This story starts, as many of mine do, with my friend Storm and me sitting in a room at my house, bored. Disenchanted with the feverish internship search I’m sure has devoured many a Columbian’s free time this spring semester, and allergic to the idea of spending another summer in the pit orchestra of an amateur production of the sequel to “Annie,” we wrack our brains to think of a creative way to spend our last, long vacation before our anxious arrival at the fiery gates of Mordor (the post-college world) next May. Suddenly, an idea hits me: “Let’s go to Europe!”

“But Jeff,” Storm replies wearily, “you and I both know we don’t have the money for that kind of trip. Think of the travel expense, the hotel costs, the price of food… I won’t even be able to afford a cute French tchotchke!”

“Ah yes,” I cry, “if only there was some way for strapping young collegiates seeking adventure on a tight budget to have a genuinely rewarding and affordable travel experience abroad!”

While even twenty years ago, our conversation might have ended at a point of utter despair, thanks to websites like wwoof.org, workaway.info, and the7interchange.com, the fantasy of an international trip on a budget has become more of a reality. Travel-hungry young people of the world, rejoice! These organizations (and the many others like them) serve as intermediaries between you and land or business owners in other countries who could use some extra help. The premise behind them is as follows: you go to the website, sign up (for a nominal fee of about $20), pick a host that interests you, and email them to inquire about the dates you plan to travel. Provided the time frame and various other criteria such as the number of travelers and the type of work suit you and your host, you then make actual travel arrangements. Although you are responsible for making your own travel arrangements, your host will let you stay and eat for free (or for a very minimal fee) in exchange for a reasonable amount of physical labor and/or organizational work. There are a large variety of volunteer options available, ranging from farm work (WWOOF deals exclusively in organic farming) to hotel-management and an impressively comprehensive list of countries from which you can choose your destination of choice. Sound good? It is.

Now, I know what all you sophomores are thinking: “This complete reliance on the sole commodity of our labor-power puts us in a position to be easily exploited at the greedy whim of the capitalist estate owner and subjects us to proletarian misery and utter alienation from the human race!” But fear not, the intuitive minds at the creative helm of the “WWOOF movement” put such political concerns to rest. The standard regulation exchange rate is five hours of work per day, excluding weekends, for two meals and lodging—this leaves the traveler with at least ten hours a day of free time to explore the city or countryside, interact with the locals, and buy those cute tchotchkes with the money you would otherwise be spending on hotels and food. At the very least, you get a sense of satisfaction from helping an independent organic farmer or business owner make their valuable and increasingly uncommon lifestyle possible.

“Wow!” you’re surly muttering, “could there possibly be a draw-back to doing one of these programs?” While WWOOF, WorkAway, and similar organizations make world travel a possibility for some of those who couldn’t otherwise afford it, they are not necessarily a golden ticket to free tourism. It is important to remember that the point of these work exchanges isn’t to take pictures from the top of the Eiffel tower or to float down a charming Venetian canal in a gondola—most of the hosts to choose from are located in small towns or rural farm communities. “Yes, that’s obvious,” you’re saying, “we don’t want fancy tourist destinations, we want genuine cultural immersion!” Not so fast—another thing to be wary of is the seeming abundance of American or English-speaking expatriates among the lists of hosts. A common motivation for traveling abroad is to experience another language and culture, and while you’re much more likely to get such an experience through work-exchange programs than through common tourism, there is still a chance you’ll end up stuck on a farm speaking English with an American couple and their dog (the dog, ironically, speaks French). Of course, this unfortunate circumstance can be avoided with careful research and communication beforehand, but nonetheless, it is something to watch out for.

If you’ve made it this far in the article, it’s likely that you have at least a semblance of genuine interest in these programs. So, I’ll share with you the results of my and Storm’s experience setting up our upcoming WorkAway trip. Here’s what happened: we decided on dates, emailed 3 or 4 hosts (from the workaway.info database) in the two countries we are planning on visiting, got responses from several of them, chose those we liked best, and booked our tickets for a month long trip through Europe during which we won’t pay a cent for a place to stay. The whole process took us roughly a week—it’s really that easy. With careful consideration and prudent planning, work-exchange websites like WorkAway can help make your next trip an amazingly fulfilling and enjoyable experience in a foreign country—just make sure to leave room in your suitcase for plenty of tchotchkes.

Recent Update (4/17): Now I just have to figure out how to save my bank account after cheaptickets.com charged me four times for my plane ticket.