Reception, Kitchen Hand, Housekeeping, and Cleaning
Party Promoter and Bartending
Sofìa nos contagió a todos de su buena energía y bondad , ella es muy servicial , social y ante todo muy responsable. Llevó a cabo un muy desempeño en sus turnos en barra como en recepciòn ,; compaginó con los huéspedes y se integró super bien con el grupo de trabajo. Sofi muchas Gracias por tu compromiso y entrega , Maui siempre será tu casa <3
The hostel was amazing! The volunteeer team was incredible, we were like a family and we had so much fun together. Playa del Carmen is a great place with a lot of activities and tours to do around Riviera Maya. The location of the hostel can't be better and breakfast is really good (note: you don't have free breakfast when you are off). They are super flexible with the shedule. The job at first seems a little bit difficult but at the end you will get it for sure. Amitai, the owner is a good person. Very strict but if you do your job well he will acknowledge that. Room is good
thank you sofi! Maui will alwyas have a place for you!
Cleaning, Housekeeping, Administration, and Reception
Sofia exceeded all expectations. She was organized, communicative, fast learner, takes initiative to get things done properly. Created a nice atmosphere between staff and guests. Sofia is a plus to have as a team leader, we highly recommend her to any host.
My stay here was pretty good, I left another hostel due to bad conditions and Neri, the manager, didn't doubt a minute about giving me the volunteer position. She's amazing. The hostel is really clean, good facilities and great location although if you're looking for the backpacking vibe, this is not the destination. I was there during low season and was boring. But overall good experience
Worldpackers Academy was created to prepare the travel community to be committed and engaged volunteers.
Portuguese version
Completed the course “Conscious volunteering: how to participate and collaborate in social projects" learning how to train and plan for social work and how to be a conscious volunteer.
Portuguese version
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
Watched the Worldpackers Eco Certificate Volunteer course and learned about sustainability, permaculture and what it’s like to live in a community.
Spanish version
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.
Spanish version
Spanish version
Watched our videos about how the volunteer experience works and what are the responsibilities as a volunteer.
How the traveler helps the Worldpackers community besides volunteering.
Contributes to the growth of our community by referring other travelers to WP
Writing articles for the Worldpackers Blog
Attracting new hosts to the community
Producing content about experiences for Worldpackers
9min
10min
Hey there! It's Sofia from Spain, fellow volunteer and passionate writer. Half journalist, half traveler. In my different trips I've realized that travelling fills your soul in unpredictable ways: experiencing new things for the first time, connecting with locals, trying new flavors, making priceless friendships along the way, visiting stunning places… I’m here to bring you all these things closer. To go, see, question, understand and ultimately write about what I live so that we all can share the experiences and broad the knowledge within the Worldpackers community. Hope my posts bring you a little bit of joy and enthusiasm to pack your bags and start travelling!
How can Sofia help you?
I studied journalism in my hometown, Valladolid (Spain) and on the third year of the degree I went to Zhuhai (China) to study there. In China I took tourism management, advertising and marketing and human resources classes which broadened my knowledge.
I’ve also taken several courses focusing on international journalism, conflict zones coverage and storytelling and two Harvard courses (“Child Protection” and “Religion, Conflict and Peace”).
I speak Spanish (native), English (Fluent) and Chinese and French (basic level)
I work as a hip hop/commercial/reggaeton dance teacher. I started to teach when I was 17, loved it, can’t imagine my life without it anymore. I teach from five year old kids to 50 year old adults and seeing all of them dancing the choreos I teach them is the most rewarding thing in the world. I see my dance classes as a safe space where you can just be yourself, feel the music, let yourself go and move and mostly enjoy and have fun during that period of time (and NO judgment!)
I’m also a volunteer at the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The latest job my team did was helping dozens of Afghan women journalist and their families to flee the country after the Taliban took over in August 2021. My main task in the organization is managing the social media and website. Together with my team we create new content constantly so that we can keep it updated and fresh. Last Christmas we launched a social campaign with which our follower base increased +1000 in 5 months, specifically reaching a lot of new young people.
I’ve been a worker in a cheese factory assembly line, a waitress, a Spanish tutor for a Jordan Professor in China’s University, an English tutor for Spanish kids and an au-pair for a family in Canada (2019) and now in London (which tasks include: taking care of the kids, help them with their homework, cooking for the whole family, cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping)
This is my first time as a volunteer in Worldpackers, however... it's not my first time travelling!
My first big trip was when I was 19. I moved to Canada for three months and I experienced my first solo travel. I went to Montreal and there I discovered the wonders of the backpacking lifestyle. In love with it since then!
When I moved to China, I had the opportunity to travel around the country and also around South East Asia. Every single country was a mind-blowing experience. Landscapes are breath-taking and people are incredibly hospitable. But the thing I value the most about those trips is how AMAZING felt stepping out of my comfort zone. You get to know yourself, you grow, you blossom.
I’ve also travelled around some countries in Europe and right now I’m living in London. One of the trips I cherish the most was Barcelona. I went there for work (I had to do some interviews for my degree’s dissertation) and the hostel and the people there were just awesome. We really connected, we enjoyed a lot the city and by the end of my stay the hostel staff offered me to be part of their team during the summer holidays. I was so sad because I was moving to London by that time so I couldn’t do it but NOW IT’S THE TIME!
I didn’t really know how important travelling was for me until Covid happened. During the lockdown, my mind kept going back to all these places where I was genuinely happy and almost 90% of them where the destinations of my trips. I understood then that, for me, travelling is like the fuel that helps me moving forward. Is what inspires me, what gives sense to my life.
WORLDPACKERS IS THE NEXT LEVEL OF TRAVELLING. BEING ABLE TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY, SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE WHILE YOU LEARN FROM THE PEOPLE YOU MEET, WORK HAND IN HAND WITH LOCALS, CREATE AMAZING MEMORIES WITH THE FRIENDS YOU MAKE ALONG YOUR WAY… I THINK IS THE ULTIMATE WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF TRAVELLING (NOT JUST BEING A TOURIST) WHILE CONNECTING WITH AND POSITIVELY IMPACTING ON THE COMMUNITY.
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