hands down the coolest part of the workaway experience. Meeting the locals who know the area and the must see/must do activities. We made good friends with many people who we still stay in contact with today. We have even travelled with Hannah the chef from the lodge and Phil the surf coach around Sri Lanka. Love meeting up with people we’ve met around the globe. 

 

What did we have to offer in exchange for free food and accommodation?

My bf worked as the kitchen hand, preparing breakfast and dinner and I worked as a cleaner. A far cry from the office environment I worked in as an engineer but it took me back to when I worked as a cleaner during university.  

How did we spend €250? 

Good question. Every Tuesday was the day off so we would have to fend for ourselves and buy dinner. We also had to pay for our own wine/beer/drinks but at the staff rate of 50% off. So that was dinners out, bottles of wine and beers as well as the odd night out. 

Overall I urge you to try workaway! I honestly don’t think you’d regret it. If you don’t like a place just move on, the owners/hosts should understand! For more adventures, head over to www.sunsurfsoul.com  ✌