Welcome to HelpX
HelpX is an online listing of host organic farms, farmstays, hobby farms, lifestyle blocks, homestays, ranches, lodges, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats who invite volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for food and accommodation. HelpX is provided primarily as a cultural exchange for working holiday makers, who would like the opportunity during their travels abroad, to stay with local people and gain practical experience. In the typical arrangement, the helper works an average of 4 hours per day and receives free accommodation and meals for their efforts.
This time range can vary considerably depending on the tasks at hand and the host's preferences. Some hosts may require just 2 hours per day for accommodation only, and ask you to provide and cook your own food.
Others may expect 6 hours per day in return for meals, your own room and sometimes other benefits such as free Internet use, horse riding, kayaking, bikes, local sight-seeing trips, yoga or English lessons, etc. Some will give weekends off, while others might allow you to put in 8 hours one day and later take a full day off. Helpers often live with the host family and are expected to join in and offer a helping hand with day-to-day activities.
Volunteer helpers are required to register for one of two levels of membership, Free or Premier. Helpers must upgrade to Premier membership to take full advantage of all HelpX has to offer. Premier membership costs 20 Euros for 2 years and allows the helper to contact all hosts and read all host reviews. Premier helpers can browse this site and contact hosts directly to see about making arrangements to stay.
Hosts wishing to add a free listing inviting helpers to stay will need to register. Registered hosts may update their details as often as they like and view helper profiles.
We advise both helpers and hosts to ask plenty of questions about each other in order to establish expectations from each party. Helpers should never turn up without prior arrangement.
Helpers can also opt to provide a self description for hosts to view who may then wish to invite the helper to stay with them. We advise helpers to include in their profile any skills or experience they may have, such as gardening, farming, agriculture, permaculture, fruit-picking; trade skills such as building, carpentry, landscaping, sail boat crewing; working with animals or an ability to care for and ride horses. Helpers can also look for travel companions.
HelpX (not helpex), operates worldwide including in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe including France.
Where will you go to next?
Australia
New Zealand
Europe
North America
Central America & Caribbean
South America
Pacific Islands
Asia
Africa
Testimonials
As a host, my life has been enriched by the exchange brought about through Helpx. With approximately 30 helpers staying with me since I joined in 2009, much good things have been created here at my Guest House, and in the process have met some lovely young people from all over the world, and made many friends. Some came and visited me again, and I in turn have visited them in their habitat.
We have really enjoyed having the people we have met through HelpX. It is a fantastic scheme benefiting everyone involved. I highly recommend it.
A friend and I were chosen via the Helpx site to housesit in a Chateau on a winery in France-a fantastic experience. I have personally been helped on my property by great workers from Helpx. Helpx is a truly a wonderful site giving opportunity to both helpers and hosts.
I have had only great experiences with the HelpX people who have come to stay with. It has been wonderful to share experiences with these workers as they travel around Australia. The site is easy to access and people have reported that the site has been useful for them. I highly recommend the whole experience with other people.
We are hosts in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia since 2017 summer. Just wanted to say that we have found helpx to be a fantastic working idea. We have had about 4 helpers this summer and all have been excellent. We have had a wonderful exchange of cultures and friendships for ourselves and our daughter and hope it continues forever!
Brilliant concept helping people to travel to different countries and be immersed in that culture by staying with families and helping them in their daily lives. Great benefits on both sides.
We have had great experiences hosting travelers on our farm. When I was young traveling I was hosted in many countries and those hosts made me feel safe and welcomed. It is a gift to continue this rich tradition of welcoming travelers into your home. We find the help beneficial and more importantly, the guests are fun, full of stories from their experience and a joy to spend time with. I highly recommend it.
HelpX has been a great match for us since our move about ten years ago!. HelpX has helped us connect withsome awesome volunteers, interested in learning about our lifestyle.They have turned out to be really focused, with a lot of initative!! I always enjoy our volunteers..still...twenty years of hosting...I still am inspired by folks out to learn and help better our Earth!
We love being HelpX hosts. The wonderful young travellers we get to host usually go out of their way to help us with all kinds of tasks around house and garden. They teach us about their culture, spoil us with delicious cooked meals and play with our young son. To him becoming close friends with people who not long ago were strangers is now normal. We stay in touch with most of our helpers which means that for our next hiday there will be free accommodation in Paris.
We have loved meeting people from different countries and have had some fabulous helpers. It has made a real difference having the help so we can all enjoy some down time. HelpX is a great site for putting helpers and hosts together. We look forward to hosting more helpers in the near future.
Helpx is best way to exchange food and accommodation with skills. People can visit different corner of world without any cost, they learn cultural exchange and make world-wide friendships as family. Anyway I like Helpx.
Helpx is awesome! Such a good way to meet people and to be really a part of the local culture. You give as much as you receive.
As a host, my life has been enriched by the exchange brought about through Helpx. With approximately 30 helpers staying with me since I joined in 2009, much good things have been created here at my Guest House, and in the process have met some lovely young people from all over the world, and made many friends. Some came and visited me again, and I in turn have visited them in their habitat.
We have really enjoyed having the people we have met through HelpX. It is a fantastic scheme benefiting everyone involved. I highly recommend it.
A friend and I were chosen via the Helpx site to housesit in a Chateau on a winery in France-a fantastic experience. I have personally been helped on my property by great workers from Helpx. Helpx is a truly a wonderful site giving opportunity to both helpers and hosts.
I have had only great experiences with the HelpX people who have come to stay with. It has been wonderful to share experiences with these workers as they travel around Australia. The site is easy to access and people have reported that the site has been useful for them. I highly recommend the whole experience with other people.
We are hosts in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia since 2017 summer. Just wanted to say that we have found helpx to be a fantastic working idea. We have had about 4 helpers this summer and all have been excellent. We have had a wonderful exchange of cultures and friendships for ourselves and our daughter and hope it continues forever!
Brilliant concept helping people to travel to different countries and be immersed in that culture by staying with families and helping them in their daily lives. Great benefits on both sides.
We have had great experiences hosting travelers on our farm. When I was young traveling I was hosted in many countries and those hosts made me feel safe and welcomed. It is a gift to continue this rich tradition of welcoming travelers into your home. We find the help beneficial and more importantly, the guests are fun, full of stories from their experience and a joy to spend time with. I highly recommend it.
HelpX has been a great match for us since our move about ten years ago!. HelpX has helped us connect withsome awesome volunteers, interested in learning about our lifestyle.They have turned out to be really focused, with a lot of initative!! I always enjoy our volunteers..still...twenty years of hosting...I still am inspired by folks out to learn and help better our Earth!
We love being HelpX hosts. The wonderful young travellers we get to host usually go out of their way to help us with all kinds of tasks around house and garden. They teach us about their culture, spoil us with delicious cooked meals and play with our young son. To him becoming close friends with people who not long ago were strangers is now normal. We stay in touch with most of our helpers which means that for our next hiday there will be free accommodation in Paris.
We have loved meeting people from different countries and have had some fabulous helpers. It has made a real difference having the help so we can all enjoy some down time. HelpX is a great site for putting helpers and hosts together. We look forward to hosting more helpers in the near future.
Helpx is best way to exchange food and accommodation with skills. People can visit different corner of world without any cost, they learn cultural exchange and make world-wide friendships as family. Anyway I like Helpx.
Helpx is awesome! Such a good way to meet people and to be really a part of the local culture. You give as much as you receive.