Me and my cousin are at the moment both in between jobs, so we decided to use this time more fruitfully. How? Well, by going on a workaway trip, of course! I decided to share some of our experience here on Steemit to help others with some tips, warn about some booby traps (I said booby!), tell a little bit about Liguria, etc. OK, the title photo is clickbait, but hey! The women around there are beautiful if you ask me and the hot weather helps you see that!
If you drive yourself
For those of you who will drive on the roads of Italy I would just point out that you have to be extra careful when in cities - like Genova - because there are a bunch of Italians riding scooters everywhere. They come from behind, left and right. We saw an accident as well and it did not surprise me one bit. It’s hard to tell which wasp is more annoying in Italy - an insect or the scooter (Vespa). So keep that in mind.
Accommodation
Workaway is an adventure that is a bit like survivalism so don’t expect a comfy apartment with wi-fi and running water. We came to the place last so we got served last. My first thought when I saw our sleeping place was: “Eeeww!!” Most people would turn around and leave. But me and my cousin were born in a post-industrial town called Trbovlje (where Laibach comes from mind you!) and this is where those coal-mining genes came in handy. Or so I’d like to think.
Insects
Liguria away from the sea is a hilly terrain with a lot of insects. Bring a repellent. One work we had to do involved moving a wood-chipper on which there was a nest of wasps. Also there: spiders, flies, horseflies, even a praying mantis and a stick insect crossed my path. One time I had a fresh scratch on my leg and during work got this strange tickling feeling - a horsefly helped himself to some delicious drops I was oozing out, ain’t that grand? :P In conclusion - I recommend a vaccination against ticks and tetanus. I also recommend that you practice your macro photo skills! ;)
Do you have enough time for yourself?
The work was not to difficult for me because it is “only” 5 hours per day and 5 days a week. That means that you are not to tired to explore the surroundings later. For me the whole workaway concept means that you are more of a traveller-visitor than a tourist, i.e. you do much more for your personal growth this way. I believe it to be the way to learn more about the world and become more open-minded. So after a work pic come two cousins posing as regular tourists! :)
Meeting people from other countries
In a situation where you are stuck together far away from home and comforts you are used to it is much easier if you all just get along (like few good men :P :D). Me and my cousin got lucky because there were two cooks from Catalonia. That means that even when our host didn’t cook we had awesome food! Then there was a young eye candy French girl, but she was a bit of a pain in the ass for me. It’s not her fault it’s just that some people don’t click. (It’s her fault). Just kidding - she’s a doll!
The hosts
While I do perceive some differences between Italians and Slovenians (like they are much more stylish and wear designer clothes, we in Slovenia look like peasants in comparison but our environment is much cleaner. Am I wrong? Fight me in comments bellow!). I certainly enjoyed the shared love for comic books we have. They took us out to eat in Da Dria, a place that is a bit hidden but with nice staff serving very good local dishes. Their moto is: Ghe pocu e quellu e nu le sempre bun (loosely translated as: We don't serve a lot of dishes, but they are often not good). :) I do however have a warning for you regarding hosts in general. Something that happened to our new Catalan friends after our workaway experience in Liguria. Somewhere near Torino was a host that expected them to pay him some money for accommodation and to work for 6 days a week instead of 5. This was not written in his terms on the Workaway platform, so you can imagine how shitty situation that can be. I hope they gave him a negative feedback and described their experience and at the same time implore you to do good research before venturing on a trip.
Honor code
Me and my cousin did cut our trip a little short because of some problems that occured back home, but also to see some more of Italy while slowly travelling back. So, of course you can leave when you please, but try to honor whatever deal you make at the beginning! That goes for guests and hosts - in this way we can make the Workaway platform more trustworthy and respected. Peace! :)