Many videos on social media show young people who travel cheaply by working a few hours a day in hostels, farms, or schools.
Spanish digital nomad Naiara Saiz Bilbao saw one of these videos and liked the idea.
She found a post that said, “Do you like nature and dream of living by the sea?” and she quickly signed up for a volunteer place in Costa Rica.
When Naiara arrived, the hostel was still under construction and looked more like a jail than a beach hotel.
Instead of doing easy social-media work, she was told to clean toilets and rooms, sometimes for eight hours a day.
Strong bleach hurt her fingers, and later she discovered that 400 dollars had gone missing from her bag.
After she decided to leave, the manager offered her 50 dollars to stay quiet, but she refused.
Exchanging work for a free bed is not new. Some people say this idea is as old as history itself.
Today, websites like Worldpackers, Workaway, WWOOF, and Helpstay connect millions of volunteers with hosts in more than 100 countries.
Jobs can be cleaning a hostel, teaching surf lessons, helping on an organic farm, or even painting a mural.
Many travelers are time-rich but cash-poor. They want real life experiences, not just quick photos in famous places.
Jenna Pollard from the United States worked on a peanut farm in Thailand for ten days. She made friends, learned local words, and now calls the trip life-changing.
The platforms say they check hosts and offer hotlines, but they also tell volunteers to make their own research and a strong back-up plan.
Women use these sites more than men because they hope the reviews will make travel safer, yet problems can still happen.
Naiara’s advice is simple: “Don’t stay home. Go, but be prepared.”