Packing a Carry-On to WWOOF for Three (3) Months in Europe

It's easier than you think.

Bag: The CABIN 1 Travel Backpack

The same one I used for 1-1/2 weeks in Japan last year

Packing Cubes: Eagle Creek Pack-It Organized Traveler System Set

4 years old, and still going strong!
(Not pictured: Long, narrow pack)

Big Cube: Clothes (rolled into bundles)

- Lightweight, knitted dolman sweater

- Long-sleeved top by Under Armour (quick-dry, anti-microbial)

- Long tank top

- Cami

- 2 lightweight cardigans

- 2 skirts

- 2 light, wrinkle-resistant mini-dresses

- 2 pairs of leggings

- 2 bras

- 6 pairs of quick-dry, athletic performance socks

- 3 pairs of quick-dry underwear

- 3 pairs of normal underwear

- 2 pairs of colored tights

You bet your ass I rocked those same three outfits every day

Medium Cube: Emergency items + some toiletries
- Dr. Bronner's multi-purpose travel soap/shampoo/laundry detergent (Review)
- Facial cleansing bars
- Action Wipes
- First Aid kit
- Emergency rations by Seven OceanS (Review)
- Water purification tablets

Small Cube: To be pulled out for TSA
- Wire headbands, bandanas, accessories, and liquid items (sunscreen, toothpaste, etc.)

Long, Narrow "Cube": Toiletries
- Tweezers, facial wipes, clippers, razors, feminine products, etc.)

Not in cubes: 
- Umbrella
- Sun hat
- Camera (wouldn't have brought one, but I got it as a gift at the very last moment)
- Flats (in a bag)
- Travel documents/notebook with important info
- Rainboots (on my feet)

Should have brought, but didn't for some reason:
- Sandals (forgot)
- A washcloth (forgot)
- Jacket (act of rebellion?)*
*Actually, I didn't bring the jacket in order to save space, but I overestimated my thermodynamic power.
- Lightweight raincoat (couldn't find it, and I wasn't about to buy a new one)
- My skincare arsenal (I thought I would go natural for a while, but my skin did not fare as well as I thought it would)

Things I told myself I wouldn't bring, but I bought anyway once I was there:
- Makeup (stupid me)

WWOOF, Workaway, and Couchsurfing As a Shy or Introverted Person

Of couse by introverted, I don't mean shy, and vice versa. People can be shy and still want to be around people, and others (like myself) are true introverts who crave solitude but happen to have bubbly demeanors. An area where there may be some overlap is in terms of comfort around others, which can range from feeling nervous to feeling exasperated. I come off as very polite and enthusiastic in the beginning, but the longer I'm left to fill in gaps in conversation, the more suspect the flow of my speech becomes.

Because of the obligation to "earn one's keep" and the perhaps paranoid need to be thought of positively as a guest, shy or introverted people may hesitate at the idea of offering conversation as part of this exchange. 

me: i want to stay in my room
living room: i got wi-fi

To start, the differences between WWOOFing/Workawaying and Couchsurfing are the following:

1) Work exchanges require work (generally 20-25 hours per week, with exceptions), for accommodation and meals (generally 3 meals a day, again with exceptions)
2) Couchsurfing involves no exchanges of money; however there is an implied social aspect (to an extent!) or cultural exchange involved.

Because of the structure of host-volunteer has more expectations built in than the host-guest relationship, a great fallback is the phrase, "What can I help you with?" However, if you suffer from a fear of imposing on others, you may find yourself stretching yourself thin with that phrase for the sake of being "no trouble at all" to your hosts. At one Workaway host, I found myself working all day and having very little personal time, which I outwardly pretended to have no problem with, though inside I just wished to have some quiet time to myself sitting in a room and staring at my phone. 

You may think to yourself that you'd be able to compartmentalize your travel/personal time with official "work" time, but so did I. Ask yourself the following questions:

1) At your current or previous job(s), do you often take on more than you can handle or want to handle?
2) When you owe a friend or family member something (like money), how do you feel during the time before you can pay him/her back?
3) Do you feel comfortable going into a stranger or new acquaintance's refrigerator and taking food or drink?
4) Do you wait to be offered something (a seat, food, to enter someone's house) before taking it if you don't know the person well?
5) If your host was working to the bone, would you feel comfortable going, "Ok, bye!" and leaving him/her to sweat it out?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, you may have to make a more conscious effort to avoid feeling guilty when (and I mean when) you have to leave projects unfinished or help yourself to the pantry.

The honest truth is that many of these hosts have a never-ending list of things they would like to accomplish, and sometimes it helps to think of it like you're running out the clock.

What I did was spend no longer than two weeks in any one place, and by the end of that length of time, I was excited to get moving to the next place!

On the flip side, Couchsurfing requires no formal work, but the lines are blurred when it comes to personal time vs. time with hosts.

Hopefully, you and your host(s) set some expectations from the beginning, but as with many introverted people, sometimes your words can come across a lot more enthusiastic and outgoing than you may feel following a long flight and before a long shower. In those cases, sometimes you have to tough it out, or come up with different ways to repay your hosts' kindness!


Next: How to Repay Your Couchsurfing Host