If there's one thing I love more than traveling, it is experiencing a place like a local. With Worldpackers, travelers can exchange their skills for accommodation, allowing them to truly live like a local. I wanted to understand what it is really like to work as a Worldpacker Volunteer. So I asked Janaina to tell me about her experience in Mexico. Keep reading to see if a Worldpacker experience could be right for you! – Stella
Janaina's Story
If I could go to one country over and over again, Mexico might be it. I grew up taking regular family vacations to the country, from Tulum and the Mayan Riviera to Mexico City and even Oaxaca’s Pacific Coast. I was always enamored with Mexico’s natural beauty, history, and vibrant culture.
After already having visited several of Mexico’s states on trips with my family, I decided to return to discover more of the culture, on a more extended, interactive trip… as a local. I planned to spend several months traveling around the country. I wanted to stop in places along the way where I would settle for a while and fully experience the way of life and local vibe.
Chiapas, Mexico with Worldpackers
The first of these places was San Cristobal de las Casas. It is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains in southern Chiapas, Mexico. Thanks to Worldpackers — an incredible collaborative platform that connects you with hosts around the world where you can travel exchanging your skills for accommodation — I found an opportunity to live and work in a hostel in the center of San Cristobal!
The Worldpackers community exists for travelers who want to do more than merely see a place. Aside from helping you save a ton on a trip, Worldpackers allows you to immerse yourself in a local culture and learn new skills — at the same time! The Worldpackers platform provides you with an extensive array of hosts to choose from. These include hostels, inns, guesthouses, NGOs, communities and ecological projects where you can help out. In exchange, volunteers receive stay, food, and other benefits.
Let me tell you about my experience.
Living like a local
I arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas a few days before my official Worldpackers work exchange began. I wandered the colorful streets, ate and drank on Calle Real de Guadalupe, and visited the major attractions: the churches and museums, parks and gardens.
By the time I moved into Puerta Vieja Hostel and began my work exchange, I’d felt like I’d already seen — and discovered — so much of San Cristobal!
But then, a few days into my exchange, my opinion and attitude shifted. I realized that seeing the city’s major attractions and people-watching from a few cafes was only the beginning when it came to exploring the area; there was so much more to San Cristobal that I never could have known about as only a tourist.
Benefits to working through Worldpackers
I made friends with the other hostel volunteers and workers. Every day after my shift finished, I would experience a different pocket of the city’s life and culture; from live music at local bars to authentic street food to social gatherings in hidden back-alley courtyards to picnic spots in the mountains.
In-between working reception and bar shifts at the hostel and going out with local friends, my intermediate Spanish quickly became fluent. Speaking the language immediately added another level of understanding to my experience; in many situations where I had previously felt foreign or “other”, I was able to communicate and participate on the same level as everyone in the local group. My gained Spanish proficiency allowed me to dive deeper into the culture; to live and feel the city’s vibe on so many more levels than I ever could have as a passing tourist.
I discovered so many amazing, off-the-beaten-path, local gems. (Live music at Cocoliche to social and Zapatista films in a cozy, living-room style theatre at Kinoki. Tacos al Pastor at El Mercadito and Meson de Taco, chilaquiles and traditional pastries and sweets at Frontera. Sunsets from a local Shaman’s house in the mountains. Shamanic ritual in garden courtyards and healing Temezcals in the forest. Ancient ruins at Tonina, the Zapatista village at Oventic, ceremonies in churches. And so much more… ).
Final thoughts
I owe my local experience of San Cristobal de las Casas entirely to my Worldpackers experience with Puerta Vieja Hostel. When I think back on my time in Chiapas, I won’t remember major attractions so much as I will the collaborative, community feel at the hostel.
As a Worldpackers volunteer, living in San Cristobal became about so much more than checking items off my travel bucket list; I saw, felt, and interacted with the layers that made up the region’s traditions and culture.
To learn more about Worldpackers, visit their website and explore the many options available. You can use the promo code STELLASOUT20 to save money on a membership!
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