Today you chased two pigs back into their pen, swept up several kilos of animal manure and showered two dozen sheep- and aside from the mosquitoes, the fire ants and the pellets of digested grass squashed into your toes, you quite enjoyed it.
And the best part is that you got two cooked meals and a free place to stay for your efforts.
UPDATE: Scroll to the bottom to read a note on the Little Farm Friendly Project, Ratchaburi, Thailand, and its owner Arnon Noah.
It’s also possible to find work in hostels, resorts, bars and schools with a similar arrangement (4-5 hours of work per day in exchange for bed, board and other perks like horse riding or access to a kayak).
Now, it’s perfectly possible to go and ask for work in person (and a lot of people still do that), but there’s an easier way: HelpX.net or workaway.info. Sign up for an account, pay a small fee (£18/€20/$25 or €23 respectively for a two year membership) and start applying for jobs all over the world.
Some projects ask for a daily fee (around £3-£5 or 150-200 baht), but if you have good company and stay in an interesting place you can have a lot of fun and save a lot of money.
P.S. Thanks Caitlin, the one who inducted me into the wonderful world of HelpX and working while travelling- check out her blog, it’s awesome, and she has just escaped an NHS hospital!
A note about the Little Farm Friendly Project in Ratchaburi, Thailand run by Arnon Noah: I left this place early. Arnon made constant jokes about sex, called me weird names (‘darlingprincessbaby’), drank too much and crashed his motorbike (with two volunteers in the side-car), and all-in-all made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I’m not sure if he was suffering from some kind of mid-life crisis or nervous breakdown, but he succeeded in making all of us (one male, five females) cut our stay short.
Godspeed To A Mighty Balloon 
That’s are really good hint. Working in a foreign country also is an amazing experience!
[…] you haven’t read my post on HelpX and working abroad, click here. I spent a grand total of 900 baht for a week at this beach resort (£17 or $28) including […]
It’s a dream of mine to work in a foreign country. Kudos to you for getting out and doing it!
[…] days at Baanrai Farm Stay: £30 total spent 250 baht (£5) per day contribution towards bed and board 250 baht on snacks and […]
hi, i was wondering about your stay at the baan rai farm. was it really that uncomfortable that you had to leave early? because i’m considering on going as well next month.
Don’t go. The size of the contribution is very large compared to what you get in return (e.g. you never had days off- you had one afternoon off and that was it) and you also had to provide your own dinners. The projects elsewhere in Thailand gave me so much more.
Also he seriously was a total creep. Made me skin crawl all the time.
Hey Lana! I’ve been looking for this kind of blog, and thank God I found yours. I just left my PR job in Indonesia to travel the world with my limited saving. My first stop is Thailand, and THANK YOU so much for posting a lot about Thai and some cheap trip tips. I just knew about Helpx and WorkAway from your blog, and hopefully it will help me! I want you to know that I owe you a lot.
Anyway I also have a blog, but just started it last week. It’s http://www.OuttaOfficeReply.com. You can take a look if you’re interested. Once again, thanks Lana. Have fun with the rest of your trip 🙂
Yay! You know, I found out about helpX and work away from a travel blog too! Glad to spread the word, good luck with your travels!