Have you heard about the latest trend in travel?
Farm stays.
Yes, you pay to stay on a farm. Why would anyone ever want to do that?
Especially me: the high heeled wearing, makeup obsessed, jewelry wearing, self proclaimed lover of all things glamorous. What the hell is glamorous about staying on a farm? Overalls are not my cup of tea.
But since I made the best decision of my life to leave my job, I’ve been searching deeper into my passions, finding things that really get me excited. I watched the movie FoodMatters (actually I’ve watched it about 5 times now), and I felt something inside of me like the first time I found out I could travel.
Food. We all have to eat it, but rarely do we know exactly where it comes from and just exactly what we are putting in our bodies. Take a look at any cereal box in the grocery store and the list of ingredients is a mile long. Lord willing, I’m trying to be alive and glamorous until at least 110 years old, so I’ve been making choices to only eat foods that are from local, sustainable sources. The fact that most tomatoes in the grocery store are ripened with ethanol gas makes me cringe.
So me, the girl who wears 5.5 inch heels pretty much at all times, wants to get my hands dirty and learn how to farm. I want to be able to grow my own food, to know exactly what goes in it, and feel the satisfaction of knowing about all the nutrients my body is getting.
So, I was poking around on the internet and found out it’s possible to actually take vacations on farms! Some places include meals, some places allow you to actually work, and some places just want you to sit back and enjoy the farmlands. But I sadly found out that most farm stays are well out of my price range.
Then I found out about WWOOF, or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOF is an exchange program, linking volunteers with farmers in exchange for food, lodging, and incredible learning opportunities. I’ve heard people on Twitter talk about WWOOF, but I never realized what is what or how awesome the opportunity seems.
I’ve done some research and found a few places in California that seem to be pretty awesome. Johnny and I are actually thinking of taking a summer vacation to a WWOOF farm. From what I’m gathering, it seems the cost would be pretty minimal compared to an actual farm stay. That way, we could still go on a mini vacation for a minimal cost before our big trip to Argentina. Or should we just wait and stay on a WWOOF farm in Argentina? Or do both?! I don’t know!
So that’s why I’m reaching out to all of you. Have any of you done a farm stay or stayed on a WWOOF farm? Is the opportunity worth it? Let me know in the comments!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
What!!! This is awesome! As if it were possible for me to be even more excited for you, I AM! Do it girl. You wont regret it. Although i have not done a farm stay i would welcome the chance to either stay on one and work or work in exchange for some fresh produce.
I grew up in upstate NY surrounded by farms and orchards and i’d give my right hand to be surrounded by those places now. To knock on the neighbors door and trade some farm fresh eggs for my homemade bread, etc. How great would it be to also eat the fruits of your labor? To know exactly where your produce was coming from. Hopefully youd know that it was planted in a peaceful field…it grew with lots of sunlight and fresh air and was hand picked by someone who was joyful and loving life. No pesticides, no chemicals, no 18 wheeler trucks and chain stores.
I’d say if you’ve got the opportunity, go for it
YES! Everything about this comment is perfect. I’d love to have a big farm. It’s so weird because just a few months ago, I never thought that I’d want a farm, or even work on a farm for that matter. But after having all of this time off work to really focus on my passions and what I want to do in life, it just all came to me naturally. Weird how the universe works, right?
I love the idea of growing your own food – my mom does so at home and I envy her so much! Every time I’m back in Spain I see cherry tomatoes, mint leaves, lemons, a variety of salads, carrots… all grown in our garden. It’s just so satisfying!
And it all tastes so different! When I buy my veggies from the farmer’s market I can actually taste all the flavors. It’s incredible!
I think you should try it out in California to get an idea of what it’s all about, and then do it again on your main adventure :] And have fun!!
I like the way you think Seattle. I think I’m going to go for it!
WWOOFing is a great way to travel cheaply. It’s part of how I’ll be spending 10 weeks in France this summer on less than $1000. Though, I’m very familiar with farms and worked on my college’s farm for many years, so it’s nothing new to me. This summer I’m actually working on a horse farm through WWOOF, and will be using my horse skills to help them train trekking horses.
omg 10 weeks in France! What a dream. I can’t wait to hear all about it!
That sounds so incredibly awesome. Kind of reminds me of the travellers who drift through Australia and work in the outback on the farms there for extra cash on their travels.
Have to say, by the way, my apologies for completely bombarding you with comments today. I found your blog and just couldn’t stop myself from reading all of it. Haha. Love it.
Oooh! Thank you for sharing this link! I have plenty of Aussie summer left to fill and would LOVE to get involved in this kind of experience!
Do it!!! There’s TONS of Woofing farms in Australia!!
FoodMatters fucking rocks! I swear you have so much in common with me it’s insane. Wish there were more people around with our same way of thinking!
FoodMatters = fucking amazing. I feel like I need to watch it again…I’ve been destroying myself eating all of this cheese over here LOL!
My daughter and I WWOOFed in Japan on two separate farms and LOVED IT! Did you make it to one in California?
I didn’t! But I think I definitely want to try to do one in Asia once I’m there.
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