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Doing a Pre-Visit Video Call is the Most Important Thing You’re Not Doing

Photo: Makers Acre Farm, Ontario

Most hosts and WWOOFers have a good sense of how a WWOOF Stay gets set up:

  1. The WWOOFer reviews the host’s profile and then sends a Visit Request to the host 
  2. The host looks over the WWOOFer’s profile to make sure they look like a good fit
  3. The host and the WWOOFer then discuss dates and maybe ask a few questions of one another
  4. The two sides Accept and Confirm the Visit Request 
  5. The WWOOFer arrives weeks or months later

Easy peasy, right? 

NO. 

There is one crucial step that many hosts and WWOOFers forget. Those that do this have a much better shot at having an exciting, productive and enriching exchange. Those that do not, have a much better shot at a WWOOF stay that is, at best, awkward and unproductive. 

The missing step? Doing a phone or video call with potential WWOOFers/hosts.

Sounds obvious, right? And yet, so many WWOOFers and hosts bypass this step, thinking they are too busy or not tech savvy enough. But doing a call will, in most cases, save you a whole bunch of time, effort, energy, and frustration. 

So, why is doing a video call with your WWOOFers so important? We’ve come up with a list of 5 good reasons:

1. Ask some important questions:

There are a number of important questions that all host and WWOOFers should be asking each other before they accept/confirm their visit request. While those questions and answers can be shared by messaging on the WWOOF inbox, setting up a call makes this process easier, quicker, and more in depth.

2. Do you even like this person?

A WWOOF stay sees WWOOFers and hosts living, working, and playing alongside each other for (usually) 2 weeks to a few months. Spending this much time with another human, you should know if you’ll get along.

3. Do a tour of the house, gardens, and WWOOFer accommodations

A majority of WWOOFer negative reviews and complaints are about the host’s food and accommodations. Every WWOOFer and host is looking for something different – the key is to find the right fit for you. If the host has got rustic accommodations, they should be up front about it. Better that the WWOOFer knows now, then after they arrive and you end up driving them 3 hours back to the bus station because there are spiders in the rafters.

4. Clear up the fuzzy details

Oh wait, are you meeting me at the airport or at the bus station?” “Were there going to be other WWOOFers there when I arrive, I forget?” “Did you say that you were vegetarian?” There are a lot of little details that don’t get mentioned in the initial messages – a call gives a chance to make sure everyone is on the same page. 

5. Seriously, do you even like this person

It’s so easy to create an idealized version of what our host or WWOOFers will be like before meeting them. Then, they arrive and expectations hit reality. Doing a short video or phone call gives you a chance to really know if you’ll get along or not before you decide to live and learn alongside this person.

When starting a WWOOFing journey, we get excited, and perhaps, sometimes a bit naive as well. We expect a positive experience, and that’s a wonderful outlook to have! But preparing ourselves and being realistic about what we can expect is an essential key to having the best experience possible. 

We are all humans ; we all have flaws and virtues. Just as you wouldn’t invite someone into your home without getting to know them first, it’s always highly advised to have  a face-to-face conversation before finalizing any visit plans.