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I'm thinking of going home to Australia from Europe/Turkey via Korea because... well Korea is awesome and it's on the way home (-:

But I'm almost out of money. Then again I was just talking to someone this morning here in Romania who stayed for free in some kind of farm in Corsica. I think she was camping there and didn't even have to help work on the farm.

But I don't mind working at all. I'm totally open to a work or volunteer in exchange for a free bed or a free place to put up my tent in a field.

I know couch surfing is an option but I'm looking for something where I don't have to worry about overstaying my welcome every three days and I'm also really interested in how farming and rural life is in Korea.

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WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is the only way I know of to stay for free somewhere other than couch surfing. This might be what the Romanian you met used. I'm not familiar with Korea's program specifically, and all WWOOF farms vary depending on the host, but they may be able to help you arrange free accommodations and meals in exchange for you helping out on a farm for 4-6 hours per day.

Note: I have never actually planned a trip through WWOOF, and there is a fee to register (only registered members can access the list of host farms), but it's worth a shot.

Alternatively, you may be able to do some web searching on your own and contact farms directly. That may be trickier, though, since you wouldn't be going through a vetted organization.

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  • I never used WWOOF either, but due to working reception in a hostel for almost decade I've met plenty of people who have. The thing is that it seems to be a very mixed bag. There are places that are awesome experiences but also apparently ones that make you and and even one Japanese girl that stayed at my hostel had a story that they were forcing her to work too hard but as it was in outback Australia and she spoke nearly no English she had a very hard time leaving and eventually had to get some people to help her escape! I've been wary of them ever since \-:
    – hippietrail
    Commented Aug 26, 2012 at 8:46
  • The closest experience I've had was years ago in Guatemala at Finca Ixobel, which seems to still be going strong and doesn't seem to be in WWOOF. Then again maybe I did have to pay to stay there. I'd like to hear from anyone else either way!
    – hippietrail
    Commented Aug 26, 2012 at 8:48
  • At the risk of lacking balance I did a Google search for negative WWOOFing experiences and came across this thread on wwoof.tribe.net. Worth a read if you assumed everything would be rosy in WWOOFland. But I'm sure there's tons more positive stories so don't judge by these alone...
    – hippietrail
    Commented Aug 26, 2012 at 12:16
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I never used them but I know a few people who always stayed in a Jjimjilbang while travelling in Korea. They're not free but they're usually pretty cheap.

Edit: I jumped the gun with this answer. It doesn't really suit your purpose but it could be useful for someone looking for a cheap night in Seoul or Busan.

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    Yeah jjimjilbangs are great and I've mentioned them in some of my posts on the site before. But they're not really accommodation in that you can't check in and check out and get a key and leave your stuff there when you're out. You just have to find one when it's time to sleep and take your gear with you when you move on the next morning.
    – hippietrail
    Commented Mar 9, 2013 at 5:38

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