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
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.
I have found Helpx a great way to meet travellers and share experiences and projects. I wish it were around when I travelled around the globe.
Both my husband and I have enjoyed hosting young people from around the world. Many of them have remained close friends over the years and have upon occasions invited us back to their own homes.
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.
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.
I have been a host for many years now. It is the best site ever. I have had people from all over the world and all of us learned so much in our cultural exchange. I can recommend to anyone who is travelling and also to become a host. It makes me happy to be hosting, you would love it.
Hi, we have been using Help-X since 2009. Just love the people we have met and are still in contact with most of them!
We have found HelpX to have a lot more users than other sites we have found. We like the international vibe of the travellers we have hosted. Thanks HelpX!
Helpx is great, we nearly always get our volunteers through this site. We bring people in and treat them like family and we get great respect and help out of it. We meet really interesting people of all ages and cultures.
Helpx is the best thing that ever happened to us. Not only has it made our farm more fun, I believe that it has enriched our lives and the lives of our family. Our international visitors are very welcome at lambing time when the workload seems a bit too much to handle. Thank you for a great website! We welcome more visitors and hope that this can continue for years to come.
I have been using HelpX for a few years now and find it a great exchange. I have hosted people from different countries and found them very helpful.
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.
I have found Helpx a great way to meet travellers and share experiences and projects. I wish it were around when I travelled around the globe.
Both my husband and I have enjoyed hosting young people from around the world. Many of them have remained close friends over the years and have upon occasions invited us back to their own homes.
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.
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.
I have been a host for many years now. It is the best site ever. I have had people from all over the world and all of us learned so much in our cultural exchange. I can recommend to anyone who is travelling and also to become a host. It makes me happy to be hosting, you would love it.
Hi, we have been using Help-X since 2009. Just love the people we have met and are still in contact with most of them!
We have found HelpX to have a lot more users than other sites we have found. We like the international vibe of the travellers we have hosted. Thanks HelpX!
Helpx is great, we nearly always get our volunteers through this site. We bring people in and treat them like family and we get great respect and help out of it. We meet really interesting people of all ages and cultures.
Helpx is the best thing that ever happened to us. Not only has it made our farm more fun, I believe that it has enriched our lives and the lives of our family. Our international visitors are very welcome at lambing time when the workload seems a bit too much to handle. Thank you for a great website! We welcome more visitors and hope that this can continue for years to come.
I have been using HelpX for a few years now and find it a great exchange. I have hosted people from different countries and found them very helpful.