Department for Studies of Social Change and Culture

Identity Development through Volunteer Tourism

A qualitative study of WWOOF volunteers’ identity formation

Identitetsutveckling genom volontärturism En kvalitativ studie av WWOOFares identitetsarbete

Linnea Börjars

Course 758G47. Spring 2012

Undergraduate Thesis in Tourism. Supervisor Josefina Syssner

Abstract Tourism is a fast growing phenomenon. As every person has a different motivation to travel

new and alternative forms of tourism are continuously developing. Depending on form of

tourism and the tourist’s motivation to take on a certain trip, the experience has a smaller or

bigger impression on the individual.

This study examines what influences volunteer trips can have on identities, focusing on

volunteers in the organization WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. To

understand the development of identities, theories about identity work have been researched.

The material derives from a participant observation and 14 semi-structured interviews that

mainly were conducted in Oregon, USA.

The analysis of the results reveals four main themes for how the individuals’ identities have

changed and what factors that have caused this change. These themes are perceived change,

cultural exchange, significance of place, and differences between WWOOFers and other

tourists. The study shows that travels, in this case volunteer trips, affect individuals in many

ways.

Rèsumé Le tourisme est un phénomène en pleine expansion. Chaque personne a un motivation

différent pour voyager, donc des nouvelles formes et des formes alternatives du tourisme se

développent continuellement. La forme du tourisme et le motivation du touriste déterminent

l’effet du voyage sur l’individu.

Cette étude examine l’influence des voyages bénévoles sur les identités des bénévoles, avec

un foyer sur les bénévoles dans l’organisation WWOOF--World Wide Opportunities on

Organic Farms (Occasions Mondial sur les Fermes Biologiques). Pour comprendre le

développement des identités, il faut rechercher les théories d'identité. Ces matériaux dérivent

de l’observation participante et 14 interviews semi-structurées, la plupart qui était menée en

Oregon, aux États-Unis.

L'analyse des résultats révèlent quatre thèmes principaux pour comment les identités des

individus ont changé, et quels facteurs ont causé ces changements. Ces thèmes sont les

changements perçu, l'échange culturel, l’importance de l’endroit, et les différences entre les

bénévoles de WWOOF et des autres touristes. Cette étude montre que les voyages, en ce cas

les voyages bénévoles, touchent les individus dans plusieurs façons.

Sammanfattning Turism är ett snabbt växande fenomen. Eftersom varje person har egna motiv till att resa

utvecklas ständigt nya och alternativa resformer. Vilket avtryck resan gör på individen beror

på vald turismform samt turistens motiv till att åka på en viss resa.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka influenser en volontärresa kan ha på individen,

med fokus på volontärer som reser genom organisationen WWOOF, World Wide

Opportunities on Organic Farms. För att förstå hur identiteter utvecklas har identitetsteorier

tillämpats på materialet. Materialet kommer från en deltagande observation och 14

semistrukturerade intervjuer som övervägande gjorts i Oregon, USA.

Analysen av resultatet visade på fyra teman för hur volontärers identiteter påverkats. Dessa

var upplevd förändring, kulturellt utbyte, platsens betydelse och hur volontärturisterna skiljer

sig från andra turister. Studien visar därmed på att resor, i detta fall volontärresor, påverkar

individen på flera olika sätt.

Acknowledgements First of all I would like to thank my WWOOF hosts Andrea Davis and John Madsen for

making my participant observation a fantastic and memorable time, and for putting me in

contact with other farms and thereby reaching more informants. I also want to thank all the

volunteers who have shown interest in my study and been willing to help by sharing their

stories and experiences.

Special thanks to my supervisor Josefina Syssner for dedicated feedback all through the

process, and to Emelie Bouvin, Sara Svärdsén Sporre, and Ulrika Petersson for their company

and support during the writing process and for all good food.

Finally I would like to show my appreciation to Breanna Draxler, Anders Melin, Kristin

Knudson and Ludvig Linse for valuable proofreading.

Linnea Börjars

Linköping, May, 23, 2012

Table of contents 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Aim and issue .............................................................................................................. 2

1.2 Limits of the study ....................................................................................................... 2

2 Literature review ................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 What affects the experience ......................................................................................... 4

2.2 Women’s identity work ............................................................................................... 4

2.3 How volunteer tourism differs from other forms of tourism ....................................... 5

2.4 Motives for volunteers ................................................................................................. 5

3 Research design and methodology ...................................................................................... 8

3.1 Participant observation ................................................................................................ 8

3.2 Interviews .................................................................................................................... 8

4 Theoretical framework ...................................................................................................... 11

4.1 Social constructivism ................................................................................................. 11

4.2 Identity theory ............................................................................................................ 12

4.2.1 Identities as narratives ........................................................................................ 12

4.2.2 Identities as procedural ....................................................................................... 13

4.2.3 Identities as relational ......................................................................................... 14

4.2.4 Identities as multiple and contextual .................................................................. 15

5 Findings ............................................................................................................................. 17

5.1 Motives for WWOOFing ........................................................................................... 17

5.1.1 A cheap way to travel ......................................................................................... 18

5.2 Perceived change ....................................................................................................... 19

5.2.1 Personal change .................................................................................................. 19

5.2.2 Environmental awareness ................................................................................... 20

5.2.3 The WWOOFer .................................................................................................. 21

5.2.4 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................... 22

5.3 Cultural exchange ...................................................................................................... 22

5.3.1 A diverse exchange ............................................................................................ 22

5.3.2 Life pace ............................................................................................................. 23

5.3.3 Sharing knowledge ............................................................................................. 24

5.3.4 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................... 25

5.4 Significance of place ................................................................................................. 25

5.4.1 A healthy place ................................................................................................... 25

5.4.2 Simple life .......................................................................................................... 26

5.4.3 Contradictory identities ...................................................................................... 27

5.4.4 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................... 27

5.5 Perceived differences between WWOOFers and other tourists ................................ 27

5.5.1 Experiencing culture .......................................................................................... 27

5.5.2 Social interactions .............................................................................................. 28

5.5.3 Connection to the place ...................................................................................... 29

5.5.4 Outside the tourist bubble .................................................................................. 29

5.5.5 Alternative tourism ............................................................................................. 31

5.5.6 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................... 32

6 Final conclusion ................................................................................................................ 33

6.1 Future research .......................................................................................................... 34

References ................................................................................................................................ 35

1

“You get the knowledge that they give you and they benefit from your muscles and your brain” - Chris, WWOOF volunteer in Oregon

1 Introduction This chapter begins with a historical review of volunteer tourism and the organization

WWOOF, which has a special focus in this study, followed by aim and issue as well as

limitations of the study.

Tourism is a fast growing phenomenon that creates opportunities for people and cultures to

meet. New and alternative forms of tourism are continuously developing as every person has a

different motivation to travel, sometimes even various motivations within the same trip (Sin,

2009). As we now live in an experience economy tourists want to be an active part of the

experience instead of just watching (Cloke & Perkins, Crouch & Desforges in Sin, 2009),

something that Benson (2011, p. 14) calls a participatory travel experience. Many tourists ask

for memorable and unique experiences. Within some forms of alternative tourism there is an

urge to go to non-tourist places, to spend time with locals at the destination, and to contribute

to the local community in some way (Benson, 2011, p. 14). A relatively new phenomenon is

to travel as a volunteer and to offer one’s manpower to small scale farms in rural areas and

receive free food and housing in return. There are both tour operators and non-profit

organizations that offer volunteer vacations (Brown, 2005, p. 479). Already in 1987

McMillon listed 75 such organizations and in 2003 the number had increased to 275. Brown

(2005, p. 480) explained that the projects offered can include: agriculture, archaeology,

community development, conservation, construction, education and teaching, environmental

protection and research, technical assistance, historic preservation, medical and dental

assistance, and work camps. One of the organizations creating this kind of opportunities is

WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, which is studied in this report.

WWOOF started in 1971 by offering a weekend trip to a rural English farm for urban citizens

interested in the organic movement. Soon it became clear that there were many of the city

dwellers who were longing for some time on the countryside. Likewise, small scale farmers

were happy to get help on the farm. Working weekends on organic farms became popular as it

opened an exchange between host and volunteer. Farmers had practical experience of self

sufficiency and could provide guidance for a more sustainable way of living for the urban

citizens. In 2000 a name change took place as the present name Willing workers on organic

farms caused confusion and misunderstandings as the word work was associated with migrant

workers. World wide opportunities on organic farms as it has been called since then, is

established in over one hundred countries for volunteers wanting to try the life of an organic

farmer in different places, all over the world (WWOOF, 2011).

Wherever people go and whoever they meet during travels they are affected somehow. In

order to begin to understand what broader meaning WWOOF experiences have in volunteers’

life stories, it is important to examine the impact travel experiences have on identities.

Therefore, the theoretical framework used in this study is identity theory. The data were

2

collected through ethnographic methods, specifically participant observation and semi-

structured interviews.

Travel motivation can be different among people choosing the same form of tourism. Even

the same person can have diverse goals and ambitions with one trip. It can be shifting between

being a world saver providing manpower to the local community and partying on the beach

with backpackers (Elsrud, 2004, p. 31; Uriely, Yonay and Simchau, 2002, p. 535). Brown

(2005, p. 480) suggests two forms of volunteer tourism depending on mindset: the “volunteer-

minded” tourist devote most of the time on his or her vacation for volunteer activities while

the “vacation-minded” tourist is offered to partake in a shorter project at the destination where

they get to meet locals.

Identities are ever changing as they are challenged and recreated in unique situations and

while meeting different people. For tourism researchers it is interesting to analyze what

tourists think of themselves in different situations. What do they want to achieve with their

travels? What happens to their identities throughout the time traveling? What effect do certain

events or people encountered have on the way in which tourists see themselves? How are they

different when they come home? In this study WWOOF volunteers are asked to reflect on

how they think their identities have changed throughout their time as a volunteer and what

influences have caused these changes. These findings can be used to inform the larger

questions of whether or not traveling to a foreign country with the intention of being a

volunteer working for food and board is a form of tourism.

1.1 Aim and issue This study aims to examine identity work through travels focusing on volunteer tourism,

specifically in the organization WWOOF.

● What role does the WWOOF experience play in the volunteers’ life stories?

● In what way do volunteers perceive that WWOOF creates opportunities for cultural

and social exchange that influence their identities?

The study will provide an analysis of the broader meaning of WWOOFing as it relates to

volunteers’ identity work. How have the respondents experienced that they have changed and

how are they predicting to be different after WWOOFing? What is the significance of place

when it comes to who volunteers think they are and who they want to be? WWOOF as a

cultural exchange is also examined. The study will analyze how the volunteers see themselves

in comparison to other types of tourists and locals, as well as how they label themselves.

1.2 Limits of the study

This study focuses on WWOOF in the Corvallis area in Oregon, USA. All small scale farmers

have their unique challenges and opportunities which affect the experiences of volunteers.

Although the area is not representative of all WWOOF experiences it is an ideal location for

this kind of study. Oregon has 85 WWOOF farms and is a popular destination for

WWOOFers (WWOOF-USA, 2011). Volunteers in the Corvallis area can in the interviews

refer to previous WWOOFing experiences from other places. To add credibility and anchor

the data from Oregon farms three interviews are done within a Swedish context. The study

3

will seek to understand what role the WWOOF experience plays in the broader context of

volunteers’ lives. The study has a particular emphasis on identity work and how it is affected

by place, people encountered and situation.

4

2 Literature review In this chapter previous research on volunteer tourism with a focus on identity work is

presented. I will look into differences and similarities between previous research and this

study regarding methods, theories and results. The four areas considered are what affects the

experience, women’s identity work, how volunteer tourism differs from other forms of

tourism, and motives for volunteers.

There is a huge variety of perspectives that can be applied on the phenomenon WWOOFing.

The amount of recent research on volunteer tourism and volunteers mirrors the increasing

interest in an expanding niche (Wearing & Ponting, 2009, p. 255). This was confirmed by a

Google search, which yielded 77,200 hits on “volunteer tourism” on October 26, 2011

(Google, 2011).

2.1 What affects the experience “Volunteer tourism – experiences that make a difference” by Wearing (2001) is a study

examining the experiences of volunteers in the Santa Elena Rainforest Reserve project and

what impact it has on their creation of social value. The way it creates a foundation for the

volunteer’s self and identity is explored by analyzing their narratives from a grounded theory

perspective.

Urry (in Wearing, 2001, p. 79) claims that all tourists have their own idea of what’s being

experienced depending on their previous social experience. Social position, preferences,

values and beliefs are personal characteristics that Hamilton-Smith points out to have an

impact on the experience (in Wearing, 2001, p. 82). It is also stated from a number of

researchers that social background, personality and attitude play a role in what way the tourist

interpret the experience (Wearing, 2001, p. 81). Also, the structure and operation of the

volunteer organization affects the experience. As volunteers travel with the purpose of

assisting in the local community they differ from most other tourists and they see themselves

as alternative tourists (Wearing, 2001, p. 80).

Wearing’s (2001, p. 123) view is in line with the approach of this study, that since volunteer

tourism is socially constructed, the experience gets its meaning from social interactions with

others. The volunteer role differs from the role the individual is taking on in everyday life.

While an individual’s experience can impact his or her identity, others can also contribute to

this identity formation. When the acts of the volunteer are interpreted by others the individual

is redefined (Wearing, 2001, p. 123). In interactions between volunteers or between

volunteers and people from the local community the physical place gets a social value

(Wearing, 2001, p. 125). There is an exchange of influences between the parts that affects the

self and identity.

2.2 Women’s identity work According to Wearing (2001) women’s experiences of more adventurous tourist activities are

shown to bring emotional, physical and psychological benefits. Women of the post-industrial

society are searching for alternative forms of tourism because of its contrast to the role

women are expected to fulfill at home (Wearing, 2001, p. 86). People go to natural areas in

5

their search for being recognized as adventurous, Wearing argues (2001, p. 86). Central to

tourism motivation is the desire to escape from everyday life at home and search for meaning,

according to Iso-Ahola (in Wearing, 2001, p. 93). Wearing argues that an experience affects

the formation of an individual’s values and therefore also their sense of identity. In a tourism

experiences cultural stereotypes can be challenged and alternative methods of forming

identities can be introduced to the individual (Wearing, 2001, p. 87).

Egeland (1999, p. 73) have a similar reasoning when she examines backpacker trips as

expressions for, and a part of, identity projects of young women. Their travels are not only

taking a geographical dimension in this study but also mental. The author investigates what

gender roles women are “escaping from” when deciding to take on a backpacker trip and what

they wish to find in themselves when being away from the everyday routines at home.

Nowadays individuals have the opportunity to choose their own ways and directions in life to

a bigger extent than before, something mentioned as a cultural liberation by Ziehe (in

Egeland, 1999, p. 79).

2.3 How volunteer tourism differs from other forms of tourism In their work, McIntosh and Bonnemann (2006) examine how a WWOOF experience is

different from a farm stay at a commercial farm. One dimension of WWOOFing that makes it

unique is the personal meaningfulness of the visit. In-depth interviews with visitors in New

Zealand show that spending time at a WWOOF farm together with hosts and other visitors has

encouraged personal growth, to see and understand oneself better and to live one’s ideals

(McIntosh & Bonnemann, 2006, p. 94).

The power relationship of mass tourism – where locals are servants of the western visitors – is

causing self-destructive identities, claims Wearing and Ponting (2009, p. 263). They point out

a Third space where social value and identity can develop in absence of the self-other

dichotomy. Not constrained of a dominating hegemonic culture the third space is a place

where hosts and tourists can interact and learn from each other with an open mind (Wearing

& Ponting, 2009, p. 263). The authors (2009, p. 263) states that culture is seen as something

ever changing by influences from anyone taking part of it. Hosts are reflecting, educating and

interpreting as visitors are part of the re-presentation but not intruding on the culture.

2.4 Motives for volunteers Lo and Lee (2011) examine the motivation of volunteers from Hong Kong and their perceived

value of the experience. Focus group and personal interviews were conducted to explore what

kind of trip the person had partake, how it was done and the reason for attending in volunteer

tourism. Five motivations were found to participate in volunteer tourism: cultural immersion

and interaction with local people, desire to give back, seeking a shared experience and an

educational opportunity, religious involvement, and escaping from everyday life. When it

comes to perceived value the volunteers mentioned six things: changed view of life,

relationship enhancement, personal development and growth, broadening horizons and

gaining memorable life experience, and influence on future career, studies, and life direction.

Also factors affecting the volunteer’s decision to participate in such tourism in the future were

6

examined. Time, financial ability, safety and health issues, the arrangements and scale of the

volunteer tours, and the reputation of the organizers were important factors.

The motivation of tourists who take part in volunteer activities on their leisure vacation and

the impacts of that experience are examined by Brown (2005). The material is collected

through focus groups and in-depth personal interviews to get an understanding of attitudes

instead of quantitatively measuring them. Brown (2005, p. 494) stresses that the volunteer

vacationers, that they call them, have motives from both the altruistic volunteer tourist and the

mass tourist. The authors see a temporary satisfaction in contributing to the local community

and an enduring effect from it in a developed self and strengthened relationships with family

members. Shared interests and values with others in the travel group and interacting with

locals leads to mutual understanding and friendship. The authors suggest that this hybrid of

tourism forms can constitute a new successful market segment.

The article by Sin (2009) is based on 11 interviews and a participant observation in South

Africa with students representing “Action Africa” from a university in Singapore. The result

in this study reveals, in contrary to other studies on volunteer tourism, that the volunteer

experience not for certain has lead to substantial change in value system, social

consciousness, or has motivated the individual to volunteer again. Many of the interviewees

see their activity as “international service-learning“, a way to learn about needs in the society

by participating in solving them, rather than volunteer tourism. This puts personal

development in focus instead of the ability to contribute to a positive change in host

communities. What a volunteer tourist takes out from his or her experience depend on the

original motivation, the context in which the volunteer work took place, the kind of project,

contact with the local community, and what other volunteers were involved. To live outside

the tourism bubble means meeting locals and see how the identity is affected in a

heterogeneous place. To be, do, touch and see, instead of just seeing, is what modern tourists

ask for (Cloke and Perkins, Crouch and Desforges in Sin, 2009).

This overview indicates that studies with similar approaches using similar methods can end in

various results. For example, when it comes to motives for volunteers, a number of articles

challenge the traditional understanding of volunteer motives as only altruistic. Sin (2009), as

well as, Loo and Lee (2011), and Brown (2005) show results of motives that tend towards

being more centered on the self. For example, the informants mention motives in the form of

personal growth and meaningfulness, learning, broadening one’s horizons, and to gain a

memorable life experience.

The volunteers in these studies are of western nationalities and their volunteer trips are

directed south. This is probably the most common pattern when it comes to volunteer work.

The reason to why volunteers in my study reveal self-fulfilling motives can be found in the

relationship between the home country and the country visited. When people from the north

travel to another country in the north, or within his or her own country, the power relation

between the tourist and locals are not as uneven as it can be between people in the north and

the south.

7

In similarity to this study Wearing (2001) examines how volunteer experience constitute the

foundation for the volunteer’s self and identity. While this study is limited to experiences

from WWOOF farms, McIntosh and Bonnemann (2006) examines the differences in

experiences between WWOOF farms and a commercial farm stay.

Two authors shed light on women’s identity specifically. Egeland (1999) and Wearing (2001)

both discuss how women take on adventurous trips to get away from the role a woman is

expected to fulfill at home and instead find an alternative identity. Egeland states that

backpacker trips can be an identity project for young women. This study has no special

interest in any of the sexes, but strives to mirror the experiences of a similar amount of men

and women.

8

3 Research design and methodology This chapter covers the methods used in this study and a discussion about validity and

potential sources of error.

In order to collect data for this study I used the ethnographic methods including interviews

and participant observations. Ekström and Larsson (2010, p. 48) state that participant

observations are good complements to interviews since people have a tendency to do things

differently than they say they do. In the authors’ view, the combination of the methods sheds

light on what people do, the meaning of their actions and how they reason.

In addition to a 17-day participant observation at Kings Valley Gardens in Oregon, USA,

interviews were conducted with volunteers working at the farm. By doing a qualitative study

volunteers’ experiences of WWOOFing can be mapped and examined. The overall aim is to

examine what role the WWOOF experience plays in the volunteers’ life stories by analyzing

how they talk about their experience.

3.1 Participant observation To get a better understanding of how a WWOOF farm operates I lived at Kings Valley

Gardens and participated in the daily duties for 17 days during the summer of 2011. The

specific farm was chosen based on its good reviews on the WWOOF website. According to

Ekström and Larsson (2010, p. 30) the researcher can get access to the field and be let in to

the private sphere by participating in activities. By participating in the work as a volunteer

while doing my participant observation I gained acceptance as a researcher.

When people heard about my thesis work they were eager to facilitate my data gathering by

offering their time for an interview or suggesting others to interview. I do not directly

describe my own personal observations of the experience in this study, but my participation

served as a foundation for my understanding of the WWOOFing context and helped me

determine what questions to ask my interviewees.

3.2 Interviews A total of 14 volunteers were interviewed. Seven interviews were conducted face to face at

Kings Valley Gardens, six of which I had also encountered and observed at the same farm.

Four interviews were done on the phone with Americans and one with a Swede. One Swedish

respondent was interviewed face to face in her home in Sweden. Two volunteers I interviewed

twice. The interviewees were between 18 and 30 years old, of which 5 were male and 9 were

female. Twelve were from the United States and two were from Sweden. Interviewees were

chosen from among the fellow volunteers during my stay, through the Kings Valley Gardens

farmers’ network and through interviewees’ recommendations of other volunteers.

Most of the interviews were conducted in July, a busy month on farms according to the

farmers. With that in mind, interviewees were contacted beforehand and asked to pick a time

for the interview. This was done to reduce the time pressure and other disruptive elements as

Lantz (2007, p. 73) recommends. In line with Palmer’s (2001, p. 305) recommendations the

interviews were kept as brief as possible to not take the respondents away from their duties

for too long. All interviews were carried out individually. To make the interview situation as

9

comfortable as possible it was held in a naturalistic environment as Palmer (2001, p. 305) also

recommends.

Syssner (2011, p. 72) suggests that qualitative interviews are preferable to surveys to capture

peoples’ identities and self-perception since, in an interview with an open structure, the

interviewee can talk freely and give more complex and nuanced answers than in a survey with

defined answers to chose from. For this study interviews were conducted in what Lantz (2007,

pp. 30, 33) calls a semi structural way, to let the interviewee talk freely from themes.

Following this structure, a framework for the interview was built and focus was put on the

respondent’s subjective experience. The aim was to gain insight into the interviewee’s

worldview, values and way of thinking; which are all meaningful characteristics for the study.

Follow-up questions were asked to make statements clearer as Lantz (2007, p. 33)

recommends.

The respondents were initially informed about the cause and aim of the study and how his or

her information was going to be used. This was done to build up openness and trust between

researcher and respondent as Lantz (2007, pp. 57, 69) explains. The respondents were never

asked if they wished to be anonymous but were for ethical reasons given new names in the

report. They were asked to introduce themselves by name, place of residence, what WWOOF

farm he or she has stayed at and the farm’s main crop or produce (Lantz, 2007, p. 58). An

interview plan with topics that emerged from the review stage was presented and used as an

aid to navigate the interview (Lantz, 2007, p. 56; Palmer, 2001, p. 304). Questions were

formulated to evoke the respondent’s experiences; how a phenomenon is given meaning and

the context around it (Lantz, 2007, pp. 46, 54). Questions were translated and reviewed by an

English native speaker as preparations and a critical view of the interview plan are of high

importance (Lantz, 2007, pp. 59-60). See appendix 2 for questions asked to volunteers.

Using ethnographical methods means that I as a researcher am the tool used to collect data.

The qualitative investigation was therefore dependent on me and it is certain that the data

collected would be different if another researcher would have done the same study. According

to Ekström and Larsson (2010, p. 49) the presence of a researcher should not affect the

processes that shape relationships in a studied context. Lantz (2007, p. 65) though points out

that there is always a mutual influence when people interact. It is important to stay scientific

in the role as an observer in the middle of a field even though gaining trust and confidence is

fundamental to getting reliable data, Ekström and Larsson point out (2010, p. 46). As they

suggest, I needed to cut ties and take a step back from my WWOOF experience to conduct the

analysis (Ekström & Larsson, 2010, p. 48).

Possible drawbacks on using an ethnographic method are misunderstandings during

interviews and observations. As my native language is Swedish and most interviews were

done in English, language barriers might cause misunderstandings. As the observation was

made in a foreign culture the understanding of the small details, facial expressions, jokes, and

silence may be lacking. For the interviews done on the phone I did not get any other

information than what was said and the intonation used. To have an outsider’s view can also

be beneficial as I can see things more objectively than someone from within the culture. I do

10

to some degree have a pre-understanding and preconceptions about the culture; how things

work and how people think and act. Preconceptions can easily affect the analysis; it is easier

for me as a participant observer to see what I expect to see which Ekström and Larsson (2010,

p. 45) as well as Elsrud (2004, p. 70) made me aware of. The context (personal, social,

cultural, economic) that I come from influence my work from the start to the end, a

perspective on the qualitative study known as situated knowledge (Elsrud, 2004, p. 70). I

strive to not evaluate but to understand from an inside perspective and to be as reflective as

possible throughout the whole research process (Elsrud, 2004, p. 70; Lantz, 2007, p. 46).

Making notes of what is being observed and not so much of what I have experienced in the

situation is important to analyze the data objectively (Ekström & Larsson, 2010, p. 47).

All interviews were recorded on tape and lasted for 14 to 37 minutes. To rely on notes from

an interview is problematic as they can be distorted. Recording is essential to prevent

simplifications, unconsidered assumptions and unconscious hasty conclusions of the material,

founded in pre-understandings and caused by the time pressure created by only taking notes

(Lantz, 2007, p. 106). Some respondents can feel uncomfortable being recorded and therefore

act in a constrained way but I did not see any such tendencies when collecting my data (Lantz,

2007, p. 74).

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4 Theoretical framework Here the theoretical framework identity theory will be presented as well as the social

constructivist approach that is used in the study.

Identity work is used as the theoretical framework to analyze the contents of the interviews

and observations in this study. When theories are applied to real-world data it can be

understood and interpreted in a larger context (Ekström & Larsson, 2010, p. 45, Lantz, 2007,

p. 52). By applying identity theory to the material patterns can be seen in how volunteers talk

about themselves in relation to their WWOOF experience. Identity is not something that

exists in itself and can therefore not be discovered by the individual. However, identity is

something ever changing that is developed over time. Various identities are prominent in

different situations, when encountering diverse people or when at varied places. I have

utilized a social constructionist approach for studying these ever changing identities.

4.1 Social constructivism By approaching identity work through travels from a social constructivist perspective, this

study aims to examine the meaning of the context in an individual’s identity. According to

this view the reality is socially constructed through interactions between people instead of

being fixed. Here follows my understanding of the perspective, inspired of Searle (1995),

Wenneberg (2001), and the work of Berger and Luckmann (1991) that was met with great

success when it was initiated in 1966.

According to social constructivists reality is socially constructed through human activity. This

perspective stresses the importance of culture and context in the way people understand the

society that creates their worldview. Meeting people with unique understandings of the world

while traveling can challenge the worldview that an individual has held up to that point.

According to this perspective, the way humans see the world is culturally and historically

characterized, consequently identities and worldviews are ever changing and differ over time.

As people’s worldviews including behavior and needs are created and maintained through

social interactions, also common truths are spread that way. Criticism is directed towards the

presumption of the existence of one truth, one natural state of everything. Constructionists

want to reshape these assumptions and create alternative ways of looking at the world.

Social constructivists claim that identities are created through social processes. When the

identity is formed it can be sustained, reshaped or challenged through interactions with others.

Traveling individuals can change their views on identity and belonging as a result of meeting

people from other social contexts. Social structures affect the formation and maintenance of

identities.

In this study, my aim is to identify what role the WWOOF experience play in the volunteer’s

greater life stories. As reality is created through interaction between people as well as between

people and society, there is no universal truth. All experiences are subjective. Every person

has his or her own world of reference which means that things get a distinct value and

meaning depending on the person. For an individual who has grown up at a farm the

WWOOF experience differs from a city person who has never been out in the countryside.

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Because all experiences are different depending on the individual’s previous experience, they

cannot be compared or generalized. My ambition is, from an outsider’s view, to try to gain

understanding of volunteers’ experiences. I take on an emic perspective, to understand my

informants and their life world, what they do and how they think.

4.2 Identity theory After reading literature on identity formation and identity work by Egeland (1999), Elsrud

(2004), Hammarén and Johansson (2009), Eriksen (2004), Stier (2003), as well as Syssner

(2011), I have compiled what I consider to be the most relevant features of identity theory.

Here follows a presentation of the theoretical approach that will be used in the analysis of this

study.

Syssner (2011, p. 60) points out that identities can be created and analyzed on three levels:

individual, group, and societal. Identity work is the ability people have to affect their own

identities, and there are many.

4.2.1 Identities as narratives Narratives is used when an individual creates his or her identity by finding coherence between

unrelated events, experiences and feelings from everyday life and fitting them into the greater

lifetime continuum (Elsrud, 2004, p. 39). Using a special discourse the individual actively

creates a story about who he or she is, or wants to be. An individual’s acting has a meaning in

the moment it is performed, and an additional meaning afterwards. Through the way in which

the same individual tells a story about what he or she have done, the person provide an

explanation of himself or herself. How the narrator explains the act and what he or she

chooses to emphasize through the story, allows the individual to contribute to the

understanding that other have about who he or she is. In this way, the individual has the

power to control his or her own identity and also to create a sense of continuity in the

individual’s biography (Elsrud, 2004, p. 39). Other possibilities an individual has to express

who he or she is are through clothes, work, music, friends, travels, etc.

Elsrud (2004, p. 41) suggests that individuals create and recreate their identities through

narration, by way of telling stories about their lives. The stories have their basis in cultural

and social material so there is a clear link between the individual and societal structures.

When studying narrative what is told can be analyzed but also the social and cultural context

of the narrator.

According to Elsrud (2004, p. 40) telling identity narratives come with social benefits. For

example, the individual has the opportunity to position himself or herself how they desire in

relation to others and to society. These narratives can involve everyday events, other people

or oneself. Through written or spoken language we express ourselves and our values,

intentional or unintentional. Sin (2009) states that “Thus the “self” is continually performed

both externally to one’s audiences (friends, relatives, and other people one comes across) and

internally to strengthen one’s self-identity”. When the self-perception correlates with how

other people see the individual the identity is strong and distinct because the two sources of

identity confirm each other.

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Further, Elsrud (2004, p. 103) describes place narratives as stories about places that are based

on travel myths and some facts. Qualities of the place give meaning to the narrator’s identity

and are important when the narrator wants to distinguish himself or herself from other

travelers. By learning about sustainable living on an organic farm in the country a person can

be making a statement about their perceived or desired identity as an environmentally friendly

person. The way the WWOOFer talks about the place afterwards or what stories there already

are about the countryside has a huge impact on the identity and how other see the narrator.

Stories about volunteer work were by the informants in Sin’s study in South Africa “used to

perform a ‘self’ suggesting that he or she was a conscious and worldly tourist or individual”

(2009).

The interviewees in this study talk about how nice it is to work with your body instead of

sitting in school or in an office all day. To do WWOOFing is relatively hard work, especially

for a city dweller’s body that might be used to more sedentary work. The WWOOFers have

found that long walks and stretching helps the alleviate soreness one gets after picking

strawberries and digging out weeds for a while day. The WWOOFers have also found that

eating nutritious food has made them feel healthier. These stories are what Elsrud (2004, pp.

104-105) calls body narratives, and they are a part of the formation of the identity, as well as

place narratives.

According to Elsrud (2004, p. 96) acts and narratives have their roots in a common shared

structure to get meaning and to be understood by others. These grand narratives or

manuscripts derive from the historical, social, and cultural context and create an

understanding about reality. Travel mythologies are socially created in this context and seem

genuine and objective to the tourist as they are reproduced in travel magazines, books and

other media. Elsrud (2004, p. 96) holds that when a tourist travels to a foreign place he or she

has a pre-conceived notion of the place visited which evolves from these grand narratives and

seem real to them. Volunteers who have lived their whole life in a city have their idea of what

a farmer’s life in the country is like. When WWOOFing prejudices and expectations can be

proved wrong or right. For international volunteers WWOOFing is a way to get insight into

rural life in another country.

4.2.2 Identities as procedural

Identities are based on experiences, affected by social obligations and created in interaction

with others. Although relatively stable, they are usually recreated, challenged, and changed

over time (Syssner, 2011, p. 62). Egeland (1999, p. 74) means that identity is not a thing that

can be discovered and uncovered. The individual needs to be engaged in his or her identity

work; thus identities are not pre-set by tradition, family-ties or place of residence (Elsrud,

2004, p. 39). “Identity is not given or static but rather experienced as a dynamic and time-

dependent outcome of an ongoing creative process” says Elsrud (2004, p. 95). Also Egeland

(1999, p. 75) is explaining identity as something that is managed and developed in the

meeting between people. Thus identity work is never completed.

Syssner (2011, p. 63) describes symbolic interactionism as a theoretical perspective where

identities are seen as social constructions that are affected by social structures. The social

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structures are also affected by the individuals who act in them. Syssner (2011, p. 63) means

that in that way, the society is not separated from the humans living in it but created in

relation to it. That is an explanation for how identities can be recreated depending on the

context, which will be examined in this study.

In addition to society, certain events can have a huge impact on identity. Syssner (2011, p. 71)

means that so called key events, that has a transformative nature, is an example of that.

Continuous events, that helps create a feeling of continuum in the life story, is another

example. A life crisis caused by an accident, a death in the family or simply getting older can

dislocate the identity but aid in overall personal development. Recurrent trips, for example, a

family’s yearly trip to the Canary Islands on fall break, can also have a formative result on the

identity. For some of the interviewees in this study the WWOOF experience can be seen as a

key event that has made a huge impact on their identities. It is important to know this in order

to understand the informants’ reflections about how they are different after their time at the

WWOOF farm.

Besides individual identities, humans go into and step out of roles depending on who and

what they encounter. These interactions can also help define one’s identity. Eriksen (2004, p.

48) and Syssner (2011, pp. 63-64) hold that roles have to do with social class, profession,

economic situation, age, family composition, etc. Roles limit people’s opportunities to act

freely as they are bound by conceptions of how to act and behave. When ascribed to a role the

individual becomes “someone”. The individual can either live up to and follow the expected

patterns of behavior or refuse to do so. As roles are associated with scripts, interaction

becomes easier when one can predict what to expect from a person in a certain role. Being a

volunteer comes with certain social obligations, (Eriksen, 2004, p. 51) but also privileges,

which will be discussed later on.

4.2.3 Identities as relational Identities emerge in relation to other individuals and their expectations. Individuals can join

and associate themselves with groups if they share the same interests, goals, values and

experiences (Eriksen, 2004, p. 54). The prerequisite for the existence of us is that there is

another group to distance the group from. It is about distinctions and divergence: a communal

identity is created and perpetuated by the sense of we in contrast to the others. The

demarcation must be maintained to retain the value of belonging. Eriksen (2004, pp. 53, 54,

56) means that the larger the threat from the outside, the stronger the sense of community.

Hall and du Gay (1996, p. 5) describe the internal homogeneity as a constructed form of

closure. The desire to belong is strong, as well as identification with others in a group. In this

study volunteers talk about themselves as members of a group of travelers who differs from

more traditional tourists. Their motives to travel as well as the chosen destination are

different. Eriksen (2004, p. 10) states that not all can be let in and not all can be left out in

these groups. For example, as Eriksen (2004, p. 55) and Syssner (2011, pp. 61, 67, 69, 70)

point out categories organized by skin color are almost impossible to escape from.

Identities can be manifested through consumption. What an individual buys, eats, and wears

signal what he or she likes, values, and how much money the individual can spend. Bourdieu

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(in Eriksen, 2004, p. 78), Hammarén and Johansson (2009, p. 35) say that there is a strong

connection between social class and consumption habits which is socially constructed. Group

identities can be expressed through lifestyles. People with greater financial assets can develop

certain expectations for consumption and thereby a distinct pattern of consumption than

others. Taste and style are shallow and short-lived ways for individuals to express themselves

and these are changing as the fashion is changing.

“By defining what we do not belong to, we also define our own belonging”, says Syssner

(author’s translation, 2011, p. 66). Also, Hall and du Gay (1996, pp. 4-5) says that “identities

are constructed through, not outside, difference.” They continue to describe that identity is

constructed in relation to the Other and what it lacks. This often creates a hierarchy among

groups, where the included individuals are seen as better and superior to the excluded,

Syssner continues (2011, p 66). This happens in the heterogeneous group tourists, as well.

Some tourists deselect certain destinations because they consider the places to be too touristy.

They don’t want to be identified as mass tourists (Syssner, 2011, p 66). By distancing

themselves from the masses and going to destinations considered less touristy or by using

another form of tourism, for example volunteer tourism, they adopt the identity of an

alternative traveler which they find more sophisticated. A desire to belong is crucial for

identification with a group, summarizes Syssner (2011, p. 67).

4.2.4 Identities as multiple and contextual

Identities are complex as well as multifaceted, and individuals can create and shift between

different identities depending on situation and surroundings. Hall and du Gay (1996, p. 4)

describes the complexity of identities, “identities are never unified and, in late modern times,

increasingly fragmented and fractured; never singular but multiply constructed across diverse,

often intersecting and antagonistic, discourses, practices and positions”. They continue to

describe the importance of being able to handle different identities and prevent to be

associated with only one (Hall & Gay, 1996, p. 24). As the modern business world is more

complex and requires a more flexible work force than during the industrial era, traditional

identities such as man, and woman, and the features traditionally associated with them are

nowdays more difficult to ascribe to individuals. Also, as global migration is becoming more

common and widespread, people can ascribe themselves either to their nationality of origin,

their new nationality, or both.

Contradictions and fragmentations can emerge within an individual’s identity, especially

when they are outside their comfort zone or daily routine (Wearing & Ponting, 2009, p. 257).

Syssner (2011, p. 69) sheds light on how even an environmentally friendly person can travel

by plane being aware of the environmental consequences caused by the action. Further, in a

certain situation a vegetarian can feel comfortable eating meat. Socially and politically

concerned people can, by way of staying at an accommodation that is owned by a multi-

national company that does not support the local people, contribute to an economic leakage.

They can justify this because they are on vacation they do not feel responsible for their

actions.

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How the life story is told is dependent on the audience. Syssner (2011, pp. 70-71) believes

that many aspects of travel affect the identity: the choice of location, how the person prepares

for the trip, what activities he or she partakes in on the trip, and what experiences the person

chooses to share with others upon his or her return.

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5 Findings In this chapter the results of the study are being presented and analyzed in the light of identity

theory. First we will look into the motives of the volunteers to take on a trip through

WWOOF, followed by four sections about how the volunteers experience that they have

changed and the influences that have caused that.

There are just as many reasons to travel as there are travelers. This could be seen in the

respondents’ answers to the questions “How did you get the idea to be a WWOOF

volunteer?” and “What made you decide to become a WWOOF volunteer?” In this section I

will explore the many motives volunteers have to WWOOF which will show that volunteers

from north who go to another northern country have more self-centered motives than

volunteers going south. In accordance with Brown’s (2005) result of an investigation of the

motives of volunteers in developing countries, the volunteers’ motives in this study are not of

an altruistic character. Instead many of the motives are of a personal nature; for example, to

learn how to farm, to develop the self, to experience new places and to travel cheaply. Their

help at the destination is not the difference between life and death for the locals. Instead, the

main characteristic of volunteer work in the north is the exchange between volunteers, or

between volunteer and locals. The section ends with a discussion on how WWOOF creates

opportunities to travel for long and gain knowledge without being a burden on the volunteer’s

pocket.

5.1 Motives for WWOOFing My first informant, Charlie, decided to explore the lifestyles, people and weather in a part of

his homeland that he is not yet familiar with, the American West Coast, through WWOOF.

I was using WWOOFing kind of to test out Washington and test out Oregon and see

what cities I liked and how I liked the weather and the people. ‘Cus I’d been to the

east coast and the cities over there that I like but I know that the West Coast is an

entirely different world or least part of the US. It’s very different. (Charlie, 2011)

The differences he talks about are the mindset and the environmental friendly ideas that are

not as radical on the West Coast as they would be on the East Coast. For example he mentions

the compost bins that cities on the west coast pick up.

A class about food systems and how to be accurate involved in growing food gave Catherine a

direction for where she wants to be in life. She decided that WWOOFing would be a good

thing to spend her energy on and that it would be the absolute best place for her to start, as the

organization was being referred to in many conversations with friends who had done it.

The 240 hours Laura is spending working on her WWOOF farm is an internship for her

agricultural major. She wants to work eight hours a day and learn a lot about how things work

in the whole process. Her experience is that work is harder and more boring if she does not

know the reason for the job and if she does not get the bigger picture.

Jordan is another positive voice for WWOOF. He thought it was the greatest idea ever when

he heard about WWOOFing as he has always been wanting to farm but did not know how to

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start up a farm or a garden. “I’ve really been getting into being able to grow all my own food

and sort of be able to be self sufficient, live sustainably and everything. I didn’t really know

where to begin.” He thought it was a fantastic idea when he found out that he could gain a lot

of experience and see how other people did it through WWOOF. In contrast to Jordan, Eliza

grew up farming at her family’s farm in Oregon. She was always surrounded by WWOOFers

and said that “I’ve always kind of wanted to be one”. In Spain and Ireland she got to

experience farming under other conditions than at home.

Peter has had an idea about going to someone’s land and work for them in exchange for food

and board. He was lamenting the fact that such a good, simple, honest thing didn’t exist until

he found out about WWOOFing. Christine though, knew about WWOOFing through being in

the environmental movement, and knew that was something she wanted to do when she

started traveling. She had done work exchange before, in Spain and Israel through another

organization, called Work Away. Also Patrick has travel ambitions and has only heard good

things about WWOOF. He expresses that “traveling and doing work trade seems like a nice

move to make for me right now” as he likes being outside, working the land and eating good

food.

Also the two Swedish informants were using WWOOF as a means to travel. Both agreed on

WWOOFing as the ideal way to travel. “How can I make this a good trip? Well, I’ll

WWOOF, then it’ll be a good trip” said Sofia. Lovisa who values the experience of everyday

life talked about WWOOFing and travels as:

a way that fits me really well. So, yes, for me it’s probably the ultimate way and also

that you can…it’s such a good mix of doing something you’re interested in, that you

learn a lot from, and to meet new people, and see new places, and also be able to go to

some city somewhere if you like. (Lovisa, 2011, author’s translation)

Lovisa’s reasoning is supported by Egeland (1999, p. 78) who also sheds light on how

learning and development are reached by being close to nature and people on the trip.

5.1.1 A cheap way to travel In contrast to other forms of tourism that requires significant travel funds, WWOOF creates

opportunities and offers experiences for free. To live in a community with no need for money

is a big difference to the home environment or a traditional tourist destination. Instead there is

an exchange that is being made. The interviewees talk about how relieving it is to live in a

community that is not money driven. Sofia says getting food, housing and half the day off

instead of getting paid in cash for her job is a positive experience. “It was an easy life”, she

says. “You didn’t need to think about money” she continues and points out that it’s not

possible to live a life without money at home. Place matters for how you live and what you

need to focus on. Jordan was really excited when he heard about how he could visit farmers

and gain experience with no money being exchanged.

You bring yourself there and everything is paid for but you don’t have to buy any, you

don’t need to worry about money at all when you’re there, and that’s really a fantastic

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idea I thought and just the coolest thing ever when I first heard about it… (Jordan,

2011)

As a WWOOFer Jordan expresses that: “You can travel for months and months and months

and it won’t be a burden on your pocket”. Sofia conveys a relieving feeling for not having to

think about money. “I would never have been able to travel for this long in New Zealand if I

wouldn’t have WWOOFed”, says Sofia.

Sarah sees her WWOOF experience as an opportunity to not spend much money but admits

that she spends a little bit of money when visiting the city of Corvallis for the Saturday

farmers market. Aside from the changed relationship with money, a number of other, more

personal behavioral changes were also noted.

5.2 Perceived change Identities are not static but ever changing throughout the course of a life. Many respondents

mention some kind of change in relation to the WWOOF experience which correlates with the

theory about identities as procedural. The farm stay can be seen as a key event that changes

the way the WWOOFer wants to live their life. Change can spring from an experience with

people offering gifts without expecting anything in return, being in a surrounding where

environmental awareness is widely spread and implemented in the society, or staying in a

place with less disturbing stimuli resulting in discovering new sides of oneself. Even though it

is hard to pinpoint how one is different after being on the farm, the WWOOFers can tell that

the environment or meeting new people have had an impact on them and have made them

want to change how they live their lives. Sometimes it is easier for others to notice and

identify the change than it is for the WWOOFer himself or herself. This correlates with the

fact that identities are contextual and relational.

5.2.1 Personal change Living a communal life with generous individuals at the farm made a huge impact on Charlie.

A whole community “baking cookies for you just because they wanted to” without expecting

anything in return is something he has never experienced before. This friendly giving

behavior is something he wants to implement in his own life when he returns home. He also

wants to “bring that positive outlook and put out the good energy and hope that people see

that and maybe want to do the same”. For Charlie this single WWOOF experience plays a big

role in the way he sees generosity and helping people out.

For Laura, who WWOOFed her first time after high school graduation, volunteering on

organic farms is now a recurring way to spend her summers. WWOOFing has in that way

become, what Syssner (2011, p. 71) describes, a continuous event that helps her create a sense

of continuum in her life story. Friends and family were surprised when she went to the UK for

WWOOFing. They were astonished that she took on a big adventure like that, when she in

high school “didn’t do much stuff or just go out”. Afterwards people knowing her told her that

she was a different person than before.

I guess my mum was surprised that I decided to just pick up and go by myself to another

country. And she thinks that was really good for me and that now I just, I’m more

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willing to do anything new without worrying about it or thinking that it’s going to be

too scary. (Laura, 2011)

Laura stresses that the transformation from a timid high schooler to an unafraid globetrotter

was noticed by her mother rather than by herself. The fact that she is WWOOFing again, even

though it is in her own country, must indicate that she likes the way it affects her. Hannah also

found a place to flourish through WWOOFing. She says that people carry around potential

that never is let out, except in the right surroundings. Identities are contextual and at the farm

she is able to discover and express qualities of herself that formerly “got buried by stuff in the

city”. This is supported by Wearing (2001, p. 92) who says that spending time in nature can

increase self-confidence as inner capabilities and emotions are discovered in the absence of

disturbing surroundings.

It was good to be in a place and let that, the stuff I like about myself more come back

out. It really let me flourish into being more of the person I like to be. Sometimes I get

hidden when I’m at home. (Hannah, 2011)

Obviously these qualities of herself that Hannah finds away from home make her happier with

herself. The question is, will she be able to stick with this new part of her identity when she is

back home as she is now aware of it or is this identity bound to the context of WWOOFing?

In Egeland’s (1999, p. 79) study about individual’s identity projects the author uncovers the

same desire to find the “true self” among female backpackers. Many of her informants

expresses that they are searching for a place where they get the opportunity to be the person

they mean they really are in this period of life.

Eliza’s experience is that she is more independent since she got back from her WWOOF trip

to Europe. It was her “first taste of freedom” as it was her “first time away from home” and

she had to make all decisions herself. She did not have any clear expectations but wanted to

have an adventure and made plans as the time went by. She found it a little scary to travel that

way because she never knew where to go next, but it worked out for her and she can tell that

she is different as a person now.

Sarah and Lovisa talk about how hard it is to see a personal change in oneself even thought

they are certain they have changed. Sarah explains:

I’ve definitely learned a lot. It’s hard to, to tell how much someone’s really changed

‘cus they tend to project my current self upon my past self when evaluating who I am

and who I was” (Sarah, 2011)

5.2.2 Environmental awareness Lovisa sees change as gradual and relational to knowledge. Even though her ambition to

WWOOF is not to start her own farm she learns a lot that changes the way she sees herself in

the world. She thinks more about her environmental impact and what she eats now after

WWOOFing, than in high school, when she had not been exposed to those kind of thoughts as

much. Sarah is experiencing a bigger awareness of how much she drives her car. She is ready

to cut down on one of her biggest interests, to see music, to cut miles in her car. She values

the WWOOF experience as a positive one and says that:

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it has really helped me realized how much energy I use and how much trash I throw

away when I’m not in the, an environment that really is conducive towards reusing,

recycling and you know not having to drive a bunch of places. (Sarah, 2011)

In the future she wants to live someplace where she can compost and get around on bicycle.

A strengthened relationship to food is mentioned by a number of volunteers as something the

farm experience has led to. As food is essential, eating local meals is a central part of the

cultural experience for a person who travels to a foreign place. Sarah, for example, is

astonished by how much her relationship to food could change in just three weeks. She talks

about the experience at the self sufficient Oregonian farm as something that is:

really gonna change how I eat food (…)I think it’s gonna change how much I

appreciate it, and I think I became so much aware of what I’m putting into my body and

wanting it to be pure and good and wholesome and feeling better about what I eat and

learning to snack on really healthy things. (Sarah, 2011)

The big contrast between fresh vegetables harvested from the garden and all the packaged

food in the grocery store at home makes Hannah want to create less waste. Patrick says he’s

now more mindful of the whole process when it comes to food. The WWOOF host Emily

stays with is “really into good nutrition (…) and fresh vegetables and greens” so even if

Emily was aware of sustainable cooking beforehand her “relationship to food is even more

positive than it was before”.

In turn, Sofia did not see herself as a farmer before her first WWOOF experience and was

afraid to not know enough to feel useful at the farm. Inquisitive as she says she is, she quickly

gained knowledge in farming and a strengthened self confidence came with the new

experiences. “When you’re in another country, there is, other stuff you farm, things that you

have never seen here in Sweden, and another culture”, she says. Growing and eating new and

different foods gives her perspective on food and what she eats at home.

5.2.3 The WWOOFer Sofia describes a typical WWOOFer as someone with a “searching soul” who wants to try

something new to see if it can bring anything new to his or her life. It can be people who are

looking for another kind of life because they are tired of working 9-to-5 jobs. In that way the

WWOOF experience allows people to take on another identity than they usually ascribe

themselves in an urban setting.

Looking at identities as narratives show that there is a manuscript to follow for the volunteer.

This manuscript is created from commonly shared beliefs and it consists of presumptions of

how things are and how things work in a certain culture. The manuscript comes with

obligations but not all individuals are ready to do what is expected from them, based on this.

Indeed, as every WWOOF experience is unique the manuscript is not valid at all farms.

I’ve heard of people, gone and be ‘oh it’s a good place to live, I’ll just work a little and

stuff and I can relax most of the time’ and I’m sure there is some places which allow for

22

that but I don’t think that’s really a good mindset to go into it with, and that’s definitely

not how I look at it. (Chris, 2011)

The man that Chris encountered did not share his idea of what the manuscript for a volunteer

consists of, which can cause problems between farmer and WWOOFer or among the

WWOOFers. Sin (2009) has a similar concern in her study about “the possible outcome that

youths are simply making use of volunteer tourism to go on a cheap holiday and have no

intentions to help host communities or engage in critical out-of-classroom style learning.”

This when five informants in the study express that it is more convenient and cheaper to travel

in a volunteer group than alone as a tourist. This shows that following the manuscript can

facilitate interactions because people know what to expect. Still, what is expected from the

WWOOFers differs from farm to farm but in Laura’s case her farm stay is nothing like being

on vacation. “We are working eight hours a day, I’m, it’s not really a really lazy vacation. I

feel I’m actually working.”

5.2.4 Concluding remarks In this section we have seen that the farm experience plays a major role in the larger life

stories of volunteers. After working on a WWOOF farm, many volunteers change the

direction they take in life from that point on which supports the theory that individual are

engaged in creating their own identities.

5.3 Cultural exchange Meeting people from all over the world and learning how things are done or how people live

in another community is highly valued among the volunteers who therefore emphasize

WWOOF as the best way to travel. WWOOFing brings people from diverse backgrounds

together and provides opportunities for them to gain new perspectives and influences from all

over the world. For many WWOOFers this is a key event in their ever-changing identity. It is

a long process from developing the interest in farming or in sustainable lifestyles, to

becoming a WWOOFer, to meet and learn from other volunteers and farmers, and to come

back home and possibly implement fragments from the WWOOF life in the “old” life. In this

part the volunteers reflects on how the cultural exchange affects their identities.

5.3.1 A diverse exchange When it comes to the question about how volunteers see WWOOF as a cultural exchange the

respondents get to reflect freely on the subject. This results in many unique interpretations.

Something mentioned in several interviews is that WWOOF brings people from different

places together (Peter, Hannah, Sarah) and that it is a great way to get in touch with local

people (Lovisa, Sofia). Hannah points out that “by going to one place you get to experience a

lot of different places” and refers to the diverse group of people at her farm (Oregonian,

Minnesotan, Floridian, Swedish). “And we were able to do so much exchange. Our thoughts

and ideas from our regions, whether it was related to food and farming, or whether it was

related to just life.” Jordan points out the cultural exchange between people from different

countries but also between the east coast and the west coast of the United States. For example

he is interested in “the new developments” in Florida and refers to environmental ideas and

techniques that have existed on the west coast for a long time. He calls the cultural exchange

phenomenal. Sarah lifts the benefits in a constantly changing lineup when it comes to

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WWOOFers. Thanks to the “exchange between all the WWOOFers and their different ideas

and backgrounds” she gets “a lot of really good, interesting influences in my life that I’m

getting to learn from”. “It was a really nice way of getting different perspectives” she

summarizes. “The more different they are the better, you know?” says Peter. He states that

meeting new people brings a new dimension to his life. He points out the benefits in cultural

exchange he gets from getting to know new people.

I really like meeting new people. (…) I think it kind of it gives me energy when I meet

new people, actually, I get energy from that, definitely. And I get new ways of thinking,

broaden my horizons and perspectives and it really make me feel good getting to know

new people. (Peter, 2011)

As every community is unique Christine points out that you cannot expect anyone’s

WWOOFing experience to be the same as any other one. Laura sees WWOOFing as a very

effective cultural exchange if the volunteer is able to live in the house with the host family. In

that way it is easier to get immersed in the local life, and the language, and how people

express themselves. One volunteer who has experienced WWOOF both as a volunteer and as

a family member on a WWOOF farm is Eliza. Half of her time in school she was

homeschooled and worked at her family’s farm. “I didn’t get much socialization. When I

wasn’t around kids in my own age it was nice having young people come to the farm instead”,

she says. Her family enjoyed spending time with volunteers and she made good contact with

the approximately 25 WWOOFers who have worked at the farm and she is planning to visit

some of them. When Eliza was WWOOFing in Ireland she also got to experience how to

connect with a foreign community and explore how life is lived there. She has played the

fiddle since she was little and got really into Irish folk music which has a prominent role in

the Irish community. This inspired her to keep up the fiddling at home.

5.3.2 Life pace For Lovisa it is a cultural exchange to gain insight into a farmer’s life. Despite a time

consuming job, as it is to run a farm, she experiences that the farmers have more free time

because they prioritize differently than a person with a full time job or a student in an urban

setting. They have time to farm, and for their families. After her trip to Spain with the main

focus to WWOOF, Lovisa got inspired by the culture to play life by ear and to have a more

laid back attitude towards traveling. She experienced that Spanish people, in comparison to

Swedes, were more allowing towards behavior that breaks the expected norms. Even if she

learned that life can be lived simpler than expected and that things can be done in another way

than usual, it was harder for her to do that in Sweden. That may be the result of her particular

experience in Spain and Sweden (since no cultural description can be universally applied to

an entire place or people) but it also shows that Spanish grand narratives differs from Swedish

ones and that presumptions about how to live and act are deeply rooted in cultural and

historical contexts which make them hard to change.

The sustainable way of life Hannah experienced as a WWOOFer on the Oregonian

countryside inspired her to take the challenge and implement parts of it in her urban setting.

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Then I went to this rural place it had these really cool life styles and I really can

implement that in the city, it’s just not as common, but I can. So I think I experience

cultural exchange by going there, seeing people live in such a cool way in this rural

setting. How can I do that in my urban setting? (Hannah, 2011)

These are all examples of how the WWOOF experience has a bigger impact on the

volunteers’ life stories. This key event affects them so much that they are willing to change

the way they live from then on.

5.3.3 Sharing knowledge There is also a kind of exchange based on knowledge that affects the way people think. Laura

explains this further.

I feel like I don’t know that much about rural areas and just sort of coming out here I’m

experiencing things and hearing about them and thinking they’re a lot different than I

thought ‘cus I’m used to cities all the time. (Laura, 2011)

Laura hopes that WWOOFing can bridge the gap and create more interaction between the

people living in cities and in rural areas. By creating opportunities to meet and learn from

each other a higher level of understanding can be reached. This is what Wearing and Ponting

want to accomplish with a Third space (2009, p.263). Laura says:

Sometimes I feel like there is a very big divide between city people and rural people and

usually it’s political but it can just be anything, like the way we think. We just don’t

really talk to each other. (Laura, 2011)

Even if tourists are spending time in a local community it can be difficult to get out of the

mental “tourist bubble” and to actually interact with locals. Benson (2011, p. 15) suggests that

instead of using the word interaction that doesn’t need to imply any connection between the

tourist and the “Other”, engagement is a better word to explain someone’s commitment to a

meaningful action. An example of a volunteer who is engaged in the local life is Sofia who

has a big interest in how people from different communities think and reason. For her cultural

exchange is to get insight in what prejudices a farm can meet in the process of transitioning to

organic farming and how that is being questioned by the community. Even simple knowledge

as how to make apple chutney at the farm, or learning about the bird life of New Zealand

helps in the process of getting to know a community. How the local language is spoken is yet

another example of cultural exchange. Laura found slight differences in American and British

English when WWOOFing in the UK. “Sometimes you say things that come out, they like

sound wrong to the people you’re talking to and you like, learn to fix that and, also get,

immersed more in it”. Charlie summarizes the simple core in WWOOFing. “You get the

knowledge that they give you and they benefit from your muscles and your brain.”

Cultural exchanges don’t need to be experienced on spatial scales; they can also be

experienced over time. Patrick talks about the history of the place and the value in knowing

what has been there before:

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If the farm is, has been inherited from previous farmers the history of the soil is pretty

cool to learn about and, what was there before them and how the environment

developed, what it is then, what the environment used to be. It’s pretty interesting.

(Patrick, 2011)

5.3.4 Concluding remarks In this section volunteers have talked about how WWOOF is a provider of opportunities for

people from diverse social and geographic backgrounds to meet, to share ideas, and to learn

from each other. The volunteers find it valuable to get insight in other living conditions and

relationships as they in that way get to know themselves better.

5.4 Significance of place

A number of informants in this study are in the process of looking for alternative ways of

living and environments that provide possibility for change. By experiencing a farmer’s life

on the country side, the volunteers get perspective on their own lives and find a peaceful place

with less stress than at home. As the distraction provided in bigger cities are absent, the

volunteers find new ways to entertain themselves often resulting in a more peaceful and

simple life. The context in which a person is living is crucial to the development of identities.

Different identities coexist and dominate depending on place and situation. Here follows

examples of how identities are contextual.

5.4.1 A healthy place Catherine‘s experience is leading her to take better care of herself after caring for plants and

animals as a WWOOFer. When in school her main focus was the degree and she never “took

time to relax, read and sit down and think”. At the farm the situation is another.

This is a really good place, I’m doing positive things in my life, and here, it’s a central

part of my day, everyday. I love waking up in the mornings and just going outside, being

outside. I was never really able to do that when I was in school because I had to stay up

late writing papers. (Catherine, 2011)

Her everyday routines have changed and so has she. Catherine has, thanks to WWOOF, found

a good direction in life that she is sure she will not lose even if the context changes. Patrick

however stresses that he very quickly adjusts back to life in the city. “It only takes a couple of

days for me to get like, back into like the flow of the city. I guess the longer you’re staying on

a farm the more it stays with you. It seems.” Here Patrick talks about his multiple identities.

When at the farm Patrick let one identity flourish, but at home other characteristics take over.

In comparison to Catherine he expects that to happen, and accepts it, because it is the context

that to some extent controls who we are. Catherine is more determined that she has found who

she wants to be, based on a farm identity. Problems can arise if the self doesn’t correspond

with how others see the individual. If she is fully self-confident in her identity, even in a

different environment than in the rural setting, she can manage to stick with it. Even though

identities are contextual this proves that an individual has the opportunity to affect his or her

own identity work.

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Stress is often associated with the big city life. Even if Hannah loves the city she thinks that

“being in the country helps relax and gives perspective”. So she, like many, travels to get

away from stressors – but returns to the same place with the same stressors.

I wanted to come to a farm and kind of, recharge and restart and then go back to a

place that has those stressful things and be able to approach it with a calmer mind. (…)

I feel really calm right now I feel really de-stressed (…) I want to keep that when I go

back to the city, I want to keep this calm. (Hannah, 2011)

A strategy to not let the stressors take over when Hannah is back in her city life is to do

stretching, that she found has a calming impact on her at the farm.

To find a place where one can get better perspectives and come to peace with the world was

really important to Peter. If it wouldn’t have been for his position as a long term volunteer he

thinks he had “been in a really bad way (laughter)”. He says he would be “really unhappy” at

a “crappy job” and would have “probably killed myself” and he explains:

I’ve come to peace with the world a lot since I’ve been here, definitely. I am a lot more

optimistic about everything than I was. This place has been really good for me. (Peter,

2011)

This quote shows how important the context, place and people, is. In the narrative of Peter’s

life, his time at the farm has been a transformative event. The combination of nice people and

surroundings made the optimal conditions for his more positive mindset to take over. In a new

context people get another chance to ascribe themselves other identities. Peter went through a

process where he took the chance to change his life and let the positive side of himself take

over.

5.4.2 Simple life The informants express that in some ways the expectations are fewer in rural areas. People do

not need as many things to be happy and thus, happiness comes more easily. On the farm it is

easy to be content with and to appreciate the small things as all temptation from the urban

entertainments is gone. Sarah experiences this: “I’m surrounded by good people and by, good

food and, good books. And not much more than that that I need!”. Catherine has a similar

experience. She turned down a job because she thought she would not be as happy there as

she is at the farm. She continues that say that “Everyone is, is just kind of, get stuck here but

for good reasons. They feel that they want to be here”. Chris also enjoys WWOOFing. “It’s

very, very therapeutic and it’s very mentally relaxing”. Jordan experiences that spending time

on the farm makes him more aware of his immediate surroundings: “I’ve been able to pay

attention to wildlife that I’ve never had time for in the past, it’s a big thing. Yeah, just being

aware of everything that is around you.”. In the absence of other stimuli stealing his attention,

a new world has opened to him where he discovers or develops new interests.

The informants are released from liability on the farm, which explains their idyllic view of the

simple life on the countryside. The WWOOFers are not responsible for more than their

assigned duties everyday, in contrast to the farmers who have all the planning and training of

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new volunteers on their plate, besides the financial stress. Their experiences of a life on the

countryside are therefore distorted, but of course real to them.

5.4.3 Contradictory identities Experiencing the extreme ends of the emotional, cultural, and personal spectrum can help an

individual to figure out a fitting middle way for themselves and who they wish to be in the

future. At the time of the interview Emily had been back home for two months and could tell

the difference between American small town life and life as a WWOOFer in rural Sweden.

‘Cus part of me still wants to be in the woods with a hole instead of a toilet and an

outdoor shower. It’s, it’s partly very lonely to be that far from people and that excluded

but it’s also really nice. And coming back here, sometimes I feel really suffocated by,

you know, there’re people everywhere! I think I’d like something in between those two

extremes. (Emily, 2011)

Emily enjoyed the very simple life of a WWOOFer in the Swedish woods but realizes its

drawbacks. She says she’ll be enjoying two more years of college and city life because she

knows that after getting her degree she can start her own farm and live the environmental

friendly life she wants to live, in a place she likes.

Another example of a person switching between multiple identities is Sofia who has identified

herself as a vegetarian for several years. It may seem strange that she as a WWOOFer in New

Zealand got back to eating meat. The context allowed it, she describes. At the farm she could

see how the animals were taken care of, from birth to slaughter, and she could therefore eat

the meat without feeling bad. As she back home is back to vegetarianism again this is a good

example of how identities are situational. It is also an example of how people have multiple

identities and how they sometimes seem contradictive. By creating a narrative out of the event

she can make it fit into her life story, after all.

5.4.4 Concluding remarks Place has a huge impact on individual’s identities. Even though there are identities that are

easier to legitimate or expect in a certain context individual’s have the opportunity to

challenge and recreate their identities. Being in the right place at the right time with the right

people can have a lasting effect on how a person develops.

5.5 Perceived differences between WWOOFers and other tourists Identities are relational and get a meaning in the presence of something or someone else, for

example there are no locals without tourists. Without a traditional kind of tourists there are no

alternative tourists. When formulating what the others are, we are being defined as their

counterpart. We are defined in contrast to them. This is often distinct in tourism. But how is

the relationship between tourists and locals in volunteer tourism? And what sense of

belonging do the volunteers have?

5.5.1 Experiencing culture Emily discusses the differences in the cultural exchange experienced by a WWOOFer versus

a tourist at their destinations. She says that the life a WWOOFer gets to see on a farm is not

representative of the whole region but it provides a deeper look into the culture than what a

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tourist is able to get. “I think you get less of a feel of what the whole culture is like, on the

surface, but you get a more intense experience with individuals.” The experience is narrower,

she continues.

But I also think that’s very valuable because you get to know people on a personal level

and understand that… farm people are still people and they’re kind of… everyone is

kind of the same on a certain level. (Emily, 2011)

Sarah has so far only WWOOFed in her homeland but says that “it would be a really good

way to see a country”. Hannah also wants to WWOOF abroad or other parts in the United

States.

I’ve lived in the United States in my whole life and it was really cool to go to another

area for three weeks, and to become part of that community. And there are many other

parts in the United States that it would be really cool to do that in, and in the world.

You know, I’d love to use it to go and, become part of the community in other places.

(Hannah, 2011)

5.5.2 Social interactions Meeting people instead of sightseeing is what Sofia, Lovisa, and Emily prefer when traveling.

Sofia would like to WWOOF wherever she travels in the world because it is such a good way

to travel. She consider WWOOFing the best or at least a really good way of meeting people,

as “You get to know people living in that place, you get to go to a home, you get to learn new

things, you get experiences that you really can’t get in any other way”.

WWOOFing as a form of tourism has its drawback, says Emily, as you cannot go to museums

to learn history and see art. Instead you get to be on a farm and meet people. Peter agrees with

her.

And traveling this way I really get to… be with just kind of average people who are

actually living on the land and off of the land and being a part of it and really see what

their lives are like as opposed to just seeing famous monuments or things like that.

(Peter, 2011)

As a WWOOF volunteer the individual lives, works and spends almost all time with his or her

hosts and common WWOOFers. In that situation strong ties are created, Jordan says. “In a

month when you’re living with somebody, a month and a half to two months it’s like you’re a

part of the family for that time.” Instead of being a visitor of the local community the

WWOOFer working on a local farm feel like he or she has access to it – as one of the locals.

In that way he or she feels like she belongs to us, the locals, instead of the others, the tourists.

The relationship to other volunteers and the local community has exceeded Catherine’s

expectations:

I didn’t really expect that I would meet… I mean I knew I would be working and I knew

I would be around dedicated people who were working towards some of the same goals

as I was… but I, some of the other WWOOFers that I met has been absolutely amazing

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people and have helped inspire me to keep momentum on my dream and keep working

towards that bigger goal and just don’t be bogged down. (Catherine, 2011)

As identities are relational they are affected by the people an individual meets. In the case of

Catherine, she was not prepared of being affected so much of influences of others, but were

happy with the social interactions that came with WWOOFing.

5.5.3 Connection to the place According to Hannah the fact that she is working on her vacation, and that she is gone for a

longer time, creates a deeper connection to the place than a lot of her other travels when just

staying in a hotel. As she has never experienced this kind of vacation before a bigger narrative

is created that is important in her life story. Because the WWOOF trip has left a huge mental

mark in her she does not feel the need to bring a souvenir home.

The piece of twine from the barn is enough souvenir for me because it, it has so much

story in it for me. And so I don’t feel like I need as much physical souvenir from this

place because I have so much non physicalness about it, if that make sense. (Hannah,

2011)

Often the WWOOF experience includes a homestay with the farmer’s family. Living the life

of the countryside means less entertainment available that elicits the creativity in people.

Living with a family in the countryside is not necessarily as isolated as it first may seem.

Lovisa discusses that there are many people in circulation that she gets to meet and talk to.

The life at the farm did not need to include going to the movies or seeing live music like she

used to need. As identities are contextual WWOOFers discover new sides of themselves in the

new environment. For example Patrick learned that it is a challenge to not have a city’s

entertainment at the farm.

Well I guess it’s kind of you test yourself ‘cus you actually you have to entertain

yourself. You have to be pretty clever and… you know, you can go on hikes and stuff.

You go to bed, you go to bed a lot earlier and you wake up a lot earlier and you’re less

prone to party. (Patrick, 2011)

The lack of disturbing stimuli puts Patrick’s mind at ease, he claims, and makes him not

worry about stuff. “It’s just like being out the cities and heavily populated areas it’s… my

head gets a lot clearer and I don’t know if it’s like that for other people but, definitely for me.”

5.5.4 Outside the tourist bubble This way of being on vacation for Laura differs from a more traditional way of traveling. As a

WWOOFer she belongs to us, referring to the local farmers, instead of us, as the tourists

passing through the local community watching them, the locals. In the study this is the most

remarkable difference between being a traditional tourist and being a WWOOFer.

I feel like when I normally just go travelling I don’t really experience it except that from

an outsider looking in, you might be in a restaurant or a station somewhere and you’re

watching other people but, you don’t usually interact with them as much ‘cus you’re

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just sort of passing through and you don’t know them, so it’s kind of awkward. (Laura,

2011)

An essential part of the experience is feeling a sense of belonging to a group. Traditional

tourist trips are not as memorable, says Jordan. This conforms with Egeland’s (1999, p. 77)

informants’ desire to not go to tourist places but small unknown villages far away from the

tourist routes to find what they consider authentic. But what is an authentic experience of a

culture? How can the volunteer be sure to reach that? This study shows that volunteers have a

tendency to picture the life on the countryside in an idyllic way. Experiencing volunteer trips

put the travelers in the category “alternative tourists”. Or at least that is how they would like

to describe themselves. Indeed, as shown in this study one of the main focuses for the

volunteer tourist is to meet people, especially locals, in contrast to leisure driven tourist who

focus on their own pleasure. The way that the volunteers differ themselves from other tourists

can be questioned. What they experience being unique for their form of tourism can be found

in other forms too, for example interacting with locals, and getting a feel of the local

community by living in it.

In the literature Wearing and Ponting (2009) is referring to a Third space that is neutral for

both tourists and locals. The authors state that through volunteer tourism another

understanding of the interaction between tourist and host can be reached. They point out the

third space as a place where social value and identity can develop in absence of any hierarchy.

In contrast they see the uneven relationship at a more traditional tourist destination where

locals work to satisfy the desires of the tourist (Wearing & Ponting, 2009). Hosts and tourists

can interact in a more balanced way and learn from each other with an open mind in the third

space. Through WWOOF Charlie experiences a third space where hosts and volunteers meet

and learned from each other.

People are curious and people love to ask what you do, where you are from and what

things are like there and… In addition to living somewhere else and speaking with those

people, you also meet people from other countries, other states so it’s a mix, a big

mixture of people coming together in one spot and you all get to share your own

cultures and your own personal experiences and then you get to do that in a new place

together. So I think that brings another element to it. (Charlie, 2011)

Also Catherine sees the value in a place where people from various backgrounds can meet and

share ideas and experiences. She explains the value in an exchange between city dwellers and

people living on the countryside. Coming to rural areas can be very beneficial to people who

“are not so happy because they are disconnected from the earth” or having trouble finding a

job in the city and “need to change their scenery”, says Catherine. But also the rural areas

benefit from it:

because it brings in new people, new faces, new ideas new experiences and help build

networks for kind of a larger, sort of trendier, trendy is not the right word, but a larger

community. And rural areas – I love them. But people get so set in their ways and in

their mindset and you need that change of ideas. And even a shock factor someone

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foreign coming in and not being able to understand anything between two people and

being able to work around it and find a common ground… (Catherine, 2011)

She continues to talk about cultural exchange as something “usually beneficial” that “we’re

losing that in our lives” and “it’s truly kind of sad”. Being a volunteer exposed to tasks

outside of one’s comfort zone in an unfamiliar surrounding creates a strong experience and

huge satisfaction from what has been accomplished (Wearing & Ponting, 2009, p. 257).

Hannah feels a deep connection to Oregon where she is spending three weeks farming with a

family. The sense of contribution makes her feel like a part of the community after three

weeks, in comparison to a traditional vacation where she normally only stays for a week and

does not feel connected.

With staying for three weeks you get into routines and you get to know things. (…) You

really do feel like becoming a part of the community, to go to the farmers market. (…)

The routine just makes it so less touristy and so much I don’t know, it just makes it

deeper. I feel like other places I’ve visited for a week is, oh I’ve been there but my heart

is not there. I feel like a part of my heart is in Oregon, because I spent three weeks

giving so much to it. (Hannah, 2011)

5.5.5 Alternative tourism Wearing and Ponting (2009, p. 255) states that volunteers often chose the same form of

tourism again, because they like the concept and the personal effects. Motivators mentioned

are friendships, developing deeper understandings of others, and strengthening one’s own

self-identity while helping others. For Sofia the WWOOF experience meant new friends with

shared values that she continued to travel with after she got to know them at the farm. She

says that working together is a good way of getting to know each other. Other volunteers also

discuss the sense of community at the farm. When Hannah was WWOOFing her farm had

three other volunteers: from Oregon, Florida, and Sweden. She did not expect the

“community aspect to be so strong” or that everyone at the farm would spend “the whole day

together”. “I really liked being a part of that self sufficient community”, she states.

None of the informants would have gone to the area of the farm if it wouldn’t have been for

the farm stay, except for Chris that has family on his WWOOF farm. Learning and expanding

the self can occur in the intersection between the tourist, host community and natural

environment when it comes to volunteer tourism and so the destination gets a new value

(Wearing & Ponting, 2009, p. 257).

You’re not just visiting these big tourist attractions, you’re meeting people, you’re

meeting the people that live there and you’re really finding out what life is like. It’s not

life inside a hotel, it’s life in that community. (Chris, 2011)

Culture is seen as something ever changing by influences from everyone taking part of it.

Hosts are reflecting, educating and interpreting as visitors are part of the re-presentation but

not intruding on the culture (Wearing & Ponting, 2009, p. 264). Jordan sees WWOOFing as a

rewarding experience as he gets to live with a family and really get a feel of what is going on

there.

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I think anytime you’re traveling being able to actually live someplace and being with a

family and just totally being immersed by what’s going on in that area where they live is

always, for me always been a more rewarding experience. (…) You’re not just seeing

sights, you’re getting to really get a feel for how people live where you go, where you

are. (Jordan, 2011)

Jordan, like many WWOOFers, sees the experience as an improved form of tourism. Instead

of just a normal tourist trip this kind of travels brings another dimension to the experience.

The volunteer gains new knowledge and come across new influences that create big changes

in their identities and ways to live their lives.

5.5.6 Concluding remarks This last chapter has revolved around the differences between WWOOFers and other tourists.

Similarities found are that tourists want to leave home for a while; some are on leisure

vacation while some work hard on a farm. Differences are that the volunteer live and spend a

big time of the day together with locals which, in combination with a longer stay than a tourist

would on a traditional vacation, creates strong ties to the destination. In addition, the intense

contact with other volunteers creates strong friendships. By living with a family the volunteer

gets a close look at the countryside culture, often very different than what other tourists will

experience.

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6 Final conclusion In this chapter the conclusions of the research will be presented. After answering this

undergraduate thesis aim topics for future research will be suggested.

Through a qualitative study of 14 WWOOF volunteers from the United States and Sweden,

this undergraduate thesis has focused on tourists’ identity work through travels. I have

highlighted various observations about what role experiences from a WWOOF farm play in

the volunteers’ life stories and have found that identities are affected by travels, in many

ways. I have also examined in what way WWOOF creates opportunities for cultural and

social exchanges that influence the volunteers’ identities.

Volunteers perceive a personal change caused by influences from the time at the WWOOF

farm. As identities are relational hosts and other volunteers encountered have had an impact

on them. Influences have made them come to realizations about who they want to be or how

they want to live their lives. One informant express that she is less shy, another that he has

come to peace with the world, and a third that he wants to become more generous. Other

volunteers express that they have gained a higher awareness of the impact they cause on the

environment and want to reduce that. Producing less waste, eating healthy food, and doing

yoga reduce stress are mentioned as things they want to implement in their lives back home.

In the section on perceived change, it is revealed that the environment has a great impact on

the identity which supports the theory about identities as contextual. Volunteers mention the

WWOOF farm as a peaceful, therapeutic place where they can get away from stressors in

their lives in the city. However, the volunteers are aware of the dependence of the context and

that it takes particular effort to stick with a calm mind and a healthy and sustainable lifestyle

when back around all temptations of the big city life. Indeed, the individual has the possibility

to affect his or her own identity by getting engaged in the identity work. All informants in this

paper say that they would like to volunteer again.

What is not taken into account when the volunteers talk about a simple life on the countryside

are the farmer’s responsibility for the duties on the farm and the finances. The view of a farm

life as idyllic might be true from a volunteer’s perspective but a farmer’s life comes with all

the daily duties, the stress for profitability, the weather, and the crops, etc. The volunteers’

experiences cover another kind of life that pictures the farm life as idyllic.

The time at the WWOOF farm has been a transformative event for many of the informants

who highlight several cultural and social exchanges, both between volunteers but also

between volunteers and locals, that have affected their identities in different ways. Identities

are procedural which can be seen in their ever changing character. Volunteers claim that

WWOOF creates cross-border exchanges, for example, between city dwellers and people

living on the countryside, and between people from diverse countries. Meeting people from

all around the world with different backgrounds has been beneficial for the volunteers who

have made new good friends and thus gained new perspectives and worldviews. For example,

as the third section highlighted, support from other volunteers and farm hosts can be essential

to the volunteer who has found a new direction in life that he or she does not want to lose

even if the context changes, thus identities are relational and contextual. Exchange with the

34

local community is possible as the volunteers, in contrast to other tourists, have the

opportunity to live with a family running a WWOOF farm and thereby experience the local

culture. Even though this experience is not representative for the community on a big scale it

is an immersion into one family’s life. According to the WWOOFers the volunteer tourist in

that way differs from the more traditional tourist who never gets admittance to the local

community in the same way. The differentiation from other tourists can be questioned. What

the volunteers experience being unique for their form of tourism can be found in other forms

too.

When it comes to travel motivation volunteers put emphasis on meeting people hence

WWOOFing is assumed to be the ideal way to travel thanks to the combination of doing what

you like, see a new environment, experience a new community, learn new things, sometimes

learning a new language, and get to know new people. For example one volunteer express that

WWOOFing as a form of tourism fits her very well. Now it is an important part of her life

story with a reoccurring character. Of course what a person assume to be the best way to

travel differ depending on interest, family situation, financial situation and so on. As the

volunteer is involved in the daily routines and contribute with something in the local

community during his or her travels the experience differs from a more traditional tourist’s

trip. The experience of WWOOFing also has a further dimension that is to overbridge

preconceptions about city people and people living on the countryside. Tourism is one of the

possible ways to create these ties.

In summary, this paper has had an emphasis on the larger effects a volunteer trip to a

WWOOF farm have on the volunteers and the study has contributed to the research on

volunteers’ identity work.

6.1 Future research It is not the purpose of this study to examine farm hosts’ identity development but it is an area

that would be interesting for future studies. Hosts spend a lot of time on engaging volunteers,

and teaching them the tasks of the farm. Remarkable energy is used to get to know the

volunteers and to house them. How are the hosts affected by that, and what impact do that

have that on their identities? How are they dealing with volunteers, that they have gotten

attached to, leaving them?

Moreover, I suggest further research on the farmer’s life, to problematize the way the

WWOOFers have explained the life on the countryside – as simple and carefree. This view

needs to be examined and analyzed.

A follow up on the volunteers’ identities, for example a year after their WWOOF trip, is

needed to examine the importance of the physical and social context when it comes to identity

work. Did their ambitions for a new healthy lifestyle become real?

Future research could, for example, have a gender perspective to examine if there are any

differences in a male or a female experience of WWOOFing and how the individual use that

in his or her identity work.

35

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Interviews

Catherine July, 15th

, 2011

Charlie July, 20th

, 2011

Chris July, 11th

, 2011

Christine July, 28th

, 2011

Eliza Oct 2nd

, 2011

Emily Aug 7th

, 2011

Hannah July 22nd

, 2011

Jordan July, 10th

, 2011, Aug 19th

, 2011

Laura July, 11th

, 2011

Lovisa Sept 11th

, 2011

Patrick July, 21th

, 2011

Peter July, 10th

, 2011, July 21st, 2011

Sarah Aug 19th

, 2011

Sofia Sept 9th

, 2011

Appendix 1: Definitions

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is an organization that helps

volunteers to connect with organic farms. Food and housing for the volunteer is provided by

the farm host in exchange for farm work and to learn about organic farming and sustainable

lifestyles (WWOOF, 2011).

WWOOFing or to WWOOF is to volunteer on an organic farm connected to WWOOF

(WWOOF).

Tourism is the term for peoples’ activities when they go places outside of their everyday

environment. The length of the stay is shorter than a year and the main purpose is not to do

paid work for someone at the destination. Tourism is also a field of study of activities and

effects of these travels (NE, 2011).

Volunteer tourism is described as an alternative form of travel where tourists use their

vacation to help fill a need or help a cause in the visited society or environment (Gullatt-

Whiteman, 2003, p 241).

Appendix 2: Interview questions

Interview guide

Why WWOOFing?

Why here?

Expectations

Relation to farm host and the local society

Experiences and change

WWOOFing as vacation

Questions

How did you get the idea to be a WWOOF volunteer? What made you decide to become a

WWOOF volunteer? How did you get information about WWOOF?

Have you been WWOOFing before? If yes; when and for how long? For how long will you be

volunteering at this farm? What made you chose this farm? Are you going to another farm

after this one?

What were your expectations on volunteering on a WWOOF farm? Has your experiences met

your expectations?

What did your wwoof host do to make you feel welcome? Do you feel like you have

developed lasting and personal relationship with your host? Do you feel useful on the farm?

How is your WWOOFing experience different from what you expected?

What do you think of WWOOFing as a cultural exchange? How is your experience of culture

different from if you have been traveling in a more traditional way?

Have you changed? How will you be different when you go home? How have you changed as

a person? How will you change the way that you live? Has your relationship to food changed?

Would you like to volunteer again?

In what way do you think rural regions can be affected by WWOOFing? Is WWOOFing a

way of being on vacation for you? Would you have gone to this region if it wasn’t because of

the farm stay? Is this a part of a longer vacation?

Will you bring any souvenirs home? How are you contributing to the local economy?

What would you have done if you hadn’t been volunteering?

Will you be able to travel more because you’re spending less on food and lodging on the

farm?