Not all who wander are lost

The first time I did it I was standing in eight inches of Staffordshire pond water. The second time I found myself against an Irish castle wall. And the third time ended around a Cornish campfire on a moonlit night. Could I have done it at home? I suppose. But volunteering in another country is an experience not to be missed if you crave an unforgettable week away from your current routine.

For years I dreamed about walking the peaks, gardens and shores of England. But today, you don't have to wait that long to make friends across the pond.  When I learned about working holidays with the UK National Trust, I jumped at the chance to spend a week volunteering on a conservation project with a dozen strangers. You may think the idea of donating your precious vacation days to work borders on insanity. But if you have an appreciation of history and want to be a part of keeping it alive for future generations, this is an adventure you'll never forget. 

Living in the moment while saving the past

To help defray the cost of conservation and historical preservation-and let's face it, the UK needs a lot of preservation-the National Trust developed a program that rewards volunteers with a chance to use or increase their skills as part of an affordable and purposeful vacation. These 'working holidays' are generally a week long, and offer five days of projects outlined by the local warden, a whole day off with or without the group, and a real chance to embed yourself in the English, Irish or Welsh culture and make new friends. 

Finding the right working holiday isn't difficult. They come in a variety of flavors based on age, skill level, strength required, and type of work. Minimum age is 16. Acorn holidays welcome ages 18+, while Oak holidays cater to the over 40 crowd. Adults can choose from low impact activity like wildlife recording, gardening and event hosting to more strenuous work like dry stone walling and brush clearing. 16-18 year-olds have exclusive claim on Youth Discovery Working Holidays where they learn a heightened appreciation for citizenship, history, social responsibility and sound decision making.

Holidays are led by experienced volunteers, many of whom take on multiple groups each year. They set the pace, transport volunteers to sites, and stock basic provisions and recipes for feeding a dozen hungry people. Accommodations are Spartan. Thirty-one base camps, which range from converted outbuildings to primitive bothies (or cottages) generally offer men's and women's sleeping dorms, a kitchen and common room and bathrooms with showers. They're clean, functional and quite cozy. Some offer only gas light and fireplaces.

Eeeww, English food

It's not Club Med, but I would certainly dub working holidays Club 'fed.' The food, cooked by campmates, is outstanding and there's plenty of it. During our stay, each of us was responsible for preparing one dinner with a teammate. The same went for breakfast set-up. Every morning a team brought out the cereal, juice, tea and coffee along with lunchmeat, bread, and snacks so we could pack a lunch for the work site. We were especially lucky. Someone always volunteered to cook bacon and eggs for those who wanted them.

There was absolutely no insomnia at camp. A day's labor in the fresh air wiped out most of us by 10pm. Even with breaks for tea and biscuits, we were ready to hop on the bus at five o'clock and head for the base camp where we'd chow down on some of the best food I've ever eaten. The dinner table was always big and friendly. You couldn't help but feel a part of something much larger than yourself. And by the end of the week, conversation took on a family tone.

Great expectations

My first tour as an NT volunteer was life-altering (which explains why I repeated it twice.) It was my first solo international flight, my first trip knowing no one at the other end. I wasn't entirely sure how to make the train and bus connections to the English countryside either, or what to expect when I got there. It was a leap of faith every step of the way. Sitting at the bus stop with no cell phone waiting to be picked up by Roger, the camp leader, I wondered what I'd do if no one showed up to get me.
As luck would have it, the National Trust van pulled up a few minutes later, and I was on my way through the incredible rolling pastures of Staffordshire. I thought I'd explode like a ten year old from anticipation. It was close to dinner time, and I knew I was the last to arrive. As we bumped along the narrow road to the base camp, I played back the previous twenty-four hours in my head. I had flown the Atlantic, navigated the Tube into London for a night's stay, and plotted train and bus routes for the unknown journey north. And I had done it alone.

The van pulled through an ancient gateway and parked just a short walk from a large converted stone stable. I followed Roger up the stairs to the communal living quarters and dropped my gear next to a vacant bunk in the girls' dorm. Everyone was already at the table where he announced to the group of twelve, that two foreigners were present. As I looked around I realizedŠI was one of them. The other was a Frenchman. Contrary to stereotypes of the English being cold and indifferent, these friendly Brits began asking questions like where I came from, why I chose the National Trust, and most importantly, did I vote for George W Bush. Ironically, my presidential vote counted for more there than it did at home.

"So let me get this straight. You have to pay to get to the UK and pay to spend the week so you can weed someone else's garden? I don't get it."

If this is you, you're right. You don't get it, and you'd be the last person I'd expect to see volunteering for the National Trust.  But if you're champing at the bit to get out of Dodge, go ahead leave your comfort zone and experience life with new faces from another country. There's absolutely nothing like it.
For a meager £65 (about $130), you get room and board for a week as part of a team made up of people who, like you, love the idea of restoration and camaraderie in a natural setting. Bundle up a sleeping bag, work clothes, gloves and boots to suit the job, and bring a little spending cash for the day off. If you use frequent flier miles, this could be a cheap holiday indeed. I guarantee that the 800 pound gorilla that was causing angst before you left home will have shrunk to its proper proportion by the time you return.

Intrigued?  Check out the National Trust website www.nationaltrust.org.uk , click on volunteering and request the catalog full of working holidays. Currently the NT offers 450 different holidays during the year at 100 locations throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You can also search the site for availability by:

… Location: 100 throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland
… type of holiday: gardening, outdoor conservation, construction, archeology, wildlife tracking, event management and working with disabled volunteers
… time of year  
… age and skill level.

What are you waiting for? Yes, I paid for my travel, slept in a bunkhouse, made my own lunches, worked hard five days, played hard at least one, cooked, did dishes, repaired a dam, cleared land, fixed fences and footpaths, and cleaned castle walls. I even paid the camp fee three years in a row. Still, there's no question that I received much more than I gave.
The dollar might not be doing that well against the pound, but with the exchange rate on personal satisfaction in your favor, it's a bargain.
                                                                       
Kathy Eber was Managing Editor of the Review back in the 1980s. She is currently a freelance writer based in Ingleside, IL.