Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/68789
ad ve r t is e TO ADVERTISE IN MARKETPLACE, PLEASE CONTACT RHEA ATTAR AT 604.299.7311 al ber t a nor th americ a varied. It was mid-fall so there was a lot of putting the garden to bed for winter." Generally WWOOFers can expect to put in 25 hours of physical work per week. Marr says a solid work ethic and a willingness to get dirty will serve you well. So will an open mind. More than 90 countries now have WWOOF organizations, each with hundreds of host farms. (There are 63 WWOOFable farms in Alberta alone.) To participate in a particular country, you must register with that country's WWOOF organization. You pay a registration fee to gain access to the host listings. Each WWOOF host farm sets its own schedule and rules (for example, some welcome families with children and some are adults-only). wwoof.org Becki McLean, AMA Travel Specialist, Volunteer Vacations al ber t a Though I have long been a seasoned traveller, one day I realized that I had seen a lot of different places and cultures, but I had only ever been a visitor. So I started looking into volunteer vacations. My fi rst "voluntourism" experience was travelling on a bicycle bus down the Atlantic coast, fi xing and swapping bikes in rural communities. Most recently, I travelled to Ethiopia and volunteered at an orphanage. • Volunteer vacations vary widely in scope: from animal rescue trips and language exchanges to school-building and agricultural projects. Often, you live with a family or in basic accommodations. Sometimes, you volunteer for one part of a longer vacation. Depending on where you want to travel, keep in mind that some volunteer tourism experiences take a year or more to plan, and you may need to get immunizations and secure travel visas. But there are plenty of options for you to give something back to the places you visit, have a meaningful impact on a community and still go on a vacation. Need help planning or booking a volunteer vacation? Contact Becki at 1-888-989-8422 or WWTravelSpecialist@ama.ab.ca 44 WESTWORLD >> JUNE 2012