Travelling Sweden as a volunteer

Written by Malena Rasetto

I lived in Sweden for 5 months, and the unique thing is that I didn’t live in one place but around. 

I decided to travel to Sweden as a volunteer, which means to work in exchange for food and accommodation. In some places, I stayed 1 week, in others two months… 

Travelling Sweden as a volunteer

The question is how I found volunteer jobs. There are many platforms you can use, in my case I used Workaway. Workaway is an online website that you use to travel the world in exchange for accommodation and food. 

I was staying in my first workaway in Denmark when I found a volunteer job in Sweden. It was mid-December when I moved to Lönsboda to help to rebuild a house and do some gardening. Lönsboda is a small town in the south of Sweden, there’s literally nothing to see or do, but it’s amazing to explore the culture. After my stay in Lönsboda, I went to Stockholm to spend few days before travelling to the arctic circle to spend a month catching Auroras Borealis. 

Once I arrived in Kiruna, I stayed in a hostel, spent Christmas and never seen the Northern Lights. However, I never gave up, and after 4 wonderful days in Kiruna, I went to my second workaway in Sweden, in Jokkmokk, still in the arctic circle. It was there where I caught two northern lights. 

It was time to leave the north and keep travelling Sweden as a volunteer, so in mid-January, I moved to Östersund, a city near Åre. I had the time of my life learning how to ski and going back to ice skating. 

After those two wonderful months in the middle of Sweden, I went to Gothenburg for few days and finally to Klagstorp to my last workaway in a yoga retreat. 

Why do I recommend travelling Sweden as a volunteer?

It’s an experience you will never forget! It gave me a glance at the culture and Swedish people. Here’s my article about Swedish people through an Argentinian´s eyes.

In my experience, Sweden is beautiful from north to south, from west to east. I had the opportunity to spent winter and the beginning of spring in such a country. It was wonderful to see the snow melting and the green trees appearing.

Sweden in winter is a white country. Snow and darkness are the protagonists from December to February. The sunrise is at 11 am and the sunset is at 14 pm. During the night, however, given it’s completely white it looks like it’s daylight. You’ll feel you are in a movie. 

My personal experience

I have never imagined living up north and in the southest point of the same country. Sweden is a huge country to travel to and enjoy. There are plenty of outdoor activities to do in every season. So, if you are thinking about moving or travelling to Sweden, stop asking yourself when and just go! And remember you can enjoy Sweden travelling as a volunteer 🙂 

About the Author

Hej! I’m Malena. I’m an Argentinian travelling Sweden. After living in Ireland for 2 years and a half I decided to start backpacking Europe. I’ve been living with different families since then. I love to be around different cultures, I love outdoor activities like hiking and swimming. I love blogging, reading and writing. You can find me on Instagram as @malenarasetto. I really hope you enjoy my articles! Vi ses!