Volunteer Opportunities
So you want to know what it's like to work at a Hostel?
Maybe you'd like to travel vicariously through the tales of others?
Have you just come back from traveling and want to stay in the circle of hostellers?
Or, perhaps, you feel a call to service and want to donate some of your time to a non-profit organization dedicated to helping others gain a greater understanding of the world, its people and cultures?
Hostelling International is founded on the principle of learning and respecting other people and cultures by sharing space and work. As a volunteer, you'll gain valuable service experience, get a glimpse of the inner workings of a hostel, and meet lots of great people. Our goal is that you will be inspired to travel, and that you will become a lifelong member of Hostelling International.
We offer several Volunteer Programs, lasting from a weekend to three weeks, with memories, friends and inspiration that will hopefully last a lifetime.
Work Weekends
Before opening for the season, each one of the four Cape and Islands Hostels has a two day Work "Weekend" - not always held on weekends! This is where staff and volunteers get together and dust off the hostel to get it ready for opening day. Meals and accommodations are included during the weekend. Work may include cleaning, painting, washing windows, putting up curtains, making beds, carrying and setting up bunkbeds, meal preparation, etc.
At the end of the season, volunteers are needed to button up the hostels, which entails packing away dishes and linens, taking down beds, cleaning and perhaps easy maintenance projects.
Volunteers typically arrive the evening prior to the "weekend", and leave the afternoon of the second day. Two breakfasts and lunches and one dinner is included, but some people choose to hit the town for dinner and nightlife. Free time is given in the afternoons, so you may want to bring your bikes!
| Dates: | |
| Eastham/MidCape | TBA |
| Hyannis | TBA |
| Martha's Vineyard | TBA |
| Nantucket | TBA |
| Truro | TBA |
Donate a Skill
Our Hostels are old, some dating back to the 1870s! Some are historical buildings; the Martha's Vineyard hostel is the first purpose built hostel in the US, and MidCape consists of small camp cabins built in the 60s. We are always in need of skills like carpentry, painting, flooring, landscaping and basic home improvement skills.
If you have skills and tools, we'd love to have you help out. Projects are usually done in the spring and in the fall, but sometimes can be worked on year round