Hung over? I…. I did OK, and was quite sensible. I was out in Sofyiska square in Kiev, Ukraine for New Years Eve last night. A live 30 piece orchestra playing live on stage, a big cup of mulled wine ( more on the mulled that on the wine) was just over £ 1 a pop. I stood near the big tree and watched one happy face after another take ‘that’ selfie with their children who will remember the night Mum and Dad took them to see the biggest Christmas tree in the world. Magical stuff – 1000s of happy people every where wishing each other a happy new year, every one feeling every one elses joy. I love being in ‘the place’ where people celebrate New Year. My first time was when I went to Trafalgar sq in London my own when I was 18. It was the year 6 people got crushed to death because the crowds were so big. It was my first real news story that I covered and yeah, was a packed evening for sure. But even though it was a real crush and quite scary at times, something about the community spirit and being with 1000s of people all coming together and focused on the same magical thing, something nice, something special – the strike of midnight and the beginning of a new year and that it will bring.
That to me is what Working Traveller and our every growing community of hosts and travellers is all about. We all have the same magical goal and we all want to do it together – because by coming together – is what creates the magic. It takes ‘two hands to clap’ as my guy Fathi who takes care of my place in Egypt always tells me. We need each other, on our her own, a traveller cannot move around the world and learn new skills and be mentored and reward with praise and recognition for that hard work that she has put in. A host, no matter how big his dream, no matter strong his will, can can’t create his ego village on his own. He needs help, he needs the knowledge and the skills he does not have and yes, he needs a pat on the back and a well done too now and again.
In 2017 we want to help bring you all together, to get you building your references as a traveller that will enable you to get interesting and paid work on your travels and a job when you get back home. Host – we want to work with you too and show you how by using the full potential of Working Travellers work search, how you can achieve amazing things at your place by getting in the skills you never thought you would be able to find on that little desert island of yours. The people with these skills who are signing up to Working Traveller are… also travellers and they love nothing more that having a bit of a quest and an adventure ahead of them to get to your place before sharing the knowledge they have, at the same time as learn new skills from your projects twist on their skills need.
To make it all happen, we need your help. I have spent literally years building the Working Traveller service and a system that allows host to set up Work Placement agreements with travellers who will come to stay. We are moving on from the “ 5 hours a day for food and a bed for doing…some stuff”. We now enable you to agree anything with each other and to help build the trust between the traveller and the host to stick to what they have agreed to do and to feel good about making it all happen and giving each other a reference, when it’s all done. By building your references – you are building yourself, you are joining in with all those people around that big Christmas tree and sharing the amazing gift of being able to work and travel your way around the world with like minded people who want to work with you.
It’s 2017 today… the first day of the rest of the year 🙂 What are your work and travel plans for 2017? I am not Santa Claus, I can’t just make it happen for you – you need to do it your self. Working Traveller is here to help and we will do what ever is needed to make it all happen for you. But at the end of the day, it’s down to you the travellers and the hosts to work together and to build your references and do good work. Only then will we all feel the benefit of the growing WT community and that magic I felt last night around that Christmas tree and… I think that’s enough from me, you are hung over I feel and need to take it easy. I just want you to know we are here for you, to make it happen in 2017. Contact us, let us know your plans, send us your pics of you doing the WT sign with your host at |#workingtraveller when you have completed the work and we will shout out the best ones.
Make it happen and enjoy the world whilst it’s still the way it is.
Happy New Year
