That time I was in a Prague Newspaper
While finding and visiting distant family in South Bohemia, Czechia, I was interviewed for a Prague newspaper. The journalist, Eva Petrova, is the granddaughter of a Koupal. My paternal grandmother’s maiden name is Koupal (did you get all that?). The paper’s focus is on different forms of accommodation in Czechia. Thanks to Workaway, you can work for accommodation. It is a great way to explore the world and see different cultures outside of the touristic norm.
To the best of my ability, with the help of Google, you will find the Czech-to-English translation below:
Save on accommodation and still it is useful
The Workaway platform connects travelers with local people offering accommodation in exchange for work. In addition, the host may need to learn a foreign language.
The most expensive item when traveling is accommodation in hotels and guesthouses. Kayleigh Zavadil has been traveling the world on her own for eight months. It took her three weeks to travel to the Czech Republic. To save money, the 34-year-old American from South Carolina used the Workaway platform, which connects travelers with local people offering accommodation in exchange for work. Thanks to this, Zavadil saves money for further adventures and gets to know life in the Czech countryside up close. During a three-week visit to the Czech Republic, you:
Instead of the hotel, she arranged accommodation on a private farmstead. You do not have to pay anything, but you help around the House. How does it all work?
KZ: Through the Workaway platform, I got in touch with the owner of a farm in Central Bohemia, who, in exchange for free accommodation and food, was looking for volunteers to help with various jobs. Together with five other travelers, I help with weeding the flower beds in the garden, building a swimming pool, and renovating the barn, where a yoga studio will be created. We work five hours every weekday.
Weekends are free. Job opportunities vary greatly within Workaway. The host can learn from you, for example, a foreign language. However, work can also be manual, often just in the garden or on small construction projects. In addition to the beneficial accommodation, the traveler will also get to know the culture of the country in which he arrived.
Does this form of housing have any drawbacks?
KZ: Yes, there are pitfalls. I live as a digital nomad. I don’t need an office to work. I could be anywhere in the world, and all I need is a computer and internet access. In the small central Bohemian village where I now live, the internet connection is not the best, and this makes my work more difficult. But it’s a pretty small thing. I also know about the experience of volunteers who arrived at the agreed place, but no host appeared. He simply used them as cheap labor without any personal intervention. Fortunately, nothing like this has happened to me, but it is necessary to be wary of similar pitfalls.
I recommend, when choosing accommodations, paying attention to the reviews and experiences of other volunteers.
What rules must volunteers observe during such an exchange?
KZ: Much depends on the individual hosts. On our farm, the upper floor belongs to the host family only, and we volunteers go there only for food. On my first exchange in Thailand, unlike my Czech home, I did not have my own kitchen and not much space where I could relax.
However, most hosts describe the form and accommodation options on the web platform, where they also present photos of the House. So I think that surprise or shock on arrival really happens in exceptional cases.
How much is this form of accommodation safe?
KZ: I’d say very much. Workaway is a paid app that offers an annual membership.
This must be done by a volunteer as well as a host offering accommodation. Thanks to this registration, all users have the confidence to communicate with real people, not robots. At the same time, paid membership discourages scammers. As I mentioned before, profiles contain reviews and feedback from previous collaborators.
How long can a volunteer stay in accommodation? There are some restrictions?
KZ: When requesting accommodation, you can choose filters according to your needs. In some cases, the hosts offer even a small extra income. The variants are countless. There are also offers when the host asks for volunteers for three months. I know that, as an American, I cannot work in Europe for more than three months because of my visa. Therefore, I could not accept such an offer. In general, the traveler in the place stays at least a week.
What does your travel profile need to include on the platform?
KZ: Of course, a photo and basic personal information. I like the fact that the app shows other travelers near you. Thanks to this, people can easily connect and, perhaps, travel together.
Who would you recommend Workaway to?
KZ: To all people who travel alone and are looking for a safe way to meet new people in a similar life setting. Especially if you try something new. I like that we do something useful when traveling around the Czech Republic. I would definitely recommend this experience to everyone.
Thank you, Eva, for the interview and the weekend of translating!
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