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Workaway: My Swiss Adventure

I am just finishing up my first Workaway experience in Switzerland and wanted to share my reflections, plus some things to consider for those wondering if this type of travel could be for you. My first experience was in Schwarzenburg, which is half an hour by train from the Swiss capital, Bern. You can check out the description on this specific Workaway here. 

Overall Experience 

I have loved my first Workaway experience. It was a great way to figure out if Workaway and volunteering in exchange for lodging and (sometimes) food was going to work for me as a traveler. While this setup may not work for everyone, for me it has been a cool new way to spend some time in a beautiful country. I have done work that made meaningful contributions to my host, explored a new area, saved money by not having to spend on lodging or food, and most importantly, I have felt accepted and invited to join my host family. This host-traveler interaction is one of the biggest differences from my traditional solo travel, and it’s also turned out to be one of my most rewarding experience so far. 

Host Family

My host is Monika. She has three boys ages 13, 15, & 17, and her mother lives in a connected apartment. They are a wonderful family and I feel very fortunate that my first Workaway experience was with them. They are kind and very excited to host travelers from around the world in their home. Based on my experiences with them, I’m trying to figure out how we might be able to host volunteers back in Fort Collins once I return home. 

One particular thing I am really grateful for is that Monika was so willing to share the area with me. We did a wonderful hike and visited the Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum. It was spectacular to explore some of Switzerland’s countryside and history with them, and was a much richer experience than if I had been venturing out alone. 

  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum
  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum
  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum
  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum
  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum
  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum
  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum
  • Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum

The Work

While I have been here, I’ve done a wide variety of work, mainly in their garden and yard. I now consider myself a weed-puller of the highest order. I even enjoyed mowing their small yard, which is not something I typically like doing. I have done a few small carpentry projects that have been really satisfying and allowed me to challenge myself in ways I did not expect. I have cooked for the family and folded laundry, and have tried to help in any way I could. Overall, I had a lot more fun doing these things than I could have anticipated and ended up surprising myself with how enjoyable it all turned out.

Before Weeding
After weeding, removing rocks, putting down weed barrier and replacing rocks

The Location 

Switzerland is fantastic and I have to come back to explore more. I arrived in Bern to stay a few days before starting my Workaway, and immediately had the feeling that it was a city where I could live. The Aare River runs right through Bern and swimming in it is something I will never forget. The mix of old warm charm and sleek modernism is very attractive to me. 

The Aare River, beautiful color and beautiful sound!
Bern
University of Bern

Schwarzenburg is a beautiful area of rolling hills with access to the Swiss Alps in just under an hour by car. It is a small, quiet village that is filled with green, natural beauty. I have swum in two rivers and a lake and loved all of them. 

View from the deck of my host’s house
House in Schwarzenburg…I could live here.
It is so green
Trümmelbach Falls (at least one of the TEN waterfalls at this site)
The Eiger from Grindelwald
I love Switzerland!!!

Switzerland is a small country with a wonderful train service so getting around is easy. It is also a VERY expensive country so this affordable and convenient local travel made it that much better. Thanks to their excellent infrastructure and Workaway, I have been able to enjoy so many incredible experiences and spent less money here than any of my other stops. 

Should You Consider Workaway

My first Workaway experience exceeded my expectations, and I am excited to use it in my traveling toolbox going forward. But this approach to traveling might not work for everyone. If you’re wondering if it might work for you, here are some realistic things to consider:

– If you don’t mind working hard while you are traveling…

– If you are willing to talk about expectations and work to fully understand what is expected of you…

– If you want to travel to new places and you are on a budget…

– If you like meeting new folks and interacting with people a lot while you travel…

– If you don’t mind creating a strong profile and selling yourself a little when you message potential hosts…

– If you are open to new experiences and are willing to be flexible if things are different than you expected…

– If you like sharing meals with people (and understand this may not be true in all locations)…

– And if you will take the time to fully read the description of the opportunity BEFORE messaging a potential host…

… then Workaway might be just what you are looking for. 

I went into this not knowing exactly what to expect, and while that initially gave me some anxiety, now at the end of it I am so grateful that I took a chance on opening myself up to new experiences. It was so wonderful that I hope to be able to provide this opportunity to other travelers once I’m back at home (with DeeDee’s blessings, of course). This certainly built up my confidence in being able to travel this way and has only gotten me even more excited for my next volunteering travel adventures to come. 


If you have any questions or want to talk more about Workaway feel free to email me at wrightus@gmail.com.

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Berat…I have no words

I wanted to write about Berat because I thought it was an amazing place. It is old…I think the oldest place I have ever been with the first known habitation being in the 6th Century BC. “Modern” Berat started in about 314 BC so it is only about 2400 years old. As I thought about what to write I realized that really I don’t have the words to explain Berat so instead, I will share it with you through pictures. I hope you enjoy.

  • Views of the nearby mountains

  • On each hill there are very old buildings that were part of castles
  • A Church in the hills
  • Not a bad place to stay

My favorite dinner was at Antigoni. The food was terrific but I think like the views better. Watching the sunset and the city change was fantastic. Oh, and the tomatoes in Albania are delicious! The main course was Berat Spitzel, cheese wrapped with meat and then fried…I don’t think it was good for me but it sure was yummy.

Have fun storming the castle…this hill is steep and long.
I should take a picture facing back down the hill. Alternate caption I am tired of walking up this damn hill and need a break.

The castle sits on the top of the big hill. After walking & walking & walking I got to the top and took some photos of the area.

One of my favorite days was going to Osumi Canyon and Bogova Waterfalls. We got to swim in both places which were amazing. The guide said the water at the waterfalls was 8 Celsius…I don’t know if that is true but it was cold. Swimming in the amazing canyon was much warmer.

Bogova Waterfalls
That was some cold water!
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Albanian Youth: Thoughts from Brian Gega

I realize that everything I experience in Albania is through my own lens and my own lived experience. In this blog, I want to share an essay written by my new Albanian friend Brian. I asked him to talk about young people in Albania and this is his truly insightful response.

Something is not rotten in the state of Albania and that is the youth of this country. I consider myself very fortunate to remain in contact with students even after finishing my university studies. In my first year as an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages University of Tirana and the Faculty of Dentistry in University of Medicine Tirana I have had the luck to teach some 200 students, chiefly freshmen. What really impressed in my first year of work is how incredible students are.

What I believe makes Albanian students incredible is their will and power to study hard and succeed despite disappointments and obstacles they face daily. I will start with politics, the number one cause of demotivation among young people and not only. According to a recent study by Civic Resistance NGO, the vast majority of young people see themselves distanced from political parties, where 80% of them are neither members nor activists of a political party. The same study also revealed that only 17% of young people trust in political parties. I consider this to be one of the greatest blessings with today’s young people: they are (almost) totally free from political affiliations and they know that it is hard work which will make them go places.

Another issue they face is the uncertainty over their future. Imagine entering a new chapter of your life, being full of hopes and positive energy about a bright future and then you get told by the older people that there is no hope, degrees are useless, when you finish your studies you will end up either unemployed or employed with a minimal wage? It is like people are trying to shatter your dreams before you even fall asleep. Yet, Albanian students keep a stiff upper lip. Disappointments and society’s negative energy are the CO2 that they turn into oxygen, the driving force to push for change. Albanian youth consider themselves as the ones who will shape Albanian of tomorrow. And they are right.

What else makes Albanian youth incredible? Despite their difficulties and misfortunes, they prevail. There are thousands of Albanian students studying abroad, chiefly through scholarships they have earned thanks to their intelligence and commitment. Others who conclude their academic studies in Albania are hired in European countries, chiefly Germany, and US. What’s most amazing is not the fact that they succeed in the country they emigrate but the fact that despite the high brain drain Albania has suffered in the recent years, it still manages to meet demand of specialist of the country. I believe that if there is one thing that Albania exports that is human resources. And we are very good at it.

All in all, I consider Albanian youth able to make outstanding things. They are intelligent, committed and disappointed enough to induce a real change to Albania and bring it closer to where it belongs: Europe and the West.

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Albania: My First Thoughts



I have finished my first week of travel and thought it would be a good idea to get some reflections down. I’m just getting used to being out on the road and finding my rhythm between exploring, reflecting, and blogging.

I will start with two things. The first is to come visit Albania. It is beautiful and there is a lot to see. My second thought is that I haven’t yet formed thoughts on Albania as a whole. I really only have thoughts on Tirana.

To me—and to be clear, this is through my lens and all that comes with that—Tirana feels like a young, vibrant, up-and-coming city. It is hectic and chaotic. When you walk around outside much of the city seems to be in disrepair. But when you go inside the buildings, many places are brand new with a fresh look. There are young people everywhere.

It feels like a big city with a lot of people living here, because it is. The population of Albania is 3 million, and a third of them live in Tirana and the surrounding metropolitan area. The traffic is wild, and you have to be extra cautious while crossing the street. Car horns are ever present. Later this month I am scheduled to rent a car. I am thinking of moving my pickup location to the airport to avoid driving in the city center because I don’t understand the local rules of the road.

I took the Tirana Free Walking Tour and the guide was so full of hope and energy. He studied history in college and shared a great understanding of where Albania has come from and a bright outlook on where it can go. While acknowledging their struggles he was optimistic about the future of the country. He was hopeful about becoming a member of the European Union and what that would mean for Albania. If you are in Tirana do this tour, you will love it.

Of course, there are lessons here of the things I take for granted. So far, I am reflecting on the advantages I have just by being born and living in the U.S. The main one that comes to mind is access to clean running water, yet I also fully recognize that not everyone in the U.S. has this. I have read mixed things about drinking the tap water here so as a precaution I am drinking bottled water. It is easy enough, but it does show me how I have always taken for granted that in my house I could turn on the water and presume it was safe. I want to do a better job of not taking these sorts of things for granted when I come home.

Another observation I have made is that I am more introverted than I usually am. One of my goals for travel is to meet and connect with people along the way, yet that has been harder than I thought. This has been a surprise and I will have to keep reflecting on why this is. Despite this, so far in my first week I did meet a traveler who has does the Something of Freedom blog and an Instagram page with 34 thousand followers that I found impressive. So far, I feel this first week of travel is off to a good start.

Enjoying a beer at Duff Sports Bar



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One Month to go and I Feel Fine

I am a month away from beginning my 7 months of travel. I am feeling…about 1,000 different things. First let me give you context for what the next month will look like. DeeDee and I are selling our house, buying a new one AND moving all before I leave on June 2. I am writing this sitting in Breckenridge, Colorado enjoying a long weekend away and wondering why the hell am I taking a long weekend away when we have so much to do. Oh yeah we also get to drive to Lawrence, KS to pick up the offspring after his first year at the University of Kansas. Work. There is also work. I need to prepare everything so all the people who will be working harder so I can gallivant around the world will be set up for success while I am gone. I am sure this is shocking but I am struggling to focus at work as well. So this month is going to be a whirlwind of excitement and stress.

View from our deck in Breckenridge.

So how do I feel? I feel excited, stressed, guilty, giddy, uncertain, grateful, scared out of my mind, joyous, satisfied, like I might be losing my mind and I am sure a few other things as well. That is a lot to hold and sometimes I feel like it all might just come out at once like when a star dies and forms a black hole…I know that is really dramatic, but I mean in terms of a metaphor I do think it is a winner.

All the feelings.

Travel planning is both stressful and fun. I experience a great amount of satisfaction when I book a flight, a room or an activity. I also experience stress about whether I got the best price and whether I am maximizing my loyalty points. I am a novice travel hacker and I always have a nagging voice in the back of my head asking if I did it right. I mean, I am fortunate enough to be able to travel for 7 months so really how wrong can I get it. That being said the voice in my head telling me I screwed up is very strong and persistent.

I do know a few things about my trip so let me share them with you. I fly to Frankfurt Germany on Sunday June 2nd and arrive on the morning of June 3rd. I decided to use some Hilton Honors points and stay 3 nights in the Hilton Garden Inn that is connected to the airport. I have never been to Germany so why not explore. On June 6th I fly to Tirana, Albania and have an Airbnb booked until the 13th. My goal is to explore as much as I can. From June 13th-24th I was supposed to be working at a hostel in Sarande in exchange for free room and board. I found this using the Workaway site. This morning I found out that the workaway fell through so I have a week and a half to explore Albania. This was a good reminder that when travelling flexibility is important. I am bummed out but not discouraged. DeeDee and Jared will fly to Dubrovnik, Croatia on June 25th and we will spend some time exploring Croatia and then Greece. That is what I know for now and it seems like a enough. I have some planning done for Asia in the fall but that is another blog. Just a little spoiler to let you know I am doing a River Cruise in Myanmar with Kara & Nate (if you don’t know who they are go to YouTube right now and find out). Mostly I wanted to share that because there is still room on the cruise and I am sure YOU should join us.

So as Michael Stipe once said about the end of the world…this is the beginning of my new world and I feel fine!