Help with light DIY tasks and gardening while enjoying the aurora and fjords in Senja, Norway

Details

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  Description

  Availability:
  12. November - 1. December (only whole slot)
  29. January - 1. May (3 week minimum)
  
  Hei! I am Line and after many own Workaway adventures, I now also want to welcome travellers, who want to come help us while exploring the North. Aakash and I bought a house on Senja some years ago, and our current mission along our jobs is to finish renovating the house and garden, trying to turn it into a nice vacation place that we, guests, our friends & family can enjoy.
  Because of our work, we temporarily had to move 30 mins outside Tromsø and are now only coming to Senja whenever we can work from home, to enjoy Senja’s nature, clean, and to renovate when the house is not occupied.
  
  The area:
  The island we are on, Senja, is the second largest in Norway located right in between Tromsø and the Lofoten. We are connected to the mainland via a bridge and the area is so scenic that it is often used in advertisements and wedding shoots. Most travellers visit to enjoy Senja's white sand beaches or hike up the famous Segla mountain, the track start only a few meters from the house. Here in Fjordgård, there is a small supermarket with an integrated café and a pub. Our village is located amidst untouched nature, nestled inbetween the mountains on one side and the fjord on the other. From our house, you get lovely views of both. When you get lucky, you might be able to observe the small whales, otters, sea eagles, and even the midnight sun or aurora directly from the bedroom windows.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  House sitting
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  When we are there, we would love to arrange some activities together and to show you around in the free time. Even in hectic times when we can't go on adventures together, we could teach you some words in Norwegian (Bokmål) and how to make our favorite kanelsnurr (cinnamon buns) or proper Norwegian waffles.

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  Help

  We are looking for 2 travellers, who want to help us out on Senja. Sometimes we would be there together, but most of the time we need some help when we can’t go ourselves. This is not housesitting though, instead there are specific tasks like cleaning, laundry, shovelling snow or cutting grass, or small maintenance tasks like painting or sanding. Welcoming or guiding guests is not part of the tasks.
  
  The usual arrangement will be to stay in one of the 3 bedrooms of the guesthouse on Senja and work for 2.5h per day (mostly around midday). We might not always get to spend a lot of time together, so we can’t offer food or family life, but this could be great for people looking for a beautiful base for working or studying from home, or lots of freetime to pursue own projects, or exploring the area.
  
  But depending on the time you are interested in, we could also have different arrangements:
  1. When we are on Senja ourselves (mostly in May, June, July), we will of course provide all food and are happy to show you around! Since we might be doing some light renovation (paiting, wallpapering etc.) then, we will need help for around 4h per day.
  
  2. If you are staying in Senja longer, it is often also possible to visit us near Tromsø so you can explore both places. Just let us know your dates and we can see what is possible in that time :)
  
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  Requirements:
  - 2 people travelling together
  - Fluency in English, Norwegian, or German
  - Driving license of advantage
  
  If you send us an inquiry, please include the dates you would like to be here.
  Please also let us know if you are travelling by car or public transport and whether you have a driving license.
  We are also interested in what you are good at/ what you would enjoy helping with :)
  
  Senja is a very beautiful place for nature enthusiasts, but also quite remote, so you need to know how to entertain yourself. Therefore, even though we will visit as often as possible and other guests might be there, we are looking for a couple or 2 friends travelling together, also to split the average workload of 5h/day between 2 people.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You will get 1 of 3 rooms in the guesthouse. It will probably be a double room, the other 2 are twins. Of course, you are welcome to use the entire house, including the kitchen, living room, TV room, balcony, patio and BBQ hut.

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  What else ...

  Things to do:
  On Senja, you could go hiking, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, SUP and kayaking, swimming, camping, mountain, e-, and fat biking, or simply chill in a sauna or outside with fjord views. Grab your camera and explore some of the popular tracks, visit nearby lakes or the white sand beach in Ersfjord. Maybe pick blueberries or cloudberries on the way. The region is also famous for fishing, so you can borrow our basic fishing rods and try your luck at catching dinner. There are a lot of guided tours/ activities on Senja, for example boat rides, (ice) fishing and climbing, husky and aurora tours.
  You can also simply wait for the Northern lights, or light a bonfire for a BBQ in our Grillhytta, where we can enjoy cozy evenings even if it pours outside. For inside, we have plenty of games and enjoy movie evenings.
  There are busses, but having a car will enable you to explore and borrow equipment more flexibly.
  
  The most popular hikes are Hesten, Segla, Barden, Inste Kongen (Kongebrua), Breitinden, Keipen, Husfjellet, Sukkertoppen and Grytetippen. Other sights include the Ånderdalen national park, Tungeneset, Ersfjordstranda, Husøy, Hamn i Senja and the Bergsbotn viewing platform. You might want to take the ferry from Senja to Andenes to explore the Lofoten, or the ferry to Brensholmen to explore Sommarøy, Kvaløya and Tromsø

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Average 2.5 hours a day

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