Profile linked with Smilton
Night Shift and Reception
This experience was great! We only had to work 2-3 days a week, the hostels are beautiful and comfy (you get assigned 2 out of the 4), the other volunteers are super fun with some of them staying long-term and always willing to help, the full-time stuff is also very kind and warm plus always open to answering questions even outside their work hours. The organisation of the money to spend on supermarket isn't great in my opinion but the food from the restaurant we get on our working days is AMAZING. Delicious, truly! Also kamakura is a beautiful destination and only 1-2 hours away from tokyo!!
Cleaning and Housekeeping
An amazing addition to the team. Was so willing to learn about the area and play a part in the team and go on to share it with the incoming guests. Had good ideas throughout the stay to maximize guest satisfaction and inclusion. Couldnt be happier with the energy they brought to the team! Cant recommend enough to anybody who gets the opportunity to host them.
Fui con mi pareja y cumplimos un nuevo role que era socializar con los huespedes, darles recomendaciones de qué hacer en la zona y asegurarnos que esté todo bien. Fue super fácil y mejoré mis habilidades sociales, así que muy contenta. Además no habia muchos huespedes las semanas que fuimos así que aprovechamos los momentos sin nadie para nuestro trabajo online, y hasta tuvimos días off extra. Fue perfecto. Ademas tuvimos una habitación privada para nosotros en la casa de voluntarios, no nos lo esperábamos así que fue una grata sorpresa :) La comida siempre abundante y muy rica!
Social Work and Teaching Languages
We Luana and Smilton for their dedication and enthusiasm in volunteering to teach English in our village. Their kindness, patience have made a lasting impact on our children. They not only shared language skills but also brought joy and cultural exchange to our community.
Best experience I've ever had! Everyone at the eco village were so welcoming and loving from the second we arrived. They always say they consider you part of their family and that we might have been brothers and sisters in past lives reuniting in this one, and their actions truly show this belief. You feel super included and helpful, I truly loved my two weeks here and already miss everyone! It feels like you know them from forever. Also, the classes are mostly just speaking classes for the kids to practice their english so it's easy even if you don't have experience teaching!
Worldpackers Academy was created to prepare the travel community to be committed and engaged volunteers.
Concluded the course "Nonviolent communication: resolving conflicts and dealing with challenging situations" in which learned how to solve challenging and conflict situations through healthy and empathic communication.
Completed the course "Host X Volunteer Guide: How to Prepare to Volunteer at Hostels " in which he learned how to be accepted, what community hosts look for in travellers, and how to prepare for a volunteer experience.
Spanish version
This course has been specifically designed to assist volunteers in preparing for non-routine situations, understanding the fundamentals of living in a community, recognizing the differences between life in the city and the countryside, selecting and supporting projects in achieving their objectives, and learning some basic permaculture concepts to help your project flourish!
How the traveler helps the Worldpackers community besides volunteering.
Producing educational videos for the Academy
Soy Licenciada en Turismo y Hotelería, y enseño inglés británico a una audiencia total de +1millón de personas en TikTok, YouTube e Instagram. Apasionada por viajar y vivir nuevas experiencias lo máximo posible!
- BA in Tourism and Hotel Management
- Bilingual in Spanish and English + beginner level of Italian.
- I also studied photography for 2 years
- Currently, I am a content creator on social media where I teach English and show my travel experiences. Also, my boyfriend and I organise group trips.
- I was a volunteer in 2 hostels in Seville and Canary Islands, where I did reception, housekeeping, prepared breakfast for guests, and sold excursions.
- I worked full time in a 5-star hotel in London as a receptionist and operator (all shifts)
I've been travelling the world full time for the past 3 years, with my boyfriend, while we work online. We are always on the move, changing destinations every couple of weeks. Been to most of Europe, some of the middle east and are currently in southeast Asia. Trying our best to experience the world while we are still young and healthy! Learning as much as we can along the way :)
But what's my story?
When I was 17 years old, I ventured abroad alone for the first time to study English in Oxford for 8 months and took the opportunity to travel throughout Europe (UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Norway, etc) with friends I made in class. This experience let my passion for the English language and for travelling grow, so I enrolled in more English courses in Hawaii (2017) and Vancouver (2019).
In 2018, I took a semester off university in Buenos Aires to work as a receptionist and operator in a 5-star hotel in the centre of London for 7 months. During this experience, I also visited some other cities in England and went to Italy for the first time. I loved the latter sooo much, I ended up moving to a little town in the south of Italy for 6 months with my boyfriend years later.
During the pandemic, I started working with Worldpackers (I promote them on social media). Even though I'd known about them for many years, it wasn't until 2021 that I decided to step out my comfort zone a bit more and embarked on my first 2 volunteering experiences in hostels in Spain (Seville and Canary Islands) for 1 month each. And they were absolutely amazing! I met so many people from around the world and learnt so many things, I definitely want to do more and even try different types of opportunities and programs within Worldpackers.
As you may have noticed, I am really passionate about travelling and, specifically, I try to take the time to really experience what it is like to live in a different country with different cultures. Meeting new people with different perspectives, ideas and backgrounds, fulfills my soul and I always try my best to leave a part of me everywhere I go while also showcasing my trips on social media so that people who don't have the same opportunities as me get to live them through the screen and maybe even gain the confidence to do it themselves too!
