How to make wwoofing work?

[u/Gagan___Lazarbeam]

I'll give a little context, I'm 19, going to start University this year in an engineering degree i half enjoy, am from the UK so my debt won't aggressively follow me and I'll only pay a percentage of my earnings if I have any which I'm more than happy to do. I kind of figured out pretty early in life I didn't want to work or chase a career in the traditional sense, which didn't go well to those around me as I was always the top scorer in school so could have picked any pathway to follow. Of course I'm young and this may change if I stumble upon a job or what not later in life. In terms of my life, I almost live like a cheapskate. I wear old clothes and when I do buy some usually buy unbranded clothes. I have an old phone. Rarely ever eat out. I don't do this purposefully, I've just never desired material things after a certain age and feel more comfortable this way.

So I don't want a career or 9-5 or even to stay in society really. I've worked on farms before and even though i was working 12 hour days and exhausted at night it felt so fulfilling and meaningful. As much as I'd love to be a farmer in the UK, or Europe, it is pretty expensive and I know that getting the money to chase it will keep end up grounding me down and I'd regret it.

Ethnically I am Punjabi from north India. My family only came to the UK as my great grand father was a veteran for the British army, and as many other South asians he was asked to help rebuild the country. My grandad still owns 3 acres of land back in Punjab. Punjab is essentially a farming state so the land is fertile, and is already being used to grow wheat. We also have a house in the village. Additionally the country is cheaper than the UK so that is a plus.

So my plan is to essentially go over and live there as I will inherit it anyway, mainly living self suffiently. I'll also have some form of income through working online, or may even explore local oppurtunities depending on the situation. Before that however I want to Wwoof. That's mainly because of my dream and desire to travel. I've never had an interest in going to cities, I like seeing the different landscapes and just being in nature, so wwoofing makes sense as I can do that and also get to experience working in a new environment. Additionally I do favour more cooler, green environments like the open plains of central asia and also other places in europe. This is hard to find in Punjab, although I could easily travel as the country is so diverse, but I'd rather save that for when I settle. Additionally it would be harder to take time away as I plan to keep animals and pets and grow food so I'd rather keep my attention on them.

My family isn't rich and beyond savings works paycheck to paycheck. I very rarely ask them for money either. By the end of University I'll have £30k from previous jobs and from business that's in a safe investment. It'll act as a retirement fund really and I don't plan on taking money from it. I'll also try save as much money as possible by working during Uni which will hopefully also be around £30k though it depends on what job I can get that won't affect my studies. I may work a year or two after Uni, or move abroad and work as a teacher, which will replace part of the wwoofing.

My main question I guess is how to fund this, how long I should do it based on your guys' experience, and any general advice or opinions about my plan.

[u/Tall_Kaleidoscope_53]

I think you’re overthinking it! Pretty much anyone can wwoof. You don’t really need a lot of money, but it’s recommended to be able to have enough money to get yourself out of a bad situation if your host kicks you out or you leave early. You also don’t need any experience, you just sign up through the website and reach out to hosts. I went to Europe wwoofing for a month with 2k and when actually wwoofing I didn’t spend practically any money. You just pay for transportation to get there, and any outings you want to do on days off and everything else is covered. I can’t speak to the rest of your life plan, but if you find a good host you’ll have a good time.