How I Spent 1 Month In Greece (Almost) For Free!

Have you ever been so stressed out that you began fantasizing about escaping to a faraway island?

In January, overwhelmed by the hectic work & travel lifestyle I was living in Florence, I found myself wishing I could. However, with limited funds it seemed it would be difficult to turn this dream into a reality.

About Workaway

That’s when my boyfriend discovered Workaway. If you haven’t heard of the site before, Workaway is a work-exchange resource for adults of all ages. Essentially, in exchange for around 5 hours of work each day, Workaway-ers receive free housing and oftentimes meals at various destinations around the globe, you just have to get yourself there. From help farming to English tutoring to house cleaning, the short term job opportunities on Workaway vary as much as the places you can visit.

When I first read the Workaway description for “Stand Up Paddleboarding, Skopelos, Greece” I thought it sounded too good to be true. Spend 1 month on the beautiful Greek island of Skopelos (where Mamma Mia! was filmed) in exchange for help with a paddleboard company and various odd jobs? Sign me up!

Applying

That night, my boyfriend and I frantically brainstormed an e-mail application to Shane, the company’s owner, and nervously sent it off, hoping we’d be accepted. Every day we checked e-mail our anticipation grew, until Shane responded. After a short Skype meeting, it was decided—in August we’d be headed to beautiful Skopelos for 1 month!

Getting to Skopelos & Settling In

After a short visit in Athens, we flew to nearby Skiathos island, and then caught a ferry to Skopelos. Workaway does not cover transportation costs, so these expenses were covered on our own from money we had saved while working in Italy.

We were welcomed in the harbor by Shane and Stephanie, who kindly told us about the island and helped us settle into our adjacent apartment, which consisted of a small room, bathroom, and outdoor kitchen area. Nothing grand, but perfect for 2 low-maintenance people like us.

After a short walk around, it was immediately clear why the creators of Mamma Mia! Would choose Skopelos for the film—the island is gorgeous. Lush forests, crystal clear water perfect for swimming, incredible views of nearby islands-what more could you ask for? Skopelos was the paradise on Earth I had been dreaming of since January, and it was even more breathtaking in person.

Daily Tasks 

Shane not only runs a stand up paddleboard company, Sporades SUP, but also owns a rental property, the beautiful Villa Eleonorae. During our time in Skopelos, we were expected to primarily help out with the day-to-day running of these enterprises, lend a hand with social media and website design (we are both bloggers, after all!), and do odd jobs when needed.

Our tasks included, but weren’t limited to:

• Helping set out and put away paddleboard equipment before and after tours
• Redesign parts of the company website and write blog posts
• Collect promotional footage (videos and images) while on paddleboard tours
• Clean the Villa (Assisting with the pool, interior and exterior tidying, ironing, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, etc.)
• Odd jobs such as: sewing, harvesting almonds, cleaning fish, doing dishes

My favorite part of the actual work was by far the paddleboarding-related activities. One of my favorite experiences on the island was the sunset paddleboard tour. During my time with Shane and Stephanie, I was able to go on several, and got much better at paddleboarding!

I also enjoyed the variety of jobs I was able to do-each day was unique and involved different tasks, so things never got boring or repetitive.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Budget friendly-with most of my meals and housing covered, I was able to stay much longer than I could have afforded to on my own
• Unlimited use of paddleboards
• I got a killer tan
• Healthy living-Shane and Stephanie are great cooks, and much of their food comes from the Villa’s garden
• I got a taste of life as a digital nomad (my dream job!)
• The perfect opportunity to de-stress. Swimming every day, a reduced work schedule, and low-key and beautiful surroundings helped me press re-set.
• Experience a different way of life

Con

• No wifi in my apartment! While this provided a great digital detox, it made keeping up with my blog quite difficult.

Free Time- Getting to Know Skopelos

 Staying in Skopelos for 1 month allowed me time to do quite a bit of exploring around the island. On my days off and in between my 5 hours or less of work per day, I roamed around, making the most of my time in such a beautiful place.

During my stay, I was able to:

• Rent an ATV (read all about it here!)
• Visit beautiful beaches
• Snorkel
• See famous Mamma Mia sights (check them out in this post!)
• Paddleboard a ton
• Take a day trip to nearby Alonissos island
• Visit Skiathos island
• Eat a ton of yummy Greek food
• Get back in shape by working out and eating right

Overall Thoughts

I am so glad that I was able to have such an amazing Workaway experience in Greece. Not only was Skopelos a beautiful place to be, but Shane and Stephanie were great to work with and so welcoming. I love that Workaway provided me the opportunity to learn new skills while getting to familiarize myself with such a stunning place.

I think it is a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for an alternative holiday experience, or hoping to extend their travels as I was! I would absolutely consider doing a Workaway experience again, although I suspect it will be pretty difficult to top this one!

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Have you participated in a Workaway experience? Let me know in the comments!

For more on Skopelos, try reading:

• My ATV (Miss) Adventures in Skopelos, Greece
• 10 Ways To Bring The Magic of Mamma Mia! To Your Skopelos Visit
• Skopelos to Alonissos Day Trip-Must or Bust?

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