Our Facebook groups are dedicated to cultural exchange and sharing lifestyles abroad.
We take safety seriously and want this community to be a place where meaningful collaborations and genuine friendships can grow, while reducing the risk of scams or harmful situations.
Safety and responsibility
Our Facebook groups are noticeboards.
Admins are private volunteers, not an agency or organisation, and we cannot personally check or guarantee every host, project or traveller.
All agreements are made directly between hosts and volunteers. Please research carefully, ask questions, get clear written agreements about hours, days off and conditions, and trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, you can always say no, leave or change plans.
If you experience a serious problem with a host or volunteer you met in our groups, you can contact the admins privately with details. We may keep confidential records of complaints and can limit or remove access for people or projects that receive credible reports.
Profile requirements
Volunteering is something we take seriously.
To protect the community, not all Facebook profiles will be admitted. We reserve the right to deny or remove any profile, without explanation, that does not meet our standards of trust and authenticity.
Profiles may be rejected or removed if they:
- lack a real, identifiable profile photo;
- contain little or ambiguous personal information;
- use fake names, names of fictional characters, VIP impersonations or only cartoon images;
- are linked to interests or content that conflict with our values (for example, weapons, war, aggressive political ideologies, racism, misogyny or hate speech);
- appear to be created for spam, solicitation or using volunteer exchanges as a pretext for immigration.
We will only accept profiles that show clear motivation and a genuine spirit aligned with the purpose of this experience. We know these rules may feel strict, but unfortunately past negative experiences have made them necessary.
Reporting negative experiences
You are allowed to share difficult or negative experiences, but for legal and privacy reasons you must not publish full names, exact addresses or other identifying details when making accusations.
If you had a very bad or unsafe experience with someone you met through our groups, please:
- send the details privately to the admins (including links, dates and a short description of what happened);
- keep any public posts anonymous and focused on general advice and safety tips, not on naming individuals.
Admins are not judges, lawyers or mediators, but we can keep internal notes and may remove posts or block members when we receive serious and credible reports.
First condition
Over the years, we have received reports of negative experiences from both hosts and volunteers in our Facebook groups. To improve safety and trust, we now require members to have profiles with a clear photo of their face and basic personal details. This step helps keep our community safe and credible.
Second condition
Many hosts have reported receiving requests for visa assistance and travel expenses.
Before applying for volunteer positions, make sure you can cover your own visa and travel costs. Volunteering is not a free way to relocate to another country. Posts asking hosts to pay for these expenses may be deleted, and members making such requests could be removed from the group.
Guidelines and posting rules
The basic rules for the use of our Facebook groups are described in the rules section of each Facebook group. You can also read the summary of the 10 main rules here ℹ️
Your post has not been accepted or published in our Facebook group or on our website? Discover why by reading these simple rules:
Your post was not approved: here is why
To ensure a helpful and spam-free experience, please follow these simple rules before posting:
What not to do:
- Do not share external website links only, without text or photos. They can be flagged as spam.
- Links to pay-to-access websites are not allowed.
- Avoid hidden advertisements or any form of spam.
- No solicitation posts. Avoid messages like “PM me and I will tell you more”.
- Avoid impersonal, copy-pasted posts or posts without detailed descriptions.
- Do not post the same announcement multiple times. Instead, update your original post if needed. (Note: hosts in our database get priority).
- Avoid bumping your post for visibility. Doing so may result in its removal.
Important: You may link to your website, but the main post image must be uploaded manually. Check the examples below for guidance.
Following these rules helps keep the group organised, credible and useful for everyone.
What you can do:
- Share volunteer or help requests with a clear description and uploaded photos.
- Post travel companion requests with detailed descriptions and uploaded photos.
- Share host or volunteer requests with descriptions and uploaded photos.
- Share your volunteering experiences with pictures.
Note: You can include a link to your website or blog, but the images in your post must be uploaded manually. Check the examples below for how it is done.
By following these guidelines, your posts will be helpful, engaging and approved more quickly.
Additional posting guidelines 💪🏼
Write a detailed description:
Clearly explain the exchange you are offering or seeking. Start with a simple, clear title such as:
- “Volunteering opportunity in France”
- “Cultural exchange in Iran”
- “Looking for help in London, UK”
Include at least one uploaded photo:
- You must own the rights to the images you share, and they should represent your post accurately.
Important: If you are a host, make sure to mention if you charge any fees for volunteers.
Posts that do not follow these guidelines will not be approved for publishing.
Thank you for reading and helping to keep our community organised and transparent. 😊
Note: Organisations and hosts registered on Voluntouring.org will receive priority and more visibility.
Facebook group template examples
Example of good posting:
Example of bad posting:
How to write a volunteer project description (suggestion for hosts)
Dear host, as you write your volunteer request, please try to include the following information:
- Introduction: share about your farm, family, ecovillage, organisation, hostel or ranch.
- Volunteering activities: outline the tasks volunteers will be engaged in.
- Capacity: how many volunteers can you comfortably accommodate?
- Weekly commitment: specify the hours volunteers are expected to contribute each week.
- Compensation: confirm if you will provide accommodation and meals at no cost. If there are any costs, please detail them.
- Volunteer perks: highlight the benefits volunteers will enjoy, such as cultural immersion, free excursions, vehicle access, pocket money and so on.
- Accommodation type: describe the living arrangements, whether it is a home, apartment, tent, dormitory, treehouse or even a castle.
- Leisure activities: what can volunteers do during their downtime?
- Communication: which language is predominantly spoken? Is internet access available?
- Contact: do not forget to provide clear contact details.
Remember, a well-detailed post attracts the right volunteers. Happy hosting.
Question: why have I not been accepted into the group?
Our groups have grown significantly in member count.
We acknowledge that mistakes can occur during the member acceptance or moderation processes.
Kindly note:
- We manage these groups on a volunteer basis. We strive to do our best, but we are only human and can make errors.
- Reviewing and approving posts might take a while, ranging from 3 days to a week. We appreciate your patience. We also value our offline time.
- Moderation can be challenging. We never enjoy removing members or imposing restrictions. 💔
Before reaching out, please ensure you have thoroughly reviewed the group rules.
If you encounter any problems, do not hesitate to contact our moderation team. For safety reasons, we typically do not admit members who:
- have a questionable Facebook profile picture or one that is hidden, or whose profile lacks credible information;
- do not respond to our introductory queries;
- seem to join with intentions like spamming or motives that do not align with our group’s objectives and associated web project.
I am excited about traveling or receiving traveling folks!
I am a Dutch woman, living in Sweden and making a vegetable garden/food forest/permaculture garden. I would like to receive a volunteer (or a couple) in the month of May 2022, who will come and help me for 5 hours a day. The rest of the time can be used for vacations in beautiful Vármland. It is about garden work and some chores on the house (including painting). There is a dog.
[Automatically translated – the original message was:]
Ik ben een Nederlandse vrouw, die in Zweden woont en een moestuin/voedselbos/permacultuur tuin aan het maken is. Ik zou in de maand mei 2022 graag een vrijwilliger (of een stel) ontvangen, die tegen kost en inwoning mij 5 uur per dag komt helpen. De rest van de tijd kan voor vakantie in het mooie Vármland gebruikt worden. Het gaat om tuinwerk en wat kluswerk aan het huis (o.a. schilderen). Er is een hond aanwezig.
Dear Lidy, volunteers might not be able to see your message/comment here. To submit your volunteer request please click here
I have requested to enter the group. Waiting for your approval. Obrigado! Ti.