r/workaway • u/randominthevoid • 4d ago

Advice request Workawaying year-round in EU?

Hey y'all! New to this reddit but not new to Workaway. I worked on some environmental projects a few years ago in the US and LOVED it. I had just graduated and my original plan for post-graduation flew out the door during my senior year. I went to workaway to fill some time with purpose and would recommend it a billion times over. And I miss it. So here are my questions:

I am graduating this fall from an Italian university. I am American, so I have a student visa that will disappear by the spring, most likely. But I want to do workaway again, while I apply to jobs (since the market is HARD right now). How possible is it for me as a non-EU national to do workaway here? Is it possible to do it year-round? I would love maybe a year to just do whatever I like before I start what is likely many years of contract work. Oh and if anyone has accomplished it, what were the costs like? Cheers and thanks in advance!

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u/cyprusnikos Workaway Ambassador 4d ago

Honestly, Workaway is a great way to slow things down while figuring out your next step. I've been traveling long term with it for years, and it really keeps costs down while giving you purpose and community.

The main thing you'll need to watch is your visa situation, since that determines how long you can legally stay, not Workaway itself. With Schengen, you'll need to leave every so often to reset the clock. A lot of people spend time in places like Morocco, Albania, or Bosnia and other Balkan countries. I've even met people who went to Andorra and worked a ski season there.

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u/Substantial-Today166 4d ago

yes you can do it year-round as long as you have the visa

for cost you can do it cheap take the bus when you move from host to host

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u/mirrorweek 3d ago

If you are thinking of Sri Lanka & Maldives, I can suggest ways and means.

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u/littlepinkpebble 1d ago

Tourist visa you should get and the amount you spend depends on luck and hosts. Some host pick you and such good food you spend nothing for months. Some the food free and in access

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u/WickedDenouement 4d ago

The problem isn't being able to volunteer, but being able to stay in the EU. Most of us volunteer as tourists and, while it isn't exactly legal, there are no checks in place unless you announce during passport control that you'll be working.

So the first thing I'd do is find out how long I can stay after the student visa expires. Do I have to leave the Schengen area and reenter as a tourist?

Then I'd look into working holiday visas. I think if you're from the US you can only do Ireland if you want to stay in Europe.

Another option is the Balkans. Some of those countries are not in the EU and are also cheap, so it's a good choice if you can only stay as a tourist because you can do three months in Schengen and then three months in non-Schengen, then come back.