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
Brilliant concept helping people to travel to different countries and be immersed in that culture by staying with families and helping them in their daily lives. Great benefits on both sides.
We have been with HelpX as hosts for the last few years. During that time we have met some really wonderful people, who have stayed as part of our family, and will always remain good friends. We love the transparency of HelpX, the easy website, and the connectivity is great. When we next travel, we will spend some time as HelpX Volunteers in other countries too. Thoroughly recommend HelpX to hosts and people who want to see the real country they are travelling in.
I have been a host for many years now. It is the best site ever. I have had people from all over the world and all of us learned so much in our cultural exchange. I can recommend to anyone who is travelling and also to become a host. It makes me happy to be hosting, you would love it.
We have had Helpx people for the last few years and have been very lucky with such good friends from France, Taiwan, China and so on, we look forward to people staying with us and helping around the farm
We are growing our family by being hosts and we are enjoying the cultural exchange and making progress on projects we are not able to manage alone. Thank you to all the helpers we have met and yet to meet, a wonderful site helping each other to succeed.
I remember when I was thinking almost half year ago which web site to choose.. and thank God I have chosen Helpx. I have spent beautiful time with all of my hosts and it is an experience that I wouldn`t change for anything in the world.
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 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.
I have been using HelpX for a few years now and find it a great exchange. I have hosted people from different countries and found them very helpful.
Helpx is great, we nearly always get our volunteers through this site. We bring people in and treat them like family and we get great respect and help out of it. We meet really interesting people of all ages and cultures.
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.
Both my husband and I have enjoyed hosting young people from around the world. Many of them have remained close friends over the years and have upon occasions invited us back to their own homes.
Brilliant concept helping people to travel to different countries and be immersed in that culture by staying with families and helping them in their daily lives. Great benefits on both sides.
We have been with HelpX as hosts for the last few years. During that time we have met some really wonderful people, who have stayed as part of our family, and will always remain good friends. We love the transparency of HelpX, the easy website, and the connectivity is great. When we next travel, we will spend some time as HelpX Volunteers in other countries too. Thoroughly recommend HelpX to hosts and people who want to see the real country they are travelling in.
I have been a host for many years now. It is the best site ever. I have had people from all over the world and all of us learned so much in our cultural exchange. I can recommend to anyone who is travelling and also to become a host. It makes me happy to be hosting, you would love it.
We have had Helpx people for the last few years and have been very lucky with such good friends from France, Taiwan, China and so on, we look forward to people staying with us and helping around the farm
We are growing our family by being hosts and we are enjoying the cultural exchange and making progress on projects we are not able to manage alone. Thank you to all the helpers we have met and yet to meet, a wonderful site helping each other to succeed.
I remember when I was thinking almost half year ago which web site to choose.. and thank God I have chosen Helpx. I have spent beautiful time with all of my hosts and it is an experience that I wouldn`t change for anything in the world.
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 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.
I have been using HelpX for a few years now and find it a great exchange. I have hosted people from different countries and found them very helpful.
Helpx is great, we nearly always get our volunteers through this site. We bring people in and treat them like family and we get great respect and help out of it. We meet really interesting people of all ages and cultures.
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.
Both my husband and I have enjoyed hosting young people from around the world. Many of them have remained close friends over the years and have upon occasions invited us back to their own homes.