There are many tools for travellers and nomads in Europe looking for short-term placements and volunteering opportunities. In this Worldpackers review, we’ll analyse one of the most popular platforms and look at the kind of options available. We also have a Worldpackers discount code which will enable you to get $10 off the annual membership fee if you decide to sign up.
Table of Contents
Worldpackers Review & Discount Code
What is Worldpackers?
Worldpackers is a platform which connects travellers around the world with local hosts who have a specific task or jobs they need doing. These come in all different forms but some of the most typical placements see travellers working for hostels/hotels, NGO’s or ecological projects. As well as the experience, you typically get free accommodation, meals and sometimes other benefits in exchange for your help.
It is essentially a work exchange platform and you have to be a Worldpackers member to get access to the thousands of opportunities that exist around the world. There are hosts signed up and projects you can apply for in almost every country in the world.
Once you sign up, you can use the Worldpackers website or app (Android | Apple) to fill out your profile and start applying for positions which typically range from 1 to 4 weeks, although some hosts require longer stays.
How much does it cost to join?
Worldpackers Discount Code: “NOMADGUIDE”
SIGN UP USING THIS LINK FOR A $10 DISCOUNT
While you can create a Worldpackers account for free and view all the placements, you do need to pay a membership fee in order to start applying for positions.
Their main plan is called WP Trips which enables you to connect with hosts and make as many trips as you want during a 12 month period. This plan costs $49, however you will only pay $39 if you sign up using the discount code in the link above, which currently works out at less than $3 per month.
Is Worldpackers safe?
Perhaps the most pressing question for many people will regard safety. The idea of living and working in somebody’s home or business in a foreign country will be daunting for many and it’s natural to have some safety concerns.
If you’ve travelled using couchsurfing or Airbnb, you would most likely have had similar fears the first time, and like those companies, Worldpackers has a review system where both hosts and travellers rate and review each other after the experience. Each placement has a rating out of 5 according to the scores given by previous travellers.
You should certainly read the reviews before applying and one really nice feature is that it’s easy to get in touch with fellow Worldpackers members who have previously done the placement you are interested in. While all hosts are vetted by the Worldpackers staff, if safety is a concern, you might want to focus on initially applying only for placements that have received multiple positive reviews.
Clearly most hosts will also have safety in mind too when it comes to letting strangers in to their home or business. That’s why it’s important to put some time and effort into building a profile and be as open as you can be about yourself. Finding that first placement can be tough, but Worldpackers has a filter which enables you to search for placements with higher acceptance rates, which should help you get your first experience under your belt.
It should also be pointed out that the main WP Trips package (detailed above) also includes access to their support team and insurance which should aid you if your placement doesn’t go to plan or you are unfortunate enough to have any problems.
Pros & Cons for Digital Nomads
Worldpackers is perhaps more geared towards travellers and backpackers than digital nomads. The most obvious negative from a digital nomad or working person’s perspective is that you don’t get paid any money for your labour. Some of the placements that require a commitment of a greater number of hours, may leave you with little time to get other work done and may not be suitable for digital nomads.
However most Worldpackers placements do not involve long hours with a schedule of around 20-30 hours per week perhaps typical. Some are less than 20 hours and this should allow anyone starting out on their digital nomad journey or just testing the waters to take advantage of the perks such as free accommodation and food whilst also progressing with their online business in their free time. While these opportunities may not earn you money, they will most definitely help you save money.
While some placements are essentially manual labour tasks or not particularly interesting, if you spend some time searching there, you will find opportunities that will enable you to learn new skills or develop existing ones, not to mention make useful new connections. Therefore it’s important to realise you can get a whole lot more out of a Worldpackers placement than just a free bed and a few meals.
Remote workers or nomads with a slightly more permanent base, may also want to consider using the platform to host travellers. This can help you to get those tasks done that you don’t have time for and develop and improve your online business using the skills of the people you host.
Worldpackers Europe – Volunteering Opportunities & Placements
Where can you go?
Worldpackers has volunteering opportunities in over 170 countries around the world. Obviously the number of people working and travelling, and indeed willing to let travellers into their homes or businesses, has fallen significantly during 2020 and early 2021 as a result of the pandemic. However this will change as the world starts to emerge out of this global crisis, and even at the time of writing (March 2021), there were over 1000 placement opportunities listed in Europe, including:
- 193 opportunities in Spain.
- 106 opportunities in Portugal.
- 94 opportunities in Ireland.
- 94 opportunities in Italy.
- 75 opportunities in France.
- 48 opportunities in Germany.
- 39 opportunities in the UK.
- 34 opportunities in Croatia.
In addition, you can also find Worldpackers placements in virtually every single European country. Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Sweden also have a decent number to choose from and if you really want to get off the beaten track, you can even find options in places like Kosovo, Belarus and the Faroe Islands.
As a note of caution, it’s important to understand that not all of these will be active opportunities and there is no obligation on any host to accept your request. Getting started can be tricky, but there is a really active community on Worldpackers and both fellow members and WP staff are easy to contact and usually really helpful during those early days.
Examples of Placements
There is such a range of different Worldpackers opportunities that it shouldn’t be difficult to find one that is suited to your skill-set or interests. Here’s a very quick taster of the kind of placements on offer in Europe:
- Hostel Work in Sofia, Bulgaria – 32 hours per week.
- Children’s Camp Counselor in Romania – 32 hours per week.
- Tour Guide in Serbia – 22 hours per week.
This is only a tiny selection of placements that are on offer. You can easily use their search function and filters to find ones to your liking in a location that is desirable to you. You don’t even need to register to do that but if you do decide to give Worldpackers a go, remember to use the sign-up code for a $10 discount on the membership fee!
Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links.
Danny Holm
Danny is a digital nomad who has travelled extensively in Europe whilst writing about his adventures and closely monitoring his costs. He's a regular writer for nomadguide.eu and has experience of short stays in many of the best and cheapest places to live in Europe whilst working online.
I just volunteered with Worldpackers in Budapest, Hungary. I have visited before but helping out in a hostel there really gave me a new perspective to the city. I’m hoping to do another Worldpackers experience in Albania next 🙂